Prospectus of the Royal Geographical SocietySource: Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 1 (1831), pp. vii-xiiPublished by: Wiley on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of BritishGeographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1797654 .

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ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

AT a ilulYlerous Meeting of the hIembers of tlle RANFIQH TRAVELLER'S CBUB, and several other Gentlemen, held at the Thatched House, on SIonday, the 24th of May,

JOE3:N BARROW, Esq., in the Chair, It lvas submitted that, among the numerous literary and sciontifie societies established in the British metropolis, one was still wanting to complete the circle of scielltific institutions, whose sole object should be the promotion and dil:fusion of that most important and eIltcrtain- ing l)ranch of knowledge, GEOGRAPHY.

That a ner and useful Society might therefore ke formed, under the name of THE GfflOGRAPHICA:LF SOCIETY OF LONDON.

That the interest excited by this department of science is universally felt; that its advantages are of the lirst importance to mankind in general, and paramount to the wrelfare of a maritime nation like Great Britainn rvith its numerous aIld extensivfB foreign possessions.

That its decided utility in conferring just and distinct notions of the pllrsical and olitical relations of our glole must be obvious toerrery one; and is the more enhanced by tllis species of knoxvledge being attainable without much difficulty, lvhile at tlle same tillle it affords a copious SOUICe of rational amuselnent.

That although t]lere is a xrast store of geographical informatioIl existing in Great Britain, yet it is so scattered and dispersed, either in large books that are not generalls acces.sible, or in the l?ureaus of the public departments, or in the possession of private individuals2 as to be early unavailable to the )ublic.

The objects, then, of such a Society as is nolv suggested would be,

1. To collect, register, anll digest, and to print for the use of the Alembers, and the public at lalge, in a cheap form and at certain interlrals, such new, interestirlg, and useful facts and discoveries as the Society may have in its possession, and may, from time to time, acquile.

i. To accumulate gradllally a library of the best books on Geo- graplly a seleetion of the best Vol,rages and TIavels a complete collection of Maps alld Charts, fiom the earliest period of rude geographical delineations to the most improved of the present time; as lvell as a11 such documents and materials as may convey the best information to persons intending to visit foreign coun- tries; it being of the greatest utility to a traveller to be aurare, previous]y to his setting out, of svhat has lJeen already done, and what is still wantirlg, in the countries he ,ay intend to visit.

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3. To procure spec-imens of ysuch instrements as expexaence has

sbown to be most useful, and best adayted to the compendious

stock of a traveller, by consulting ̂ rhich, he may make himself

familiar with their useo 4. To prepare blief instructions for such as are setting out on

their travels; pointing out the parts most desirable to be lrisited;

the best and most practicable means of proveeding thither; the

researches most essexztial to make; phenomena to be observed;

the subjects of natural historymost desirable to be procured; and

to obtain all such information as may tend to the extension of our

geographical knolvledge. And it is hoped that the Society may

ultimately be enabled, from its funds, to render pecuniary assist-

ance to such travellers as may require it, in order to fac.ilitate the

attainment of some particular object of research.

5. To correspond with similar societies that may be established

in different parts of the world; with foreign individuals engaged

isl geographical pursuits, and with the most intelligent British

residents in the various remote settlements of the Empire.

6. To open a communication with all those philosophical and

literary societies with which Geography is connected; for as all

are fellow-labourers in the different departlnent3 of the same

vineyard, their united efforts cannot fail mutually to assist each

other. The Meeting then proceeded to nominate aProvisional Committee

to consider and propose resolutions to be submitted to a GeneraL

Meeting.

AT a Mecting of the GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, held at the

:Rooms of the Horticultural Sociely, Regent Street, on Friday the

16th of July, J. BARROW, Esq. in the Chair;

The following Res;olutions were adopted.

1. THAT the Society, having been honoured with the gracious patron-

age and permission of His Majesty, be called s THE ROYAL GBOGRA-

PHICAL SOCJETY OF LONDON. 2. That the nllmber of ordinary Members be not limited; but that

the number of Honorary Foreign Members be limited, as shall here-

after be determined. 3. That the C,ouncil of the Society consist of a President, four ATice-

Presidents, a Treasllrers two Secretariess and twenty-one other Slem-

bers to conduct ths aSairs of the Society. 4. Tllat the election of the said Council and Officers be annual.

S. That the office of President be not held by the same individual for

a longer period than two consecut*e years, but that he be eligible for

re*election after the lapse of one year.

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6. That one of the- four-Vic-e-Presidents; ge out annually; he being eligible, howevet, for re-election after the lapse of one year: but the Treasurer and SecretariPes may be annually re-elected.

