194 Observations on the Oxiental Geography of Pislemy. [April 1,- 
bability never sailed. Beyond these hi- 
mits, therefore their knowledge, and per- 
haps even their conjectures, did not ex- 
tend. But where shall we fix the naval 
station of Catigara, aud where the inland 
city of Sina Metropolis? No place can, 
I think, be found which better corre-. 
sponds with the description of Catigara, 
than the city of Borneo; and Sina Metro- 
polis may be supposed some considerable 
town, situated in the interior of that great 
tropical island, the geographical direction 
of which precisely answers to the descrip- 
tion of Ptolemy. For the coast from the 
northern pont of the island stretches to 
the south-west for the space of more 
than 300 leagues. And, as to the south- 
ward of the strait of Billiton, the ancient 
Navigators certainly never passed, it ws 
no improbable, or at least no absurd, con- 
jecture on the part of the great ancient 
geographer, thai this coast might consti- 
tute part of a vast Continent “extending 
to, or approaching, the southern pro- 
montory of Africa. 
This hypothesis is attended with two 
advantages. It extremely diminisiies the 
supposed error of Ptolemy respecting the 
latitude and longitude of Catigara, and 
Sinz Metropolis: and it corresponds 
with the express and remarkable declara- 
tion of Ptolemy, that the land stretches 
indefinitely to the west; so far as tu give 
countenance to the idea of its be elng part 
of an immense ‘continent, extending 
across the oceanto Africa. This hypo- 
thesis remains, however, ae fo se< 
veral objections, from the f force of which 
it is incumbent upon its advocates as well 
as they are able to defend it. 
T. It will doubtless be said, that by ad- 
mitting the peninsula of Malacca to be 
the Golden Chersonesus of Ptolemy, this 
hypothesis is liable to the first objection 
urged acainst that of M. D’ Anvill e> Viz. 
that Ptolemy describes the peninsula in 
question as Exports north and south, 
whereas that of Malacca runs some de- 
grees to the eastward.. But that this ob- 
jection, however plausible, is by no means 
decsive against either hypothesis, ap- 
ears from h ence; that Ptclemy has 
fallen into a still greater error in respect 
to the peninsula of India itself, w hich he 
describes as stretching from the ¢ gue of 
Cambay eastward, instead of extending 
as it does, in fact from north to south, 
But, as Di Robeitson observes, ‘ in re- 
mote seus, the coasts were often deli- 
neated from an imperfect account of 
the distances sailed, without the least 
knowledge of the bearings, or direction 
of the ship’s course.” From whatever 
cause the error arose, certain it is, that 
the geographers Megasthenes, Strabo, 
Pliny, &c. who wrote prior to the age of 
Ptolemy, “entertained much more accu- 
rate notions of the true dimensions of the 
Indian Continent. If, therefore, Ptolemy 
was so much mistaken in a poit of such 
magnitude, can we wonder that he erred 
in describing the bearing and direction of 
the penifisula of Maiacca. 
Ii. It may be urged that the longitude — 
and latitude of Catigara and Sine Me- 
tropolis, as specified by Ptolemy, are 
upon this hypothesis still extremely erro- 
neous, and the advantage therefore of 
adopting it, 1s comparatively inconside- 
rable. I answer, that the difficulty of 
computing the longitude in those remote 
ages.was so great, that in such a case as 
the present, the longitude assigned to 
that place, which the geographer of Ales- 
andria states as the extrennty of the 
known world s may well be supposed little 
hoa than random conjecture. Te calls 
the longitude of Sine Metropolis, 180 
degrees from the first meridian in the For= 
tunate Island; that is,in other words, 
he describes_ this inconceivably remote 
snot, situated on the verge of the known, 
and unknown world, as at’ the utmost 
possible distance from the commence- 
meut of all geographical computation. 
As to the latitude of Catigara, Sine Me- 
tropolis, or any other place, the case is 
widely *diiferent. The latitude even in 
those times, could be reckoned with con- 
siderable accuracy in various modes, and 
even merely by ascertaining the length of 
the longest or shortest day. It is there- 
fore quite incredible, that in fixing the 
position of Catigara, Ptolemy, who was no 
less emment asan astronomer than a ge- 
ographer, should be chargeable with an 
error in bis calculation of no less than 
twenty degrees of latitude. Supposing 
Catigara to have been situated on, or 
near the scite of the city of Borneo, it 
would be four or five degrees north of 
the equator; and Sinz Metropolis, which 
he represents as beyond Catigara, he de- 
scribes as three degrees south of the line; 
so that Catigara could scarcely be, ds 
Ptolemy elsewhere describes it, eight de- 
grees and a half south of the line, but 
may rather may be supposed to lie north- 
ward of it At all events those geogra- 
phical positions which reduce the errors 
both of latitede aud longitude very m 
degrees, are so far preferable, cruel, 
of the farther essential aia of cor- 
responding with that remark able and po~ 
siLLve 
