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

RENAT'S MAP OF CENTRAL ASIA.

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The second Swedish map, which probably will be unknown to mostof my readers, is shown on Pl. L, and known by Swedish and Russian geographers under the name of RENAT 's map. This map was discovered by August Strindberg, 1879, in the Library of Linköping, and on the supposition that it would be of

greater interest to Russia than to Sweden he sent it to St. Petersburg, where it was published by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society under the superintendence of General O. E. VON STUBENDORFF. A text accompanies the map, compiled from material collected by Strindberg. I

In this text we are told that JOHAN GUSTAF RENAT was a lieutenant of ar-

tillery who was made prisoner in the battle of Poltava. In 1715-1716 he took part in Buchholz' expedition. On the Irtish the convoy, 700 men, was attacked by the Kalmuks. After a brave resistance the convoy was defeated and captured. Then the text goes on: »Parmi ces prisonniers), dit Müller dans ses 'Notices sur le sable d'or en Boukharie ...', »se trouvait le sous-officier suédois Jean Renat, qui enseigna plus tard aux Kalmouks l'art de fondre le minerai de fer, fondit des canons et des bombes, fut commandant en chef des troupes Kalmoukes qui étaient en guerre avec la Chine; et après avoir amassé une quantité considérable d'or, d'argent et de pierres précieuses, retourna en 1733 dans sa patrie, en passant par la Sibérie et la Russie.) 2

Renat brought a map of Central Asia back with him to Sweden, where it

attracted the intense interest of the two brothers Benzelius. These very enlightened men hoped to get some important news about the east from their compatriot, who had passed some years on campaigns, most of the time in Asia. Strindberg has made some extracts from their correspondence. In March 1735 Bishop ERIC BENZELIUS wrote from Linköping to his brother Censor Librorum GUSTAF BENZELSTIERNA in Stockholm, and asked him to remind Lieutenant Renat that he had promised to copy the Caar/a Geograj5hica Calmachorum for Benzelius. He says that he has taken notes of what he and Renat had been discussing at Linköping. »Without questioning him one cannot get anything out of him, for he has no erudition at all. May God grant you time, my dear brother, to speak with him.»

Professor BAYER in Petersburg wrote several letters to Bishop Benzelius and

asked him to do the utmost in his power to send to the Imperial Academy of Science a copy of Renat's map, which Joseph Nicolas Delisle had had an occasion to see when Renat passed through Russia. It is unknown whether this wish was ever fulfilled.

However, we are indebted to the efforts of the brothers Benzelius and to a third member of the same family, I. A. BENZELSTIERNA, that the map has been

I Carte de la Dzoungarie dressée par le suédois Renat pendant sa captivité chez les Kalmouks de 1716-1733 St.-Pétersbourg 1881. The original map to P1. L is the copy made by Renat, from a Mongol map. Both these are now at the Library of the University of Uppsala. A third copy, the one hereafter called Benzelstierna's copy, is at St. Petersburg.

The Russian Geogr. Society concludes: 1I1 est évident que Renat n'a jamais visité ces lieux.'