230 eeport— 1879. 



maintenance of any thoroughly good institution. ' Inch by inch,' we are 

 told, did the surveying service ' fight its way into life,' until under the 

 bold and skilful rule of Sir Francis Beaufort, it achieved the success 

 prepared for it by the struggles and death of Dalrymple, and the earnest 

 efforts of Hurd, Michael Walker, and Parry. 



Although many unsurveyed coasts were charted during the last 

 century by Cook, Vancouver, Flinders, and others, yet it was not until 

 1795 that the Hydrographical Department of the Admiralty was 

 established by Order in Council. It consisted of the hydrographer 

 (Mr. Dalrymple), one assistant, and a draughtsman. Mr. Dalrymple's 

 orders were 'to take charge and custody of such plans and charts as then 

 were, or should thereafter, be deposited at the Admiralty, and to select 

 and compile such information as might appear to be requisite for the 

 purpose of improving navigation.' From this small beginning, the 

 important department that may now be fairly regarded as the main 

 source of hydrographical information to the civilised world was developed. 

 It is impossible, in the limited time at my disposal, to trace the progress 

 of the department step by step ; it is also unnecessary, as full information 

 on the subject may be found in the Geographical Magazines for April and 

 July, 1874, and in the United Service Gazettes for the 12th and 26th of 

 July, and the 16th of August, 1879. It will be sufficient to say that after 

 many struggles and reverses it advanced slowly but surely, until the year 

 1849 found no less than twelve surveying ships in commission, under the 

 late eminent hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort, while twenty-three 

 officers were borne on ships' books for detached surveying service. After 

 presiding over the Hydrographical Department for nearly a quarter of a 

 century, Sir Francis retired in 1854, leaving a surveying force of nineteen 

 captains and ten commanders, with sixteen lieutenants in training, and 

 eight ships in commission, notwithstanding the fact that we were then at 

 war with Russia, and that three surveying captains and two commanders 

 were employed in Arctic service. The views of a nation are supposed to 

 extend with its opulence and prosperity, but in the middle of 1873, the 

 surveying service had fallen so low that only one of Her Majesty's ships 

 (the Shearwater, under Commander "Wharton) was engaged in actual 

 surveying duties. It is true that the Challenger was also in commission 

 under Sir George Nares, but she was an exploring rather than a surveying 

 vessel. Since then matters have somewhat improved, but we still find a 

 decrease of ships and men where there should have been increase. 



In January 1873 the sad falling-off in the surveying service was. 

 noticed in the press, a leader in the Daily News showing that, although 

 the annual naval expenditure had increased from about four and a half 

 to seven and a half millions, and the tonnage of the mercantile navy from 

 less than four and a half to upwards of seven million tons, yet the 

 surveying service had been allowed to decline. In December of the same 

 year. Sir Bartle Frere wrote to Mr. Gladstone, earnestly protesting against 

 the insinuation that voyages of survey and discovery were not ' strictly 

 professional naval services ; ' at the same time expressing his belief that 

 there are few better naval schools than a surveying or discovery ship, 

 and that if such ships were multiplied, not only would commerce benefit,, 

 but men-of-war would be better supplied with practical seamen than is 

 possible at present. In April 1874, Mr. Markham pointed out, in the 

 Geographical^ Magazine, the great need that our rulers should more 

 fully appreciate the importance of an efficient administration of the 



