WAS AUSTRALIA KNOWN ? 97 



he had sailed down the coast of a New World as far as 

 35 South Latitude, how would the news be interpreted 

 by the professional cosmographer ? The student of to- 

 day turns to his atlas, and remarks that Amerigo had sailed 

 down the Eastern coast of South America about as far 

 as the Rio de la Plata. The student of the early sixteenth Map-makers 

 century turned to his Ptolemy, and remarked that the ^ved that 

 situation was very puzzling, but that the most likely had sailed 

 guess was that Amerigo had sailed down the hitherto EaTTcclalt of 

 unknown Eastern coast of Cattigara-land, i.e. the South- Ptolemy's 

 ward extension of Eastern Asia. What was to be done \^ n ^^' 

 next in order that this theory might be proved or dis- 

 proved ? If Ptolemy was to be believed there was no 

 way of getting through or round this land into the Indian 

 Ocean. But Ptolemy had also thought there was no 

 way of getting round Africa into the Indian Ocean, and 

 the Portuguese had already proved this opinion to be Explorers 

 wrong. It was at least worth while to follow further SSftofind 

 Southward the coast of the New World " America," a passage 

 as readers of Amerigo's fascinating letters were beginning Cattigara- 

 to call it to see whether there were not some passage 'and and 

 between it and Ptolemy's " Unknown Land " in the incognita. 

 South. 



In 1515 and in 1520 a German cosmographer named Schoner's 

 Schoner published maps that are interesting evidence aooutlWd 

 as to the way in which students were beginning to inter- incognita, 

 pret news. Schoner had been reading the account of ' 

 a voyage by Portuguese seamen who claimed that they 

 had actually discovered a passage to the Indian Ocean. 

 He thought the evidence was good enough, and in his 

 maps he drew this passage at 45 S. Lat. Now there 

 is no passage anywhere near 45 S. Lat., and it seems very 

 unlikely that these seamen had discovered the straits 

 which did exist at 52 S. Lat. They probably sailed up 

 some bay or estuary most likely the Gulf of San Matias, 

 and thought it was a strait. Schoner was a cosmographer 

 who was rather easily convinced by evidence that claimed 

 to prove the existence of straits. He drew a similar 

 narrow passage through the isthmus of Panama, and 

 W.A. G 



