'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎27] (48/458)

WIND AND CURRENT CHARTS FOR THE EASTERN SEAS.
xxvii
Cape of Good Hope to the Philippine Islands, including the great hurricane tracks and the seas
most frequented by merchantmen ; they had all been reduced to the same scale, and that was
a large one—five sheet being allowed for the charts of each season, or twenty in all: there were
three extra charts, twelve sheets more, for the Australasian seas, on which but a few tracks had
been delineated. There were thus twenty-two sheets in all, on which thirty-five tracks had been
laid down, taken from the logs of the following vessels trading with the port of Bombay :
Falcon, 1849,48 ; Lowjee, 1834,33,37,32,35 ; Frolic, 1848,49,46,47 ; Buckinghamshire,
1848,49,47 ; Elora, 1847,49 ;H. C. Ship Fort William, 1818 ; Martin Luther, 1849,45,46,44 48
47,40,50; Hannah, 1829; Ferozepore, 1847,48,49*; Balcarres, 1842,45 ; City of Poona, 1830 40*
H. C. S. Hugh Lindsay, 1817,16; Fort William, 42 ; and Dumfries, 1837.
The subscribers proposed placing these at the disposal of the Geographical Society, provided
they undertook to arrange for their publication ; reserving to themselves the power of withdraw
ing them and seeking some other means of making them available to the world should they
chance to be declined by the Society. In their present state they were of course merely
skeletons—the delay likely to be incurred in making them more complete while in the hands of
an individual at Bombay, threatened to be such that the best plan seemed to be to have them
lithographed A lithograph is an image reproduced from a printing plate whose image areas attract ink and non-image areas repel it. as they were, and to place copies in the hands of naval men frequenting these
seas from whatever port, so that those for whose service the charts were designed might
assist in extending and preparing them. This was exactly the plan pursued by Lieutenant
Maury, and hundreds of contributors would thus at once be secured, all labouring simultaneously
and for the same end. As each chart received additional tracks through this means, it would
be, as occasion offered, placed in the hands of the Society to transfer all the tracks projected
to one common set of charts retained at the Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. on purpose ; and so soon as the
now tracks became numerous enough, the charts would be a second time sent to press : further
editions with fresh information being issued periodically as circumstances permitted. Mr
Smith stated that he had no doubt whatever that if the Charts were once ready for publication
they would be purchased with avidity-^that no Captain would indeed go to sea without them;
and that a fund would thus speedily arise for further publications, or for promoting the general
plans of the Society in this division of their labours.
Commander Jenkina stated that he was opposed altogether to the views of Mr Smith
he did not consider the funds of the Society sufficient to bear the load proposed to be impose,
them. The Charts now produced had been prepared by a gentleman altogether unknowi
o them, and who knew nothing of their wants ; whereas one of their own Members a ver
languished officer, Lieutenant Taylor, I. N„ had of late been engaged in preparing a se
rr ChartS 0f the greatest vaIue > whioh « would be greatly preferrable to publish.
The lion Me Mr Willoughby stated that he did not see that there was any conflict whateve
wix e views of Mr Smith and those of Commander Jenkins. There was no reasoi
y one set of Charts should be depreciated because another was being brought into existenc
-■the Society ought to be but too happy to avail itself of everything of this sort within it
ch It appeared to him (the President) that the Charts prepared by the Merchants were o
o grea public value that should the Society decline them, they ought to be offered to Govern-
men »w o he had no doubt would appreciate them as they deserved to be appreciated.
Mr Smith stated that this was exactly the alternative in contemplation. The subscribers
mined first to offer them to the Geographical Society, as the most natural and fitting
ommunication with the public, and as furnishing the most obvious means oJ
y g out the further extension and improvement of the charts, with a view to theii
sequent issue . they were under the impression, also, that by undertaking such a task as