Survey and valuation of Ireland: report from the Select Committee

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66 MINUTES OF EVIDENCE BEFORE SELECT COMMITTEE Ifr. 
rate of something more than 8-jfd. 
per English acre, Ireland contains 12,000,000 ^ ffilw^nW. 

^ of Irish acres, or 19,438,016 English acres, ^ Do the surveyors ot England Ireland and Scotland differ much either in ability (May 13.) 
qj. 
jj-,g manner in which they execute their work?—The 
surveyors of England Ireland and Scotland differ in their mode of surveying lands. 
Do they in ability ?—I 
think there are some as good surveyors of land in Ireland as can be had either in England or Scotland. 
Can you state in what respect they differ; in the means of executing their work ? 
—Theodolites are used in England and Scotland, divided to minutes, whereas the instrument used by the country surveyors of Ireland is a circumferentor, divided into quarters of a degree; some of the surveyors in the plains of England survey by the chain, dividing the ground into triangles. 
What difficulties would these differences produce to the surveyors?—No 
diffi-culties; for the surveyors who survey by the chain could be sent into the plains; the three classes of men will arrive at the contents of the land accurately enough. 
How do they measure the area in Ireland ?—In 
general land-surveys are made in Ireland by a circumferentor, as I have before described, and the area calculated geometrically-from the protraction; at other times by the tables of latitude and departure. 
Theodolites are also used in Ireland for road and county surveys. 
Are you acquainted with any particular persons in Iieland capable of executing scientific surveys?—I 
am acquainted with several, capable of making correct surveys and topographic plans and maps in a very able manner; but they are men of the first class. 
Mr. 
John Killaly, Mr. 
Nimmo, Mr. 
Griffiths, Mr. 
Edge-worth, Mr. 
Aher, William Duncan, principal draughtsmen to the quarter-master*-general of Irelaud; also Mr. 
Longfield, Messrs, Brassington and Green; these men have all valuable assistants connected with them. 
Have all the counties of Ireland been surveyed ?—All 
have been surveyed, and some counties have been twice surveyed. 
And not yet surveyed well ?—Some 
of them have been done in a most creditable -manner; namely, Longford, Roscommon and Dublin, Would you advise this survey to be made on the basis of the Irish or English acre ?—I 
would recommend the contents of each townland to be given) in English, Irish and Scotch acres. 
Is the Irish acre in universal use all over Ireland ? 
~Tt is more general than any other; but the English and Scotch acre are used in the north of Ireland, and the Irish acre also, and in some parts of the south the English acre. 
You do not mean to say the Irish acre is general ?—I 
mean ' to say it is more extensive than any other measure. 
There is a considerabie portion of land at present calculated by the Scotch acre ? 
—Yes; in the north. 
Do you know Cork ?—No; 
I have not been in the county of Cork. 
,In Cork it is English measure ?—I 
understand in the south the English ax:re is used in some districts. 
Is it difficult to ascertain the boundaries of church land ?—The 
boundaries of church property are as well known as any other boundaries of property, but they are sometimes encroached upon. 
Did you construct the map of Mayo at all with a view to geological purposes.?^-
-I have laid down the limestone field of Ireland, as far as it extends into .Mayo; 
I have also given the outline of the sandstone strata, the granite, and gneiss*j.alfo 
the transition rocks. 
Is there any mine in that county that could be worked to a; profit ?~t-I 
am; not aware that any mine in Mayo could be worked to advantage; butj^c^,tha things bavebeen worked in that county 40 or 50 years ago* Do you recollect any particular lead mine ?—I 
do. 
' Upon whose property?—Upon 
the Marquis of Sligp's.estate*; 
and-the^-j^e lead upon the top of Westport house was got out of that mine. 
Do you conceive there would he any difficulty in rendering this territorial survey also a mineralogical map ?—-I 
can see no difficulty. 
Are there coal fields in Mayo county?<~-None, 
to my knowledge; the rocksrin Mayo are granite, gneiss, mica slate, e[uartz, greywake, porphyry, sandstone and limestone, beautiful green serpentine, and remarkable fine quarries of black marble "and slate. 

, Do youusay that the expense of a mineralogical survey might be included in the estimate ybu have made ?—-No, 
I do not; but the maps made from the territorial '