| RefNo | NLB/12/452 |
| AltRefNo | NLB/12 p248-254 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Copy letter from Michael Foster, to the Under Secretary of State for War, War Office |
| Date | 20 February 1896 |
| Description | Foster, directed by the President and Council of the Royal Society, is directed to express their satisfaction at learning from Lieutenant Colonel A B Green, Commanding Royal Engineer in Egypt, that the borings in the Delta of Egypt have proved of direct usefulness to the people of Egypt, and they have therefore been enouraged to make proposals which might be brought before the proper authorities in Egypt.
The Society have long regretted the circumstances which led to them to discontinue borings made in 1883-1887 before the solid bed of rock beneath the alluvial deposits had been reached, even in the deepest boring at Zagazig in 1886 which was over 300 feet deep. They consider it to be of great scientific importance to establish the thickness of the bed of gravel and pebbles at Zagazig before the solid rock, and so express the hope that one of the current borings be continued until a solid bed of rock is reached. However, they are aware of the need for a different kind of apparatus to achieve this, and that the diameter of the boring needs to be as much as 10 inches larger than that used to obtain a water supply. The deployment of workmen from England skilled in the use of such apparatus may be necessary.
The Society hopes that this desire of theirs will be made known to the proper authorities, and further wish to make known that they would be happy to provide assistance and such money as their finances will allow. Also, although only interested in the scientific results, the results of previous borings demonstrate that unexpected advantages sometimes emerge from such projects. |
| Extent | 7p |
| Format | Carbon |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8220 | Foster; Sir; Michael (1836 - 1907); physiologist | 1836 - 1907 |