--In the month of March I had commenced correspondence with
various persons on the imperfect state of publication of the British
Survey. Sheets of the Map were issued by scores, but not one of them
had an indication of latitude or longitude engraved. I knew that great
pains had been taken in giving to the principal triangulation a degree
of accuracy never before reached, and in fixing the astronomical
latitudes of many stations with unequalled precision. Finally I
prepared for the Council of the Royal Society a very strong
representation on these subjects, which was adopted and presented to
the Government. It was entirely successful, and the Maps were in
future furnished with latitude and longitude lines.--I was elected
President of the Royal Astronomical Society on Feb. 9th.--In June I
went with Sheepshanks to see some of the operation of measuring a Base
on Salisbury Plain. The following extract from a letter to his wife
dated 1849, June 27th, relates to this expedition: 'In the morning we
started before eight in an open carriage to the Plain: looking into
Old Sarum on our way. The Base is measured on what I should think a
most unfavourable line, its north end (from which they have begun now,
in verification of the old measure) being the very highest point in
the whole plain, called Beacon Hill.
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