国立情報学研究所 - ディジタル・シルクロード・プロジェクト
『東洋文庫所蔵』貴重書デジタルアーカイブ

HO`'DIL'S AND HOEIL'S.

189

standpoint of Mercator and Ortelius. Mercator had spoilt the Ganges and had been assisted by his personal friend Ortelius. Under the weight of such high authority Hondius could not return to sound classical lines, and did not dare to take the Ganges back from its unfortunate visit to China. The Indus keeps its ground, and has the same type as on the maps of Gastaldi, Mercator and Ortelius, a type which was inaugurated by Ptolemy. Ortelius and Hondius have made the river, after the junction of the Panjab feeders, too long, which is a step in the wrong direction from Ptolemy, Gastaldi and Mercator. The Chiamay Lacus is also there with its fan of issuing rivers.

I have mentioned above Thomas Herbert's book, I which brings us nothing new from our rivers and mountains. But he had travelled in India and knew that the Ganges was not situated in China. So on the little map (Pl. X) accompanying his book, the Ganges has returned to its old place, and it even shows how the sacred river comes down from a rock in shape of a cow's head, situated near Hardware in Siba. The Lacus Chiamay he has left alone. The general features of the Indus are somewhat better than on the maps of the great cartographers, though Attock is placed below Multan. The name Peniab is adopted, but Satlej, which had come down from Ptolemy to Gastaldi, Mercator and Ortelius, has not been entered.

Quite a new type both in hydrography and orography of Central Asia is to be found on a map with the following title: Nova Orbis Terrarum Geograahica ac Hydrog raj5hica Descrifttio, ex oj5tim2s quibusque oj5timorum in hoc oj5ere Auctorum, Tabulis desumftta à Franciscus Hoeius (Pl. XXVI).2 In the northern half of Asia the Oechardus fluvius and Bautisus are still to be found as in Mercator's time, but Marco Polo's stations are transplaced from Oechardus to another gigantic and more westerly river, on both sides of which Peim, Cotam, Lop, Desertum Lop and Ciartim are situated. This river is partly in connection with the Chinese hydro-graphical system, partly it comes from a very great oblong lake, which is also to be seen on Hondius' world map (Pl. XXV). Further west Taskent is placed near Kithai Lacus, through which the upper Ob flows. On the Oechardus is Turfon, on the Bautisus Camul. Caindu and Thebet which Mercator had allotted to the Bautisus, have again disappeared.

The Indus is unchangeable as always and exactly the same as on Hondius' world map. Regarding the Ganges the difference is so much the greater. The river has returned definitely to the Gulf of Bengal, its course is meridional, and it is in length nearly twice the Indus. The source, near the Ptolemxan Turris lapidea mons, is therefore situated almost straight north of that of the Indus. It is surprising that

I Some Years Travels into Africa & Asia ... London 1638.

2 Remarkable Maps ... Edited by C. H. Coote, Amsterdam 1894. The editor informs us that it is the earliest large map on Mercator's projection issued in Holland in the beginning of the seventeenth century. The original plates were first engraved for Blaeu in 1605. The name of Janssonius has been replaced by that of Hoeius, the name of Allardi (Coster) by that of Allardt who flourished about 1640.