CARTOGRAPHY OF THE GREAT DISCOVERIES 97 



lost, portrayed the southern hemisphere. The map incor- 

 porates a good representation of Africa, with the names fairly 

 close to those of Cantino, and an attempt to fit in the India of 

 Vasco da Gama; between the Persian Gulf and the Indus of 

 Ptolemy, the cartographer has inserted a narrow peninsula, 

 trending south-westwards, on which are shown the towns of 

 Cobait (Cambay), Cananor and Calicut (these two were visited 

 by Vasco da Gama). Correctly placed in reference to this 

 Indian peninsula is the island Seila (Ceylon). To the east, 

 however, the Ptolemaic outline is retained, including the great 

 island of Tap rob ana, which was originally also Ceylon. To 

 increase the confusion, a 'Seila isula' also appears among the 

 south-east Asian islands, probably standing for Sumatra. This 

 confusion also occurs on the Behaim globe. 



The western portion of the map is perhaps the most 

 interesting, for the extent to which it illustrates the ideas of 

 Columbus. The east Asian coast is similar to that of the 

 Behaim globe; the north-east peninsula extends, however, to 

 within twenty degrees longitude of Europe, and on its eastern 

 extremity are represented discoveries attributed to the Portu- 

 guese (evidently Cortereal). Fifty degrees east of Asia, and on 

 the Tropic of Cancer, appears Zimpangu, which is stated to be 

 identical with Hispaniola. Between Zimpangu and the west 

 African coast, the discoveries of Columbus and the Spaniards 

 are inserted, the group of islands, Terra de Cuba, Insula 

 Hespaniola, etc., with no suggestion of a North American 

 continent, and the north-east coast of South America as 

 discovered by Columbus on his third voyage and his Spanish 

 successors. The representation here shows Spanish influences, 

 and Heawood did not consider that the Cantino chart was a 

 direct source. An interesting feature is that a conventional 

 western coastline has been given to this southern land-mass. 

 Perhaps this is intended to be the antipodean continent 

 suggested in the verses quoted above. 



Two years after the Contarini map, another very similar 

 to it was published at Rome, and is found in copies of the 

 1508 Ptolemy edition. This is attributed to Johannes Ruysch. 

 Except for small details, the projection is identical with that of 

 Contarini's map. It is stated to be *ex recentibus confecta 



Q 



