_Globes_ perhaps were first invented, as bearing the nearest semblance to the natural form of the earth and sea, with proper circles thereon described, and the several empires and kingdoms, according to their extent, latitudes, and longitudes, as far as geography and history would admit. But tho’ these convey the most general and truest ideas of the position and situation of places; yet, as containing but a small surface, they were found not extensive enough to take in particular kingdoms or states, with their subdivisions, cities, and rivers, so as to convey an adequate and sufficient representation. Besides, they were not so portable and commodious in voyages or travels. _Maps_ and _Charts_ were therefore thought of, as being most convenient for both the purposes above-mentioned; the accuracy of which depends on representing the meridians and parallels in such manner, that when places are laid thereon, according to their latitudes and longitudes, they may have such respect to each other, as they have on the globe itself; and those are either _globular_ or _rectilinear_. _Globular_, or _curvilinear_, are either general or particular. _General_, are the hemispheres; for the most part constructed stereographically. _Particular_, contain only some part of the terraqueous globe; and of this sort there are sundry modes of construction, which for the most part are defective, so as not to be applied with accuracy and facility to the purposes intended, in determining the courses or bearings of places, their distances, or both. _Rectilinear_ were therefore very early adopted, on which the meridians were described parallel to each other, and the degrees of latitude and longitude every-where equal; the rumbs were consequently right lines; and hereby it was thought, that the courses or bearings of places would be more easily determined. But these were found also insufficient and erroneous, the meridians being parallel, which ought to converge; and no method or device used to accommodate that parallelism. Notwithstanding the great deficiency in this plane map or chart, it was preferred, especially in nautical business; and hath its uses at this day in topographic constructions, as in bays, harbours, and very narrow zones. However, the errors herein were sooner discovered than corrected, both by mathematicians and mariners, as by Martin Cortese, Petrus Nonius, Coigniet, and some say by Ptolemy himself. The first step towards the improvement of this chart was made by Gerardus Mercator, who published a map about the year 1550, wherein the degrees of latitude were increased from the equator towards each pole; but upon what principles this was constructed, he did not exhibit.