From Archibald McLachlan   Aug. 26th, Saturday - 11 o'clock

Aug. 26th | Saturday – 11 o’clock

Your two last and paper¹ came to day at 11 o’clock – I won’t be in time for this day’s post – You say in one, ‘don’t post on Saturday it will be too late’. One letter is dated Friday, the other Saturday, the postmark on both bears 25th August – is this the fault of post – were they both posted same day?

We will recollect that measures, not men are attacked – no man’s private character is aspersed – the thing is public property, and in default of official documents, we can only make general statements – in every public scrutiny, accuracy in all and every part is not expected if the great point is proved all is done.

From 1827 to 1832 or 1833 I was attached to the E. District, and the 1st Division, under Lt. Bordes² – about 1833, (being then in Belfast) the Captain of the District was dispensed with and the Lt. of the 1st Division being the oldest, he became Acting Captain – or took charge of the E. District. And he had still charge of his old 1st division – Our office then, was both a division, and district office, all plans &c. past through our office. From 1830 to 1833, the patching system³ had got a good trial, and found wanting – Certain parishes of our di.⁴ and other divisions in the E. district had by this time been re-surveyed.⁵ What was to be done with the old or original plans of 1825, 6,7 &c. – ? An order came about this time (1833) in Carbon’s⁶ handwriting that ‘The plans are to be burned in presence of an officer – it did not state what plans nor order any plans – nor any particular officer – it did not say – You will burn such and such plans, nor when, nor where! Soon after this a Regular Bonfire was made in the back yard, certain plans &c. &c. were burned – (some were nabbed by the boys!) but what plans or rather what parishes, I don’t recollect – I can only recollect the names of a few* (you can have the names if you wish.) I believe the maps burned at that time were only such as had been re-surveyed and completed up to the date of conflagration, and not retained for further consumption! When we got to Drogheda⁷ in 1834 or 1835 certain other plans, books plots &c. &c. were roasted to death. I believe these composed the parishes that remained after the first fire in 1833, being part of Down, Louth, Meath⁸ – both of our own and other divisions! I don’t say every parish was burned by us, perhaps some parishes were burned in the division offices, but this I can’t authenticate, although I have an indistinct recollection of being told by some of the boys, that they fought about some old plots &c. &c. and a scrimmage about cutting the demesnes⁹ out of some plans, to be kept as specimens &c. &c.

*You can have the names if you wish.

We leave Drogheda and go to the City – Dublin – and here I don’t recollect to see any bonfire, nor ever heard of one in Dublin – Ask D¹⁰ did he ever hear or see one in Dublin. But I do recollect old Books – Plots knocked about in some considerable quantum, what became of them I could never make out – Some were sometimes used (the back of them) to try lines on – and score points to see how the work would plot. But none of the plots or books were ever used in the new plans.* I never saw any plans of the Co.¹¹ Dublin – the first survey was merely plotted (lines) The plans were never drawn – i,e, we did not draw any plans in our original survey of Dublin Co. or City – we only drew plots.¹² Whether in the revision any of the plots were found available or not, I dont recollect, but am pretty sure they all shared the same fate whatever it was (We surveyed the City and we revised it, that is – re-surveyed it!!)

*I recollect that in the North (Down) some parishes were found pretty good and were cobbled¹³ up – I say ‘some’, for the great Body of the work was Bad!

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Who surveyed the Drogheda side of Navan all round by the Boyne¹⁴ – ? I don’t know! What became of the original plans? God knows. – All I know is they were drawn and returned in the Estimates¹⁵ – (or returns rather) as finished; and after they were so finished we i,e, myself and others in company suffered many a ducking,¹⁶ and days of sore fatigue in re-surveying the same ground!!! What became of the original books and plans* of Swords¹⁷ I don’t know, I mean the plots drawn in 1830? I don’t know!! – but this I do know, that in 1836 Captain Tucker revised the same country, and had some dozen of ragged lads – 1/. 1/. 1/6 – 1/7!! So wretched that they stole potatoes from potato pits¹⁸ –brought before the magistrates for theft, the Corporal in charge went and said they belonged to the O.S.¹⁹ – The matter hushed up. They were cautioned to behave for the future – And if he could make such men cobble up good plans from bad old plots, it is more than better men could do, – !!

