Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Volume 2 / Their History and Construction Including a Consideration of their Value as Aids in the Study of Geography and Astronomy

by Edward Luther Stevenson

Fig. 132. Anonymous Terrestrial Globe, ca. 1800.

The map is one well drawn for the period, and the engraving of the several names and legends has been most skilfully done. Regional names are numerous, but there has not been an overcrowding of the map with minute details. On the west coast of North America, for example, we find such names as “Norfolk,” “Neu Cornwallis,” “Neu Hanover,” “Neu Georgia,” “Neu Albion,” “Neu Navarre,” “Mexico oder Neu Spanien.” Central America with the West Indies is called “Mittel America oder West Indien.” In South America we find “Neu Granada,” “Peru,” “Chili,” “Brasilien,” but “Prasilisches Meer.” Certain localities are especially distinguished by the addition of color, as the coast of Australia except the southern coast, which is marked with a dotted line. Many of the East Indian islands and the islands of the Indian Ocean are outlined in color, as also the coast of “Vorder Indien,” and “Hinter Indien,” the coast of “Arabien,” and certain other sections. The geography of the interior of Africa is not as well represented as on many an earlier map, a fact particularly noticeable with reference to the Nile River. The prime meridian is made to pass through Cape Verde, to the west of which, stretching practically along its entire length, we read “Der Amerikanische Ocean.”

Among the globe makers of the eighteenth century whose work carries us over into the nineteenth may be named William Cary (1759-1825).[180] At first associated with Ramsden, a renowned mechanic, he established himself in an independent business in London in the year 1790. He is reputed to have constructed the first transit circle made in England, which circle had a diameter of two feet and was provided with a reading microscope. One of his circles of the above date, 41 cm. in diameter, is reported as belonging to the Observatory of Zürich. In addition to the altitude, azimuth, sextant, reflecting and refracting telescopic, and microscopic instruments made by him, he interested himself in the construction of terrestrial and celestial globes. Those examples of his to which reference may here be made do not appear to be of the highest order, perhaps due to the fact that he was primarily an instrument maker and not a geographer or an astronomer. Further, the majority of his globes which have been located bear dates subsequent to the year 1800, and therefore do not properly call for reference here.

In the private library of Sr. Vittorio Bianchini of Macerata four of the Cary globes may be found, three celestial and one terrestrial dated 1799. A celestial globe of the same date may be found in the Osservatorio Astronomico of Rome, but its companion, a terrestrial globe, bears the date 1815. Extant Cary globes of the early nineteenth century may be considered numerous.

NOTES

[160] Nouvelle biographie générale, “Robert de Vaugondy, Gilles,” “Robert de Vaugondy, Didier,” with references to their works.

[161] Sanson was the author of numerous maps and atlases. His works are extensively referred to by Phillips in his List of Geographical Atlases. See also list of his works in Britannica, “Sanson, Nicolas.”

[162] These are referred to in the preface of a work titled ‘Usages des Globes céleste et terrestre, faits par ordre du Roi, par le S. Robert de Vaugondy, fils.’ Paris, 1751.

[163] See work referred to in preceding note.