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

many names from Marco Polo, such as Cassar, Kashgar, Samarcham, Samarkand,
Carcham, Yarkand, Cotam, Khotan, Peim, Ciartiam, Cherchen, Lop, and Desertum
Lop. If any fresh reliable information were the foundation of this arrangement, it
would afford us an excellent proof that Oechardes is indeed the Tarim, as generally
supposed. But Mercator has been far from sure, for on the southern feeders of his
Jaxartes flu. we find again Iarchem (Yarkand), Cascar and Cotan, and Samarkand is
also placed at one of the northern tributaries to the Abiamu or Oxus. In the latter
case Mercator has followed the example of Gastaldi, in the former his own intuition
assisted by Marco Polo's narrative. At any rate he has consulted two different
sources and believed he had to do with quite different places. It is a confusion
similar to Ptolemy's when he heard of the Tarim from two different informants and
believed he had to deal with two different rivers. But so far Mercator has abandoned
Ptolemy that he makes his Oechardes and Bautisus join, after which the combined
river empties itself into the Glacial Ocean.

Mercator has the legend Bautisus nunc Quiam flu., in which we recognise
Marco Polo's Kian or Kian-Suy, the Kinsha-chiang. Along the banks of the river
he has placed some very interesting names. At the left, or west side we read Caindu
at two places. He has it from Marco Polo who says: »Caindu is a province lying
towards the west», by which, as Ramusio explains, is meant that it is to the west
of Tebet.¹ Marco Polo further says: »After riding those ten days you come to a
river called Brius, which terminates the province of Caindu.» This river Brius is the
upper course of Kinsha-chiang, and entered on Mercator's map as the upper Bautisus,
— nunc Quiam. Near Caindu, Mercator has a lake with the legend: »Lacus salsus
in quo margaritarum magna copia est», directly taken from Ramusio's version of
Marco Polo: »There is a great salt lake here, in which are found pearls.»

Just east of Caindu and thus in harmony with Marco Polo's text, Mercator has
both a country and a city Thebet, that is to say, on the right or eastern bank of
the Bautisus. If Mercator could be used as an authority at all, those who identify
the Bautisus with the great Tsangpo, should find an excellent support in his map.
But the situation becomes perfectly hopeless considering the fact that the river runs
to the north instead of the south, to the Glacial Ocean, instead of the Indian.² Any
attempt to reconcile Marco Polo with Ptolemy must of course be a failure.

West of the meridional Imaus Mercator has Taskent on the river Sur, Sir-
darya (?), going to the Kichai lacus, Lake Aral (?); on one of the tributaries is Aczu.
Further south dwell the Kirgessi, Kirgis, and there is Belor desertum olim Sacarum regio;
S.W. of it is again an addition from Marco Polo: Pamer altissima pars totius continentis.