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

standpoint of Mercator and Ortelius. Mercator had spoilt the Ganges and had been
assisted by his personal friend Ortelius. Under the weight of such high authority
Hondius could not return to sound classical lines, and did not dare to take the
Ganges back from its unfortunate visit to China. The Indus keeps its ground, and
has the same type as on the maps of Gastaldi, Mercator and Ortelius, a type
which was inaugurated by Ptolemy. Ortelius and Hondius have made the river,
after the junction of the Panjab feeders, too long, which is a step in the wrong di-
rection from Ptolemy, Gastaldi and Mercator. The Chiamay Lacus is also there with
its fan of issuing rivers.

I have mentioned above Thomas Herbert's book,¹ which brings us nothing
new from our rivers and mountains. But he had travelled in India and knew that
the Ganges was not situated in China. So on the little map (Pl. X) accompany-
ing his book, the Ganges has returned to its old place, and it even shows how the
sacred river comes down from a rock in shape of a cow's head, situated near Hard-
ware in Siba. The Lacus Chiamay he has left alone. The general features of the
Indus are somewhat better than on the maps of the great cartographers, though
Attock is placed below Multan. The name Peniab is adopted, but Satlej, which
had come down from Ptolemy to Gastaldi, Mercator and Ortelius, has not been entered.

Quite a new type both in hydrography and orography of Central Asia is to
be found on a map with the following title: Nova Orbis Terrarum Geographica
ac Hydrographica Descriptio, ex optimis quibusque optimorum in hoc opere Auc-
torum, Tabulis desumpta à Franciscus Hoeius (Pl. XXVI).² In the northern half of
Asia the Oechardus fluvius and Bautisus are to be found as in Mercator's time,
but Marco Polo's stations are transplaced from Oechardus to another gigantic and
more westerly river, on both sides of which Peim, Cotam, Lop, Desertum Lop and
Ciartim are situated. This river is partly in connection with the Chinese hydro-
graphical system, partly it comes from a very great oblong lake, which is also to
be seen on Hondius' world map (Pl. XXV). Further west Taskent is placed near
Kithai Lacus, through which the upper Ob flows. On the Oechardus is Turfon, on
the Bautisus Camul. Caindu and Thebet which Mercator had allotted to the Bautisus,
have again disappeared.

The Indus is unchangeable as always and exactly the same as on Hondius'
world map. Regarding the Ganges the difference is so much the greater. The river
has returned definitely to the Gulf of Bengal, its course is meridional, and it is in
length nearly twice the Indus. The source, near the Ptolemæan Turris lapidea mons,
is therefore situated almost straight north of that of the Indus. It is surprising that