776 



is extremely small. Almost all the maps of 

 South America, which have appeared since the 

 year 1775, are, in what regards the interior of 

 the country comprised between the steppes of 

 Venezuela and the river of the Amazons, be- 

 tween the eastern back of the Andes, and the 



or an animal, which ha9 been described under different 

 names, is indicated as two or three distinct species. This 

 desire of compiling, of filling up vacancies, and of employing 

 without investigation heterogeneous materials, has given our 

 maps of countries the least visited an appearance of exactness, 

 the falsity of which is discovered, when we arrive on the 

 spot. Mr. de laCondamine has made the same observation ; 

 " the maps of Guyana," says he, " swarm with details as 

 false as they are circumstantial." (Voyage d, V Amazon, 

 p. 189.) While I indicate in the text the three principal 

 foundations of geographical labours, I carefully distinguish 

 the discussion of measures (that is, astronomical observations, 

 and geodesic and itinerary operations) from the study which 

 is necessary of voyages, of the descriptions of provinces, and 

 of ancient and modern maps. If every country were trigono- 

 metrically surveyed, the construction of maps would be re- 

 duced to a mechanical operation. The sagacity of the geo- 

 grapher is exerted on what is doubtful } and in our days 

 sound criticism must be necessarily founded on two distinct 

 branches of knowledge, on the discussion of the relative 

 value of the astronomical methods employed, and on the study 

 of descriptive works (travels, statistical tracts, and histories 

 of conquests) in the languages in which their authors have 

 written. This study of the originals is so much the more in- 

 dispensable, because in most descriptive works (as D'Anvill© 

 has already judiciously observed) the maps annexed are in 

 many points in direct contradiction with the text. 



