The New York herald., 1879-02-12
nomca obserration at the time was the shadow cast


emy. which has fortunately come down TO u.s. waa
written ut least within half century afterward ana
as rtoieny himself says, was pasaI upJ ~ th; dax
we would call editing a new and revised eution or
an existing work. Ptolemy was much better math-
ematician and astronomer. but evidently very inie-
rior as geographer to his predecessor. He under
took to correct arinus chief error by reducing his
projection of the earth from east to west from 20 10
$50 degrees. In making this geometrica correcuons
however. he fell into multitude Of errors, which.
have detected
1t would appear from what is said in Ptolemy's
work that there was a SET of maps attached to il.
An edition of Ptolemy printed IN Rome in lA1s.
with ancient maps, twenty-six in number. Whether
they are copies of original maps belonging to
Ptolemy's work is unsettled question. All that Is
known is that these maps were attached to manu-
script copies Of Ptolenys one of which is at Vienna
manuscripts there is this ment:-"Agatho-
damon of Alexandria delineated the whole inhabited
world according to the eight books on geography OF
Claudius Ptolemy." All that is known OF Ptolcny,
apart from his works. is that he lived at Alexandria
about the middle OF the second century OF our era
The idea OF the earths movement appears TO have
been entertained i'll Greece by the Pythagoreans. 1t
is certain that several philosophers of that school
controverted the prevailing impression that the
earth was "a Hat plain Phiiolaus. Pythagorean ana
contemporary OF Socrates, believed in central
fire. and that the earth made daily revolution
around it, Hcraclitus. of Ephesus b. G. 5l3 thought
that the earth not immovable. but had . slow
motion Plutarch says that Plato who had always
believed that the sun moved around the earth.
changed his opinion toward the end of his life and
regretted that he had not taught that the
the centre Of the universe. Aristarchus Of
Salnos, b. c. $50. taught that the sun was q
fixed star; that the earth moved around it
in an oblique Circle and also about its own
axis. Putarch says that he taught this hypotheti-
cally but that Seeucus, the mathematcian asserted
it positively. This, far can be collected, was
the state of this inquiry when Ptoemy wrote:-
There are" Ptoleny says, people who pretend
that there is nothing prevent the belief that the
heavens imnovable, and that the earth turns
its axis from west to east in the interval of day.
He then ridcules such notions, and points to the
lighter bodies suspended in the air, and which, he
says. SHOULD have movement different from tho
earth.'
The works OF Eratosthenes, Hpparchus and
Marnus OF Tyre have perished, and the biographies
OF Strabo, Ponponous, Mela and Ptolemy the
only important works of the ancients that have como
down to Hence of their geographical knowledge
we have little and defective information.
OZARK AGES"
period of 1,2O0 years elapses from the time Of
Ptolemy to the inauguration by Prince Henry. the
navigator of the spirit Of maritime enterprise which
led to tho circumnavigation of Africa and the dis
covery of the continent OF America. But though
geographical knowledge declined during this inter-
VAL and from the sixth to the middle of the eleventh
centuries the condition in Europe, except in Spain
ance there was throughout the whole of the period
some attention, at least given to geography-to the
on 10 boy Of the
inclined to test all scientific and geographical as
sumptions by the standard OF the Bible. In the mid
die OF the sixth century Cosmos, who had been .
merchant extensive traveller. and who afferward
became monk. the writer OF several geo.
graphical works, of which has survived, in.
which he maintained that the idea of the earth being
globe was contrary alike to the Scriptures and to
arguments, which. i'll that age. were very convincing
"There are, he says "false Christians, contemners
that the earth is sphere. combat this error de-
rived from the Greeks, by citations from the Holy
Writ" From this point our knowledge is very OBJ
that in the seventh century they had maps in tho
lnonasteres of Ireland, for from the sixth to the
ninth centuries there was an amount OF learning In
Ireland that in striking contrast with the general
ignorance that prevailed throughout Europe.
During the period that marks the rse the maturity
and decline of the empire of the Arabs from the
ninth to the thirteenth centuries, geography
sduously by them science especially in
Bagdad the capital of the caliphs and for part Of
that period i'll Spain 1t is to the Arabians and par
ticularly to the geographical scholars OF bagdad.
which they translated into Arabic and annotated.
They determined the obliquity of the ecliptc:
measured two arcs of the meridian Gscertained
more accurately the longitude OF places in Asia
and about the Mediterranean. and enlarged descrip
tive geography by an account OF the countries in
Asia which they had extended their conquests.
They had intercourse also ut that time with China
and 1t may be that it through this intercourse
that the mariners compass came to the Mediter.
rancan for it was in use in China long before 1t waa
nection that the Chinese according to che statements
OF their own writers, had maps from a very remote
period. 1t is known that there was in A. D. 265
map of the Empire twentyf pieces OF silk and
Chinese writer of about that period speaks Of an
atlas Of maps representing China aud the barbarous
countries conquered by it. 1t ~ears also that there
was triangulation Of the Empire A. d. TIL. and
that in the ninth century, wh~l the Arabs
were in communication with the country, .
map of the world constructed. A. ID. 500. in
which China represented as in the centre of tho
GARTH In the reign of the Caliph AL. Mamoun. about
A. ID. $50. geographical work, founded upon Ptol-
emy, was written by the custodian Of the library OF
Bagdad, Abou Djafer Mohammed Ben Mousa which
was the foundation for all the subsequent abors OF
the Arabian geographers.
The map Of Ranulphus Hyggeden, A. d. 1sGo may
be taken as specimen OF the kind that was pro-
duced in Western Europe in the fourteenth century.
The earth is represented oval in form and sur
rounded by water. The principal portion Of the
upper half of oval represents ASIA principal
part of the lower half Europe. while Africa occupies
nearly the whole OF the right of the map. There Is
some attempt TO give the outlines of the Medierra-
and the Black Sea- and the islands of the Medit
erranean are and the course of rivers
pecally tho Nile. the Euphratcs and the Tigris. but
crroneousiy and very rudey.
MERcAToR's TRIUMPH.
In concluding his lecture Judge DAILY referred to
the introduction of the mariners compass to gen.
cral in Southern Europe, and to the energy and
skill of maratimo catalans in constructing maps,
the most famous being that made in 1875 for Charles
". OF France. The journeys of Marco Polo and Cade-
mostra. in the fifteenth century, resulted in the
construction, by Fra Mauro friar, who established
geographical school in Venice, of a remarkable
map. Curious maps OF the earth on different projec-
tions made between 1900 and 1869; by Jacob
Ruysch in 1907 Syvanus. in 1911; Peter Benewitz,
in l52 l5as the latter being the first which the
and Sebastian Munster in 154l-l550. The last
and greatest is tha of Mercator in 1869.
when he introduced what has since been known
us Mercator's projection. which not only gave the
world in one view. but by very curious and simple
contrvance showed the most offectual way for
sci to sail in straight line curved surface.
and thereby solved what was before of the most
difficult problems in navigation. That projection
constitutes. down to the present day. the basis Of
every chart that is constructed to guide the
mariner in his way over the ocean. and
the map of the world this projection
is to bo found in nearly every English
or American atlas that has been published
for century and more. and yet tho inquirer would
search in vain in any work in the English language
for the particulars of Mcrcaors life for any salts
factory account OF what he did How little is known
respecting him. by nautical men, will be suf.
ncienty indicated when state that, upon speaking
about him not very long ago to distinguished Eng.
lish admiral. he looked at and exclaimed, What
was there such Mercator always sup
posed Mercstors projection meant the merchants
Y9ojsctioa."