The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-03-03
HEYLYN'S COSMO;RApHY.
A Rare Work o. Which Only Two
Copies Remain.
Al Old Geogra phtcsi History OF the
WOrid - It's most 1nterestiuW
Part Relates to
America.

A Boston paper recently announced
the sale Of a copy Of Heylyn's Cosmog.
raphy, published in 1877. and stated that
it was the only copy Of the work extant.
This assertion, however. is not true. for
! Mr.. Z. A. Kent, of the firm OF Kent Il
Stuchfield, Of this city, has u copy OF
this valuable work In an excellent state
OF preservation. 1t was given him by
his father, and Is a valued heirloom in
the family.
The book, as its name implies. is ge
ographical history OF the world. writ.
ten by Peter Heylyn and published in
London. according to the title page. 300
years ago, by Andrew Clark for Philip
Chctwind and Anne Seile. 1t is a large.
strongly bound volume. printed in old.
fashioned English. and divided in to four
books.
The first book contnines the chirog.
raphy and history Of Italy. the Alpine
provinces, France, Spain and Britain.
with the isles thereof: the second book
OF Belgium, Germany, Denmark.
Swethland. ,Muscany, Poland. Hungary.
Dalmacia. Dncia, Greece. with the isles
thereof: the third book Greater and
Lesser Asia and all principal provinces.
Kingdoms seas and isles: while the
fourth and last book relates to Africa
and all the principal Kingdoms. prov
inces and isles. and America. The spell.
ing OF the above names is given a. In the
book.
The most interesting portion Of the
work Is that relating to America. Of
which comparatively little was known
at that time. In the opening chapter he
bounds II as follows: America, The
fourth and last part Of the world. 10
bounded on the east by the Atlantic
ocean and Virginian seas. by which II u
parted from Europe and Africa. which
seas the mariners call the Mare Hel
Noord'; on the west by the Pacific
ocean. which mariners call Mare Del
Eur. which divides II from Asia: on the
south by what Is q part OF Terra Aus
trails lncognita. from which II II sepa.
rated by long and narrow s,reight
called the Sareisht Of Magellan. The
forth bounds Of II hitherto not so we'll
discovered that We can certainly affirm
II to be island or continent"
1t will be seen by the above that Aus.
fralia was believed 10 reach TO the
Straits Of the Magellan.
The maps. which are dated 1863. are
very complex and covered with multi.
plicity OF names. The coutour Of
south America 10 given very accurately,
but that Of North America 10 scarcely
recognizable. The Massachusetts, and
Virginia. and Florida coasts are fairly
good and many OF the names OF capes.
rivers and towns are the same which
they now have. However. the Gulf Of ST.
! Lawrence is shown to extend from the
ocean along the northern edge OF New
England to a point about where Chica-
go now stands. and here nearly Joins
the southern point OF Hudson's bay.
The great lakes are not designated.
Santa Fe. y. NJ. il placed on about
the same latitude as New England,
while California is the name given TO
what is now known as Lower Califor.
MIA. and is represented AZ great
island. its northern end extending up
into the Terra lncognita.
Hey'yn gives the general name Of
Peruana to the northern and Mexcn n
to the southern continent. His maps
display tendency to recklessness in
the profusion Of great rivers indica ted.
many as large as the Nile and flowing
complacently through the mountains
and valleys alike.
| According to this work the scheme OF
a canal to cut the Isthmus OF Panama
was conceived at that early date. He
says: Some have thought of turning
these two pc ninsulas into perfec, island.
by cutting through the is,hmus. Ger
tain 1t is that many haze motiored to
the council Of Spain to do this. aud
thus shorten the voyage to China and
Malucca."
The reasons given for not undertake
ing the scheme were either lack Of mon.
ey or danger from giving pirates too
good an opportunity. With fine sar>
casm Heylyn adds that probably they
did not desire to endanger the lives Of
the few remaining natives they al per.
mitted to live by putting them to
l work.
In the role OF a Muuchausen Heylyu ..
! a success. He asserts that the land Is
| "blest with such an abundance Of gold
/ that they find in many Of the mines
I more gold than EARTH" and that the ma
tves. not regarding II greed:ly. ex-
change It for iron implements. He
also states that the most va,ua bic gems
are found in abundance: that the land
is plentiful ofspices and fruits. and
such creatures as the old world never
knew. Among the latter are "hogs
with talons sharp as razors and the
navel on the ridge oftheir backs" Many
other equally strange and terrible crea.
lures are described.
OF the natives he asserts that their
religion Is idolatry. or worse. and their
chief god the devil. whom they call
Menitto.
/ al -