THE JESUIT CARTOGRAPHERS IN CHINA, AND D'ANVILLE'S
MAP OF THE LAKES AND THEIR SURROUNDINGS.
Richthofen has given us the most admirable description of the Jesuit missionaries' cartographical work in China, and I cannot do better than give a short extract from his standard work. In 1582 the Italian, MATTED RICCI inaugurated the history of the Jesuit mission in China; he visited many places and founded stations before he finally arrived in Peking in 16o 1. Seeing the great success of catholicism, in 1617, the Emperor ordered all the Jesuits to leave his dominions. They, however, took refuge and were well received in the houses of converts, and after some years of inactivity were again allowed to stay. New men came out from Europe, amongst others the famous Tyrolian MARTIN MARTINI, whom Richthofen regards as the founder of the geographical knowledge of the interior of China, the Germans, FABER, and ADAM SCHAAL, and the Belgian, VERBIEST. During the dynastic fights they took the side of the Manchus, and their influence with the first Manchu emperors therefore became rather powerful. After the Dominicans and Franciscans had arrived in China, in 163o, a time of disputes began, but the Jesuits kept their ground through great difficulties, and in 1692 Kang Hi issued the important decree which opened the gates to catholicism.
Only very scientifically trained members of the order were sent to China. In 1688 the great Frenchmen, GERBILLON and BOUVET arrived, and Gerbillon accompanied the Emperor on all his journeys. In the midst of new interior struggles which nearly destroyed the missionaries' own prospects of success, the Jesuits won their greatest scientific triumphs, and the first seventeen years of the 18th century mark a real epoch in their history. During these years they accomplished the work of their famous map of China.'
When the great Emperor Kang Hi had effected the conquest of China which had been begun by his predecessors, he decided, in 1708, to have a map drawn of his countries, and ordered the Jesuit missionaries, who were learned in mathematical
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