TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 449 



valley, about 30 miles north of Kandahar. It drains into the river Arghandab, 

 from which it is separated by a range of low hills. The longitude of Kandahar was 

 fixed by electric telegraph. 



8. On the Orography of the North-Western Frontier of India. 

 By Trelawny Saunders. 



The paper divides the mountains into groups, to each of which distinct limits are 

 assigned. The several parts of certain groups are then discussed, for the purpose 

 of assigning definite limits to the nomenclature of each part. The parallelism of 

 the ranges with the axis and base of the mass is next enlarged upon, with a view 

 to expose the fallacious assumption of the prevalence of formidable spurs obstruct- 

 ing lateral communication. Various examples of prolonged lateral communications 

 in the mountains on the north-western frontier of India are cited. In conclusion 

 the southern part of the high land extending along the Arabian Sea and the Per- 

 sian Gulf from the plain of the Indus to the plain of Mesopotamia is referred to, 

 especially with reference to the proper line of the future railway to India. 



The low land along this coast is particularly objected to for a railway, on 

 account of its deadly climate and an atmosphere reeking with intensely hot vapour. 

 A chain of elevated valleys running parallel to the coast is traced by way of Shiraz 

 and Kej as a preferable railway route. 



9. Imperial Survey of India. By J. 0. N. James, Esq., Deputy- 

 Superintendent of the Surveys of India. 



The object of Mr. James's paper was to sketch out, in a concise manner, the 

 nature of the work in progress and already performed by the Indian Survey Depart- 

 ment, and to point out its practical utility. The Imperial Survey of India, up to a 

 late period, consisted of three distinct branches, namely, the Trigonometrical Topo- 

 graphical, and Revenue Surveys. The Trigonometrical Survey, besides its'purely 

 scientific work, furnishes the great basis by principal triangulation for the orio-in 

 and extension of detail surveys executed by the Topographical and Revenue 

 Branches. Already the whole of India is covered with principal triangulation 

 which, for scientific accuracy, is unsurpassed by any similar undertaking in the 

 world. To the Topographical Branch is assigned the labour of executing geo- 

 graphical surveys of native States and hilly or forest tracts in British territory usually 

 on a scale of one inch to the mile. Mr. James described the methods adopted in the 

 execution of these topographical surveys, and pointed out the vast amount of geo- 

 graphical information which is collected by the surveyors. During the administra- 

 tion of Sir Henry Thuillier, late Surveyor-General of India (1861 to 1877), an area 

 of not less than 290,000 square miles was surveyed and mapped, including the 

 wildest and least known tracts of India. This enormous area, more than double 

 the size of Great Britain and Ireland, was surveyed in sixteen years at an average 

 cost ot 21. the square mile. 



The Revenue Survey operations are chiefly confined to open and well cultivated 

 districts in British territory. They furnish complete and accurate records of the 

 area and boundaries of every village and district. They show the extent of waste 

 and cultivated land, the nature of the soil, and the principal features of the country 

 on a scale of four inches to the mile. From these original surveys excellent maps 

 of complete districts are completed on various scales, for general administrative 

 purposes. In some special districts the system of cadastral field surveys has been 

 introduced. During Sir Henry Thuilliers superintendence (from 1847 to 1877) an 

 area of 40-3 000 square miles was completed on the village survey system on a scale 

 ot four inches to the mile, and 12,281 square miles by cadastral measurement 

 on a scale of 16 and 32 inches to the mile ; making an aggregate of 505,574 square 

 miles, considerably more than double the area of France. The Revenue Surveys 

 comprise a great portion of Bengal and Assam, all Oudh, part of the North- West 



tow Provinces and Bombay, nearly all the Punjab, and all Sind. 



1879. G G 