* We surveyed Swords and round it, we did not revise it, the revision was done by Acid.²⁰ We surveyed the city and we revised it, that is – Re-surveyed it!! –

All this is of our own district – And I will say, that taking it as a whole, the broad assertion stands unrefuted and unanswerable, that the thing was a bottle of smoke.²¹

Our district embraces, Down, Louth part of Meath and Dublin.

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If you ask me to prove all this – you say so and so – this is assertion, but prove it. – I answer, I can’t prove it, my witnesses are almost all gone – some dead – But I appeal to the original documents – Produce them. Where are the originals? that’s the point – produce them and I am floored!!

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Other Districts

In our own I revised ¼ of a parish, area of the parish 17,000.²² – something more was done by others; it was all no go – We were just thinking to take in hand another at 7,000 – when just at that time our Governor²³ went on a visit – or – came by his knowledge through letters – I don’t know which, but it was just after a visit to some place in the West that a new order was given, and a specimen of some plans done in the N.²⁴ West – all by lines,²⁵ (think this was 1832) and it was said by our Governor that all was done there by lines – but where? None of us could make out the name of the county!! – However it was tried by us, and succeeded. And not long after this we heard that they all did the work by lines – This was only hearsay at the time. But it shows that the work done by lines superseded the old plans.

We worked at Down – the adjoining Co. was Antrim. Lt. Aldrich,²⁶ with the celebrated Hughey McCluney!²⁷ and others, surveyed parishes – When the revision commenced those parishes (mid way between Belfast and Lisburn) came to be revised, they were revised – re-revised – so said our celebrated Hughey, and after that, they were re-surveyed – Query, what became of the originals? – When at a certain period 2 districts were knocked into one, we got part of this Lt. Aldrich’s work of the Co. Armagh to revise – we revised and re-revised – and some we burned!! – that is to say, part of Co. Down was useless, Do²⁸ of Co. Antrim, do Armagh. This fell under our own noses so we could not but see it. It could be proved by Carbon’s evidence before the House of Commons that the 14 counties were re-surveyed &c. &c. But you ask, how can I prove that the originals were burned? I answer I can’t prove it – I can prove even now, that certain documents of Co Armagh were burned – documents of Co Antrim to a great degree useless – by our proximity we could discover Down, Antrim, Armagh equally erroneous, – i,e, 3 out of 5 districts involved in the same scrape²⁹ of error. And there is no reason to conclude the other 2 were much better – they were all in error nearly equally so. They all introduced the system of lines about the same time – for what purpose? – Why use lines? I have a very bad memory, but can recollect being told of battered old maps in other districts – and hearing Captain Right³⁰ say in our office that ’twas all the fault of the draftsmen &c. And of one of the valuators saying ‘the new plans of Derry were beautifully correct’. When I recollect this and that our own district was full of intelligent men, fully as well paid as others &c 3 out of 5 districts in the same scrape under our own observation – the documents of one district nearly all burned – by order – the natural inference is they all shared the same ‘common’ fate along with the Captains of each district!! They have a uniformity dependent, in burning as well as botching. But if you put the question again – How do I prove the maps were burned? I answer, produce the originals and I am floored!! But I will bet you sixpence that Botching and Burning in one district is equal to Burning and Botching in another. What was the use of having two sets of maps – an old set – and a new?

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‘The scientific labour of the first 7 years ended &c. &c’ The statement of 7 years is not strictly true – 7 years is the mean time³¹ nearly – but you can’t state any time without being open to objection, 6 years is too small – 7 years is correct nearly – or from summer of 1825 to about the end of 1832 – Some Captains went off sooner, some later, 7 years is as near as one can come to it.

