, 1862 .] 
Litemi'y Inlellhjence. 
201 
Literary Intelligence. 
The following extract on the geographical knowledge of the nations 
of Islam, 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.’ 
“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, their 
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 Yarenger Sea. 
“Among the many local names here mentioned as occurring in the 
works of the Arabian geographers, there is one of especial interest. 
Jt affords a supplement to Rafn’s ‘ Antiquitates Americanse’ 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 
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