"PARISH OR ESTATE SURVEYING."

For surveys of parishes, estates, or such other divisions of property as partake of the same character as to general size, and ordinary compactness, the operations are of a similar character. In the following description, therefore, although for the sake of brevity, the survey of a parish will be alone referred to, it is to be understood that the same processes will be equally applicable to surveys of estates, townships, hundreds, &c.

Previous Maps or Plans.

The surveyor, on arriving at the scene of his labour, will ascertain if any map or plan of the parish is extant. For if he have access to such a plan, no matter how imperfect it may be, it will still be of some assistance to him (proportionate to its accuracy) in enabling him to dispose the conduct of his work with greater expedition.

Local Information as to Boundaries, &c.

He will then procure the assistance of intelligent persons (not fewer than two, if possible, in order that the information given by one may be tested by the other), well acquainted with the boundary, and every object in the parish, to accompany him over it, so as to acquire a knowledge of its magnitude, general form, and bearings, and to ascertain if it contain elevated spots, either natural or artificial, from which commanding views of large portions of the parish may be obtained.

Practical Hints for the Advantageous Disposal of the Work.

"In cultivated countries, let the roads and lanes, or footpaths, be examined, to see if they can be made subservient to the purposes of the survey; because, if so, they ought to be used on account of their offering no impediments to the use of the chain or other instruments; while woods, hedges, deep ditches, and other obstacles, frequently occasion delay. To overcome some of the difficulties, the surveyor should be provided with a small hatchet, as it is frequently necessary to cut a chain or sight-way thorough underwood, as well as to cut and drive marking stakes. One of his men should also be provided with a wallet or strong bag slung over his shoulder for carrying refreshments and necessary implements, such as a hand-saw, small spade, pickets, &c. If the surveyor has to plot or draw his own plans from the measurement taken, the author recommends from his own experience the following distribution of time. To spend the first day in the field, taking measurements, and to draw or plot the work so taken early the following morning; that done, to resume the field-work till dark, and on the following morning to plot the second day's work, and so on. The reason of this is obvious. Field measuring is laborious and fatiguing work, and after having spent a long day upon it, the surveyor is in general in no condition for fine drawing or scale measuring; his hand is unsteady from exertion, and the light of evening is unfavourable to his operations. But after a night of refreshing sleep, he will be well prepared for drawing on the following morning, when the light is good, and he retains a perfect recollection of the positions and particulars of the places he has been over on the previous day, and may even be able to supply small omissions, if such have been made in his field-book, and

they do not relate to measurements. If errors or omissions occur, he detects them, and has an opportunity of correcting them by revisiting the spot before another day's work is commenced. And as a skilful draughtsman will have no difficulty in plotting as much work in two hours as can be measured upon the ground in ten or twelve, it will be seen that no delay is occasioned by this arrange

ment.

The drawing work may all be finished before an early breakfast, after which the surveyor proceeds to the ground, and will generally find himself so fatigued after six or eight hours' work in the field (for he should carry his dinner with him to avoid delay), that he will have little inclination to do more*."

Each day's work should be dated in the field-book,— such a memorandum frequently proving of use for subsequent reference.

Details required for the Plan.

The plan will be required to represent accurately, and in their true relative positions, the several objects which occupy the surface of the ground; such as roads, rivers, lakes, ponds, canals, streams, drains, parks, woods, fences, houses, and other buildings, bridges, &c.; also the boundaries of the parish and its various sub-divisions; such as townships, estates, unions, &c. These may all be represented according to the Table of Conventional Signs, referred to in page 31, Chapter I.

Contents of the Fields and Inclosures.

The gross contents of the parish, as well as the acreage of each field or inclosure, must also be obtained. The

*MILLINGTON's Engineering, page 134.

latter will be determined by admeasurements on the plans, the former by some means which will make the correctness of that area independent of the result obtained by summing up the contents of each inclosure, minute errors in many of which would escape observation, if not checked by comparison with the correctly ascertained whole. "It is essential, in fact, to arrive at the total area of the parish by direct admeasurement of the space included within its external boundary; and the simplest and cheapest means by which a survey and plan may be made for effecting this object appears to be as follows:

Sketch of Leading Operations.

"1st. To measure two straight lines through the entire length and breadth of the parish.

"2ndly. To connect the ends of these lines by means of other measured lines; and,

"3rdly. From these connecting lines (by measured triangles and offsets) to determine the entire parish boundary.

"The true area of the parish may then be obtained by calculation from the measured distances, and by admeasurement of the included space upon the plan.

"Lines of the description herein proposed to be measured are ordinarily used by surveyors in the construction of their plans, but are not always shown on the finished map; I propose to retain them permanently, for purposes which will presently appear.

"The object and application of these lines will be better seen by reference to the accompanying diagram, representing the parish of Eye.

"The two main-lines which I should recommend to be measured through it are marked A B, and C D.

“A C, C B, B D, D A, are the connecting-lines. “T, T, T, T, are the triangles constructed upon the connecting-lines.

"a, a, a, a, are the offsets, or perpendicular distances of the several angular points of the parish boundary from the measured lines.

"Now, if the main-lines A B, and C D, be measured accurately, and their true lengths, from the point (O), at which they cross one another, be laid down upon the plan, it will be seen that the connecting-lines A C, C B, &c.,

B