Fig. 116. Portrait of Joseph Moxon.
“Besides,” he states, “I hope to encourage those by an ample liberal plainness to fall in love with the Studies, that formerly have been disheartened by the Crabbed brevity of those Authors that have in Characters as it were rather writ Notes for their own Memories, than sufficient Documents for their Readers Instructions.
“The Globes for which this Book is written are new Globes that I set forth, which as I told you in my Epistle to the Reader of Blaws Book differ somewhat from other Globes; and that both the Celestial and the Terrestrial; mine being the latest done of any, and to the accomplishing of which, I have not only had the help of all or most of the best of other Globes, Maps, Plates, and Sea-drafts of New discoveries that were then extant for the Terrestrial Globe, but also the Advice and directions of divers able Mathematicians both in England and Holland for Tables and Calculations both of Lines and Stars for the Celestial; upon which globe I have placed every Star that was observed by Tycho Brahe and other Observers, one degree of Longitude farther in the Ecliptick than they are on any other Globes: so that whereas on other Globes the places of the Stars were correspondent with their places in Heaven 69 Years ago, when Tycho observed them, and therefore according to his Rule want almost a degree of their true places in Heaven at this Time: I have set every Star one degree farther in the Ecliptick, and rectified them on the Globe according to the true place they had in Heaven in the Year 1671.
“On the Terrestrial Globe I have inserted all the New Discoveries that have been made, either by our own Forraign Navigators, and that bothe in the East, West, North, and South parts of the Earth. In the East Indies we have in the latter Times many spacious places discovered, many Islands inserted, and generally the whole Draught of the Country rectified and amended, even to the Coast of China, Japan, Giloli &c. In the South Sea between the East and West Indies are scattered many Islands, which for the uncertain knowledge former Times had of them are either wholly left out of other Globes, or else laid down so erroneously that little of credit can be attributed unto them. California is found to be an Island, though formerly supposed to be part of the main Continent, whose North-West shoar was imagined to thrust itself forth close to the Coasts of Cathaio, and so make the supposed Straights of Anian. The Western Shoars of the West Indies are more accurately described than formerly, as you may see if you compare my Terrestrial Globe: that I have lately set forth with the Journals of the latest Navigators: And if you compare them with other Globes you will find 5, 6, yea 7 degrees difference in Longitude in most Places of these Coasts. Magellanica which heretofore was thought to be part of the South Continent called Terra Incognita is now also found to be an Island. All that Tract of Land called Terra Incognita I have purposely omitted, because as yet we have no certainty whether it be Land or Sea; unless it be of some parts lately found out by the Dutch, who having a convenient Port at Batavia in Java, have from there sent forth Ships Southward, where they have found several very large countries; one whereof they have called Hollandia Nova, another Zelandia Nova, another Anthoni van Diemans Land; and divers others; some whereof lie near our Antipodes; as you may see by my terrestrial Globes. Again, Far to the Northwards there are some New Discoveries, even within six degrees of the Pole: The Drafts to the North Eastwards I have laid down even as they were described by the Searchers of those parts for a passage into the East Indies. And also the Discoveries of Baffin, Captain James, and Capt. Fox (our own Country-men) that attempted the finding a passage that way into the South Sea.
“I also told you what difference there is in several Authors about placing the first Meridian, which is the beginning of Longitude; that Ptolemy placed it at the Fortunate Islands, which Mr. Hues pag. 4. chap. 1. in his Treatise of Globes proves to be the Islands of Cabo Verde, and not those now called the Canary Islands; because in his Time they were the farthest place of the Discovered World towards the setting of the Sun; Others placed it at Pico in Teneriffa; Others at Corvus and Flora; because under that Meridian the Compass had no Variation, but did then duly respect the North and South; Others for the same Reason begin their Longitude at St. Michaels; and Others between the Islands of Flores and Fayal: And the Spaniards of late by reason of their great Negotiation in the West Indies, have begun their Longitude at Toledo there, and contrary to all others account it Westwards.
“Therefore I, seeing such diversity among all Nations, and as yet an Uniformity at home, chose with our own Country-men to place my First Meridian at the Ile Gratiosa, one of the Iles of Azores.
“By the different placing of this first Meridian it comes to pass that the Longitude of Places are diversely set down in different Tables; For those Globes or Maps that have their first Meridian placed to the Eastwards of Gratiosa, have all places counted Eastwards from the Meridian of Gratiosa, and their first Meridian in a greater number of degrees of Longitude, and that according as the Arch of Difference is.”
At the conclusion of this work we find printed a catalogue of his books, maps, and instruments, including globes celestial and terrestrial of all sizes, and, what is of considerable interest and value, the price of each given.[114]
We know that the Chinese, very many centuries ago, manifested a considerable interest in astronomy; nor was there wanting with them an interest in geography. It was, however, especially in the former science they may be said to have made contributions of real value. An unreliable record, telling us of the interest exhibited by the Emperor Shun, reigning more than two thousand years before the beginning of the Christian era, notes that he made use of an armillary sphere in his study of the stars. Little is there to assure us that prior to the time of Kúblai Kaan (1216-1294) there were those who turned their attention to the construction of globes. That great Mongol Emperor’s astronomer Ko-Shun-King, having demonstrated the superiority of his astronomical wisdom, was directed to institute reforms in Chinese chronology and to construct for purposes of scientific investigations such instruments as he thought to be necessary. Accordingly he removed from the old observatory “an armillary sphere dating from 1049,” substituting in its place a number of large and small instruments, two of which have survived to our day—an armillary sphere and a celestial globe, which may be said to date from about the year 1274. These instruments of the astronomer Ko-Shun-King had place in an observatory which he had erected on the site of an ancient structure at the southeast corner of the Tartar city wall, being raised above the parapet. There they remained until the year 1673 when the Jesuit astronomer Father Ferdinand Verbiest judged them to be useless and persuaded the Emperor to pull them down and put up new ones of his own contriving.[115] The old instruments were stored away at the foot of the terrace, and of these, as before noted, but two now remain.
Le Comte refers to the celestial globe as one well cast, and having a diameter of about three feet, the degrees and minutes being marked both “longitudinally and latitudinally.” An early description tells us that its equator is in the center, equidistant from the two poles, in each case a quarter of a circumference. The ecliptic is elevated above and depressed below the equator, in each case barely twenty-four degrees. The elevations and depressions of the moon in its orbit being variable, a bamboo hoop, divided into degrees equally throughout, is used to verify the intersections with the ecliptic and accordingly is moved from time to time. The globe rests on a square box, the north and south poles being respectively above and below the surface fully forty degrees, half of the globe being visible and half concealed. Toothed wheels, set in motion by machinery concealed within the box, are so adjusted as to cause the globe to revolve.