From Archibald McLachlan   Monday

Monday – N^o 2 – read the other N^o 2 first¹

Awful rumours are afloat to day – of Acid’s² being in Liverpool by order of the Mas: Gen.³ to investigate into a row among the men, and certain representations to some Members of Par!!!⁴ He is to be here tomorrow when a number are to be discharged – and some reduced – Yolland⁵ is to have a division, and to commence surveying in the South of England. Acid is to have Yolland’s place in Southampton – and to be a Little Carbon.⁶ All is now to be conducted by Acid, under the control of Carbon – Our Div:⁷ is to be either broken up altogether or given to Yolland – in case of the Liverpool affair ending unsatisfactory, Hamley is to go off – Yolland gets his place and we are to be distributed among all parties – such is the Rumour – I have been consulting my knowing old gent:⁸ – The plans of Derry – Tyrone – Monaghan – part of Armagh &c⁹ were revised by him!! I asked what became of the originals – ‘I don’t know but I think they were burned, ask M^r –¹⁰ he was there and knows more of the whole affair’.

So I will consult M^r – tomorrow–

I asked, did any of the original old plans pass revision, did you correct and revise any plans and how many – ‘He tried a few of Derry – D^o11 of Tyrone and other counties, but very few of them would do – We plotted fresh plans from the old books and a few of these made good enough plans – but only a few of them, we found it took more time to make good plans from old books and revisions, than to make the plans from a complete fresh survey, so after a few trials in each county, we gave up patching & revising altogether & surveyed right out of a face’ –

When did you begin to survey the lines – ‘Think it was in 1832, but I dont recollect every thing we did – we plotted some parishes on new sheets, from old Books, we revised them by the line survey but found they would not do, some parts of the Revision we traversed, it was all no use’ How many of the old plans did you revise – ‘I dare say we could get one parish out of 20, 19, out of 20 of the old plans & books were not good, and we dropt using them altogether after some trial in each county’. – I asked particularly how much time was lost in the original survey – he said about 6 years. I said dont you think it was 7 years – he said no. From August 1825 to the beginning of, or middle of 1832 – not more than 6 years – So here we differ! perhaps he is right!!! – if he is right, I am one year wrong – I asked were other districts as bad as his – ‘I don’t know, I am not certain of it, but you may rely on it they were all as bad as us’–

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I will repeat it ‘The scientific labours of the first 7 years &c’ – and dare them to disprove it – should they prove it was only 6 or 5 ½ years – I care not, the important point designed and insisted on is still correct – If they prove that all the old maps, plots &c were not burned, I care not, the grand fact stands correct – I will hazard the assertion that the order to Burn, extended to all the Districts, and to all the useless maps plots &c – The only possible mode of disproving is – producing the original maps plots, books – This I defy them to do – the more I look into it, the more confident I become – Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will consult Mr – it wont be before post time – but you shall soon hear – You will have an answer to the other points soon

B.¹²

Tuesday 1 o’clock – yours of Monday¹³ came – I wont be in time for the post if I stay to say much – the reason for delay is that I would not be in time for Sunday’s post – and wished to consult with the above mentioned –

This sheet may be read separate from the other remarks –

1^st Mr G¹⁴ - It is uncertain whether he was appointed by the Board or not – I cannot find any body who read his appointment or who saw it. He acted in 2 capacities, Bdy¹⁵ Surveyor, and Valuer. The B^dy. S.¹⁶ was paid by Government – Valuation is paid by the County – The County pays a part, if not the whole expenses of valuation. I am informed by knowing ones, that he was appointed partly by the Board, & partly by the Irish Government at the Castle, Dublin – The Irish Government is his principle employer as to the valuation – The Board is his employer as to Boundaries – this is all I am able to collect on the matter

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2^nd – Lt. Renwick¹⁷ – Bickett¹⁸ knows all about him – Think he went off the S.¹⁹ about the end of 1828. I am pretty sure that was about the time.²⁰ The cause of his leaving was irregularity, and disobedience of orders – The great fault was, Surveying roads streams &c by lines – instead of by traverse. When he was reproved by Cap English,²¹ he said ‘By God I’m right, you will all do it that way yet’ – He did not do all his parishes by lines only a few of the later ones – And in the revision his work was not so useless as the other officers.

3^rd – £300,000 was for S. and not for Bdy or valuation. Griffith used to get a separate grant for B^dy ask D.²² –

4^th My calculation goes to say upwards of 200,000 was lost by the original Survey – Others who know the subject as well as myself say 250. or 270.000 – We are safe in saying 200.000 – In the Ho of Com:²³ 1829 Carbon stated the expense at 77.000!!! I understand his trick lies in not including military pay of man or officer!! 77.000!!! that sum is a bare faced prevarication – the mere pay of officers would be more than half that sum –

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The First 7 years²⁴

5^th I would not repeat the word ‘First’. I would rather say the First 6 years – the whole lies in the word ‘First’. However you can state it as you will, here is my way of calculation –

	from August 1825 to 1830	= 5 ½ years,
1830 or 1831 revision commences	– Revision Experiment	= 1/2 year
	The First 6 years	= 6.0

From 1831 to 1835 or 6 – we lose another year in attempts to cobble up some parishes of certain counties. There was much more than one year lost – but say 1 year – Total 7 years. So we have 6 years lost, in succession, that is provable – and at least one year more at repeated attempts – If some old men are put on oath they would say, ‘more than 7 years’. The only objection which could be found is with the word ‘First’ – which is not critically correct – let them find fault if they like – their error in correcting us will be soon detected.

Altitudes

6^th The three alterations are notorious – Captain H.²⁵ deduced altitudes from one mountain, Captain L.²⁶ from another mountain – they differed when they came to close on each other. Both were right and no mistake!! – Neither would give in. Carbon was down there at dinner – the 3 parties disputed on the altitudes, Carbon agreed with Cap H. – Cap L. got into a rage (he was a violently passionate man) he jumped up from the table, and slashed his plate with all its contents against the door – and jumped, and tramped on the broken pieces – The heights were changed to agree with Cap H. –Afterward H was proved to be wrong. They were altered back again to the original – and still wrong – At the Revision the whole altitudes were given to, or done by, one officer – Portlock²⁷ – and he altered all that was done before. – B.

NB The above alterations were made in the principal County heights – some of the parish heights were altered ½ dozen times.

RI MS JT/1/TYP/11/3809-3812

RI MS JT/8/1/4a