Hints to Travellers It Is Desirable to Give Some Account of the Various Changes the Work Has Gone Through Before Reaching Its Present Form
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This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com Hintstotravellers Royalgeographicalsociety • X \ /.-i sl - HShm-bau .71G.S. del . Explanation of colours. Green EEHl within w HINTS TO TKAVELLEKS SCIENTIFIC AND GENEKAL Ed1TEd FOE THE Council of th« Jlogal (geographical §ori*tg BY LIEUT.-COLONEL H. H. GODWIN-AUSTEN, F.R.S. JOHN KNOX LAUGHTON, M.A. AND DOUGLAS W. FRESHFIELD, M.A. FiFTH EDiTiON REVISED AND ENLARGED. LONDON : THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, 1, SAVILE ROW, W. AND E. STANFORD, CHARING CROSS, W. 1883. Price Five Bbillinga. LONDON : PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, STAMFORD STREET AND ChARING CROSS. PREFACE. In issuing to the Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society and the public the fifth edition of Hints to Travellers it is desirable to give some account of the various changes the work has gone through before reaching its present form. As long ago as 1854 the Council of the Society, in consequence of the frequent questions addressed to them by intending travellers, requested the late Admiral Pitzroy and Lieutenant Raper, R.N., to consider what instrumental outfit might best be recommended to explorers. Their report, together with suggestions submitted to them by Admirals Smyth and Beechey, Colonel Sykes and Mr. Francis Galton, was printed in vol. xxiv. of the Journal of the Society, and separately circulated in pamphlet form under the title of ' Hints to Travellers.* The exhaustion of this first edition led, in 1864, to the revision and enlargement of the original work by a Committee of Council, consisting of Sir George Back, Admiral Collinson and Mr. Francis Galton. Their ' Hints ' were prefaced by the remark that they were addressed to a person who, proposing to explore a wild country, asks what astronomical and other scientific outfit he ought to take with him, and what observations he may attempt with a prospect of obtaining accurate results. Hints on Photography by Dr. Pole, and on the Collection of Objects in Natural History by Mr. Bates, were added. The success of this volume resulted in the publication, in 1871, of a third edition under the same editorship. This edition was followed in 1878 by the fourth, published under the sole editorship of Mr. F. Galton. and in a new form more convenient for pocket use. This, in its turn, has recently become exhausted. IT PREFACE. In preparing a fifth edition the Council have been anxious to increase the usefulness of the volume, and to make it meet the in some ways higher requirements of a new generation of young travellers, many of whom receive scientific instruction in the Society's office before leaving Eng land. To this end, Mr. F. Galton being unable again to take charge of the work, an Editorial Sub-Committee was appointed to remodel the ' Hints,' subject to the general direction and advice of a large Committee of Council. The first object of those charged with the direction of this edition has been to furnish such help as may be possible within the compass of a convenient pocket-book to the intelligent explorer who, in the hope of obtaining from his travels valuable geographical results, has been at some pains to acquaint himself with the use of instruments. The Hints on Surveying, the principal portion of the work, have been placed in the hands of Mr. Coles, late R.N., the Society's Map-Curator and Instructor in Practical Astronomy and Surveying, who has taken great trouble both to add such new matter as his experience in teaching and travel lead him to consider requisite, and to combine and rearrange the Hints given in the earlier editions by various scientific explorers. Many travellers, however, have not the natural disposition or the train ing necessary for this branch of observation. The Editors have desired therefore to direct the attention of these to the several ways in which, at a trifling expense of well-directed energy, they may add to the daily interest of their travels, and bring home results valuable to science. With this object the Hints on Collections in Natural History have been expanded, and Hints on how and what to observe in other sciences, Geology and Anthropology, have been added by Mr. W. T. Blanford and Mr. E. B. Tylor respectively. The section on Photography has been re written by Mr. W. P. Donkin, who has, in the High Alps, had exceptional experience in taking photographs under circumstances of great difficulty, both as to transport and exposure. Since the success, and therefore the scientific result, of every journey PREFACE. V depends primarily on the health and suitable equipment of the members of the expedition, the Editors decided