LECTURES. 97 



invaluable chartographical documents, which he has collected. He 

 presents at his own expense the benefit of his labors to the world, 

 under the title of Monmncnls gengraphiques da Moyen Age (Geo- 

 graphical Monuments of the Middle Ages). 



In Germany, likewise, some of tlie most eminent scholars have given 

 their attention to this ruost attractive branch of study. Indeed, there 

 are some indications that in that country tlie history of maps was 

 thought of earlier than in any other. We have there as early as the 

 beginning of the last century some essays or works on this snhject. 

 They are very imperfect, no doubt, and they were not followed tor a 

 long while by any thing more satisfactory. They appear (like so 

 many other inventions which germinate in Germany without being 

 perfected) to have slept for a century. 



At the end of the 18th century, however, two Germans brought 

 together by their private exertions, and arranged in geographical and 

 chron(dogical order, a most admirable collection of maps, relating ])ar- 

 ticularly to America, and which is now in this country. I alhide to 

 the collection begun by Dr. Brandt-s, of Hanover, and continued and 

 augmented by that distinguished geosjrapher Mr. Ebeling, of Ham- 

 burg, afterwards purchased by a patriotic American, and now deposited 

 in the library of Harvard University. 



Since then, various old maps which were preserved in Germany 

 have been copied, commented on, and })ublished. An active geo- 

 grapher. Dr. Giissefeldt, has edited the celebrated map of the world, 

 made by the Spaniard Ribero, geographer to the Emperor Charles V. 

 The illustrious Humboldt has Ijrought to light and made accessible to 

 the public different interesting raa])S ; for instance, that excellent pic- 

 ture of the world made by Juan de la Cosa, one of the companions 

 of Columbus. His critical notes and comments on this map, to which 

 he often alludes, are of course of the greatest value. 



Moreover, the famous old globe of Nuremberg, composed in the 

 very year of the discovery of America by Martin Behaim, who was 

 in the service of King Emanuel, of Portugal, has at last been given 

 to the scientific world in a most accurate and beautiful copy by Pro- 

 fessor Ghillany of that city. 



But I allude to some of these valuable publications only as instances, 

 for it would occupy me too long to attemj)t to give a complete review 

 of them. It may suffice to say, that such publications have become 

 comparatively numerous in Germany, as well as in Italy, in England, 

 and in other countries. It is now quite a common thing to edit old 

 globes and maps, and to write dissertations on them. And it has 

 almost become the fashion to adorn a geographical treatise or the re- 

 publication of an old work of travels with a sketch of an old n)ap, 

 which some 30 or 40 years ago would not have been considered an 

 ornament at all. The Spanish historian of the discovery of Anurica, 

 Navarrete, has inserted some most interesting old maps in his great 

 documentary work. The academy of Madrid has introduced others 

 into their splendid edition of the historian Oviedo. Nay, scarcely 

 any place has of late published a catalogue of its town library with- 

 out taking advantage of the occasion to add a copy of one of its 

 old chartographical treasures. We find specimens in the catalogue 

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