wo : PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 525 
In the first place, it is for consideration whether it would not have been better 
if the colour scheme for representing differences of altitude had been omitted, 
as it is doubtful whether the advantage of the result gained is commensurate 
with the increased cost of printing the colours. And one naturally asks, for what 
purpose is the map intended? Is it for the use of skilled geographers, of whom 
there are a comparatively small number in each country, or is it for the instruc- 
tion of ordinary people? If it is for the latter, it is to be feared that the colour 
scheme will give rise to erroneous impressions. Compare, for example, Sheet 
North, M 31, of France, with Sheet South, H 34, of part of South Africa. In 
the former, as the greater part of the country shown is less than 300 metres above 
the sea, the general colour of the sheet is green, while in the latter, as nearly the 
whole of the country included has an altitude of more than 300 metres, the map 
is for the most part brown. This to the less educated man will probably convey 
the idea that, while France is a fertile country, South Africa is a desert. The 
fact, too, that the darker tint of green represents the lower level and the lighter 
the higher, while, in the case of the brown, the lighter represents the lower and 
the darker the higher, and, in the case of the purple, the relative strength of the 
tints is again reversed, is rather confusing. 
There is another point as regards the colour scheme which might be noticed ; 
that is, that it is not the same on different sheets. For example, the scale of 
tints adopted in Sheet North, O 30 (Scotland), North, M 31 (France), and 
North, K 35 (Turkey), do not correspond. In the Scotch map the brown colour 
commences at an altitude of 200 metres, in the French at 300 metres, and in the 
Turkish at 400 metres. There may be some reason for this, but it appears not 
to be in accord with the resolutions of the Committee. Another reason for 
omitting the colour scheme for altitudes is that it might be better to keep colour 
work for other purposes, such as indicating political divisions, as there can be 
little doubt that so good a map as this, when completed, will be largely used for 
many purposes. It might be better that on a map of this small scale only the 
horizontal features, such as coast-lines, river-courses, railways, roads, and the 
position of towns should be shown, while to represent height graphically tends 
to obscure the former. 
Another criticism I would venture to make is that the resolutions of the 
Committee appear to have been drawn up on the supposition that the whole 
world has been accurately surveyed, and no attempt seems to have been made 
to distinguish between those regions of which the maps are based on triangula- 
tion, such as England and parts of Europe, and the countries of which complete 
surveys have not yet been made. As the construction of the map proceeds and 
sheets are prepared of parts of the world our knowledge of which is imperfect, 
this want will become more pressing, but it is noticeable even with regard to the 
sheets already published. It is one of the evils of cartography that where any- 
thing is shown on a carefully engraved map it comes to be regarded as true, and, 
if it afterwards turns out to be erroneous, it is not easy to get it altered. 
The scale of the map, 5;,2,;3.appears to have been wisely chosen, as it is 
sufficiently large to give an adequate amount of detail, while, at the same time, 
the sheets will not be unduly numerous. Of course, for an international map a 
natural scale was essential, although for national maps a scale based upon the 
national system of measures is more convenient, as, for example, in the United 
Kingdom, where the scales of one inch and six inches to the mile are better than 
scales of -;1,,5and ;,!,, would have been. They are-more suited for the 
majority of individuals, and an ordinary foot-rule can be used for measuring 
distances, instead of having to take them off with a pair of dividers from the 
printed scale on the map. 
Looked at from the general point of view, there can be no doubt that the 
International Map is a most important and valuable undertaking. It is satisfac- 
tory that such a leading part in the matter has been taken by the British officers 
of the Royal Engineers and by the Royal Geographical Society. 
_ In speaking of this map I have referred to the advisability, if not the neces- 
sity, of distinguishing between what is accurately and what is inaccurately 
known, and this brings me to another matter of considerable interest, the pre- 
paration of maps based upon the observations and information collected by 
explorers in unknown or little-known countries. To these explorers, some of 
whom have not been trained in geographical science, a large amount of detail 
