357 
of Edinhurgh^ Session 1864 - 65 . 
completion of the Ordnance maps made it at last necessary to stop 
altogether the examination of the midland counties. The geo- 
logical survey was then, in the autumn of 1863, transferred to 
Ayrshire, of which the county Ordnance map is published. Con- 
siderable progress has been made there, and it is intended to work 
northward from the Silurian boundary, so as to complete the survey 
of the Ayrshire coal-fields with as much speed as the nature of the 
work will permit.^ 
The staff of the G-eological Survey in Scotland has always been 
very small. For the first seven years, there were only two geolo- 
gists, their labours being aided by a yearly visit from Professor 
Eamsay, and by the occasional personal assistance of the palaeon- 
tologist. One of them, Mr Howell, whose experience, especially 
in the details of coal-field surveying, was of essential service, then 
left, and three surveyors were successively appointed. Some time, 
however, had necessarily to elapse before they were able to carry 
on independent work. This they are now doing; and as, in the 
south-west of Scotland, the Ordnance maps have all been published, 
it is believed that the G-eological Survey will now be enabled to 
advance with greater comfort and speed, f 
Notwithstanding the hindrances which have impeded progress 
hitherto, a considerable area of the country has been examined. 
The state of the survey at the end of last year was as follows : — 
Square Miles. 
Area published on the one- inch scale, . 963 
Area engraving on the one-inch scale, . 382 
Area surveyed but not engraved, . . 1169 
Total area surveyed, . 2514 
^ It is right to state that the above remarks are not intended to impute 
any blame to the way in which the Ordnance Survey has been conducted, but 
simply to explain why the Geological Survey has hitherto been able to do so 
little in the great coal-fields. 
t From what has been said above relative to the state of the Ordnance 
Survey, it will be seen that though the statf of geologists has been small, it 
has been quite large enough for the number of maps available for geological 
purposes. The geologists have been all along treading closely on the heels 
of the Ordnance surveyors, and, to have increased the staff, would soon have 
brought the Geological Survey to a stand. What has been needed has not 
been more geologists, but more maps. 
