TE miminim
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
20 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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of the island of Lagos; plan* of the town and island of Lagos; and plan* of the West- ern Province; and a memorandum on the map by Captain Beverley, Intelligence Officer.
SIR,
(Confidential.)
I have, &c.,
J. J. THORBURN,
Acting Governor.
Enclosure in No. 18.
Survey Department, 19 March, 1909. In reply to your letter of the 25th of January, No. C.S.O., confidential, 40/9, I desire (before replying in detail to the strictures and queries contained in Memo- randum, W.O., 4/Africa/110, of the 31st December, 1908), to point out that the single line streams, &c., shown on the degree sheet under consideration, and which, in all cases form the subject of comment are, as a rule, quite unimportant; they are chiefly soakages which, though flowing in the wet season, are, generally speaking, quite dry; they sometimes become subterrene, and frequently enter and meander through the jungle in such a manner that the points of immersion and emersion are extremely difficult to connect. To traverse these unimportant streams through the jungle would be a very expensive, slow, and, in my opinion, quite unnecessary undertaking.
2 Frequently, these one-line streams have not been surveyed, but in many instances their direction has been roughly traced.
3. The levels were taken along roads, bush tracks, and hunters' trails, and they have been established with the object of giving a fairly accurate representation of the country, especially along important roads and tracks.
4. The contours have been governed by the network of levels, and the meander- ings of secondary and tertiary streams which are dry for the greater part of the year (and quite unimportant for general topographical purposes) have frequently not been traced, because the expense of surveying them through dense jungle was alto- gether too great to deserve serious consideration. The fact that the contours have not always conformed to their approximate meanderings shows quite clearly that where the network of levels do not agree with these streams, the former was adopted, which, of course, must give the more accurate, though less plausible, result.
5. It is almost impossible to understand how any one with a knowledge of topography could not perceive how simple it would have been to have made (on paper) every stream agree precisely with the contours, and while I do not in any way wish to question the authority of the Director of Military Intelligence in matters appertaining to "unintelligent fudging," I desire to respectfully protest against any such strictures being applied to this Department.
6. In order that the inclination of the terrain might be conveniently expressed, it has frequently been necessary to continue the contours through country in which levels had not been taken, and in which unimportant creeks, whose course had been only approximately defined, existed.
7. I am of opinion that it would have been culpable fudging to have pretended that the contours in these localities have been accurately defined, and the fact that the contours on a few occasions do not conform to what probably would have been found to have been their proper position had the country been accurately levelled was meant to show that the general levels rather than these soakages governed us in projecting the contours. That the contours could have been adjusted to the streams, or the streams to the contours, in such a manner as to give the appearance of an accurate configuration is so obvious, and such a simple operation, and at the same time (if it had been carried out) such a palpable evidence of fudging, that I, at any rate, would have regarded its accuracy as open to very grave suspicion. But, because these disagreements have been honestly shown, this Department has been subjected to a series of strictures which, I respectfully submit, are quite uncalled for.
8. In substantiation of this statement, I would invite your attention to a letter received from Major C. F. Close, R.E., C.M.G., who is, I understand, the present head of the Geographical Section of the Intelligence Division of the War Office.
• Not reproduced.
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This letter, when contrasted, rather than compared, with the Memorandum from the Director-General of Military Operations, would seem to show a disparity of opinions which differ so widely as to become almost diametrically opposite. It is difficult to understand how an officer of Major Close's experience, after perusing the map with sufficient care to state that "the map appears to me to be just what is required by the Colonial Office
and in view of the amount of information which it presents, it will, at first, be reproduced in two sheets
"could have done so if the errors had been of such a glaring nature.
9. If the "errors were of such an obvious character," as stated by the Director- General of Military Operations, I feel certain that Major Close would have detected them before he came to the above-quoted conclusions.
10. In conclusion, I beg to point out that quite another estimate of the value of these maps is set forth in a recent letter from His Excellency Sir William MacGregor, G.C.M.G., who thoroughly understood the topography of this Colony, and was himself a topographer of a very high order. He writes: "I am lost in wonder at the magnitude and excellence of the work put into those charts. In my humble opinion they confer the greatest credit on you. I need hardly say how I should have delighted in such work; no doubt the great merit will eventually be fully recognised. I offer you my sincere congratulations on what you have done, and I trust you may have health granted you to do more of the same kind."
11. As my correspondence with the War Office fully justified me in anticipating further trouble, I have for satisfactory reasons obtained the opinions of several experts, all of which have been of a highly satisfactory character. I trust, there- fore, that this explanation, backed up as it is by such an eminent authority as His Excellency Sir William MacGregor and by other authorities of high standing, whose written testimony as to the excellence of the work in question I am prepared to produce, will be more than sufficient to satisfy you that the work is certainly not of the class described in the Memorandum of the Director-General of Military Operations.
12. I would also point out how difficult it is for me to continue the administra- tion of this Department under the existing conditions, and, as I am desirous that the whole matter should proceed to an issue, I would respectfully request that a Board of Officials of experience and academic status be appointed to enquire into the working of this Department. If my professional character is to be traduced in the manner in which it has been, it would seem impossible that I can expect to retain the confidence of the Government; and, as I have placed myself at top of my profes- sion by academic qualifications, by long practical experience, and by over seven years of service in this Colony, the reports upon which will, I venture to think, be found to be of a very satisfactory character-in view of these facts I trust that steps may be taken to place my present position upon a more satisfactory footing.
13. I attach hereto a technical explanation to the questions contained in the Memorandum of the Director-General of Military Operations. From my knowledge of the country, I am of opinion that the whole of these questions are of a quite unimportant nature, and, with one exception, might have been easily adjusted; a lack of familiarity with the country may, however, have made them appear more important than they really are.
14. I trust that His Excellency may be good enough to forward the whole of this correspondence to the Secretary of State.
I have, &c.,
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary,
Lagos.
E. P. COTTON,
Director of Surveys.
ANSWERS TO QUERIES RAISED BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF MILITARY OPERATIONS. In the majority of cases, it should be clearly understood that the watercourses- locally called rivers--are in reality merely streams which are, generally speaking, dry for a considerable period of the year.