Gents Mag 1747 p.598
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Gentleman's Magazine 1747 p.598
carried forward his meridian thro' the south of Scotland into the north of England, and sent up the particulars to St John's Gate. 4. The same gentleman has almost ever since been making and communicating his observations, which, being inspected, have given pleasure to competent judges; and it is a further satisfaction to find, from some of his rough notes and drawings inserted in the Magazine, (as well as from other pieces published by himself,) that its learned readers have (to say nothing to offend his modesty) not the least distrust of his judgment and accuracy. We shall therefore, as desired, insert some more of his remarks in the Mag. for Jan. 1748. By these methods, and by the kind intimations sent by gentlemen from different parts, Mr C. will be able, if not to obtain absolute exactness, at least to supply some defects and to avoid a great number of errors, committed by those all-sufficient and sage adventurers, who dreaming of mountains behind their counters, imagine that a good map may be made without stirring out of London; and that, if they purchase two or three old maps, and deliver them to a neat engraver, all the business is done; but people of common parts only think it absolutely necessary that a geographer should spend some time in travelling and nice observation, in order to know which map to follow, and to insert the roads with any degree of exactness. However, it must be left ot the public, whether by examinations on the spot, and a little more thought than has been shewn in the late performances, several contingent improvements may not be made to the best maps of counties. There are indeed a kind of Universal Undertakers, that fancy themselves equal to every thing, but do nothing right. He has no reason to be displeased at the start which such have got, nor to envy them the credit and profit of it. On the contrary, tho' he has taken so much pains, he will freely instruct them how to correect one great error of errors, the Bedfordshire map, against the next impression. - As the writing on the plate may be rubbed out, they must erase half a dozen towns, and re-ingrave them in a quite different order; and if they please to ask pardon of the public for exhibiting so confused a jumble, he will proceed to finish his tour and enquiries in the county, and publish a correct map of the whole, for them accurately to survey and copy in a garret. Mention was made in the Gentleman's Magazine for September and November, of the number of parks (14), and places (120) omitted in their map of Berks; and with regard to their map of Buckinghamshire, the world was therein informed, that the editor should not have omitted the coach and turnpike road to the county town, nor a duke's seat within 20 miles of London, and where the map was empty. - As to their Bedfordshire, at first view the distortion of the great Watling-street road, (obvious to every traveller,) also of the adjacent towns, but above all the false situations of places at the north corner, immediately appeared; and upon further inspection a number of errors and defects. By the following copy of a small part of this little county of Bedfordshire, the reader will have a sufficient idea of the industry and skill of two new sets of map-undertakers, and magazine-compilers, their maps being alike except a small difference in the scale. P>S> In their last map for December, the first glance discovered places set at above two thirds less distance than they are in reality. The north corner of Bedfordshire, as it appears from a view of the county.
 The north corner of Bedfordshire, as it stands in the two Magazine maps of it, from pretended accurate surveys.
 Such is the information to be expected in these new maps; and the description of the counties is of the like kind, scarce one in ten of the fair days being right. |
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