ABSTRACT
As the nineteenth century rolled on into its later years, the need for geographical study became clearer to many thinking people. In 1858, for example, R. I. Murchison (1792-1871) in a long review of the year's events of geographical interest, showed that the discovery of new lands, and the penetration of those already known, offered a vast challenge to enterprise and scholarship. By 1860, there was already an impressive record of overseas discovery by British workers, with some distinguished contributions to cartography. Systematic studies in geography are interwoven with regional work. The real chance of the mid-nineteenth century was missed: an abundance of material was available for geographical study of the home environment, but it was neglected. The Ordnance Survey of Great Britain was begun in 1791 and ten years later the first sheets, on the 1: 63,360 scale, appeared for Kent, part of Essex and London.
