Jan. ir, 1877] 



NATURE 



235 



serted between its sources tells of the gold which is mixed 

 with the sand of the river, a vast lalce which it traverses 

 and the sandy deserts of Ethiopia, through which it flows'. 

 The only other river seen in Africa is one without a name, 

 which descends from the country of the Gaiamantes and 

 falls into the Mediterranean ; it is probably the Bagradas 

 —the Medjerda of the present day. The mountains of 

 Africa are but poorly shown. After Mount Atlas {Af antes 

 Atlamii), which is neither in ics place nor very markedly 

 brought out, there may be noticed three mountains which 

 abut in the Mediterranean, and two steep and sharp- 

 pointed mountains designated by the scarcely legible 



Fig, 2.— Copper cosmographic apparatus. 



words, duo Alpes Contra Arasibij this should perhaps 

 be read Contraria sibi, i.e., two mountains opposite each 

 other, forming, as it were, two walls between which is a 

 narrow passage. But where exactly are they ? 



A note inserted in the south of the map tells us that, 

 independently of the three points of the known world, 

 there is beyond the ocean a fourth part which is unknown 

 to us on account of the heat of the sun, and on the con- 

 fines of which, it is fabled, adds the author, that there are 

 Antipodes.' 



A reproduction of this map belonging to the nth 



■\ For the above details we are mainly indebted to an article recently pub- 

 shed by M. E. Cortambert. 



century shows a marked progress on that which we have 

 just described. 



I !(;. 3. - Arab zouiac ioae-firih size of original). 



The room in which this map is exhibited contains many 

 equally curious objects, some of them of great rarity and 



Fig. .j.— French astrolabe (one fifth size of original). 



value. Among these we may mention a copper cosmo- 

 graphic apparatus (Fig. 2) by Thuret, of date 1725, On 



MARTIN BEHAIM's MAP OF THE WORLD. 



Fig. s- — Martin Behaim's map 01 the world. 



one face are represented the northern constellations and 

 the signs of the zodiac, as well as the correspondence of 



