The just claim of the English mathematician, Edward Wright
Mercator, Gerardus (latinized form of Gerhard Kremer), 1512–1594, a Flemish geographer and mathematician, who is mentioned at pp. 79, 508, 516 of this “Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism,” is reported to have invented a new method of making maps. The name of Mercator, it is said, was given to Kremer on account of the great usefulness of his reported invention to mercators or merchants.
Mercator’s earliest map was published in 1537. One year later appeared his Map of the World (rediscovered during 1878 in New York), and, in 1541, he introduced a terrestrial globe which was followed, ten years afterwards, by his equally well-known celestial globe. Then appeared, in 1568–1569, the first edition of his celebrated planisphere, intended for use in navigation, which is the earliest known map on what is called “Mercator’s Projection,” and, in later years, he brought out many other maps as well as geographical tables, etc., which are too numerous to be specified here. [See article Mercator in the Belgian “Biographie Nationale,” Vol. XIV, 1897, and consult likewise “L’œuvre géographique de Mercator” by Van Ostroy, “Meyers Konversations Lexikon,” 1897, Vol. XII, pp. 153–154, also “La Nouvelle Biographie Générale” de Mr. le Dr. Hœfer, Vol. XXV. p. 11.]
The original constructor of the chart known as “Mercator’s Projection” is, however, said to be a very able English mathematician, Edward Wright (1560–1615) who is alluded to herein at pp. 78, 79, 520, 524, 532. He was the designer of a very large sphere for Prince Henry, which showed the motion of the planets, etc., and he predicted the eclipses for a period of 17,100 years.
So much has been said herein regarding different well-known maps that the following cannot but prove interesting. It is in apparently just claim on behalf of Edward Wright to the above-named invention, and, as stated in the volume published during 1880 by John Davis for the Hakluyt Society, the first Map of the World that was engraved in England on Wright’s (Mercator’s) projection is fully described by Mr. C. M. Coote in a Note at pp. 85–95 of the Davis “Voyages and Works.” That map, he says, was published one year after Wright had explained the principle of the projection in his “Certain Errors.” From Mr. Coote’s description, the following is extracted:
What appears to have escaped the notice of Hallam, and those who have attempted to describe it at various times down to our day, is, that our map is laid down upon the projection commonly known as Mercator’s. So little appears to be known as to the early history of this projection, that as recently as April 16, 1878, it has been suggested by Mr. Elias F. Hall that charts upon this projection were not in general use among seamen at a period much earlier than 1630. Still more recently it has been gravely asserted that a distinguished Admiral of the American navy only knew of it as the Merchant’s projection, and that he never knew that there was such a man as Mercator. In 1569 was produced at Duisbourg, Mercator’s well-known Mappemonde, and many years elapsed before it attracted the notice of other mapmakers. However interesting it may be to us as a monument of geography, it is now admitted that, as regards the projection, it is only approximately correct up to latitude 40. For the want of a demonstration of the true principles upon which such a projection was to be laid down, beyond the legend on the Mappemonde, it found but few imitators. The only three known to us are Bernardus Puteanus of Bruges in 1579, Cornelius de Jode in 1589, and Petrus Plancius in 1594. Of the first and third no examples of their maps on this projection are known to exist, these two doubtless had all the imperfections of the original Mercator. De Jode’s “Speculum Orbis Terrarum” of 1589 is remarkable, as, while being on the old plane projection with the lines of latitude and longitude equidistant, there is to be seen on it a feeble attempt to divide the central meridional line according to the idea of Mercator, one of the best possible proofs how imperfectly this idea was understood by Mercator’s own fellow-countrymen. About 1597 was published by Jodocus Hondius in Amsterdam, a map entitled Typus Totius Orbis Terrarum, etc., easily to be recognized by an allegorical figure, at the bottom of it, of a Christian soldier armed for the fight against all the powers of evil. This is on the true projection, known as Mercator’s, but which is really that of Edward Wright. From Hondius’ connection with Mercator, and whose joint portraits from the frontispiece of the well-known Atlas of the latter, it might with good reason be supposed that Hondius acquired the art of projecting this map from Mercator, yet if one thing is more certain than another in the history of this projection, it is the fact that Hondius did not acquire this art from Mercator or his map, but from Edward Wright, the friend and colleague of Hakluyt.
In proof of this, the following evidence is adduced. We learn from Blundeville that, at some previous period, probably as early as 1592, Wright sent his friend, the author, “a table to drawe thereby the parallells in the Mariner’s Carde, together with the vse thereof in trewer sort, with a draught” or diagram of the projection. These, it is evident, were extracts from Wright’s “Errors in Navigation,” then in MS. Wright, in his preface to the reader, in his work when printed, bitterly complains that he was induced to lend MS. to Hondius, who, with its aid and without Wright’s consent, prepared and published several “mappes of the World, which maps had been vnhatched, had not he [Hondius] learned the right way to lay the groundwork of some of them out of his book.” That the above Typus is one of the printed maps complained of, seems to be proved by the allusion to Wright to be found on it.
The strongest evidence against the theory of Hondius having acquired this art from Mercator, is the fact that in none of the subsequent editions of Mercator’s Atlases edited by him is there a map on this projection to be found. The truth is, that to Wright, and not to Mercator, is due the honour of being the first to demonstrate the true principles upon which such maps were to be laid down by means of the now well-known Tables of meridional parts.
The first legitimate attempt to lay down a map upon the really true projection, is no other than the original of our map. Before proceeding to point out some of its remaining points of interest, it will be convenient here to endeavour to remove one or two misapprehensions respecting it, which are even now entertained by more than one of our eminent booksellers.
Mr. Quaritch, without adducing the least amount of evidence, asserts that “Hakluyt intended to insert this map in his work of 1589.” This is impossible, as from internal evidence it could not possibly have been produced at an earlier period than 1598 or 1599, as has been before pointed out. Upon this point we fear that Mr. Quaritch has allowed himself to be misled by the pardonable blunder of Hallam. Again he says, that Hakluyt calls the original of our great map a terrestrial globe. This is also a mistake. When Hakluyt said a globe, he meant one, and not a map; such a globe as he describes was forthcoming in 1592, at a period midway between the first edition of the “Voyages” and the appearance of our map. The only example of this globe at present known to exist is preserved in the Library of the Middle Temple.