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GLOBE. 
tanus, Sdhoneriis, Gemma Fricius, Gr. Mer- 
cator, J. Hondius, Johnsonius, Wm. Saun- 
derson, Wm. Bleaii, &c. ; some of whom 
wrote learnedly on their uses : but, in this 
respect, the preference is certainly due to 
our countryman, Mr. Robert Hues, whose 
Latin treatise was afterwards published by 
Handinus, and then by Pontanus with figures 
and notes. This work was afterwards trans- 
lated into English by J. Chilmead, in the 
year 1639. 
No globes had any pretensions to acccu- 
racy, taste, or elegance, till the time of 
Mr. John Senex, F. K. S. : who, about the 
year 1739, delineated and engraved sets of 
plates for globes of nine, twelve, seventeen* 
and twenty-eight inches in diameter, which 
he used with the globes then manufactured 
by himself, and making these instruments 
more accurate and useful than any former 
maker. The terms and names of places on 
the globes of seventeen and twenty-eight 
inches in diameter were in Latin. 
About the year 1759, and just after the 
decease of Mr. Senex, Mr. Benjamin Mar- 
tin, a learned optician, became possessed 
of Mr. Senex’s plates, and continued for 
many years to manufacture the globes, but 
with additional skill, and with various im- 
provements. 
About the year 1765, the late Mr. George 
Adams caused new plates for eighteen and 
and twelve inches globes to be engraved. 
The terms and names of these, like the larger 
ones of Senex, were printed in Latin. In- 
stead of horary circles fixed on the meri- 
dian, with moveable indices for computa- 
tion of time, Mr. Adams contrived circular 
wires, to envelope the globe about the equi- 
noctial circles, with sliding brass points; 
so that, as the globes were revolved on their 
axis, the time by these was pointed out on 
the graduations of the above great circle ; 
which consequently gave a more extensive 
and conspicuous scale of time, than could 
be had by means of the smaller horary cir- 
cles. He also applied to each globe a semi- 
circular slip of brass, connected at the 
poles, having on the terrestrial a sliding 
compass, bearing circle ; and on the celes- 
tial a small sliding sun. The brass slips 
were graduated each way from the equinoc- 
tial, so the positions for rhomb-lines, right 
ascensions, and declinations, could be bet- 
ter and more readily obtained. 
The horary, or hour circle, of the globes 
being usually attached to the external edge 
of the meridians, prevented a free and un- 
interrupted motion of the meridians, with 
their poles through the horizons of the 
globes, to admit of an universal position of 
the axis, with respect to the horizon, for 
all latitudes of places. Mr. James Harris, 
of the Mint, in the year 1740, contrived a 
method of fixing the brass horary circles at 
the poles, under the meridians ; i. e. be- 
tween the surface of the globes and interior 
edge of the meridian, and to be occasionally 
moveable, independent either of the globe 
or meridian. In this manner the globes 
were rendered completely useful for the so- 
lution of problems in all latitudes. 
About the year 1785, Mr. G. Wright con- 
trived a moveable index, applicable to the 
poles of a globe, to act in a similar manner 
to the circle of Mr. Harris, which pointed 
to a circle of hours engraved round the poles 
of each globe. This he considered a me- 
thod of obviating the great friction, or ad- 
herence, that sometimes inconveniently 
takes place between the surfaces of the cir- 
cle and globe. 
From the lapse of years, the numerous 
astronomical and geographical discoveries, 
and the Latin terms adopted in the larger 
globes of Senex and Adams, these globes 
became inconvenient, embarrassing, and 
finally obsolete. A short time before the 
year 1800, sets of new and accurately en- 
graved plates were suggested, and consi- 
dered as a desideratum in astronomy by the 
Astronomer Royal, Dr. Maskelyne, Sir Jo- 
seph Banks, Professor Vince and others ; and 
conformably to this object, in the year 1800 
were completed and produced a set of en- 
tirely new plates for globes of eighteen 
inches in diameter, and under the denomina- 
tion of the “ N ew British Globes.” The gra- 
duations and lines are laid down in the most 
correct manner, and with much greater ac- 
curacy than in any former globe plates. The 
drawing from which the terrestrial is en- 
graved, was an entirely new one, from the 
hands of Mr. Arrowsmith, an eminent geo- 
grapher. The latitudes and longitudes of 
places are rectified from the latest and best 
authorities ; and there are likewise inserted 
all the authentic discoveries to the present 
time. The celestial globe contains a descrip- 
tion of a complete catalogue of stars, clust- 
ers, planetary, nebula, &c. to the amount of 
nearly 6,000, from the observations and com- 
munications of Dr. Maskelyne, Dr. Her- 
schel, Rev. Mr. Wollaston, &c., and inserted 
from calculations made by Mr. W. Jones, op- 
tician of Holborn, in their exact positions, 
to the present period. To the principal 
stars are annexed Bayer’s Greek letters of 