7. That seven of tEle twenty-one other Members constituting the Council, go ollt annually, at the period of the General Election of the Oflicers of the Society.

8. That the Admission Fee of Members be 31., and the Annual Sllb- scription 21.; or both may be compounded for by one paymerlt of 201.

9. That such part of the Funds of the Societyas maynot be required for current expenses, be placed in the public securities, and vested in the names of three Trustees, to be hereafter appointed by thePresidenXi and Council.

The Chairman then addressed the following Observations to the WIeeting, explanatory of the general Vie^rs of the Society.

THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON being now establisiled, the Provisional Committee cannot close its proceedings without advel t- ing to the gratifyint, fact of there being enrolled, on the List of its Nerllhers, xvithin so short a space of time, considerably more than Four Hundred names. Fromthis great and increasing number, and still more from the general character of the Subscribers, it is fair to con- clude that a favourable opinion has been formed ()f the utility likely to result from the labours of SIIC11 a Society. The degree of utility, hoxv- elrer, which will be really effected, the (Sommittee deem it almost unne- cessary to observe, must depend on the attention and assiduity which the President, the Vice-Presidents, and the Council may bestow on its concerns, quite as much as on the stock of knowledge they may bring to the consideration of the several subjects that will come before them. And not on the Council alone will depend the extent to rhich the useful labollrs of tlae Society may thus be carried, I)ut in a very great (legree also on the assistance ̂ 7hich they may receive from the many illdividuals eminent in the Arts, Scierlces, and Literature, and from the dist}nguished OfEcers of the Army and Navy, xYhose names appear on the List of Merilbers.

The many opportunities that are afforded to Officers of the Army while on Service abroad, and the promptitude and ability with ̂ thich they avail themselves of tllem (as the Office of the Quarter-Master General and the Board of ()rdnance so amply testify), are the best pledges of what snay reasonabSy be expected from that qllarter; and the more so since tlle Comn.ittee has ha(l the satisfaction to witness the readiness ritll which so many distinguished OHicers of the Royal Ar- tillery and Engineers have come forurard to join the Society.

With the same confidence the Committee look for aid from the Officers of the Sister Ser+rice, who on their own peculiar element in particular, will, it is hoped, be assisted by other experienced Na- vigators, whether of and belonging to the Corporation of Trinitys the

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East-lndia Company, or to any other Maritime Service. On the exactitude of the minutest details of Hvdrography must always depend the safety of Commerce and Navigation. Numerout; dangers un- questiorlably exist in rrarious parts of tEle ocean, that have not yet been ascertained, while others that have no existence still figure on our Charts, to the dread of Navigators It has been well observed, that ' the man szrho points out, in the midst of the wide ocean, a sint,le ' rock unknown before, is a benefactor of the human race ;' and scarcely less so is he, W]lo, after carefill examination, is able to decide that a rock or shoal, which appears on a chart, is either misplaced, or has no existence.-These, it is true, may not he ranked among bril- liant discoveries; but the smallest obstruction, whether rock or shoal, that exists in the ocean, may have been, and, so long as its exact po- sition remains unaseertaineA, is still likely to be, the cause of destruc- tion to life and property. It may also be noticed tnat many practical observations are still desirable on the prevailing winds and currents, and more particularly on tides, of xvhich there are various peculiarities atnong the islands and alorlg the different coasts of tlle ocean, con- cernirlg which facts and observations are still ranting, for establish- ing one general theory that shall be found applicable to every part of the Globe.

Every accession, therefore, to hydrographical knovledge,-a real dailger discovered - a fictitiolls one demolished or a peculiarity ascer- tained- must be of great importance to navigation, and a fit object for promulgation by the Society.

The Committee, however, are also willing to hope, that many aluable contributions on geographical subjects xvill be received fronz

other individuals, whether on the List of Members or not, than those who are thus professionally qualified and invited to furnish them; particularly from such of their countrymen as have permanent resi- dences abroad, from the various public authorities in the British colo- nies, and from those vvho have traarel3ed, or may yet travel, in foreign countries. It is not for the Committee to specify in lletail the various points of informatiorl hich should engage the attention of the tra- veller; but they may observe that every species of information, con- nected either with Physical Geography or Statistics, if it have only accuracy to recommend it, will be acceptable; and in Gases where the xtock of information, generally, in tlle hands of any individllal, is not of suflicient magnitude or importance to form a volume for publication, if sent to the SocietyX it will be made available, in some form or other, in its Transactiorls. The routes, for example lvhich travellers may have pursued through portions of countries hitherto but imperfectly linourn, or inaccurately described, the objects of Natural EIistory that may have presented themselves the meteorological and magnetic phenomena that may ha+re been obserlJed the natllre of the soil and its prodllets, of its forests, rivers, plains, mountains, and other general features of its surface; but above all, the latitudes and longitudes of particular places lvhich the Resident or Traveller may have had the means of determining to a degree of precision on which he may rely;

