The Art of Travel - Shifts and Contrivances Available in Wild Countries by Francis Galton
page 40 of 465 (08%)
page 40 of 465 (08%)
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hours' rest, be removed. In twenty-four hours give it a coat of varnish,
made from spirits of wine and red sealing-wax. It may be as well to practise on small bits of common glass, which will soon prove the degree of perfection which the operator has attained." (Admiral Sir E. Belcher.) MEMORANDA AND LOG-BOOKS. Best form for Memoranda.--I have remarked that almost every traveller who is distinguished for the copiousness and accuracy of his journals, has written them in a remarkably small but distinct handwriting. Hard pencil-marks (HHH pencils) on common paper, or on metallic paper are very durable. Dr. Barth wrote his numerous observations entirely in Indian-ink. He kept a tiny saucer in his pocket, rubbed with the ink; when he wanted to use it, he rubbed it up with his wetted finger-tip, or resupplied it with fresh ink, and filled his pen and wrote. Captain Burton wrote very much in the dark, when lying awake at night; he used a board with prominent lines of wood, such as is adopted by the blind. It is very important that what is written should be intelligible to a stranger after a long lapse of time. A traveller may die, and his uncompleted work perish with him; or he may return, and years will pass by, and suddenly some observations he had made will be called in question. Professor J. Forbes says:--"The practice which I have long adopted is this:--to carry a memorandum-book with Harwood's prepared paper" (in this point of detail I do not concur; see next paragraph) "and metallic pencil, in which notes and observations and slight sketches of every |
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