To Sir Robert Peel   October 20th., 1843

LIVERPOOL MERCURY, October 20th., 1843 | Letter II.

To the Right Honourable Sir Robert Peel, Bart, &c, &c.

Sir – a few weeks ago I addressed you¹ on the subject of the proposed survey of London; my letter sprung from the conviction that the claims of a certain class of individuals to public patronage were of a very questionable character. I used what seemed the best means of opposing, with success, the spirit of greedy monopoly, which, to the prejudice of civil surveyors, has characterized the proceedings of these individuals since the commencement of the survey of the six northern counties of England. Besides, Sir, I considered that the outlay of public money should be a subject of deep interest to the head of the British Ministry. Your ears are no strangers to the murmurs of discontent arising from heavy taxation, and if the Ordnance survey afford a specimen of the manner in which public works are in general conducted, I hesitate not to trace one great cause of the burdens of the people to the waste of the national funds, caused by the ignorance of those to whom such works are entrusted. I addressed you anonymously, because my statements require not the adventitious aid² of a name to invest them with the garb of credibility. They challenge public inquiry. To support them I can adduce the testimony of living witnesses, who are at present employed on the English survey. This, with other proofs of a different nature will, I feel assured, bear my statements, unshaken, through the ordeal of investigation.

In the letter referred to I have averted to many circumstances in proof of the position I assumed. The necessary brevity of a letter, and the extensive range I have taken, compelled me to pass over, in a very cursory manner, many points which are deserving of more attention. This consideration induces me to resume the pen, and devote a little time to the development of some facts connected with each particular subject to which I have referred.

The survey of Ireland occupies the first place.

Previous to the year 1824 numerous complaints were made of the unequal allotment of local taxation in Ireland. To remove the cause of these, the Government decided that a survey and valuation of the island should be made. The mutual relations of these departments stood briefly thus: – 1st. A survey was to be made, and maps constructed, to serve as the basis of the valuation; 2nd. A valuation of lands houses &c., based on the data furnished by the previous survey, and, of course, liable to be affected by the correctness or incorrectness of that data. The superintendence of the work was committed to the Board of Ordnance.

Two gentlemen of high professional standing³ were chosen to carry into practical effect the designs of the legislature. The survey department was confided to an officer of the Royal Engineers; the valuation to Richard Griffith, Esq., Civil Engineer. The determining and sketching of public boundaries were also entrusted to the latter gentleman.

A force of five captains and twenty-five lieutenants of the corps of Royal Engineers (this was the main force; a few others were on detached duty) and three companies of Royal Sappers and miners,⁴ raised expressly for this work, was placed under the immediate control of the officer alluded to. He had also liberty to employ any number of civilians or civil assistants he thought proper. This force commenced operations in the north of Ireland in 1825. Each captain had charge of a district numbering five lieutenants; each lieutenant had a number of assistants and sappers under his superintendence. The practical knowledge of the officers was at this time very limited, and to remedy this defect about one year was devoted to personal practice; each officer was furnished with a book of instructions for his guidance; from the abstract merits of this book I have no wish to detract; it proved however practically useless.

The first duty which engaged the attention of the Royal Engineers was the fixing of points throughout the country by trigonometrical observations: parties were engaged in observing the most prominent features of the country, mountains, hills, &c; from these points the officers of districts determined others, and the division officers or lieutenants (who were furnished with a list of these) observed any additional points which might be required for the survey of the parishes entrusted to them. There were thus three series of observations; and from these the altitudes were determined. But, as no definite arrangements had been made respecting a proper datum line from low water mark,⁵ the altitudes were completely involved in error; owing to which the levels of some districts were altered three different times. This affords one of the first evidences of a want of forethought, & even later improvements in this branch of the duty cannot be regarded as the result of prescient skill but of accident. Each parish was divided into triangles by connecting the points previously observed; the sides of these triangles varied in length from one to two miles; the detail surveyed consisted of the parish and townland boundaries, roads, lanes, houses, and principle rivers; the boundaries were surveyed by triangulation;⁶ the roads were traversed by a theodolite;⁷ and from the line of traverse others branched off to take in the houses and other objects of detail. These branch lines were, in general, left hanging unchecked. Thus the boundaries and other details were surveyed independently of each other, and, owing to this, their relative position was, in most cases, ridiculously erroneous. The vertices of the subsidiary triangles used for the boundaries were seldom checked, and no care was taken to avoid obtuse angled triangles,⁸ the frequent use of which every professional must condemn. The offsets or perpendiculars taken to the boundaries were of incredible length, measuring in some instances upwards of one thousand links. These were taken by the eye alone; and almost at random; the aid of an instrument in such cases was not at all deemed necessary. Such were the material from which plans were to be constructed for the purposes of valuation! Some of these records of scientific skill were stamped with the signet of durability by being engraved. I will not anticipate events by letting you know, at present, the fate of these engravings.

I shall close this letter by remarking, that when the plans of each division were drawn, the officer took them to the ground which they represented, to test their accuracy; he made whatever alterations he deemed necessary, and previous to forwarding the plans to his district officer, he certified the correctness of each, by attaching to it his signature.

(Spectator)⁹

RI MS JT/1/TYP/11/3910-3911

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