Colonel Light's Level

When William Light arrived in South Australia in 1836 to carry out the surveys necessary for the sale of the land, he brought with him all of the equipment that would be needed for the arduous task ahead. One of those pieces, the level, now resides in the collections of the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia.

A surveyor's level, it has been identified as 'Troughton's improved level' and consists of a telescope, with a spirit level partly imbedded in the tube, over the top of which is supported a compass box. The level would have been used in conjunction with a chain for measuring distances. With the compass mounted on the level, the surveyor could also do a rough survey of the land using the compass bearings from his survey pegs or other marks.

'Troughton's improved level was an attempt to design an instrument whose basic adjustments could be fixed by the maker, in order to lessen the duties and responsibilities of the practitioner. This was an indication of the increasing demand for surveyors and the need for a less demanding instrument...' The improved level was soon superseded by another instrument, the dumpy level.

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