Thus, To Repeat The Observation Of
D'Anville, The Greatest Of His Errors Proved Eventually The Efficient Cause
Of The Greatest Discovery Of The Moderns.
Beside the peculiar merit of Ptolemy, which was perceived and acknowledged
as soon as his work appeared, he possesses
Another excellence, which, as
far as we know, was first pointed out and dwelt upon by Dr. Vincent.
According to him, Ptolemy, in his description of India, serves as the point
of connection between the Macedonian orthography and the Sanscrit,
dispersing light on both sides, and showing himself like a luminary in the
centre. He seems indeed to have obtained the native appellations of the
places in India, in a wonderful manner; and thus, by recording names which
cannot be mistaken, he affords the means of ascertaining the country, even
though he gives no particulars regarding it. We have applied this remark to
India exclusively, but it might be extended to almost all the names of
places that occur in Ptolemy, though, as respects India, his obtaining the
native appellations is more striking and useful.
Having offered these general remarks on the excellencies and errors of
Ptolemy, we shall next proceed to give a short and rapid sketch of his
geographical knowledge respecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. On the
north-east of Europe he gives an accurate description of the course of the
Wolga; and further to the south, he lays down the course of the Tanais,
much nearer what it really is than the course assigned it by Strabo. He
seems to have been acquainted with the southern shores of the Baltic from
the western Dwina, or the Vistula, to the Cimbric Chersonesus: he also
describes part of the present Livonia. The Chersonesus, however, he
stretches two degrees too far to the north, and also gives it too great a
bend to the east. He applies the name of Thule to a country situated to the
north-east of Britain; if his usual error in longitude is rectified, the
position he assigns Thule would correspond with that of Norway. Such seem
to have been the limits of his Europe, unless, perhaps, he had some vague
idea of the south of Sweden.
He begins his geographical tables with the British isles; and here is one
of his greatest errors. According to him, the north part of Britain
stretches to the east, instead of to the north: the Mull of Galloway is the
most northern promontory, and the land from it bends due east. The Western
Islands run east and west, along the north shore of Ireland, the west being
the true north point in them. He is, however, on the whole, pretty accurate
in his location of the tribes which at that period inhabited Scotland.
Strabo had placed Ireland to the north of Britain, but in its true
latitude. Ptolemy's map, which is the first geographical document of that
island, represents it to the west of Britain, but five degrees further to
the north than it actually is.
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