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

216   MAPS FROM THE FIRST THIRD OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

With his Planisphère /err estre of 1682, CASSINI had made a new start for a more modern and trustworthy representation of the earth, but the real reformation in the history of cartography was the work of the members of the French Academy of Science. This period was inaugurated by DELISLE during the last quarter of the seventeenth century, and came to an end about 1720. Delisle is the first modern cartographer in the present sense of the word. He is the great reformer who broke with old dogmatized mistakes and pressed the truth upon his time.'

If this opinion is true of Delisle as a draughtsman in general, it is not less correct for the representation he gives of Tibet.2 Delisle's admirable map of S.E. Asia, Carte des Indes et de la Chine dressée sur ftlusieurs Relations ftarticulieres Rectiniées par quelques Observations, Par Guillaume Delisle, Paris 1705, of which Pl. XL is only a part, shows at once that the draughtsman, with deep knowledge and sharp criticism, has made use of all material existing at his time, and it shows a very serious attempt to combine and compare the different scanty narratives with each other, an attempt that has of necessity resulted in an almost correct localisation of Tibet. Ptolemy has for ever finished the part he had played for nearly 1600 years, and the traditional mistakes of centuries have disappeared almost completely. It is therefore a matter of absorbing interest to trace the chief features of this wonderful map, within the boundaries of the regions occupying our attention.

The northern boundary of Cachemire is formed by a very high mountain range, from which the Indus, Sinde, comes down. On its northern side is Petit Tibet and Eskerdou and Cheker, taken from Bernier.3 In relation to Eskerdou, Cheker (Shigar) is very well placed, but the capital traditional mistake, that both are situated on the upper Amu-darya instead of the Indus, is still there.

Cachemire with the Wulur lake is drawn at the wrong side of the Indus, the north instead of the south. Lahor correctly raises its walls on the banks of the Ravi, the upper course of which passes by Nagracut. The next Panjab river east of Ravi is called Van or Via, i. e. the Beas, as is also shown by Sultanpor. The easternmost tributary in the Panjab is called R. de Chaul ou de Sietmegus; south of its upper course is a town Sirina or Serinde, now Sirhind.4 This river is therefore the Satlej. The curious way in which the different branches of the Panjab are supposed

I Die Reformation der Kartographie um 1700, von Christian Sandler, München and Berlin 1905, p. I and 23.

2 So far as Central Asia and Tibet are concerned the ambitious Witsen had no reason whatever to write to Cuper, Nov. 5, 1714, as follows • »The Frenchman De Lisle is indebted to my map for all that he gives about those regions.» (F. G. Kramp in Remarkable maps.) It is sufficient to compare Pl. XL with Pl. XXXIV. The discoveries of Andrade and Grueber were open to Witsen as well as to Delisle.

3 These names had first made their appearance on Visscher's map (Pl. XXXII). But the city Escalcand on the source of Amu-darya, which for the first time was seen on Gastaldi (P1. XVII) and after him on nearly all maps, is probably nothing but Eskerdou, Iskardo. Skardo, the capital of Baltistan, or Little Tibet.

4 In 1616 Edward Terry calls the river on which Jengapor is situated, the River Kaul. Delisle has both a city and a province Jengapor on his River Chaul.