In December, 1834, James M‘Kay was appointed acting quartermaster-sergeant with the pay of the rank. Entrusted with the care and issue of the engravings of the survey, more than 180,000 passed through his hands, amounting in value to 35,500_l._, the accounts for which, rendered half-yearly to the Irish Government, were never found to contain a single error. So extensive a responsibility rarely falls to a non-commissioned officer. Upwards of forty years he served in the corps, and, for his merits, received a gratuity and medal. He was discharged in July, 1844, with a pension of 2_s._ 4_d._ a-day, and afterwards obtained a quiet unpretending situation at Birmingham, where his business habits made him of essential service in the promotion of a scheme for a loan society on liberal principles. ----- In July, 1839, before the increased working pay was granted, the following was the distribution of the companies on the survey according to classes. s. d. No. Receiving less than 1 0 a-day 19 ” 1 0 ” 25 { 1st 1 1 ” 15 { 2nd 1 2 ” 12 { 3rd 1 3 ” 17 { 4th 1 4 ” 17 { 5th 1 5 ” 24 Colonel Colby’s { 6th 1 6 ” 26 Classes. { { 1 7 ” 20 { A { 1 8 ” 17 { { 1 9 ” 5 { { 1 10 ” 3 { B { 1 11 ” 1 { { 2 0 ” 5 —— 206 [357] The qualifications demanded of surveyors to render them deserving of advancement were as follows:— _Class 1st._—To be capable of surveying for content—flat country. _Class 2nd._—Surveying for content—hilly country, including the use of the theodolite, taking the horizontal and vertical angles, as well as reducing the lines to the horizontal planes of the links on the arch. _Class 3rd._—Competent to register angles and distances, and to make a content plot. _Class 4th._—Able to compute areas, and horizontal and vertical distances and triangles. _Class 5th._—Able to lay out town lands or parishes for content with skill, so as to prevent confusion or unnecessary labour in the subsequent measurements. _Class 6th._—Fully acquainted with every branch of content surveying, and capable of directing parties of content surveyors.