PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



443 



(such as France, Germany, Italy, Russia, or the United States) to compare with 

 our complete and uniform series of sheets on the scale of 2 J flTT . These sheets 

 are sold at a nominal price and are in effect a free gift to landowners, agents, 

 and all who deal with real property. They are also, of course, invaluable to 

 county and borough engineers and surveyors. They really are a national asset 

 which is not half enough appreciated. The whole conception of these large- 

 scale plans has stood the test of time and is greatly to the honour of a former 

 generation of officers. 



Much might be said about the small-scale maps of the Ordnance Survey, 

 which are now published in a very convenient form. As mentioned above, the 

 latest small-scale Ordnance map is the new international map on the million scale. 

 Some sheets of this map will shortly be published. 



The Foreign Office is concerned with the surveys of the Anglo-Egyptian 

 Sudan, which are at present mainly of an explanatory character. The taking over 

 of the Province of Lado has recently thrown fresh work on the Sudan Survey 

 Department. The Foreign Office, which administers Zanzibar, has recently 

 given orders for the survey of the Island of Pemba, a dependency of Zanzibar, 

 and this is being carried out by a small military party. 



But the greatest service to Geography rendered by the Foreign Office in re- 

 cent years was the encouragement given to the project of the International Map 

 by the assembly of an international committee in November 1909. Sir Charles 

 (now Lord) Hardinge presided at the opening session. There were delegates 

 from Austria- Hungary, France, Germany, Great Britain, Canada and Australia, 

 Italy, Russia, Spain, and the United States, and, as is known, the resolutions 

 which were devised by the Committee were agreed to unanimously. After the 

 conclusion of the work of the Committee the Government communicated the reso- 

 lutions to all countries which had not been represented, and nearly all the re- 

 plies which have been received are favourable. Maps in exact accordance with 

 the resolutions are, it is understood, being produced by France, Hungary, Italy, 

 Spain, the United States, and other countries, and so far as we are concerned, by 

 the General Staff, the Ordnance Survey, and India. These maps will be shown 

 at the International Geographical Congress which meets at Rome in October next. 



I have now come to the end of this rapid sketch of the geographical work of 

 the official world. It is work which, though often of an apparently humdrum 

 character, outweighs in importance the sum total of all which can by any pos- 

 sibility be undertaken by private agency or by societies. But it is the very 

 legitimate business of societies to criticise and encourage. 



It is, in fact, not only our manifest duty to encourage the systematic mapping 

 of the world on which we live, but we shoidd do all we can to ensure the perfec- 

 tion, and suitability for their special purposes, of the maps themselves. In the 

 surveying of the earth's surface and its representation by means of maps we are 

 treating of matters which are essentially and peculiarly our own. 



It would appear that another great function of Geography, as represented by 

 Geographical societies and congresses, is to serve as a popularising medium for 

 such sciences as geodesy, geology, climatology, and anthropology, and also to 

 serve as the means of bringing together the workers in these sciences. We may 

 be told that so far as this Association is concerned the exact study of geodesy 

 and meteorology is dealt with by Section A, geology by Section C, and anthropo- 

 logy by Section H, but there is, I believe, no other section which forms a more 

 convenient general meeting-ground for all workers in the various divisions 

 of earth-knowledge. We ourselves have our own special work, work which is 

 shared by no others, the great task of mapping the world. This task is such a 

 necessary one, and it is of such genuine value to so many studies, that by assist- 

 ing in it we are really furthering the Advancement of Science, which is the object 

 of this great Association. 



The following Papers were then read : — 



1. Thermal Mays. By Professor A. J. Herbertson, M.A., Ph.D. 



