55 



heliographed. Auioug those engraved were six sheets of 

 the South Pacific Ocean series. 



FISCAL IEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1884. 



On the 30th of June, 1883. Commander J. R. Bartlett as-* commander 

 sumed control of the Office, relieving Commodore de Krafft. K^^S 



In the Admiralty Chart Room of the Office it had been the 

 practice, upon the receipt of a new edition of a British 

 chart, to correct from it, with pen and ink, all the copies of 

 former editions stored in the room. The great number of 

 these new editions issued annually by the British Hydro- 

 graphic Office rendered the constant correction of the charts a 

 colossal work, while the cost of making by hand the required 

 alterations was often many times that required for the pur- 

 chase direct from the British Admiralty of a copy of the new 

 edition itself. Accordingly, soon after taking charge of 

 the Office, the new flydrographer determined, as a matter 

 of economy of labor and money, to abandon the system of 

 hand correction, except in cases where the necessary changes 

 were small. For like reasons it was deemed desirable to 

 restrict the reproduction of foreign charts to processes that . Hand correc- 

 permitted the corrections to be made on the plates, and to the reproduction 

 confine such reproductions to charts embracing waters most restricted. ' 

 frequented by American vessels. 



To bring the nautical information furnished by the Hy- Establishment 

 drographic Office within easier reach of ship-masters and Orographic of. 

 sea-faring men in general, branch offices were established , 



in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia; and also additional 

 agents for the publications of the Office were appointed in 

 several of the principal sea-ports, where previously a single 

 agent had enjoyed a monopoly of their sale. 



The Branch Hydrographic Offices were usually located in 

 the buildings occupied by the Maritime Exchanges, and were 

 each placed in charge of a naval officer. Ship-masters and 

 others interested in navigation were invited to bring their 

 charts to these branch offices for comparison and correction, 

 and many who availed themselves of the offer discovered 

 that the charts they were then using were full of dangerous 

 errors. Through the branch offices merchant captains were 

 enabled more readily to secure the latest publications of the utility of the 



Branch Offices. 



main Office, and to obtain information upon all subjects of 

 a nautical character. 



