The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-01-21

carried 1:N on during this whole period. With only
ucst s s 2, twenty gig mlIss south Of the Chesa-
now extends from the mouth Of the Ksnnebec river,
~ Mains to The harbof oi Beaufort, ia North Car
U .a.gs 1se topography and photography have
Se% ps9s:' The 6arl1rs Of
Wcn' Giogcester, Salem, Welheet, Ma ssachusetts,
and others, have been sutveyed New shoals ha We
heen discovered and Sounded out in the vicinity Of
coast OF Delaware. Maryland, and Virginia. Hat.
teras shoals and Frying Pan shoals, have been
made known to the navigator in excellent prelm
inary charts. The survey of the Chesapeake bay
ia now nearly completed, and that of the rivers
flowing into 1t has been commenced. Some of the
iost important hafbors on the southern coast as
Hatteras inlet, Oeracoke inlet. Beaufort hafbof,
Cape Fear entrance, Roman Shoals Charleston
harbd6 North Edisto river, Tybee entrance. and the
Savannah river have been surveyed. and the charts
are, or soon will be, published The survey Of
Georgetown harbor, ID South Carolina land of the
gentrapce of St. John. river, Florida, have been
coIntienced. The triangulation and reconnois-
Geor getown hafbof, Cape Fontan, Charleston,
North Edisto, Savannah, and Entrance ia! the St.
Johns, are gradually and steadily advaHcihe. ~
few years an unbroken series, with points we'll
determined BY astronomical and other observa-
in Maine, to the St. Mary's in Florida. The pro-
grees of the survey on the Florida reef and the
shores of the Peninsula s entirely satisfactory in
view of the Limited appropriations, compared with
the vast extent and variety of the whole work.
The entire reefand western shore has been exam
ined in preliminary way, and nearly one half of
the survey Of the reef has been made. The i'm
portant harbor of Cedar Keys, the western shorcs
has been examined. A reconnaissance has been
made of about one half of the distance between
St. Marks and Mobile bay, and examination Of
st. Marks river The -triangulation and topogra-
ply now extend from Mobile bay to Lake Pom
chartrain, and nearly all the photography has
been completed land an examination made of the
delta of the Mississippi. Galveston bay has been
surveyed excepting small portion of the hydro
graphy, and the triangulation extends to the
vicinity of Matagorda bay. Preliminary charts
have been published of Galveston and Mobile ba w.
ofthe Mississippi delta, st. Marks, Cedar Keys, Key
West, Cape Canaveral, Mosquito inlet, and st. An
drewsshoas, and these will soon be followed by 9TH
ers. On the western coast, in consequence ofthe
traordinary difficulties in securing handsand means
owing to the discoveries of gold, the survey did
not fairly get under way till about three years
since A very good preliminary reconnaissance
has been made Of the whole coast, from San Diego
to the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, and of nearly
every important harbor embracing San Diego.
San Simeon. Santa Barbara, San Pedro, Point Con-
ception, the harbor Of Goko, San Louis Obispo,
Point Pinos, and the harbor Of Monterey, Santa
Cruz, Catalina Island, including both anchorages,
CuyIeT' uarOOr, fflsoner,5 ndrDOf, San ClementC,
Mare Island Straits, Trinidad, and Humboldt Bays,
and entrance of the Columbia river. Charts of all
these harbers have been furnished and distributed
excepting the harbor of Santa Barbara which is
now in the hands Of the engrayer. Charts ofthe
coast from Monterey to the mouth of the Column
bia river, Published two years since and that from
San Diego to San Francisco are now undergoing
the last revision The charta of the surveys north
of the mouth of the Columbia river are daily en-
pected, and will be published as early as practica.
he Resides the a Inf he ha hay
been carefully examined. In addition to this,
good pro sress has been made in the survey of the
waters of San Francisco bay. plan of the city
has been published, to which will soon be added
the adjac emit topography. The triangulation en-
braces the waters OF San Francisco ami Susun
bays, extending from Mare Island straits to the
entrance, and for several miles up and down the
coast. The Typography has been completed for
will be executed the coming winter. The TRAN
guation of the Columbia river has been extended
thirty three miles from its mouth.
A commencement has also been made in the
survey OF the Santa Barbara Islands, including
the land surveys, by the Godetie method. IN con,
nexion with this rapid progress of the survey on
this coast observations have been made for latitude
and longitude, and the magnetic variation. The
geographical position OF the coast, from the Straits
of San Juan de Fuca to San Diego, has been cstab
lished; the latitude and longitude of the most i'm
portant headands having been determined by suf-
hcienty numerous and reliable preliminary OBJ.
servations. The latitude of seventeen stations and
the longitude of nineteen stations, and the mag.
netic variations of seven stations have been thus
determined. On the Atlantic and Gulf coast the
usual attention has been given 10 the subject
Magnetic observations have been made at thirty
three stations. Sixteen longitude and seventeen
latitude stations have been occupied, and ten base
lines measured. great extension has been given
to the method OF determining the longtudes OF
dinal points by using the electric magnetic tele-
graph-a method admitting of a degree of preci-
air hi hpr att All tle hu her he
exploration of the Gulfstream has been continued
Great progress has been made in publishing the
suits Of the survey Forty two charts elaborate and
highly finished, and forty two preliminary charts
sheets are in various stages of engraving. The
geographical positions determined by the survey
from its commencement to July, 1851, have been
published. The latitude and longitude of over
8 200 points have thus been given to the public,
and furnishing information of great value for gem
eral and local purposes. Many special examina.
tons have been made to determine the proper sites
for lights, light boats, beacons and buoys, along
the whole coast from Maine to Texas; and, as re.
CARDS the western coast the entire duty of select
ing sites has devolved upon and been performed
by the Coast Survey 1t gives me great pleasure
10 acknowledge the promphtude with which this
duty has been performed, and my confidence in
the results thus reached. -.
1t has been an arduous and responsible duty re-
curing in each ca &c personal examination, and
in many cases accurate surveys of the localities.
Much valuable information has also been fur.
nished in connection with the river and harbor i'm
provements, greatly expediting the plans for pro
scouting these works and making available the
results Of the surveys and the personal examina-
ton of the superintendents to this branch OF the
public service.
In view OF the very extensive correspondence
which necessarily appertains to such extended and
varied operations, it is respectfully recommended
that the same authority as to receiving or send.
ing official communications connected with the
survey, now exercised by the several bureaus of
this Department, may be extended to the Superin-
tendent OF the Coast Survey, and to the assistant
in charge of the. Survey Office, the Superinten.
dent being necessarily absent in the field much
Of his time. The duties Of ranking now thrown
upon this Department are extremely onerous
while it produces delay incompatible with that
prompt despatch of the business of the Survey
always to be desired. '
issa laa.s MISCELLANEOUS. ..t
In pursuance of the act of 3Ist August last, au.
thorizing' the formation of Lighthouse Board
one officer OF engineers of the army, and one of
the Typographical engineers, two naval officers of
high rank, and two civilians of dstiu gushed sci.
entific requirements, have been designated by the
President to form this Board, and one officer of the
navy and one of the engineers secretaries. The
Board 30 constituted Immediately organized and
entered upon the duties assigned them by law The
clerks employed upon the lighthouse business be-
ing one temporary clerk from the Office of the Sec.
rotary of the Treasury, and four from the Fifth |
AUDITORS Bureau, were, as required by law, trans
ferred office of the Ii pht Roard