LECTURES. 95 



of it made noise enough, and was highly valued as something precious, 

 but only for a short time. We hear of maps which kings hung up in 

 their cabinets and palaces, and of others which were discussed in the 

 academies of the world, and sent from one city to another for the in- 

 spection of the learned, but only so long as they were neio. When 

 another new map appeared the old one disappeared from kingly palaces, 

 and from the academies, and was laid aside to be forgotten. Or no — not 

 laid aside; for if this had been done, if the old maps had been carefully 

 preserved in archives and libraries, that would have been all we 

 wanted. But these old and precious documents were allowed to 

 perish ; they were either never more heard of, or if recollected and 

 spoken of still, it was only with contempt and to upbraid them for 

 their "ridiculous" blunders. 



They were never raised to the dignity of historical documents. 

 The most inquisitive minds of the past century neglected them. Even 

 the most intelligent French geographers, such as Delille and D'An- 

 ville, who died only in the time of our grandfathers, did nothing for 

 the recovery and preservation of old maps. In fact, this branch of 

 geographical research remained a perfect blank until our days, wheu 

 other views have begun to prevail, and when some enlightened men 

 have undertaken to glean and collect the few scattered relics which 

 may yet be found. This change has been wrought in consequence of 

 a generally awakened interest in historical antiquities. 



There has arisen in our century a most active spirit for collecting 

 and preserving all sorts of historical documents, which have been care- 

 fully commented upon and reprinted. In all the countries of the 

 civilized world collections of this kind have been formed. Everywhere 

 the rusty doors of the archives have been opened to the public at 

 large, and have surrendered more and more of their treasures, which 

 formerly by a narrow-minded policy were secreted from the eyes of 

 the world. Such an enormous mass of new and critically arranged 

 materials has thus been brought to light, that the history of every 

 country has gained quite a new and broad foundation, and future his- 

 torians will have much to do to digest and compile all this new matter. 

 In the short space of half a century our contemporaries have discov- 

 ered and deciphered more Greek, Roman, Runic, Egyptian, Baby- 

 lonian, and Indian inscriptions, than were discovered in all the former 

 centuries taken together. They have been collected partly in the 

 originals, partly in accurate copies and fac-similes, obtained by the 

 most ingenious processes of art, and have been deposited in accessible 

 collections. 



This praiseworthy antiquarian enthusiasm, which seems to have 

 seized all the world in our time, has also at last influenced geo- 

 graphers to look around them for monuments on their own field of 

 research, and to cast into the common treasury of knowledge the 

 little still remaining within their reach from the carelessness of for- 

 mer times. As early as the beginning of this century, the late excel- 

 lent and lamented geographer, Baron Walckenaer, brought together 

 in- his own house in Paris a geographical collection, containing many 

 beautiful and most interesting old pictures of the world, and other 

 chartographical documents. He was perhaps the first who, in his 



