1808.] Observations on the Oriental Geography of Ptolemy. 
‘grees south of the line. Sinz Metropo- 
lis M. D’Anvilie supposes to be the same 
with Sinhoa, in the western part of the 
kingdom of Cochin-China; and if so, 
Ptolemy has erred, in fixing ite position 
no less than fifty degrees “of longitude, 
and twenty degrees of latitude. "hese 
conjectures of M. D’Anville haye, not- 
withstanding, received the bigh sanction 
of Major Rennel’s approbation. 
On the other hand, M. Gossellin, in his 
fearned work styled “The Gecgraphy of 
the Greeks analysed,” adopts an hypo- 
thesis totally diferent. According. to 
this writer, the Magnum Promontoriuym, 
which M. D’Anville concludes to be 
Cape Romania, at the southern extremi- 
ty of the peninsula of Malacca, is the 
point of Bragu, at the mouth of the 
great river Ava. The Magnus Sinus of 
Ptolemy he holds to be the same with 
the Gulphof Martaban; and the situation 
of Catigara he atteinpts to identify with 
that of Mergui, a port on the west coast 
of the kingdom of Siam; and Sine Metro- 
polis to be situated at a considerable 
distance inland, on the same river with 
Mergui, and to correspond with a place 
now “called Tasia Serim. Ina word, ac- 
cording to the system of M. Gossellin, 
the antients never sailed through the 
straits of Malacca, had no knowledge 
of the island Sumatra, and were altoge- 
ther unacquainted with the Eastern 
Ocean, Dr. Robertson merely states 
these opposite opinions, and with a cau- 
tion characteristic of that celebrated wri- 
ter on more important occasions, leaves 
his readers to decide. Both opinions ap- 
pear, however, liable to insurmountable 
objections; and with the deference due 
to names so great, I shall first beg leave 
to state those objections, and then sug- 
gest what appears to me an hypothesis, 
not indeed free from difficulties, but such 
as are perhaps fewer, and liable to excep- 
tions of less weight and magnitude. 
To the hypothesis of M. D’Anville, 
the objections are, 1. That the Peninsula 
, of Malacca doesnot, as Ptolemy describes 
the Golden Chersonesus, stretch from 
north to south, but bends some degrees 
to the east, 2. The latitude and lonyi- 
tude which Ptolemy assigns to Sine Me- 
tropolis, differs prodigiously from that 
of any place on the coast of Cochin- 
China. 3. Ptolemy expressly asserts, that 
the land beyond Catigara stretches far to 
the westward, insomuch that he supposes 
it nearly to approach the southern pro- 
mautory of Africa; whereas the coast of 
Cochin-China, or “rather of Cambodia, 
193 
extends only afew degrees from the head 
of the Gulph of Siam, and in an easterly 
direction. 
The hypothesis of M. Gossellin seems 
stul more open to exception. For 1st, 
Allowing that the point of Bragu might 
possibly be the Magnum Promonto- 
rium of Ptclemy, it would be too great 
a concession to suppose the small bay of 
Martaban to be the Magnus Sinus of that 
great geographer. 2dly, The objection. 
arising from the prodigious difference he- 
tween the longitude and latitude of Mer- 
gui, or Tana Serim, or any other station 
in the kingdom of Siam, and those of the 
Catigara and Sine Metropolis of Ptole- 
my, is still more formidable than on the 
hypothesis of M. D’Anville, because the 
navigation of the seas on this side of the 
Straits of Malacca may reasonably be 
supposed much better ascertained by the 
ancients than that beyond the Straits, 
3dly, Although the direction of the king- 
dom of Siam, stretching nearly from north 
to south, answers better than that of Ma- 
lacca to the first part of the description 
of Ptolemy, yet to the subsequent and most 
remarkable part of it, viz. the turning 
of the land ultimately: so far to the west- 
ward, there is nothing in the hypothesis 
of M. Gossellin to correspond; or rather, 
:t directly contradicts the description of 
Ptolemy; for the peninsula of Malacca 
runs several degrees to the eastward of 
Mergui. 
I shall now venture to state what ap- 
pears to me nearer the truth; and if my 
conjectures, hazardous and problematic 
as they confessedly are, should be ad- 
mitted, the great geographer of antiquity 
will be rescued from a part of that re- 
proach which must attach to errors of 
such astonishing magnitude. 
With M. D’Anville. and Major Ren- 
nell, I conceive, then, the peninsula of 
Malacca to be the Golden Chersonesus, 
and the Cape of Romania the Magnum 
Promontorium of Ptolemy. But it is 
easy to imagine that when the ancient 
nav igators cleared the long and dange- 
rous Strait of Malacca, they would fancy 
themselves completely embayed. In 
fact the sea into which they then entered, 
is land-locked on almost every side. To 
the west lies the peninsula of Malacca 
to the north-west the coast of Cambodia, 
to the east and south-east the island of 
Borneo. ‘To the north alone the sea is 
open; but something beyond the lat= 
tude of ten degrees, the navigation is in 
terrupted by a cluster of islands; and 
farther than this, the anticnts in all pres 
babiity, 
