The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1885-04-08
ouEER oLn MAP
Peculiar Notions OF the Geography ui
North America.

Peculiar Notions of the Geography cf
North America.
Among the most recent acquisitions
to the collection Of ancient aud curious
works in the legislative library at the
Ontario parliament building is an atlas
printed In London somewhere just be-
fore the beginning of the last century.
The title page calls it "a new sett of
MAPS both of Ancient and Present
GEOGRAPHY. wherein not only the
LATITUDE and LONGITUDE of many
places are Corrected according to the
latest Observations, but also the most
remarkable Differences Of ANTIENT and
PRESENT GEOGRAPHY may be quickly
discerned by a bare inspection or COM
pairing of correspondent MAPS; which
seems to be the most natural and easy
method to lead young students (for
whose use the work is principally i'm
tended) unto a competent knowledge of
the geographical science" by Edward
Wells, ID. D.. sometime student of Christ
church, Oxon., and late rector of Cotes-
bach in LeicestCrshire. Each of the
fOrty-Ono maps bears q dedication to
ellis Iighness William Duke of Glou-
caster, the young son of Princess Anne
of Denmark. afterward Queen Anne 4"
VINO 3Ah! in the year 1900, and as he WAS
Galy sCveateen years of age at that time
ta0 work could only have been prepared
a very few years previously. All the
maps in the collection are curious, TO
say the least, but the most peculiar ere
| those relating to America. The map of
| North America has been laid out accord
| ing 60 MercatOr's projection, as far as
| latitude is concerned, but longitude
nally this is changed to the regular
method, giving the map an even more
/ distorted appearance than it naturally
would have with the errors which have
| been made.
Among the blunders are placing Of
| the eastern extremity, Newfoundland,
in the 45th degree of latitude, instead Of
the 52d degree, and Cape Charles, the
eastern point of Labrador, is placed in
the same 45th degree, instead Of the
! 56th degree Iceland is represented a,
long, narrow island extending from
from the 9TH degree to the 2lst degree
west longitude, instead OF ON the 18th
degree to the 25th degree but these art
comparatively small matters. The ex
treme eastern point of the continent is
at the 45th degree: the western is un,
known, but must have extended almost
back to Europe, as Cape San EugeniC
in Lower California, is given at the 145tt
degree, or 30 degrees west of its proper
location. The source of the MesChasip
or Mississippi Riveris given in longitude
west from Greenwich 125 degrees, so az
to throw the western boundary of On
tariO from Cape Beale, in Vancouver
Island, north, thus taking in nearly
half the island. Illinois Lake, or LAX,
Michigan, is apparently by far tn,
largest of the great lakes, with an ex
treme breadth of over five hundred
miles. Traci or Upper Lake, as Lake
Superior is called, is shown as being the
same size as Lakes Huron and Erie
and Lake Ontario is given as about one
fourth the size of the latter. LAX
Timagaming is shown as the source o
the Saguenay and the Rupert Rivers
The Ottawa River on the map receives
the waters of Hudson Bay and of LAX
Huron to carry to the st. Lawrence
and there was apparently no knOwledg,
of Niagara Falls.
Five towns only appear to have beer
settled in what is now Canada-Por
Royal and Touquemet, the latter nov
called Yarmouth, in Nova Scotia, thel
called New Scotland; Brest, at the ex
treme eastern point of Labrador
Tadousac and Quebec. The error
which are observable in the northern
are reproduced in the southern part o
the map. Baltimore town is given a
being some distance north of Philadel
phia, and Plymouth is much nearer {,
Boston than is CharlestOwn. The Ap
palachian mountains run nearly du
east and west on the map, through
what are now the States of Ohio, Ken
lucky, Indiana, Illinois, thence acrOs
the Mississippi, and trending southwark
into New Mexico. Lower California i
an island, and the upper part Of tn
island is called New Albion. New
Orleans would appear to have just beel
founded, as there is an island shown a
the mouth of the Mississippi called Ney
French Settlement, but the mouth o
the river is no nearer being in its righ
position than the source, it being show
at the extreme northwestern corner O
the 'Gulf of Mexico" One NOR
reference to the North may be allowed
"Frobisher's' Straits are given as bein
south Of Greenland, " and James Ba
is divided into two parts, one of whic
is called James and the other HudsO
, Bay. Carolina is credited with possess
ing a lake as large as Ontario, and tn
Susquehanna river is represented a
running due north aud in an exactl
straight line. Many of the towns i
Mexico are located tolerablY accurately
but the lay of the land is terribly out c
proportion. Other maps in the alta
are equally interesting to lovers of tn
curious, and will we'll repay a cOmpar
son by those who have time and oppOl
tunity.- Toronto Globe
London Stenopraphers.