Supplement to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica/Anville (Jean Baptiste Bourguignon D’)

by Hugh Murray

ANVILLE (Jean Baptiste Bourguignon D’), a French Geographer of the highest eminence, and perhaps the most celebrated in modern times. He was born at Paris, on the 11th July 1697. His passion for geographical research displayed itself from his earliest years. At the age of 12, while reading the Latin authors at College, he amused himself with drawing maps of the countries which they described. While he was thus busily employing himself one day in the class, his master observed, and was about to punish him; but, upon casting his eye upon the performance, he immediately judged him to be rather deserving of encouragement. D’Anville from this time devoted himself entirely to geography, particularly that of the ancient world; and, at the age of 22, he began to delineate maps, which attracted the attention of the most eminent Geographers.

There are two modes by which problems in geography may be solved; one mathematically, by astronomical observation, or geometrical measurement; the other historically, by the distances of places inferred from the narrative of historians and travellers. The former is certainly the most satisfactory, and would supersede every other, could it be extended over the whole surface of the Globe. But, notwithstanding the splendid progress made since the era of D’Anville, it is still far from such a degree of perfection. In all countries, the bulk of the positions must be filled up, and, in some, the whole must be constructed, from mere historical materials. Perhaps there is no department of science, which requires greater extent of knowledge, and accuracy of judgment. The variety of sources, out of which the materials must be drawn, is almost infinite; and their application is equally nice and difficult. It must be regulated by a complete acquaintance with all the modes of measurement used by all nations; by a careful notice of those errors and contradictions which naturally arise from a partial and limited observation; and by the marking of certain delicate processes in the human mind, by which space and distance are sometimes diminished, and more frequently exaggerated. In the skilful Geographer, sound natural judgment, enlightened by experience, creates, as it were, a new sense, which enables him te see consistency amid a labyrinth of contradictions, and to elicit truth from a multitude of statements that are all erroneous. This art may be said to have originated with D’Anville, and to have been brought by him to its highest perfection.

The course of study on which D’Anville entered was truly immense. Works professedly geographical formed the least part of it; those of all the ancient and modem historians, travellers, narrators of every description, were assiduously examined. He studied, but only for the sake of the occasional geographical lights which they afforded, the philosophers, orators, and poets; for it was remarked, that, in perusing these masterpieces of human genius, he was totally indifferent to every thing which did not tend to fix a geographical position. The object of this immense labour was to effect a complete reform in the science of geography; to banish the system of copying blindly from preceding maps, and never to fix a single position without a careful examination of all the authorities upon which it rested. By this process, he detected many and great errors in the works of his most celebrated predecessors; while his own accuracy Was soon attested on all sides, by the travellers and mariners, who had taken his works as their guide, His principles led him also to another innovation, which was, that of omitting every name, for which there existed no sufficient authority. The public was at first amazed at seeing vast spaces, which had before been covered with Countries and Cities, suddenly reduced to a perfect blank; but they soon recognised, that this was the only accurate course, and that the defect lay in the science, not in the geographer.

D’Anville was at first employed in the humbler task of illustrating by maps the works of different travellers, such as Marchais, Charlevoix, Labat, and Duhalde. The question respecting the figure of the Earth coming to be much agitated, he published in 1735, and 1736, two treatises, with a view to illustrate it. But this attempt to solve a geometrical problem by historical materials, was eminently unsuccessful. Maupertuis having gone to measure a degree within the polar circle, the result was found directly opposite to our Geographer’s prediction. This, however, was considered by the intelligent public, rather as fixing limits to his mode of investigation, than as implying any want of diligence and ability in its employment.

Any loss of reputation which this failure might occasion, was completely retrieved by his map of Italy, published in 1743. It was marked by a species of investigation, often employed by D’Anville with peculiar success. This consisted in the application of ancient materials to correct the existing geography. By the diligent study of the Latin authors, he was enabled to trace numerous errors which had crept into the delineation of this interesting country. A trigonometrical survey which Pope Benedict XIV. almost immediately after caused to be made in the Ecclesiastical States, confirmed, in a surprising degree, all these alterations. On this occasion, he first set the example, which cannot be too much applauded, of accompanying the map with a memoir, exhibiting a view of the data on which it had been constructed.

He now applied himself to ancient geography, always his favourite department, and the aspect of which, under his hands, was soon completely changed. He illustrated successively, by maps, all the countries known to the ancients, among which Egypt attracted his peculiar attention. To render these labours more extensively useful, be published in 1768, an Abridgment of Ancient Geography. His attention was finally turned to the middle ages, which were illustrated by his States formed in Europe after the fall of the Western empire; and by some other works equally learned. Entirely devoted to geographical inquiries, the appearance of his successive publications formed the only events by which his life was diversified. From causes which are not explained, he was late of being admitted into the Literary Societies. In 1754, at the age of sixty, he became a member of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres, whose Transactions he enriched with many papers. In 1775, he received the only place in the Academy of Sciences which is allotted to geography; and in the same year he was appointed, without solicitation, first Geographer to the King. But these honours came too late to illustrate a life, which was now drawing to its utmost verge. His last employment consisted in arranging his collection of maps, plans, and geographical materials. It was the most extensive in Europe, and had been purchased by the King, who, however, left him the use of it during his life. This task performed, he sunk into a total imbecility, both of mind and body, which continued for two years and ended only with his death in January 1782, when he had reached the great age of 85.