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Revision³²

This word was adopted instead of re-surveying, they thought at first that a few alterations &c. &c. would be quite enough. Re-surveying is a bad word, revision is much better – The old maps were not entirely superseded There was a parish in Down called Dromore, surveyed by the R.E.³³ themselves, this was entirely superseded – as you would say, but I say not so, for it was cut up for diagrams – like many other maps – given to the surveyors that they might lay out their lines quickly by it – ! The old maps formed excellent Boundary sketches for surveyors! Query – Did you ever know any man, civil or military, that revised a parish in 1834.5.6.7.8 &c, I think that would puzzle you – and from what I heard old hands say of Tyrone – Athlone Sligo, Derry &c. &c. the maps might be superseded at the earliest convenience!!!

I recollect distinctly. No. 1

1st To hear the men from other districts speak of the drinking matches – judging – Examining of work – and that they had glorious times &c. &c.

2nd An officer of the West, say that his best draftsmen had no more than 2/. – plenty of field men at 1/. – 1/6.

3rd A complaint of our district, that our progress was small and our Cap: brag, and Lts. that the progress was smaller, but the maps better &c. &c.

3rd³⁴ One of the principal valuers, say, that when they tried the valuation³⁵ in Derry they never saw such bad work – villages in the wrong townland³⁶ – areas erroneous – the maps perfectly useless.

4th The same valuer says, at the same time with the above, that the new maps of Derry were beautifully correct, he would not be ashamed to present some of them as private surveys of Estates.

5th A new system of surveying, by lines, about the year 1832 or summer of 1832 – and this system was adopted in some other districts before it came to us in 1832 – or we had it at second hand.

6th A Captain Right or Wright say in our office Belfast 1832 or 3 – that this mess was all owing to, the fault of the draftsmen – and at that very time the said Right was re-surveying out of a few!!

7th Parishes in Antrim – revised – re-revised – and finally re-surveyed.

8th Parish of Armagh Do Do some burned.

– You will recollect that our District was considered the best as to accuracy –

And the above 8 points refer to other Districts; and then say, whether our maps are to be burned, and the others retained, that an order applicable to us is not so to other Districts – Recollect the order has been applied to 2 ie A:E.³⁷ or rather the Co. of Armagh and Down were knocked into one – D will recollect this change – and some of Armagh was burned at Drogheda

Whoever denies the accuracy of the assertion ‘That the scientific labours of the first 7 years ended literally in a bottle of smoke’ will envolve himself in great difficulty with respect to the returns of Carbon – and the order that the maps should be burned – the dispensing with Captains. – He will have a choice of several evils, and may and would succeed partially, but this could only be done by admitting some other points, fatal to the whole argument he advances – Depend on it he will have a tough job – if he replies by flat denial, then I demand the documents!!!

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Further

We know – Antrim was worse than – Down

----------- Armagh as bad as Antrim

----------- Derry worse than Armagh.

Here you have 4 counties out of 5 – or 4 districts out of 5 – the best is condemned – what is to become of the worst? Your statement extends to the whole not to every part – you are right on the whole – every parish was signed and countersigned and returned as correct – no exception – if then they certified that to be right, which was afterwards proved wrong – they need not cry out on Spectator³⁸ for being wrong to a certain extent, on a subject of old recollection!! We must teach them to have a fellow feeling and besides nobody can find the real truth from their official documents; and every man, speaking on this subject must be liable to error – only trivial ones – But will they be bold enough to deny – ? I question it much, tho you may expect somebody else will, on their behalf!!

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Poor House

The gent who spoke to me at Leeds, came out of a certain house, I don’t know his name, but recollect the place well, & should it come to blows, can soon find his name, the gentleman said ‘they came to us’, so there were more than one of them present – A few days ago, a certain discharged man was with me for a short time (2 days) an old acquaintance (don’t mention this to any one) he tried to get enlisted, took the shilling!!³⁹ – would not pass the doctor!! he said ‘the soldiers in ____ Leeds know all about the O.S. – they told me they had enlisted nearly a dozen of them’ – What was the cause why he could not pass the doctors? It was certain injuries received on the O.S. – poverty of food & over exertion; keep this talk to yourself I would not on any account it would be mentioned – He is an old old crony, and fairly broke down – never saw a worse case*!!

*never mention this

B.⁴⁰

RI MS JT 1/11/3783–7

RI MS JT 8/1/4a/18–20