1802.] Littrary Intelligence. 201 



Litbhaet Intelligence. 



The following extract on the geographical knowledge of the nations 

 of Isl&n?, is from a letter received by Babu Rajendralal Mitra from 

 Professor Rafn of Copenhagen. 



"The Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries in Copenhagen has 

 published a new volume of its Annals of Northern Archaeology and 

 History. This volume for 1857 opens with a voluminous and in- 

 structive historical and geographical enquiry by A. F. Mehren ' on 

 the general geographical knowledge possessed by the Islamitic na- 

 tions, particularly with respect to the northern and southern coasts of 

 the hemisphere known to them. 1 



" The distinguished French Professor Reinaud, and the illustrious 

 geographers Malte Brun and Lelewel have particularly directed our 

 attention to the merits of the Arabs in geographical study. The 

 present treatise is a continuation of the labours of these and other 

 scholars. 



"We have first a critical sketch of the most important Mo- 

 hammedan Geographers from the 8th to the 16th century ac- 

 cording to our era. "We have next separate chapters on the 

 oldest unscientific ideas of the Arabians on the Universe, theu 

 conceptions of the form of the earth, their mathematical division 

 of the earth, their measurement of the degrees, and the division of 

 the habitable globe into seven regions or climates. Another chapter 

 treats at length of the terrestrial system of seas, the limitation of 

 the earth by the ocean and the parts of the latter: the Southern 

 Ocean with its coasts and islands, and the several seas connected 

 therewith, the Eastern Ocean, the Western Ocean and its connected 

 seas, the Mediterranean with the Black Sea and the Caspian, the 

 isles in the Western Ocean and the coasts of the same, the North- 

 ern lands, known to the Arabs, surrounding the Varenger Sea. 



"Among the many local names here mentioned as occurring in the 

 works of the Arabian geographers, there is one of especial interest. 

 It affords a supplement to Barn's ' Antiquitates Americanae' publish- 

 ed by the Society in 1837. The result of the geographical inquiries in 

 this work on the situation of the Northmen's Helluland (Newfound- 

 land);, Markland (Nova Scotia) and Vinland (New England) has 



2 n 2 



