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HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 
For it was felt not only that such a task would be impossible, but that an 
attempt to provide for such niceties would defeat the object. 
The adoption by others of the system thus settled has been more 
general than the Council ventured to hope. 
The charts and maps issued by the Admiralty and War Office have 
been, since 1885, compiled and extensively revised in accordance with it. 
The Foreign and Colonial Offices have accepted it, and the latter has 
communicated with the Colonies requesting them to carry it out in respect 
to names of native origin. 
Even more important, however, than these adhesions is the recent 
action of the Government of the United States of America, which, alter 
an exhaustive inquiry, has adopted a system in close conformity with 
that of the R.G.S., and has directed that the spelling of all names in their 
vast territories should, in cases where the orthography is at present 
doubtful, be settled authoritatively by a Committee appointed for the 
purpose. 
The two great English-speaking nations are thus working in harmony. 
Contrary to expectation, but highly satisfactory, is the news that 
France and Germany have both formulated systems of orthography for 
foreign words, which in many details agree with the English system. 
The Council of the R.G.S., by printing the Rules in ‘Hints to 
Travellers/ and by other means, have endeavoured to ensure that all 
travellers connected with the Society should be made aware of them; 
but as it is possible that some bodies and persons interested in the 
question may still be in ignorance of their existence and general 
acceptance, they feel that the time has come again to publish them as 
widely as possible, and to take every means in their power to aid the 
progress of the reform. 
To this end, and with a view to still closer uniformity in geographical 
nomenclature in revisions of editions of published maps, a gigantic task, 
requiring many years to carry out, the Council have decided to take steps 
to commence tentatively indexes of a few regions, in which the place- 
names will be recorded in the accepted form. 
