CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1898-05-12
HEYLYN'S COsMOGRAPHY.
A Rare Work OF Which Only Two
Copies Remain
An Old Geographical History Of the
World - 7ts Most Interesting
Part Relates to
America.

A Boston paper recently announced
the sale of copy of Heylyn's Cosmog-
raphy, published in 1G77. and stated that
it was the only copy of the work extant.
| This assertion, hos ever, is not true, for
| Mr.. L. A. Kent, Of the firm of Kent 4
Stuchfield, of this city, has copy of
this valuable work in an excellent state
| oil 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 10 the title page. 2o3
years ago, by Andrew Clark for Philip
Chctwind and Anne Seile. 1t is large.
strongly bound volume, printed in Cd
fashioned English, and divided into four
books.
The first book containes 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. Dacia, Greece. with the isles
thereof: the third book Greater anf'
Lesser asia and all principa, provinces
Kingdoms seas and isles; while tn
fourth and last book relates to AfTica
and all the principal Kingdom, prov
inces and isles, and America. The spe,i-
ing of the above names is given as 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 it as follows: America. The
fourth and last part of the world. is
bounded on the east by ;hc Atlantic
ocean and Virginian seas. by which il Is
parted from Europe and Africa, which
seas the mariners call the Mare lie,
Noordt; on the west by the Pacific
ocean, which mariners cat Mare De-
Zur. which divides 1t from Asia; on the
south by what is part of Terra Aus
trails Incognita. from which it is sepa-
rated by long and narrow streight
called the Sereight of Magellan. The
Forth bounds of it hitherto not so wei,
discovered that we can certainly affirm
it to be island or continent"
II will be seen by the above that Aus
tralia was believed to reach to the
Straits of the Magellan.
The maps. which are dated 1868, are
very complex and covered with multi
plicity of names. The contour OF
South America is given very accurately.
but that of North America is scarcely
recognizable. The Massachusetts,, and
Virginia. and Florida coasts are fairly
good and many of the names of capes.
III ~ 81
they now have. However. the Gulf of ST
Lawrenc- is shown to extend from the
ocean along the northern edge of New
England to a point about where Chica-
20 now stands. and here nearly joins
the southern point of Hudson's bay
The great lakes are not designated.
Santa Fc. y. NJ. is placed on about
the same latitude as New England.
while California is the name given TO
what is now known as Lower CaIifor-
Hfa. and is represented as a grea;
island, its northern end extending up
into the Terra Incognita.
Hey,yn gives the general name of
Peruana TO the northern and Nexicana
TO the southern continent. His maps
display a tenden~y to recklessness in
the profusion OF great rivers indicated.
many as large as the Nile and flowing
eomplacently through the mountains
and valleys alike.
According to this work the scheme of
canal to oai; the Isthmus of Panams
was conceived at that early date Ii
says: Some have thought of turuirr
thesetwopeninsu.as into perfect islands
by cutting through the isthmus. Ger
tain il is that many have mojioned to
the council of Spain TO do this. aud
thus shorten the voyage to China and
Malueca.''
The reasons given for not undertak-
ing The scheme were either lack of mon
ey or danger from giving pirates too
good an opportunity. With fine slr-
casm Heylyn adds that probably they
did not desire TO eudanger the lives of
the few remaining natives they had per-
mitted to live by putting them to
work.
In the role of Munchausen Heylyn Is
success. He asserts that the land i.
"blest with such an abundance of goiG
that they find in many of the niue
more gold than earth" and that the rs
tves, not regarding ii greedy. ex
change it for iron implements Tc
also states that the most valuable GER
are found in abundance; that the Ian
is plentiful of spices and fruits. AMI
such creatures as the old world never
knew. Among the latter are "hoes
with talons sharp as razors and the
navel on the ridge ofsheir backs" Mary
other equally strange and terrible crea-
lures are described.
OF the natives he asserts that their
religion is idolat-y. or worse. and their
chief god the devil, whom they call
Menitto.
complete chronology of the kings
of Mexico from the year 1922 is given
and the source of the Nile river is des-
ignated at the very point where Stanley
discovered it.-Denver Times.