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- such notices of detached portions of the Earth's surface, where

regular surveys cannot lJe held, are of extreme importance, as furn;sh-

ing the only means by lvhich any thing approaching to correctness ir

our general Maps can be attained. And the Comn ittee cannot, tllere-

fore, erltertain a doubt, that it ̂ ill constitute a part of the Transactions

of the Society to publish such detached pieces of information bearing

on each of these points, as may be thought of suicient irlterest and

importarlce to be commurlicated for the use of its MemlJers, and of

the public at large. But there are marly other means, besides those IlOlV mentionta,

I)y rhich geography may be advan(ed, lvhich ale too numerous to be

here specified at length. In addition to the fessr, however, which have

been noticed here, as well as in the printed prospectus already circu-

lated, tEle bllowing points may be hriefly statecl, as being among

the most importarlt that Arill probably engage the attention of the

Fociety : 1. The composition of Maps illustrative of particlllar branches

of geographical knowledge, more especially those relating to orology,

hydrology, and geology. 2. The estalulishmellt of new divisions of the Eat th's surface,

formed upon philosopllical principles, and adapted to different depart-

ments of science; more especially as regards those divisions lvhich are

fo-.lnded on physical and veological chalacters, on climate, and on dis-

sinctions of the humarl race, or of language. 3. A more 1lnifoilll ancl systematic orthography than has hitherto

been observed, in regard to tlle names of cities and other oT jects; and

a more precise and copiolls vocabulary, than we at preserlt possess, of

snch objects. 4. The preparation and imljrovemerlt of road-books for diSerent

countries, of gazetteers, of geographical and statistic.al tables, and

all such matters as are of general 1ltility. The Committee cannot take upon itself to pronounce to zthicl-l, of so

many important considerations as haxre leell enumerated, the attention

of thfe Society sElould beJErst directed; the order of precedellee must

obnriously, in some measure, depend on tlle means, lather tllan the

lvishes, of the Council. But the Committee aze aillint, tv llope that,

sooner or later, most or all of the subjects mentionefl svill engage that

attention of the Members to hich they appeat to be fairly entitled;

and that the range of irlvestigation nrill ill no lespect lJe les3 compre-

hensive than tEle title of the Societr impAies In making thece obsersations, +Thich l-ave reference cllieflsr to facts,

the Committee +wrish, llossrever, to guard themselves against any suppo-

sition that might be entertaine(l, of their being hostile to theory; or of

recommending to the Soeiety tv limit the reception of communicatiorls

to sucll only as are the result of actual observation and experimerlt.

On the contraly they aIe fully arare tllat great benefits llavre been,

and may yet be, derive(l from speculatisre Geogaphy. Theories tllat

do r.ot involare obvious absurdities or impossibilities, but are supported

by reasonable probabilities, may serve as gllides to c()nduct to impor-

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tant discoveries; by exciting curiosity they stimulate inquiry, and in-

quiry generally leads to truth And reasonings and suggestions,

therefore, in regard to parts of the xsrorld deserving of minuter inves-

tigation, which are little known, or of which no good account has yet

been given, the routes to be observed in examining them, the chief

subjects of inquiry, and best mod-es -of overcoming the probable diffi-

culties thU FnEay:;occur in-the research,-all these will form proper

subjects for admission into the proceedings of the Society.

And lastly, The Committee haw7ing reason to think that, at no great

distance of time, the Society will be able to obtain suitable apartments

for the-rec-eption of Boolss, Maps, Charts, and Instruments, they

souldventure to suggest, tbat donation.sofsuchmaterialsasmaytend to the elucidation and extension of Geographical Science would aSord

facilities to the attainment of its viex rs * and they are willing to hope

that, aided by SUCh means, a Library of Books and Manuscripts

on Geographical Subjects, with a collection of Charts and Maps, may

be formed, that will not be undeselving of public approbatiorl and

patronage.

The Admission Fee and Annuctl Subscription, or, in liea thereof, the

Composition, to be pazd to Messrs. COCKS and BIDDULPHS, Bankers,

43, Charing Cross; or to the SECRETARY, 21, Regent Street, to shon

also 24pplications for Admission to the Society may be addressed.

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