Evening star., 1902-08-22
ANCIENT MAP MAKERS
MERCAToR's PROJECTION ANTE
DATED BY CLAUDIUs PToLEMY.
Medieval Charts of Harbors in the
Mediterranean Sea-Systems
Of Cartography.

Corr. New York Times
Gerardus Mercator was certainly not the
first catographer to propose the system
known by his name, In the fifteenth CEN
tury there was the same distinction be-
tween "Mappf' and "Portulani'' that now
obtains between maps and charts. There is
a magnificent collection of these medieval
charts. with the courses laid out for every
harbor In the Mediterranean, In Paris as
well as others of scarcely less Importance
in London, Florence and Venice. 1 have
Photographic reproductions of several Of
these charts in Newport.
Claudius Ptolemy.
In A. D. $50 the Alexandrian carto-
grapher. Cladius Ptolemy wrote a treatise,
Of which the oldest text was preserved In
the monastery of Vatopedi at Mount Athos.
This was ascribed to the twelfth century.
Ptolemy drew diagrams showing the sew
eral ways in which portions of a round
earth might be transferred to fat sur
lace. One Of the methods was that now
known as 'Mercator's projection" He dis
carded it for the reason that 1t was more
accurate to take sections from a globe not
too wide, trim them top and bottom from
about latitude twenty degrees south to
sixty north, and flatten them out. 1t Is in
credible, but true, that 1t Is even now gen.
orally supposed that the ancents believed
that the earth was fiat. No such notion
could ever have been entertained by a
faring community, with such scientific men
as were to be found in Alexandria. 1t was
an error due to the Inhabitants Of the inte-
rior of northern Europe.
Ptolemaic Maps.
Mr.. Ravenstein was present at the meet
ing of the British association at which I
established the genuineness and authentic
ity of the Ptolemaic maps. They have never
been called in question since Prof Norden-
skiold published his edition of the Roman
Ptolemy. 1t may be added that probably
few persons are aware Of the existence of
map in Turin whose date closely approx
fmates B. c. 1892. Curiously enough 1t Is
not the map of holy city or an important
part Of the earth's surface. 1t is a sketch
map of tract of auriferous rock between
Luxor and the Red Sea, on the "Road of
I'll Pa Mat" 1t is such a sketch as would
be drawn by a modern prospector for
company which had found a gold mine in
Colorado.
No Papyrus Charts.
1t is. however. truly astounding that for
more than 1000 years we have no other
original map on papyrus or parchment.
The prophet drew map Of Jerusalem, so
he says. and the art of cartography. there
fore. was presumably taught by the prede-
cessors of Gamaliel, but, at intervals. for
fifteen years. I searched in vain for any
thing resembling map In the early man.
uscripts, Greek and Syriac, Arabic and
Coptic Lord Crawford had a very large
collection of Coptic manuscripts. He care
fully examined them all, at my request,
and assured me that he never found a trace
of anything resembling a map. Among
thousands Of conveyances on papyrus, from
the original soldiers bounty warrants,
dated from the second century before
Christ. used Qike those of the war Of 1912
to settle the Fayoum and other government
lands In Egypt, down to the middle ages,
we find no sketch or outline of the property
conveyed or mortaged 1t is, however, only
in recent times that such a sketch has been
appended among ourselves to abstracts Of
title.
In the celebrated real estate transaction
between the Prophet jeremiah and his
cousin, the conveyances were executed in
duplicate, but there is nothing to show that
the property was described Geographically.
There is the great geographical papyrus of
the Fayoum, of which discovered the mis-
sing fragments, but this can hardly be
called map in the ordinary sense.