A Memoir on The Indian Surveys

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

THE object of the present Memoir is to furnish a general view of all the surveying and other geographical operations in India from their first commencement ; in order that, in reading reports of current work, ready means of reference to the previous history of each branch of the subject may be at hand. In case it should be desired to follow up an enquiry into the details of any particular operation or series of operations, the references in the foot notes have been made as copious as possible.

It has been difficult to bring together a complete record of the marine surveys in consequence of the destruction of documents, and it would have been impossible without the aid of several surveying officers of the Indian Navy, who kindly furnished me with the necessary information.* Nothing has been done for many years to continue and complete the admirable work of the surveyors of the Indian Navy, but this state of things cannot last, and it is hoped that, before very long, the section on Marine Surveys will be useful as a means of reference.

The history of the labours of Major Rennell and his fellow route-surveyors is particularly interesting, as the commencement of the vast operations of which they were the precursors. But their work is still extremely valuable in itself. For the decision of important points in physical geography, and of some engineering questions, it is necessary to compare surveys of the same place made at long intervals. The work done by Major Rennell in 1780 enabled Mr. Fergusson in 1863 to argue from data, the absence of which would have left the question he was discussing in doubt ; while the want of early observations on the Katiwar coast deprives the present tidal measurements of their comparative interest.

THE result of the publication of the first edition of the Memoir on the Indian Surveys was very satisfactory. It was a part of my plan that the Memoir should be supplemented by Annual Abstracts on the same model, each abstract being a Memoir for one year. The Abstract was to consist of connected narratives for the year of the various operations which are the subjects of the Memoir, accompanied by references to all books, selections, articles, des-patches, proceedings, or other papers containing fuller information on the different points. At the end of seven years the contents of the Annual Abstracts were to be embodied in the second edition of the Memoir.

Accordingly these Abstracts of the Surveys were published in 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1876. In 1877 the time came for the appearance of the second edition of the Memoir. Out of the 750 copies of the first edition over 700 had been disposed of, and the earlier Abstracts were out of print. In the new edition of the Memoir it has been found advisable to increase the number of sections. An additional sub-section has become necessary for the Marine Survey Department ; and separate sections are added for the route surveys beyond the frontier of British India by native explorers, for the Revenue Surveys, for Tidal Observations, for the Statistical Survey of India, and for a discussion of the orthography of Indian proper names. An index has also been added. In all other respects the arrangement of the two editions is identical. All who have been concerned in furthering the operations of the various Indian Surveys must look back with feelings of deep satisfaction to the amount and character of the work that has been achieved in the interval between the publication of the two editions of this Memoir.