My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org
6oMY LIFEchurch spires of Barton and Higham Gobion hadbeen thus used, and the distance between them accuratelygiven ;and as the line from one to the otherran diagonally across the middle of the parish wewere surveying, this was made our chief base-line,and the distance as measured found to agree veryclosely with that given in the survey. This volumewas eagerly read by me, as it gave an account of allthe instruments used, including the great theodolitethree feet in diameter for measuring the angles of thelarger triangles formed by distant mountain tops oftentwenty or thirty miles apart, and in a few cases morethan a hundred miles ; the accurate measurement ofthe base-lines by steel chains laid in wooden troughs,and carefully tightened by exactly the same weightpassing over a pulley, while the ends were adjustedby means of microscopes ; the exact temperaturebeing also taken by several thermometers in order toallow for contraction or expansion of the chains ;andby all these refinements several base-lines of sevenor eight miles in length were measured with extremeaccuracy in distant parts of the country. Thesebase-lines were tested by repeated measurements inopposite directions, which were found to differ onlyby about an inch, so that the mean of all the measurementswas probably correct to less than half thatamount.These bases were connected by the system of triangulationalready referred to, the angles at all thestations being taken with the best available instrumentsand often repeated by different observers,while allowance had also to be made for height abovethe sea-level, to which all the distances had to bereduced. In this way, starting from any one base,the lengths of the sides of all the triangles were
SURVEYING IN BEDFORDSHIRE 6icalculated, and ultimately the length of the otherbases ;and if there had been absolutely no error inany of the measurements of base-lines or of angles,the length of a base obtained by calculation would bethe same as that by direct measurement. The resultsobtained showed a quite marvellous accuracy. Startingfrom the base measured on Salisbury Plain, thelength of another base on the shore of Lough Foyle inthe north of Ireland was calculated through the wholeseries of triangles connecting them, and this calculatedlength was found to differ from the measured lengthby only five inches and a fraction. The distancebetween these two base-lines is about three hundredand sixty miles.It was here, too, that during my solitary ramblesI first began to feel the influence of nature and towish to know more of the various flowers, shrubs, andtrees I daily met with, but of which for the most partI did not even know the English names. At thattime I hardly realized that there was such a scienceas systematic botany, that every flower and everymeanest and most insignificant weed had been accuratelydescribed and classified, and that there wasany kind of system or order in the endless variety ofplants and animals which I knew existed.Barton was a rather large straggling village of theold-fashioned, self-contained type, with a variety ofsmall tradesmen and mechanics, many of whom livedin their own freehold or leasehold houses with fairsizedgardens. Our landlord was a Radical, and tooka newspaper called The Constitutional^ which waspublished at Birmingham, and contained a great dealof very interesting matter. This was about the timethe dean and chapter refused to allow a monument tobe erected to Byron in Westminster Abbey, which
- Page 34 and 35: 12 MY LIFEwere told it was a histor
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- Page 42 and 43: 20 MY LIFEhair was of a very light
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- Page 46 and 47: 24 MY LIFEwas an old-fashioned mill
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- Page 54 and 55: 30 MY LIFElaziness and ignorance we
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- Page 62 and 63: 38 MY LIFEmy father's family, to be
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- Page 86 and 87: —!—;62 MY LIFEexcited much indi
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- Page 102 and 103: 78 MY LIFEwhich he told us where to
- Page 104 and 105: 8oMY LIFEwas simple robbery, as the
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- Page 110 and 111: 86 MY LIFEcertainly was, both unjus
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- Page 115 and 116: RESIDENCE IN SOUTH WALES 89bounded
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- Page 120 and 121: 92 MY LIFEfirst went to Senni Bridg
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SURVEYING IN BEDFORDSHIRE 6icalculated, <strong>and</strong> ultimately the length <strong>of</strong> the otherbases ;<strong>and</strong> if there had been absolutely no error inany <strong>of</strong> the measurements <strong>of</strong> base-lines or <strong>of</strong> angles,the length <strong>of</strong> a base obtained by calculation would bethe same as that by direct measurement. The resultsobtained showed a quite marvellous accuracy. Startingfrom the base measured on Salisbury Plain, thelength <strong>of</strong> another base on the shore <strong>of</strong> Lough Foyle inthe north <strong>of</strong> Irel<strong>and</strong> was calculated through the wholeseries <strong>of</strong> triangles connecting them, <strong>and</strong> this calculatedlength was found to differ from the measured lengthby only five inches <strong>and</strong> a fraction. The distancebetween these two base-lines is about three hundred<strong>and</strong> sixty miles.It was here, too, that during my solitary ramblesI first began to feel the influence <strong>of</strong> nature <strong>and</strong> towish to know more <strong>of</strong> the various flowers, shrubs, <strong>and</strong>trees I daily met with, but <strong>of</strong> which for the most partI did not even know the English names. At thattime I hardly realized that there was such a scienceas systematic botany, that every flower <strong>and</strong> everymeanest <strong>and</strong> most insignificant weed had been accuratelydescribed <strong>and</strong> classified, <strong>and</strong> that there wasany kind <strong>of</strong> system or order in the endless variety <strong>of</strong>plants <strong>and</strong> animals which I knew existed.Barton was a rather large straggling village <strong>of</strong> theold-fashioned, self-contained type, with a variety <strong>of</strong>small tradesmen <strong>and</strong> mechanics, many <strong>of</strong> whom livedin their own freehold or leasehold houses with fairsizedgardens. Our l<strong>and</strong>lord was a Radical, <strong>and</strong> tooka newspaper called The Constitutional^ which waspublished at Birmingham, <strong>and</strong> contained a great deal<strong>of</strong> very interesting matter. This was about the timethe dean <strong>and</strong> chapter refused to allow a monument tobe erected to Byron in Westminster Abbey, which
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