Yet even with fuch advantages geogriiphy is far: from being perfeft;
and the familiar exclamation of D’Anville in his old age may ftill be
adopted : “ Ah ! my friends, there are many errors in geography.” *
This fciemce may indeed' be regarded as imperfeft in its very nature,
as no reafonable hopè can. be entertained, that all the habitable: lands
all, at any period of time, pafs under a trigonometrical furvey, the
qnly ftandard of complete exaöinefs. The chief defers, are the interior
parts of Africa, and many portions even of the Chores Tibet, and fome
other central regions of Alia, nay even Perfia, Arabia, and Afi^ic
Tarkey weftern parts of North America j and t-hf fpanifh fettle-.
ments in that part of the new continent; with tha central1 a&d fc^itfrct^},
parts of South AmerkaA'^fe'N&w HollandTttWis kn0,w,D«^c^8|Mhe
fhope's ri'and many difcovéwês remain toTem-ade in .the P%dftcr©eqa%
■ particularly the extent and interior ■ p a rt. of New Guinea, and other
riarpe land's in that quarter. Even in "Europe the geography, of Spain
.and Portugal is very imperfefl, though not fo defedlive as, that of
Enfopeaii Turkey ; nor can we loudly boaft while, as Majog®&t&U
-inarms ns, there1 is1 nóueXa<Srchart of the Brit-ifh S ian n ’ehpand the
go'nometrfeal furvey, fo far as it has extended,ha6^dhtè(tedig|®fs5êi^©;r«4n
the maps of the counties.f We have "indeed' heen g^hhfa%"Am,ere
attentive to remcrterrëgioés, than tö öur native country.; and iou-ldia t|ew
föÉèörAafe heen publifheê with-more advantages» tla rf m the’kingdom
l which-has-given birth to the greateft modern difcoveriesy .and .-improve*
merit's in geography ?
, i< jfh j m!:j amif, ily a lien 'des erreurs dans la geographic.”
f f t L a lamentable circumIVance that geography is at times retrogreflive in fome points, while
it advances in others. Thus Prefton’ s furvey o f the Shetland Iflands repreferits them as.one third
part too large, both in length and breadth, and there are grofs errors in the pofitions. T he mif-
take was detefled in the important voyages ordered b y the late king o f France ; and remedied1 in
the Danifh map, Copenhagen, 1787, but ftill more in that o f Capt. Donnelly. Thefe ifles now
appear nearly as in thé maps preceding 1750. Prefton’ s map o f thefe remote Britiih pofTeilions
has even-occafioned lhipwrecks: and the fcience and capacity neceffary for fuch a furvey ought-.to
be the objeft. o f ftrift previous inveftigation. Many fuch inftances might be given.
The
J
« rT b e .- r a p id p j q g r e f s | | i j M s R4 W j l i P j p a - l ik e fhorf- p e r io d ,
gr&atPy- im p iro ved th e i ina|is iand'eha ct'Si o fh n p fb ipGun tries-, a lw a y s to b e
r a n k e d , amoibg^tbfe- ch ie fP o b i& d t t t e f ! g e% g ^ p h y ,; ■ thp.tfgh; n h a c cO p n tab ly
rif° m o der&Tytfte |rl s fbrim to v friP eh v ith iSl# th e infp.eiftron
d f a ^ jlfc ia p whatMety -So^sM lb J t e '^ h lf i -m a h ? e a n y rhN fe ic e^ o fd th a p jia - ,
t ill’d ;7 - -T h a h h s • t h i e l f i i l i ^ f ‘a’c'e-rirate:maps an dp,charts m a y h e -
M d ^ Q - ^ A ^ ^ t ^ b u f a d l t i ^ s S ^ g i i S p h i c a l k n o w M l^ l l T h e an -
^ w o r k M 's ‘b fe ifl ^ S | ^ b ^ i d ' ,'d i lM r ^ ' t lie 'l l lf e f t ? an d
b lft " 'r iia p s^ £ ':aft c t ) ii« r ie s^ f in w ^ fch it id f& B eh h ^ M s h e s e ^ . ' a f c ’
f if t e d * 4 > ^ e i* h e f t p f a i i i e S ^ ^ i l ^ i ^ f ^ T h ' e ' fmarll 'ito^psu-wHichsat^ j
fcoMfidn^i t f th ^ '^ i^ a 'r e V d f lM v n 'H v - l^ ^ f t^ b f e » dn d
r e v i f io iP h f 'M r . ^ e f l fehb wla* ^ t?h@)ilrldrSl«y arid |
a t t A t ^ ^ f e ^ f h e (? fo f> i# ^ 3:rf’ »ri|3i F & ' l l ^ ^ i% A s p r a t e
fn a t^ r ia ls ' an d filn ^ 'ls v 'J t t fh t !s'?J T h e !
jh 'e V e h f^ ^ f e f r o r n f l ip p y ’i h ^ ' f h h :*plaee>?% f Ti l a r g e 1 r i^ ib d n S pM e J^ tla s ;
b M tB e y t e -dififHiiti’?e.ua h h f e f d t ' i i i i& d d '^ i ^ 4 b ' ‘ ftichn a •
[ ashia-ey .
■ thbririesladded h t 'th e b d t te ta 'sW h i le t?hey a re f flu f t r a ip d v l ih h ^ a f f ly , im port
ant - fe aM r e s ib f lA h e ' cojiriftlipsi1 r in d : inifeei'efti-Bg f l a ^ e ^ d h r i y ^ .^ f p p i >
-works- o f n a tu ra l'» a rid . dvih*-hi-®OBy, f o r w-hieh ^ l p ^ i a n d ' ’
a t la s m a y e b e c o n M t e d 5» v a i r n * .^ lh d a t t d l r - had> b e f t b e # rm e d ,^ y th e
:1 ^ ^ ^ f d o u “ d u '^nfulcghiV 1. [
‘ vented ,
„ author,who.h# hitherto-0«^ fShfr’-this ntethof «Vldpyed'in&e s
"irflruntentiand mmh.re.v, 1™ ! ™ ™ ^ ° f V '
^TiffiCtKis iiriiia’^»’applied to Mr^IAWry’ m PtbUc -in i
a foies, of maM.itvhieh- piav. f^ejt^bc.VE-e^aay:efl ,llg b , 1
i!^ f o a m r efforts mgSTlepmtmtnc._ N u to mentmnT- R i . J 1 1 lrtb ^ Y
Angularly adapted to the inffnjaibn df ybiftb^yThe anftakai/eaus repr^pta^on.ptpteWjffi -
- chief bea*ing4pf each country, but alio facilitates con^lj^tiou^|thef|narke^fc^bn,bet^een -
-land,and wStet,,which enables $
■ of charts mlght be facilitated in af«n,larlmapner„w1hSe„m the
charts, the fea njifeht be preferved whit«, '
which would refemble water, but vertical. In ij^nfflalog^aafis, the,
grating might be adopted. . re a d e r "