240 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



phy, which, indeed, is of great value as a compilation of the facts then 

 known about the different countries of the world, was not, like Eratos- 

 thenes, Hipparchus, and Ptolemy, a scientific geographer. He neglect- 

 ed mathematical and astronomical data, and, instead of following 

 Hipparchus's method of projection, of which he knew, he expressly 

 says that he describes the world as if it were spread out as a vast plain. 

 Indeed, there is some reason to think that Strabo did not even prepare 

 a map to accompany his work. From his descriptions, however, a map 

 may be made, as was done by both D'Anville and Gosselin, and we find 

 that it does not differ greatly from that of Eratosthenes. Almost the 

 only improvements are in a better outline of the coasts of Iberia and 

 Gaul, in a truer longitude for the Sicilian Straits, and in a correct dis- 

 tance from these straits to Rhodes. On the other hand, Strabo loses 

 sight of Thule, says that Africa is not circumnavigable, and makes 

 greater errors in latitude and longitude than his distinguished prede- 

 cessor. 



The leading Roman writers on geography were Pomponius Mela, 

 who wrote a treatise in three books, and Pliny, who devoted a part of 

 his great work on natural history to geography. 



Marin of Tyre deserves a glance. Phoenicia was the great com- 

 mercial nation of the earlier ages. Her mariners brought tin from 

 Britain and spices from the far East. She certainly had opportunities 

 to surpass all other nations in geographical work. But we should 

 almost infer that, when Cadmus brought letters from Phoenicia to 

 Greece, as we learned in boyhood, he left no letters there ; for, with 

 all her wealth and opportunities, Phoenicia did little for literature or 

 science. Wholly absorbed by the commercial spirit, she forgot all 

 else. It is the same to-day. Commerce alone has never opened any 

 great field to science. Arab traders have known the region about the 

 sources of the Nile for centuries, but science was never the gainer. 

 Some disinterested spirit must enter in. Patrons of science must send 

 out explorers, or missionary workers must give their lives to opening 

 up the dark places of the earth. In the last days of Tyre, however, 

 one scientific name does appear — that of Marin. He collected some 

 valuable information in regard to the east coast of Africa, of which 

 Ptolemy made use. He also attempted in a crude way to use the 

 method of projection in map-making. 



Lastly appears the great name of Ptolemy (middle of the second 

 century). As the scholars of Alexandria had the honor of collecting 

 and carefully editing all the great literary works of antiquity, pre- 

 paratory to the centuries of darkness through which the world was to 

 pass, so, under the hand of Ptolemy, was put into compact and dura- 

 ble form what had then been gained of geographical science. If he is 

 the great man who makes grand use of his knowledge, then was Ptol- 

 emy greater than Hipparchus ; for, what Ilij^parchus had thought out 

 three centuries before him, Ptolemy now used to reestablish — almost 



