National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

On the Gastaldian map in Sala dello Scudo there are only three rivers leaving
the lake; on the west river is the city of Bengala; between the two east rivers is
Ava. DIOGO HOMEM's map (Pl. XIX), on the other hand, has no Chiamay lake at
all, which seems to indicate that this part of Homem's map may be previous to
Gastaldi.

The appearance of the lake was of course no improvement on Ptolemy's map.
But far more unfortunate was MERCATOR's removal of the Ganges. The Chiamay
lacus he has, however, retained, and his Caor river, which can no more join the
Ganges delta, goes out at the east coast of the Gulf, passing Catigam or Chittagong;
it has therefore a S.W. course and should rather be the Karnaphul than the Brahma-
putra, which is, of course, absurd. Gastaldi's Aua river or Irrawaddi has been changed
into a Cosmim flu., and there is no Aua on it. The Salwen, Gastaldi's Caipumo, he
calls Martabam, and there he is right again. Menan flu. has not been changed at all.

ORTELIUS, 1570, (Pl. XXII), chiefly copies Mercator, but he wisely gives the
four rivers the names indicated by Gastaldi. He writes the name of the lake Chÿamai
lacus. Gastaldi's Amuyin macin and Toloma on the north side of the lake he has
changed into Amuÿ on the north and Toleman on the east. These places had been
regarded as suspicious by Mercator, who has not marked them on the Chiamay lake.
But Mercator has placed them on another, nameless lake, far to the N.E., where we
find Amu and Tholoman. Ortelius has followed his example, but calls the lake
Caÿamai lacus. Lago de Chiamay therefore appears twice on Ortelius' map of
East India.

LUDOUICUS GEORGIUS shows on his map of 1584, Pl. XXIV, the lake under
the name of Chiama lacus with five effluents, joining, as usual, into four rivers, here
without names. The Caor river, which on Gastaldi's map flowed W.S-W., flows
here S.S-W. Gouro, obviously the ancient Gaur, is correctly placed on the Ganges,
and the region of the Govros is situated between the lake and the Ganges.

The first map in LINSCOUTEN's work shows the lake as usual with four rivers
but without name. On the second map, which embraces S.E. Asia, only half Chiama
Lacus is seen.

HONDIUS, 1611, Pl. XXV, has moved the lake a considerable distance to the
north. Only the three eastern rivers have names, the same as those of Mercator:
Cosmin, Montaban,¹ and Menan. On the latter is Aracam, though a province and
city of the same name is also placed between the Indus and the false Ganges, at
the upper course of which we find the Gouros, opposite to Caor on the false Ganges.
Catigan is now changed into Satagam. The city and province of Bengala is near
the mouth of the Cosmin river, Ava or Irrawaddi. Verma, Burma is on the river
which has taken the place of Ganges. Burma and Bengal have therefore changed
places.