Mackinder : The Advancenient of Geographical Science. 73 



of the Geography of England,' which you will find in the 

 fifteenth volume of the ' Geographical Journal.' Dr. Herbertson, 

 again, has a description of the Oxford Sheet of the One-inch 

 Ordnance Survey Map in the first volume of the ' Geographical 

 Teacher,' and Professor Geddes has given us descriptions of 

 the neighbourhood of Edinburgh in connection with his Outlook 

 Tower. But these essays, though excellent so far as they go, 

 are hardly comparable to the elaborate Continental descriptions 

 to which I have referred. No really adequate geographical 

 account of the British Isles will be possible until we have a 

 much richer local literature from which an author may mine. 

 Yet such an account is essential to any scientific basis for 

 British national history. 



What is wanted is that in connection with each society it 

 should be the duty of some member to correlate the results 

 obtained by the different specialist sections. This member 

 would extract from the work of the botanists, the archae- 

 ologists, the geologists, and others the data for the construction 

 of his scheme of maps, and it would fall naturally to him to 

 suggest the formation of new sections, and to enlist the enthu- 

 siasm of fresh students for the purpose of filling lacunae in the 

 local researches. In other words, it would be his special function 

 to correlate from a geographical point of view the work of the 

 various specialists, and to draw deductions from his correlations 

 for the guidance of the specialists in their further work. Local 

 investigation, instead of being haphazard and isolated, would 

 thus become co-operative, and the results would be synthetic. 

 Side-lights would be thrown on all manner of special studies, 

 and the students of other sciences would thus get back with 

 interest the contributions which they made to geography. 



All this is easily said, but our experience shows that only a 

 geographer of adequate training and insight could perform the 

 function which we here demand. Such persons are no doubt 

 increasing in number. The University Schools of Geography 

 at Oxford and elsewhere are gradually supplying them, and 

 before long it should be possible for each of your societies to find 

 some one, say a master in some neighbouring public school, 

 who is capable for the purpose. In some cases you may even 

 have a member who would be willing to undergo the necessary 

 training specially for your service. 



I am aware, of course, that your societies are perhaps 

 more often than not on a county basis, and many of our counties 



1908 March i. 



