CO885-(18-19) — Page 327

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference:-

C.O.885

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

Chama (Shema or Sema).

Kommenda (Komenda). Dixcove.

Denu.

Denkera (Denkyera).

Dodowa.

Kibbi (Kyebi).

Kormantin (Kromante).

Coommassie (Kumase).

Kwahu (Okwawo).

Kwitta (Keta).

Mori.

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Prahsu (Praso). This spelling is only authorised for the historically known

Prahsu on the Cape Coast-Coommassie road.

Prah River.

Prestea.

Sekondi.

Sefwi.

Tarkwa (Takwa).

Teshi.

Winneba.

Wassaw (Wasaw).

Fommanah (Fomena).

Assini.

Obuasi (Oboase).

Bekwai.

Kwai.

Krachi (Krakye).

Where places have several names the most recent is chosen and the others put in brackets. This is often the case, as a village may be known by the name of the stream on the banks of which it lies, by the name of its chief, or by the name of the head chief of the tribe.

8d. The chief difficulty is, however, getting the pronunciation of the place, and, even after they have made careful enquiries, it has been noticed that capable and painstaking surveyors send in the most curious spellings in their field books. The weird names produced are then submitted by him to local experts who are generally able to find a meaning for each name, and he then applies the rules already quoted to the spelling.

The Director does not pretend that the spelling is infallible, for no two men will

go to the same place and bring away the same pronunciation of it, sometimes not even the same name at all, but so long as you adopt a system and are consistent. there can be no better method than that adopted by the Gold Coast Survey.

Much criticism has been aroused by the adoption of the "KY" to represent

the guttural sound in such words as Kyebi, Kyekyewere, Akyease, &c.

I have personally, in the space of half-an-hour, asked three separate men the way to "Kebi." One recognised it by that name, the second only when he pro- nounced it Kiyebi (slurring the first and second syllables), and the third called it Chebi.

This example could be multiplied by dozens, so it is not an isolated case. There can be no harm in helping a traveller by giving him the choice of three pronunciations where such exist; he has only to look at the notes on orthography in the left-hand corner of each sheet of the map to see that he has that choice.

THE MAP OF NORTHERN ASHANTI.

9. Regarded from the survey point of view a most excellent change was made in the local Intelligence Office organisation by adding to the duties of the Intel- ligence Officer the compilation of the map of the northern part of Ashanti.

With this object in view, Lieutenant E. V. M. Shelley, 1st Gold Coast Regiment, went through a month's course of instruction at Survey Headquarters. A draught- ing office was furnished for him in Coomassie (Kumase) and a draughtsman pro- vided out of the survey estimates. He was given skeleton sheets of the whole of Ashanti north of Coomassie (Kumase) latitude, and two native surveyors were

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despatched to lay down a skeleton survey on which to base sketches made by officers of the regiment as opportunity offers.

The painstaking and satisfactory way in which Lieutenant Shelley dealt with the difficulties of what was naturally entirely new work to him was most creditable. Lieutenant Tarrant also did most excellent work during Lieutenant Shelley's absence on leave.

The Intelligence Office should now, on the base furnished by the Gold Coast Survey, be able to compile a good and reliable map at small cost.

If care is taken to provide a certain amount of money (say £200 a year) on carriers, there is no reason why even better maps should not be produced than those made by the French and German Colonies, which are almost entirely compiled from the work of their military and civil officers.

The following is now the distribution of map compilation. The Survey Draughting Office compiles and sends to the publishers all sheets south of, and including, Debiso, Aluakru, Adeambra, Coomassie, Bompata, Abetife, Afram, and Wupe.

The Intelligence Officer at Coomassie, who is at present in this respect under the general supervision of the Director of Surveys, compiles the remainder on a scale of 1/50,000, but I doubt if it will be worth while actually producing these on a bigger scale than 1/250,000 for several years.

It has been arranged that the Intelligence Officer sends his results direct to the Topographical Section of the General Staff so that the 1/250,000 Sheets 60 V, W, and X; 72 C, D, E, F, and J; and 73 A may be produced. He should have enough material to warrant the production of a provisional issue of these sheets by the end of 1908, but it is impossible to state an exact date as the progress of the survey depends on the number of officers available for the work.

SPECIAL WORK.

10. In addition to the ordinary duties of the Gold Coast Survey, some special pieces of work were executed by the Headquarters Staff.

The re-division of the Colony into districts was completed, the districts and tribal boundaries being brought into better agreement.

The boundary between Ashanti and the Gold Coast Colony from the Prah to the Volta Rivers as surveyed by the Director while on tour in February, 1906, was approved by the Secretary of State.

A scheme for the formation of a native survey school for West Africa was formulated by the Directors of Surveys of the Gold Coast and Southern Nigeria.

A scheme for the formation of a small Survey Department for the future con- duct of survey operations in the Gold Coast was drawn up by the Director of Surveys and the Director of Public Works (Captain W. E. Lees, R.E.) and submitted to the Governor.

11.

On arrival in England a survey office was at once opened at 198, Clarence Gate Gardens, London, and mapping work was started on September 1st.

An index giving the position of every town, village, river, &o., in the Colony was started and will be published when the list is sufficiently complete to warrant the expense.

An index giving the locality [of], bearings between, and distinguishing numbers of, survey beacons was completed and will shortly be published.

The compilation of a wall map for the use of schools was started and will be completed by the end of June, 1908.

The revision of the 1/1,000,000 (or 1014 inches to 16 miles) map of the Gold Coast and Ashanti will shortly be begun with the object of publishing a better map with the next Civil List.

12. In concluding this, the last, Annual Report on the Mines Surveys which now ends its existence as a department, I have the honour to remark that in the six years we have, at a nett cost of £85,000, surveyed and demarcated over 400 mining concessions, and completely mapped the whole of the Colony and the southern portion of Ashanti, besides lay down a framework on which to base the map of the country to the north.

Taking into consideration the nature of the country and the climate, I feel that I should not be doing justice to the staff of surveyors, whether civilians or Royal Engineers, who began the work in 1901 under Major Watherston and com-

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