The Laon globe,[262] 1493, though mainly older, certainly had room
enough, but it appears to have formed part of some mechanism and to
have had only a secondary or incidental, and in part rather careless,
application to geography. It shows two elongated islands, Antela and
Salirosa, undoubtedly meant for Antillia and Salvagio. Perhaps the
globe maker had at command only a somewhat defaced specimen of a map
like Bianco’s or that of Weimar, showing perforce only two islands, and
merely copied them, guessing at the dim names and outlines, without
thinking or caring whether anything more were implied or making
any farther search. This is apparently the last instance in which
the larger two islands of the old group or series, marked by their
traditional names or what are meant for such, appear together.
OTHER MAPS
It may seem strange that certain other notable maps, for example
Giraldi 1426,[263] Valsequa 1439,[264] and Fra Mauro 1459,[265] show
nothing of Antillia and its neighbors. Perhaps the makers were not
interested in these far western parts of the ocean, or the narratives
on which Beccario and the rest based their maps had not reached them;
more likely they were skeptical and unwilling to commit themselves.
It is also true that the Antillia of Beccario and others is made to
extend nearly north and south instead of east and west; that I in Mar
is placed north of its greater neighbor instead of east; and that
the whole chain of islands is moved into considerably more northern
latitudes than the group which we suppose them to represent. Thus the
eastern, or lower, end of Cuba is actually in the latitude of the
lower part of the Sahara, and a point above the upper end of Florida
would be in the latitude of the upper part of Morocco; whereas in the
maps discussed the average location of the chain from the lower end
of Antillia to the most northerly island, I in Mar, would run from
the latitude of northern Morocco to that of southern France. There
are slight individual differences in this matter of extension, but I
believe Antillia always begins below Gibraltar and ends above northern
Spain and a little below Bordeaux. But some dislocation, of course, is
to be looked for in mapping exploration in an unscientific period. The
changes of direction and extension are not greater than in the American
coast line of Juan de la Cosa’s very important map of 1500,[266] not to
mention even more extravagant instances of later date; and the shifting
of latitudes may partly be accounted for by ignorance of the southward
dip of the isothermal lines in crossing the Atlantic westward. Thus a
Portuguese sailor on reaching a far western island or shore having what
seemed to him the climate and conditions of Gascony would be likely to
suppose that it was really opposite Gascony, though in fact it might be
more nearly opposite the Canaries; and the same cause of error would
apply all down the line. Cuba is not really directly opposite Portugal
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account