TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 811 
5. Twelve Years’ Work of the Ordnance Survey. 
By Colonel Sir Joun Farquuarson, £.C.B. 
In October 1887 I was ordered to take up at Southampton, where the head- 
quarters of the Survey are established, the duties of Executive Officer, or second in 
command, of the Ordnance Survey. Sir Charles Wilson was then Director- 
General; and in March 1894 I succeeded him in the latter position, which I 
retained until March of this year, when, on the expiry of my five years’ term of 
office, [ handed over the duties to Colonel Duncan A. Johnston, R.E., the present 
Director-General. [I propose in this paper to give a short summary of the work 
done by the Ordnance Survey Department in the period of nearly twelve years, 
from October 1887 to March 1899, during which I was either Executive Officer or 
Director-General, and during which, in one or other of those capacities, the whole 
of the work of the Survey passed through my hands. 
During those twelve years there have been probably more changes made in the 
character of the work done by the Survey than in any other equal period of its 
history ; and, as regards the areas covered by its operations, they have been largely 
in excess of the areas covered during any previous equal period. ‘This is, of course, 
due to the fact that Revisions have now largely taken the place of original Surveys, 
I propose first to deal with the progress made, from 1887 to 1899, in the 
following branches of the work: 
The progress (to completion in 1890) of the original Cadastral Survey of Eng- 
land and Wales, including the 6-inch surveys of uncultivated districts. 
The progress made on Re-surveys for the larger scales of various counties of 
England and Scotland which had been originally surveyed for the 6-inch scale 
only; and the progress made on the Revision of the original Cadastral Surveys of 
England and Scotland, whether on the 25-inch or 6-inch scale. 
The progress made on the Re-survey of Ireland for the 34, or 25-inch scale. 
The progress made on the completion of the original new series engraved l-inch 
maps of Great Britain and Ireland, both in outline and with hills. 
The progress made on the Revision of the new series l-inch engraved outline 
maps of Great Britain and Ireland, and the commencement of the issue for Scotland 
and the North of England (and for Ireland ultimately) of the same revised l-inch 
map with hills in brown by double printing. 
The progress made with coloured 1-inch maps of the South of England. 
The progress made with maps on scales smaller than 1 inch to a mile. 
Tke simplest, and probably the clearest method of showing the work done under 
the above heads will be by diagrams, which have been prepared. 
A short account is given of the nature, causes, and results of any changes 
made since 1887 in the system of carrying out the Survey, some of which may be 
due to the reports of Committees, or suggestions from the general public, while 
others have been necessitated by the changes which have taken place in the cha- 
racter of the work done by the Department. 
Observations are made as to the style and quality of the maps on all scales, 
both old and new. But as specimens of these maps are provided for inspection 
by members of the Association, these observations are very brief. Specimens of 
foreign maps, so far as available, are also provided for inspection by members, and 
comparison with the English maps. 
The Ordnance Survey Department, in 1887, published town maps at the cost of 
the State, on the scales of 10 feet (;4;) and 5 feet (;;4,;) to a mile. It does so 
no longer. 
The sales of the Ordnance Survey maps were in 1887 in the hands of the 
Eerionery Office : they are now in the hands of the Ordnance Survey Department 
itself. 
Some remarks are also made as to the organisation and superintendence of 
the Department and of its work ; as to the use or otherwise made of the Ordnance 
Survey maps by other departments of the State and by the public generally ; and 
as to the important work which still remains to be done by the Ordnance Survey, 