further to enlarge the scope of the work by supplying Hints on Medical Treatment and Precautions, and on General Outfit. The former, drawn up by Surgeon-Major Dobson, will, it is believed, be found of great value, and are recommended to the best attention of travellers. In a work of this character numerous omissions must of necessity be discovered. In order to reduce their number and importance as far as possible, it has throughout been the aim of the Editors not only to intrust each chapter to a competent hand, but also to provide for its being read and revised before publication by high independent autho rities in the same branch of knowledge. This course could not have been carried out without the cordial assent and co-operation of their responsible contributors, to whom, as well as to the many gentlemen who have given the benefit of their advice, the Council desire to return their grateful acknowledgments. After careful consideration, it has seemed best to the Editors to supply a full Table of Contents in place of an Alphabetical Index. The arrange ment of the book is such that no one who uses it seriously is likely to lie at a loss where to look for the particular heading he may require. Any corrections or additions which may suggest themselves to readers should be communicated to the Secretary of the Society, 1, Savile Row, W., for the use. of the Editors of the next Edition. H. H. Godwin-Austen. J. K. Lacghton. Douglas W. Fresiifield. SECTIONS AND AUTHORS. PAGE I. Surveying, and Astronomical Observations. By John Coles, F.R.A.S., Instructor to the Royal Geographical Society . 1 II. Meteorology. By R. Strachan, of the Meteorological Office . 189 III. Geology. By W. T. Blanford, f.r.s 191 IV. Natural History. By H. W. Bates, f.r.s., Assistant Secretary, r.g.s. 203 V. Anthropology. By E. B. Tylor, d.c.l., f.r.s 222 VI. Photography. By W. F. Donkin, m.a., f.c.s., a.c, Lecturer on Chemistry at St. George's Hospital ...... 244 VII. Medical Hints for Travellers. By G. E. Dobson, m.a., m.b., f.r.s. 251 VIII. General Hints on Outfit, including Notes by E. Whymper, Colonel J. A. Grant, c.b., and J. Thomson .... 277 ( vii ) CONTENTS. r1gl Surveying, and Astronomical Observations 1 Preliminary Remarks 1. Scientific Outfit ......... 1 Sextant for regular work ........ 1 Sextant for detached expeditions, and for taking altitudes when the other sextant is in use for lunars ..... 2 Mercurial Horizon ......... H Watches 2 Compasses 3 Lantern .......... 3 Thermometers ......... 3 Aneroids .......... 4 Mapping Instruments ........ 4 Stationery .......... 4 Books, Maps, &c. .......... 5 Theodolites .......... 6 Barometer .......... 6 Telescope .......... 6 Plane-table .......... 7 Pedometer .......... 7 Pocket-level ... 7 Maxima and Minima Thermometers ...... 7 Rain Gauge 7 Extracts from a Letter from Sir John Kirk, M.D. ... 7 Examination of Instruments ....... 8 Packing ... .8 2. Plane Trigonometry . !> 3. Surveying with the Prismatic Compass, Boiling-point Thermometer and Aneroid 14 Observations with the Prismatic Compass . .15 Boiling-point Thermometer . ... 16 The Aneroid 18 Vlll CONTENTS. PAGK Measurement of Heights with the Aneroid 18 Route Survey with Prismatic Compass, Boiling-point Thermometer, and Aneroid 19 To Plot the Bearings 20 4. Extemporary Measurements 23 To set off a Right Angle from any point on the ground by means of a Rope 25 To find the Distance of an inaccessible object with a Measuring Line 25 5. Capt. George's Mercurial Barometer 26 To fill : Spiral Cord method 26 To empty the Barometer 26 6. Description and Adjustments of six-inch Transit Theodolite . 28 Adjustments 30 Parallax 30 Adjustment for Collimation ,30 Adjustment of the Telescope Level ..... 31 Adjustment of the Horizontal Limb ..... 31 Horizontality of the Axis of the Telescope .... 32 The Vernier of the Vertical limb 33 7. The Sextant and its Adjustments 33 Adjustments .35 Index Error 36 To find the Index Error by a Star 36 „ „ „ by the Sun 36 8. The Box-Sextant 38 Adjustments .......... 38 9. The Artificial Horizon 39 10. Watches . 40 11. Sextant Observations 42 To observe the Altitude of the Sun, using an Artificial Horizon . 42 Observations for Latitude . .43 Observations for Time 45 By sets of Altitudes 45 Equal Altitudes of the Sun, Star, or Planet .... 46 Equal Altitudes of a Star on the same side of the Meridian on different nights 47 To measure the Angular Distance between two terrestrial objects. 48 Table for ascertaining Heights and Distances by the Box-Sextant 50 To measure the angular distance between the Moon and Sun . 51 CONTENTS. IX To measure the angular distance between the Moon and Star or Planet 52 Observations for finding the Longitude 53 General remarks on Observing . 54 12. Forms of Computation 54 Latitude by Meridian Altitude . 55 Latitude by Altitudes of a Star or Planet near the Meridian .