CO885-(18-19) — Page 290

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

5

C.O.885

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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13. The work in instalments has never been asked for locally, or, indeed, from any other quarter, so far as I am aware, and that it was not so expected should appear from a letter received by me so lately as the 28th of April, 1907, from His Excellency Sir Walter Egerton, a copy of which I beg to attach.

14. In conclusion, I beg very respectfully to state that I desire no kudos derived from surveys which are not thoroughly well done, and which will not stand for all time as an accurate representation of the terrene which they describe.

I refuse, and I am certain both the Secretary of State and Your Excellency will support me in refusing, to ascribe my name to any map which may be inaccurate or misleading. I have for the last five and a half years striven hard to attain unto this desideratum, and to inspire those under me to a similar course of action. It means hard work, and, at first, apparently slow progress, especially in a country such as this.

15. From time to time, and at great expense, numerous maps have been sent home from this coast, have been transferred to the stone, and have been rubbed off as useless, or have been printed and have become exhibitions of incompetency, and I have little doubt that if more was known of the intrinsic value of many of our existing maps, they should be relegated to the waste-paper basket.

It would be a very easy matter for me to quickly produce an apparently accurate and elegant map of this character, but I refuse, even at the risk of removal from office to mislead you with any such unprofessional productions, and I trust to your support, and even to your patience, in allowing me to carry out the work as I have suggested, and I ask you to rely upon the promise which I have already made, viz., that I will have a complete and accurate plan of the area set forth in red hatching on the map embodied in the Report of the Colonial Survey Committee for 1906, ready for transfer at the end of my present tour.

16. I shall be very much obliged if you would be good enough to cause a copy of this Report to be forwarded to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State.

17. I enclose copy of the Report of the Colonial Survey Committee, with map, for your perusal.

J. J. Thorburn, Esquire,

His Excellency

Government House, Lagos.

I have, &c.,

E. P. COTTON,

Director of Surveys.

His Excellency Sir WALTER EGERTON, K.C.M.G., to E. P. COTTON, Director of

MY DEAR COTTON,

Surveys.

Government House, Lagos, Southern Nigeria,

April 28, 1907. THANK you for your letter. I have marked on plan general direction of proposed road, and shall be glad of all information you can give me of country, including map.

I am always glad to get outside information re trade and traffic, population, &c., from you or other surveyors, but hope you do not let other researches interfere with surveying work.

We want from you good and reliable maps, and these will show rivers, hills, watersheds, &c., which will be a guide to our Road Construction Department.

I am glad to hear that surveys are going on satisfactorily, and am looking anxiously for the map promised at the end of this year, which I hope will contain in addition to accurate surveys all other information possible from numerous sketch maps compiled by our officers. The course of the Oshun on our present map is very incorrect.

Yours, &c.,

W. EGERTON.

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109

No. 64.

UGANDA.

FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received July 18, 1907.)

[Copy to Acting Commissioner, August 16, 1907. No. 205. L.F.}

[Answered by No. 70.]

The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and with reference to Colonial Office letter of 2nd instant, No. 21912/07,* is directed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to transmit the accompanying copy of a despatch from His Majesty's Minister at Brussels, making a suggestion with regard to the expenses in connection with the proposed measurement of the arc of the 30th meridian by the Uganda- Congolese Boundary Commission.

The Secretary of State would be glad to be advised what answer should be returned to Sir Arthur Hardinge.

Foreign Office,

July 18, 1907.

(Africa. No. 95.)

Enclosure in No. 64.

SIR,

Brussels, July 10, 1907. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 51, Africa, of the 8th instant, and to transmit herewith a copy of a note addressed by me in accordance with the instructions contained therein to the Government of the Congo Free State.

I think it is probable that the Congo Government will ask, as it did in the case of the recently proposed demarcation of the Lado Enclave, what expenditure it will be expected to incur in connection with the proposed measurement of the arc of the 30th meridian, and I should be grateful for an indication of your views on this subject. Assuming that the work costs, as estimated, £2,000, and that the learned British societies interested in it contribute one-half of the amount, I might perhaps, if you thought proper, suggest that the remaining £1,000 should be equally divided between the British and Congolese Governments. I ought, I think, however, to be empowered to make a definite offer on the subject.

The Right Honourable

Sir E. Grey, Bart., M.P.,

&c., &c., &c.

I have, &c.,

ARTHUR H. HARDINGE.

P.S. July 12, 1907. Monsieur de Cuvelier, whom I saw to-day, referred to the proposal contained in my note and appeared disposed to entertain it in principle. though he grumbled a good deal at the additional expenditure which it would occasion. I did not pursue the subject, as I thought it best to wait for a reply to this despatch.

Monsieur le CHEVALIER,

A. H. H.

Brussels, July 10, 1907.

I HAVE the honour to inform you that the Royal Society, the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Astronomical Society, and the British Association for the Advancement of Science have approached His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies with the suggestion that advantage should be taken of the presence of the Anglo-Congolese Commission in the neighbourhood of the 30th meridian in order to measure that portion of the arc of the meridian which falls within the sphere of its operations.

• No. 59.