KTTNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 57. N:0 4. 



209 



One would have thought that the time had now come to free the maps from at 

 least most of the islands that had so long led a doubtful existence on them; but this was 

 far from being the case. As an example of the cartographical conceptions prevailing at 

 the beginning of the nineteenth century we here give a map of 1820 (Fig. 27) by an 

 otherwise obscure cartographer, Professor J. M. F. Schmidt, and for comparison therewith 

 another map (by the same author?) dating from 1784 (Fig. 26). This last-named map 

 is cast entirely on the old lines: only an extremely imperfect drawing of the Sandwich 

 Islands has been added. On the map of 1820 we see amongst other things the Re villa Gigedo 



27. North-easteru Part of the Pacific Ocean. 



''Australien gezeichnet vom Trofessor J. M. F. Schmidt", Berlin 1820. 



group in its right position; but in spite of that the islands belonging to the same group, 

 La Nublada, 8. Thomas, and Rocca Partida, are retained in the places which they held on 

 the old maps. Still more remarkable is it that, although the Los Monges group has dis- 

 appeared, one of its islands, with the distorted name of Los Na jos, has been allowed to 

 remain in exactly the same position as had been f ormerly occupied by the southernmost 

 of the Los Monges Islands. The name Los Na jos and its position would be perfectly 

 inexplicable, if we were not able to follow step by step the series of mistakes that had 

 given rise to them. 



K. Sv. Tet. Ak.id. Handl. Band 57. N:o i. 27 



