4 | 
192 Observations on the Oriental Geography of Ptolemy. [April1, 
that time mistaken for a Columnea. At 
length he called on me, in high spirits, 
inl t cassie to tell me he had just been 
with Mr. Dryander examining a curious 
new sensitive genus from Bengal (which 
Mr. Salisbury had been used to call Assoa, 
and had given me by that name from his 
garden), and that Mr. Dryander, who was 
then preparing the Hortus Kewensis for 
the press, said of his own accord, “ Let it 
be Smithia.” Mr. Salisbury was pleased to 
‘ congratulate me on the respectable source. 
from whence this honour came, and the 
unexceptionable work in which it was to 
appear, and said he would give a drawing 
of it to that work, which he did. I went, 
and thanked Mr. Dryander. Mr. Satlis- 
bury, in the Prodromus of his late Garden 
quotes him as the author of the name, 
and I positively declare, I never, at any 
period, till now, heard of any doubt or 
mystery about the matter. And why 
shouldthere beany? I made no mystery 
of naming a Selisburia in the Linnean 
Transactions, and-I trust one genus is as 
well meritedastheother. Itmatterslittle 
which of his stories is trae: both of them 
cannot. The fact, however, is, that my 
lost friend, mortified at our separation, 
and wishing to avenge himself by turning 
the specific name of the plant, sensitiva, 
into an abuse, would insinuate that he 
gave It originally with such a meaning—4 
See Pured. 2. 1.14) thus avowing him- 
self a traitor in the very first instance. 
But I verily believe he here calumniates 
himself; and as he is reduced to such an 
extremity, I cannot but congratulate my- 
self that he has no further power to injure 
me, Your’s, &c. 
_ Norwich, J. E. Smit. 
February 17, 1808. 
at SSS 
To the Editor of the Monthly Mogezine. 
SIR, 
FeO that celebrated astronomer and 
geographer Ptolemy, ef Alexan- 
dria, Dr. Robertson, 1 his excellent dis- 
quisition concerning Ancient India, De- 
elares, that the science of geography has 
been more indebted than to any other 
writer. Although Hipparchus, who lived 
four hundred years before him, was the 
person who originally taught the method 
of measuring the earth, and fixing the 
position of places by observing the hea- 
vens, and although this method was 
known to succeeding geographers, and is 
mentioned both by Strabo and Pliny, it 
> . 1 . od ? 5) 
was Ptolemy who first applied this gene- 
iar way, and whe described the diferent 
parts of the earth according to their la~ 
titude and lougitude, 
It is, however, remarkable, that his ge- 
neral delineation of the form of the In- 
dian Continent is the most erroneous 
that has been transmitted to us from an-- 
tiquity. By an astonishing mistake, he 
has made the peninsula of India stretch 
from the Sinus Barygazenus, or Gulph of 
Cambay, from west to east, instead of 
extending, according to its real direction, 
from north to south. His aceouns also 
of that part of India which lies beyond 
the Ganges, is not less erroneous, in its 
general form, than that which he gives of 
the Continent of Hindostan. 
The peninsula to which he assigns the 
name of the Golden Chersonesus, he de- 
scribes as stretching from north to south; 
and fixes the latitude of Sabana Emporium, 
its southern extremity, three degrees be- 
yond the line. To the east of this pe- 
ninsula he places what he calls the great 
Bay (Magnus Sinus), and in the most re- 
mote part of it, the station of Catigara, 
the utmost boundary of navigation in ane 
cient times, to which he assigns no less 
than eight degrees and a half of southern 
latitude. Beyond this, he declares the 
earth to be altogether unknown; and as- 
serts that the land turns thence to the 
westward, and stretches in that direction 
until it joins, or nearly approaches, the 
promontory of Prassum, im) Ethiopia, 
which, according to his idea, terminated 
the Continent of Africa. to the south. 
“‘ In consequence (says Dr. Robertson) 
of this error, no less unaccountable than 
enormous, he must have believed the 
Erythrean sea, in its whole extent, from 
the coast of Africa to that of Cambodia, 
to be a vast bason, without any commu- 
nication with the ocean.”* ; 
Out of the confusion of these wild 
ideas, M. D’Anville has attempted to 
bring order. The Golden Chersonesus 
of Ptolemy, according to the conjecture 
of this excellent geographer, must be the 
_ peninsula of Malacca, The gulph of Si- 
am he considers as the Great Bay of 
Ptolemy. Butthe position on the east 
side of that bay corresponding to the 
situation ascribed to Catigara, is as many 
devrees to the north of the equator as Pro- 
lemy supposed it te be to the south of the 
line. Beyond this Ptolemy mentions an 
inland city, to which he gives the name 
of Sinz Metropolis. The lengitude which 
he assigns to it is 180 degrees, from his 
first meridian in the Fortunate Island. - 
its latitude he calculates to be three de- 
sae 
* Robertsen’s Works, vol. xii. p. 68-76. 
grees 
