APRIL 15, 1897 | 
NATURE 
DIS) 
original. In the writers opinion, the principal change 
required, before launching another edition, is a complete 
alteration of the order of the chapters, backed up, 
perhaps, by a slight amplification of the index. 
CHARLES BRIGHT. 
THE HISTORY OF GEOGRAPHY. 
The Dawn of Modern Geography. By C. R. Beazley. 
Pp. xvit 532. (London: Murray, 1897.) 
p= practical value of scientific geography has, 
during the last few years, become so evident to all 
classes, that the number of students of this fascinating 
subject has increased to an almost incredible extent, and 
the growing popularity of the Royal Geographical Society 
is a standing proof of the fact. The men who travel for 
the sake of duty or pleasure hasten to communicate to 
this body the results of their notes and obseryations, 
and their “‘ papers” or books supply us with details, often 
most minute, of the remote countries and regions which 
we have for long considered to be inaccessible. 
Supplied as we are with abundant information about 
the present conditions of the habitable globe, it is, per- 
haps, a little difficult for us to bear in mind how small 
were the beginnings of modern geography, and how little 
is known about them. 
As the documents which formed the libraries and 
private property of individuals in Egypt and Western 
Asia become better known to us, we realise that a great 
caravan commerce was carried on between the peoples 
of countries which we have hitherto thought to have 
been entirely separated by impassable deserts and track- 
less mountains. But though we may recover the names 
of places by the score, we know nothing about them, and 
can only dimly guess at their positions ; and we find 
trade or religion, or both, were the causes which induced 
men to move to any considerable distance from their 
native cities. Victorious armies brought home specimens 
of the animals and plants and trees from the countries 
whither they had marched, but their annalists tell us 
nothing of the situations of the scenes of their conquests. 
The first to set down in writing in our own times a 
connected account of ancient geography was the late Sir 
Henry Bunbury; and now, following in his steps, Mr. 
Beazley has produced an interesting volume in which he 
has undertaken to trace the history of exploration and 
geographical science from the conversion of the Roman 
Empire to A.D. goo. 
After the introduction come four chapters which de- 
scribe the travels of pilgrims, merchants and mission- 
aries ; one chapter is devoted to the pseudo-science of 
the “Dark Ages,” and another to Muslim and Chinese 
geography. The narrative is fully illustrated by a large 
series of reproductions of early maps. The revision of 
the whole of Chapter vi., on “Geographical Theory,” 
together with Mr. Beazley’s account of the history and 
use of medieval maps for the whole book—although Mr. 
Beazley omits to state the fact—is due, we understand, 
to Mr. C. H. Coote, of the Map Department of the 
British Museum. Mr. Beazley could not have fallen 
into better hands, for Mr. Coote’s experience in this 
branch of cartography is unrivalled. 
Mr. Beazley’s general sketch of the subject which he 
NO. 1433, VOL. 55] 
gives in his introduction is excellent ; it is carefully 
done, and what is almost as good, there is an absence of 
“fine writing” throughout, which befits the work. He has 
read widely, and his remarks will form a useful guide to 
the early geographical literature of Europe, both in 
manuscript and print. When, however, he undertakes to 
discuss Oriental texts and literature, it at once becomes 
clear that he is only quoting at second-hand, and we feel 
that itis not his fault that he does not do full justice to the 
early Oriental missionaries. Whether there be historical 
evidence of the fact extant or not, it is quite certain that 
some of the Apostles and their immediate successors 
made their way into Armenia, Mesopotamia, Persia and 
the Far East. Already before the end of the second 
century of our era Bar-daisdn, who was born at Edessa 
A.D. 134 or 154, became a Christian missionary in 
Armenia, and he wrote polemical treatises against the 
polytheism of the heathen. Before the end of the third 
century Mar Mattai had founded his famous convent on 
Jebel Maklib near Nineveh, and there is proof that 
several other religious houses existed in the neighbour- 
hood at this period. 
From a passage in “ Arnobius” (ed. Leyden, 1651, lib. 11, 
p. 50) it is pretty clear that Christians existed in the 
Seres (China), Persia and India; and if this be so, 
which there is no good reason to doubt, many mission- 
aries must have travelled over the country between 
Palestine and China, or at least voyaged to the latter 
country by sea. Early in the fourth century Mar Awgin 
set out for the East with seventy disciples, and founded a 
great religious house near Nisibis, and about 363 A.D., 
with Sapor’s consent, he sent out seventy-two mission- 
aries to found monasteries in Shiraz and Huzistan. A 
century later Christianity had extended along the shores 
of the Persian Gulf as far as the Island of Bahrén,, and 
the Gospel had been preached by Nestorian missionaries 
in the south of the Arabian peninsula. 
The monastic history of Thomas of Marga would have 
supplied a number of important facts bearing on the 
early travels of monks who went from the East to visit the 
Scete desert and Palestine, and Assemani’s dissertation 
in “Bibl. Orientalis” would have given Mr. Beazley 
many more. As to the genuineness of the Singanfu 
bilingual inscription there is no doubt whatever, and we 
may remark that the Patriarch Hénan-Ishd‘ II. died in 
780, and not in 778, as we are told on p. 217, note 3 ; the 
first Nestorian bishop was consecrated in China in the 
seventh century. All these are, however, matters which 
Mr. Beazley may put right in a second edition ; and we 
hope that some attempt will be made to alter barbarisms 
like “Jesu Jabus” (p. 213), “Anan-Yeschouah” (p. 217), 
and “Massoudy” (p. 458), &c. And why does Mr. 
Beazley hesitate to identify “ Doul-Karnain” with Alex- 
ander the Great? Alexander claimed Ammon of Egypt 
as father, and a well-known title of this god is “provided 
with two horns,” a phrase literally translated by the 
Arabic “ Dhu'l karnén.” 
We gather from a footnote that Mr. Beazley intends 
to continue this “ History of Modern Geography”; and if 
this be so, we shall welcome a further contribution to the 
literature of this important subject by so able a writer. 
In conclusion, we cannot help remarking that the index 
is so small as to be almost useless. 
