98 LECTURES. 



of the library of the city of Leipzig, in that of the famous library of 

 Earl Spencer, in the republication of Hakluyt's Divers Voyages by 

 the Hakluyt Society in London, in the Bibliotheca Americana of Mr. 

 Henry Stevens in London, in the publications of the Paris and London 

 Geographical Societies, and elsewhere. 



It is a fact still more j)raiseworthy, that scholars on this side of the 

 Atlantic have not been backward in doing their share both in general 

 antiquarian and historical research, and in the special department of 

 study under consideration. The wonder is not so great, that old Eu- 

 rope, where every stone speaks of the past, and where every village 

 has its legend reaching back to the time of C<iesar, should at last 

 have become thoroughly antiquarian, and been seized with a gen- 

 erally diffused passion for history. But we may well be astonished 

 that a country like this, where even the great metropolitan cities are 

 but as of yesterday, should already have entered with so much zeal 

 and activity into this antiquarian and historical movement. 



Historical, antiquarian, and ethnological societies have been estab- 

 lished in almost every State and city, and even in that distant settle- 

 ment at the sources of the Mississippi, which is not yet a State. Nearly 

 all these societies have published series of interesting historical collec- 

 tions ; while many private individuals, the Hazards, the Forces, the 

 O'Callaghans, the Brodheads, and others^ have collected the most 

 valuable documents, relating to the general history of America, or to 

 that of particular countries and States. The different State govern- 

 ments have also taken a very acti^ e part in this movement. They 

 have appropriated the necessary funds for collecting, sifting and print- 

 ing the public and legislative transactions of the States. 



Amid all this multifarious historical and antiquarian activity^ some 

 geographical societies, likewise, (though not very numerous as yet,) 

 have been founded, and they have begun to collect old documents per- 

 taining to that particular branch of antiquarian research of which I 

 have been treating. And though nothing great or general has yet been 

 undertaken in this respect, still we may hail as an auspicious omen 

 for geographical science in America the fact, that already several en- 

 lightened individuals have gone to Europe, have discovered there old 

 and interesting pictures of this part of the world, or of divisions of it, 

 and have brought home copies of them, to be deposited in the State 

 archives of Albany, Boston, and other places. And thus, here, as in 

 Europe, old maps have become the object of special discussions,, and 

 different historical works have been adorned with copies of some 

 ancient survey of the countries of which they treat. 



The work has been fairly entered upon, and nothing seems now to 

 be necessary but to unite these disconnected efforts into a general sys- 

 tem by placing a concentrating institution at their head. 



II. — CAUSES OF THE LOSS OF FORMER MAPS. 



In attempting to account for the disappearance of ancient maps, we 

 may observe, in the first place, that the greater number are particularly 

 destined for the use of the traveller, the navigator, and the soldier, 

 who wero probably the first classes of society which introduced the 



