New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-02-12
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
,xc,rNr MAPS AND MAP-MAKING.
Az ADDRESS BY CnIKF-JCsTIcE DAILY HEFOKE TIE

IN
AZ .DpREss BY CHIBF-JCsTICE DAILY BtfohE HE
AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
Az n meeting of the American Geographical
60. ., Cb,cSer,ng Hall last evening, ChiefJustice
Mi, rrostdept OF the society, delivered an address
unon "The History Of Map-making previous 10 'he
t,nc OF Morcator" The address was illustrated WIN
stereopucon views and maps.
The origin OF maps Ia involved said the speaker J"
Ms much obscury as the invention of letters Inc car
tosraphic art is probably as old or oluer 'h"n no ~
ycnton Of the alphabet The earliest thing known III
the nature OF map is the ground plan OF town. no"
an the British Museum, which has been idontlueo
bv Mr. LOTUS as representing with minute accuracy o
ground plan OF susa, the Shushan OF 'he nI'''
This Typographical work Is assumed 10 DC AZ o'u' o.
least as the seventh century before christ u - 'O
,be Greeks that we get earliest knowledge OF geo
,orlicoI mans The fist Information we have upon
h snbect Is from passages in Hcrodotus and ID sliaoo
strabo saws that AnaVimauder who was born B - ol-
was the first who represented the world upon n'p'
What these early maps were we do not Know pu' ga"
form reasonable conjecture. The earth al tha' "'n
was supposed TO be fiat circular plain or dlsc INC
hroadest part being from cast To Wcs Wh'ch was en-
trclv surrounded by an ocean or great river 'ho'
washed II upon all Sides in about the centre oi "no
plan Greece was supposed 10 be situated inc e'e"'
central sea OF the inhabited region was the M'u'oI"
ncap The faTthest point known at inc "'st was '"0
s,rots ~ Gibraltar then called the Pillars OF Hercules
a
Dogcnes Iacrtcs 10 have been the first person VINO 1t"
serted that the earth was OF spherical FORM ana iha
~ was situated in the centre the universe ana the
same idea was entertained by Socrates who WAS III 'o
enjoyment Of a widespread reputation more 'H"n
twenty wears before the death OF Hcrodotus stra'o
credits Parmcndes also with having been tue hrs' "
divide the globe into five zones, as they were 'heh
called climates. -,
After careful review Of the geographical knowledge
NJ tnc ancen the sneaker considered the long lnterVa
OF twelve centuries from the time OF ito!emy " ,"o
awakening OF the spirit of maritime enterprise VIII"
led TO the discovery Of America But II 10 unnecessary
10 dwell further he continued upon these genera" map
as they bad very little TO do with the lmpro'emen' -
carooraIby They were intended for the learned anu
were Of no interest to the bulk Of the people IN Tue
Oitccuth century great acquisitions were made 70
the knowledge Of the world esPecialy ,5 IN n a9S
TnJcmosfra: and the result Of this accumulation OF
new Information was the construction, II lAot %! ~
large man of the world, by Fra MaurO-tO when hls
,fT a. Is one Of the great monuments % geography
II was painted on the wall Of convent In Venice, ana
IS not only remarkable for the extent OF
The geographical Information It emooulrs' o"'
II should be stated a. explanatory of the dGieGtve
construction Of general maps Of the world az uS uut
maj The belief of the aucient in the c!obuar form OF
The earth was from being generally acccliSu i,Cn
among cosmosrapherS a. they were then called mere
was great uncertainty to its real form CoumDls
thought had the shape OF pea" ana III C,, i,S
ica form was not fully Admitted until N"-C'"H VS.
rel. in 521, sailed around II. 49,, .,; .
All these maps. IN their dehneatoh OF 'Ge ouiine :"
continent ~ America The aocesons to CeogTaph
zeal knowledge had become 80 vast and mo details Were
80 enormous That the work Of giving the Nh"e OF the
surface Of the earth rs far rs Known Wlth
All the details, with any approximation 10 cor
Iectness was not accomplished until .MtICacc0or
produced HE great Of tine world IN I'O9
IN this map he introduced what has ever since Dcen
known a. Mercaor, projection, which noi chE lhe
world i'm oIc view, but by very curious ana Simple con
trlvance showed the most efecusl way FOR vcse 10
sail i'll straight Iue oNcrb curved s.ra'G anu &
solved what was before one Of the most dmtut PROB
lens I'm navigation That projection constitutes down
10 the present dav the basis of every chart tha Is CON
stnCed aud the map Of the world on TINS projection is
tGat has been uulsEcd for century and more ana yet
fhe in0uirer would search vain IN any work IN me
Ipglish language for the particulars OF Norcat0ls ne
Hnt do moi pTOpose 10 give an account Of what Mer
Gator dd That has been done already I'm tho admirable
uopcr read before this society, 10y Eal l. Hail. JuSuco
has al last been done to modest and abOuous man Of
geuus to whom TIE great commercial and nayiG&' ng
nations Of England and America have been indebted 10
an extent they appreciated OF at least never
adequately Acknowledged.