GLOBE manufacture are known to exist of a date anterior to the 17th century. To Blollineux succeeds William J ansson Blaeu (1571-1638), a celebrated mathematician, map- drawer, and publisher of Amsterdam, who secured a con- siderable reputation by publishing terrestrial and celestial globes, which excelled in beauty and accuracy everything that had preceded them. He was succeeded by his son John, editor of the well-known At/as zllujor in 11 vols. folio. The elder Blacu constructed globes in three sizes, the largest measuring 27 inches, the next about 14,‘, inches, the smallest about inches in diameter. The bodiesof the globes were usually made of wood, covered with plastic composition upon which the maps were pasted in gores, thus admitting of corrections being made from time to time. In consequence of this no examples of his globes are known to exist without additions of the 17th centu1‘y. Mr P. J. K. laudet, who wrote the Life and Works of W. J. Blac-2:, Utrecht, 1871, notwithstanding his utmost exertions, could find in Holland only two pairs, one in the astronomical observatory at Leyden, the other in the physical museum at Amsterdam, the latter being of the smallest size. Another pair, however, of the smallest size, dated 1603, are in the possession of Mr Henry Stevens; and a pair of the medium size, belonging to Mr Fred. Miiller of Amsterdam, were ex- hibited at the geographical congress held in Paris in 1875. Of the last pair, the celestial globe bears the date of 1603. The terrestrial globe, though still bearing the date of the first edition of 1599, has received corrections of a much later date, embodying the geographical results of the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies under Houtman in 1598, and those of Oliver Van Noort in the same year, and of Le Maire in 1616. From a report presented to the1*‘rench minister of public instruction by M. E. Cortambert in 1855 we learn that a pair of fine globes by Blaeu is preserved in the Bibliotheque de Bourges. Two pairs of the. 27-inch globes of Blaeu’s heirs have recently been found, the first in the library of Trinity House, Tower Hill, the second in the British IIuseum, of date about 1615. In their main features the globes of Blaeu coincide more or less with several well-known maps published at this period, and with others to be found in the atlases of Mercator and Hondius. The only remaining globes of the 16th century known to us are two pairs by A. F. Van Langren; the first, pre- i served in the Bib. Nat. de Paris, Sect. Géog._. No. /105; the second in the Bibliothcque dc Grenoble, found by M. E. Cortambert in 1855. In the latter library is also to be seen a curious terrestrial globe in MS, made by some monks of the Grande Chartreuse; it is undated, but is sup- posed to be of the 17th century. It remains to notice briefly the few globes of a later period that are remarkable either for their historical interest, peculiar form, or great size. In the Academy of Sciences at St Petersburg there'are or were four. that call for notice. The first is a terrestrial one, 3 feet in diameter, nude at Pleskow by a deacon named Karpow Maximow. It is supposed to have been the first made in Russia. This is accompanied by a planetary 2 feet in diameter, presented to Peter the Great by the company of English merchants established in Russia. H ere is also preserved a large ter- restrial globe of copper, made in 1664 by the heirs of V. J. Blaeu; it is 7 feet in diameter, and was brought from Moscow about 1747. In the same academy is preserved the famous Gottorp globe ; it is a hollow sphere 11 feet in diameter, containing a table and seats for twelve persons. It was made by A. Bush in 1654, under the direction of Olearius, from designs found among the papers of Tycho Brahe, and was not finished until 1664. The outside re- presents the terrestrial globe, the interior showing the 'aeaveus ; the stars are distinguished according to their re- spective magnitudes by gilt nails of various sizes. It was ; G83 presented to Peter the Great by Frederick IV. of Denmark in 1713. The Czar was so pleased with his acquisition that he had it transported by water to Revel, and thence on rollers and sledges to his new capital. Eeing partly burnt in 17-17, it was repaired again 1751, and adjusted to I the horizon of St Petersburg, the meridian and horizon [ being made by an English mechanic named Scott. The two largest complete globes existing are those pre- served in the “Salle desGlobes”in the Bibliothéque Nationale of Paris. They are each 12 feet in diameter, and were made under the direction of the famous Italian geographer I Coronelli in 1683, by order of Cardinal d’Estrées, the ' Spanish ambassador, and presented by him to Louis XIV. They are made of wood, very solid, and are covered with cloth or canvas on which the configurations have been drawn by an able artist, particularly those on the celestial globe. The meridians and horizons are of bronze, the latter are sustained by eight columns of the same material, and the former by two bronze feet highly ornamented. Between the brackets that form the feet of the meridians is placed, under each globe, a compass in marble and bronze; the ascent to these is by five steps which encircle each globe. On the celestial globe painted blue are marked all the fixed i stars, and their constellations with the paths of the comets, I also the places of all the planets at the moment of the I birth of Louis XIV. This last event is alluded to also in l a hyperbolical inscription to be seen on a copper plate to be found on it. The geography of the terrestrial globe is based upon that of Sanson ; the sea being painted in deep blue, and the land portions being white, the inscriptions upon it are very legible. There is also to be seen on it a bust of the king placed above a dedication somewhat like that on the celestial globe. Although these globes are ' without any great scientific value, they serve to indicate the astronomical and geographical knowledge prevalent in France at the end of the 17th century. A good illustration I of these globes, accompanied by a detailed account of their history, by M. C. Letort of the Bibliotheque Nationale, will be found in La lfaturc, No. 116, August 21, 1875. In the Bib. Mazarine is preserved a terrestrial globe 8 I feet in diameter, known as the Louis XVI. globe. It is made of copper engraved, the names of places being inlaid with black, and is mounted on a temporary wooden struc- ture, the beautiful accessories of bronze cast for it never having been finished or utilized ; they are, however, to be seen in another part of the library. We learn from a MS. 5 description of this globe, also preserved here, that it was I made for Louis X'I., himself no mean geographer, by the direction of Ycrgennes in 1784. The geography of it is based upon that of D'Anville, corrected by Robert de-Vaugondy and Le Clerc; it also indicates the net results of all the voyages round the world made up to this period. About 1764 Dr Roger Long of Cambridge, professor of astronomy and master of Pembroke, erected in an outbuild- ing of his hall a sphere 18 feet in diameter. The concave interior was lined with tin, upon which was depicted all the stars and constellations visible in England on the horizon of Cambridge. The lower part of the sphere was cut off at the diameter of 13 feet, and the truncated meridians were screwed down on to a circle which ran on rollers of lignum vitae, the whole being movable by simple machinery pro- vided for the purpose. It was capable of holding thirty persons, and had an entrance by six steps placed over the South Pole. In the centre was placed a planetarium. Although it is said funds were left for its preservation, it appears to have fallen into neglect and decay. To these succeed in order of size the globes known as “ Georamas.” One exhibited in Paris in 1844 was 30 feet in diameter ; another by Delanhard erected in 1823 was 40
feet in diameter; of the last the proprietor published 3.