Ynforme sobre un nuevo plan de trabajos hidrograficos en Filipinas por D Aureliano Saavedra : Government Documents & Reports

Author / Creator

Saavedra y Meneses, Lt. Aureliano, author

Available as

Online

Summary

Description: Initial report to the Minister of the Navy, dated 7 Jul 1854 in Madrid, on the proposal by Lt. Aureliano Saavedra y Meneses to establish a commission to prepare hydrographic charts for...

Description: Initial report to the Minister of the Navy, dated 7 Jul 1854 in Madrid, on the proposal by Lt. Aureliano Saavedra y Meneses to establish a commission to prepare hydrographic charts for the Philippine archipelago, with accompanying folder containing list of areas to be charted, and list of existing charts. Although hydrographic operations have been carried out in the Philippines since their discovery, there were no reliable charts available until those made in 1792 by the corvettes "Descubierta" and "Atrevida" which are still respected today for their exactitude. Despite the recognized importance of hydrographic surveying in the Philippines for military and economic reasons, there was no coordinated mapping program; and subsequent studies, which appeared sporadically on an individual basis, were not always reliable. After praising the work of Lt. Claudio Montero in the Calamian Islands, the author, an official in the Department of Hydrography, finds Saavedra's ideas to be in total accord with those of the Department. There are even more compelling political reasons to adopt Saavedra's approach: namely, the projected development of trade between the Philippines and China, Japan, and Australia. Unfortunately, Spain, without a comprehensive program and totally lacking in modern instruments such as chronometers, has fallen behind England and France, who are already actively engaged in hydrographic surveying in the Philippines. The author favours Saavedra's plan and recommends naming an able director, making use of previous studies, performing extensive local research to assist mapping efforts; consulting naval officers who currently happen to be in Spain; and prioritizing those areas most in need of charting. He includes his own list of those areas, as well as a list of charts of the Philippines previously published by the department.

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