D’Anville, with the qualities which form the great Geographer, united all the essentials of an honourable and worthy character. The advancement of the science to which he had devoted himself, formed almost the sole passion of his life; and mingling little with society, he contracted peculiarities, which solitary study is but too apt to engender. He talked with little interest on any subject except geography. This topic necessarily led to that of his own discoveries, on which he was never weary of expatiating. He boasted without any reserve of the services which he had rendered to that science, using, not unfrequently, the expression of Augustus, “I found it of brick, and left it of gold.” He, however, did full justice to the merit of those who excelled in other branches of knowledge; and to such as furnished him with materials for his researches, his gratitude was unbounded.

We shall subjoin a list of the numerous memoirs and dissertations composed by D’Anville, of which some were published separately, and others in the Transactions of the Academies. The following were published separately:

1. Mémoire pour faire la carte du diocèse de Lizieux.
2. Mémoire pour la révision de cette carte.
3. Mémoire instructif pour dresser des cartes particulières, avec une carte in-folio.
4. Observations sur la carte du Paraguay, avec une carte d’une demi-feuille.
5. Proposition d’une mesure de la terre, avec une carte d’une demi-feuille.
6. Mesure conjecturale de la terre sur l’équateur, avec une carte d’une demi-feuille.
7. Réponse de M. d’Anville au mémoire contre cette mesure.
8. Lettre au P. Castel, sur le Kamtchatka, avec une carte d’un quart de feuille.
9. Article de la géographie, tiré de l’Histoire ancienne de Rollin.
10. Nomenclature alphabétique de I’Italie, tirée de l’Histoire Romaine de Rollin.
11. Éclaircissemens sur l’ancienne Gaule, avec deux cartes de deux demi-feuilles.
12. Lettre à M. de la Roque, sur un lieu nommé anciennement Chora.
13. Mémoire pour dresser des cartes d’un canton renfermant dix ou douze paroisses.
14. Analyse de l’Italie, avec trois cartes de 4 feuilles in-folio.
15. Mémoire pour dresser une carte de la généralité de Soissons.
16. Dissertations sur l’ancienne Jérusalem, avec une carte de demi-feuille.
17. Lettres sur la carte de l’Amérique méridionale, avec une carte de 3 feuilles in-folio.
18. Eclaircissemens sur la carte de I’Inde, avec deux cartes de 5 feuilles in-folio.
19. Mémoire sur la carte du Canada, etc., avec une carte de 4 feuilles in-folio.
20. L’article Vents Etésiens, tiré de l’Encyclopédie.
21. Analyse de la carte des côtes de la Grèce, avec une carte in-folio.
22. Notice de l’ancienne Gaule, avec une carte in-folio.
23. Mémoires sur l’Egypte ancienne et moderne, avec 5 cartes, dont 2 in-folio.
24. Géographic ancienne abrégée, avec 9 cartes in-folio.
25. Traité des mesures itinéraires.
26. Etats formés en Europe, avec une carte in-folio.
27. L’Empire Turc.
28. L’Empire de Russie.
29. Eloge de M. Gravelot, frère de M. d’Anville, tiré du Nécrologe.
30. Antiquité de l’Inde.
31. Mémoire sur la Chine.
32. Considérations sur la composition des cartes géographiques.
33. Mémoire sur la Mer Caspienne, avec une carte in-4to.
34. L’Euphrate et le Tigre, avec une carte in-folio.
35. Mémoires sur les cartes de l’ancienne Gaule.
36. Mémoire sur la vallée de Tempé.

The following appeared in the Transactions of the Academy of Belles Lettres:

1. Sur le pas, militairé du soldat Romain et celui de soldat Français.
2. Sur la nation des Gêtes.
3. Sur les sources du Nil, avec une carte.
4. Sur les rivères de l’Afrique, avec une carte.
5. Sur la mesure du Schène égyptien, avec une carte.
6. Sur la mesure de la terre par Eratosthène.
7. Sur la détermination de plusieurs positons dans le Levant.
8. Découverte d’une cité dans l’ancienne Gaule, avec une carte.
9. Sur un monument ancien de la Médie.
10. Sur la position de Babylone, avec une carte.
11. Description de l’Hellespont, avec une carte.
12. Sur le mille Romain, avec une carte.
13. Sur le Portus Itius, avec une carte.
14. Sur les villes de Taurunum, et de Singidunum, avec une carte.
15. Description de la Dace de Trajan, avec une carte.
16. Sur le Li, mesure itinéraire des Chinois.
17. Sur quelques points de géographic dans l’Arabie-heuruse.
18. Sur la différence de latitude et de longitude entre Alexandria et Syéné, avec une carte.
19. Sur le pays d’Ophir, avec une carte.
20. Sur la situation de Tartessus, avec une carte.
21. Sur le Golfe Persique, avec une carte.
22. Sur l’étendue de l’ancienne Rome, avec une carte.
23. Sur les peuples qui habitent la Dace de Trajan.
24. Du rempart de Gog et de Magog, avec une carte.
25. Sur deux villes nommées Justiniana, avec une carte.
26. De la mesure itinéraire Arménienne.
27. Description du Golfe d’Ambracie, avec une carte.
28. Sur l’isle de Cypre, avec une carte.
29. Sur l’expedition d’Héraclius en Perse, avec une carte.
30. Sur la Sérique des anciens, avec une carte.
31. Limites du Monde connu des anciens, avec une carte.
32. Du lac Asphalite, ou Mer Morte, avec une carte.
33. Examen critique d’Hérodote sur la Scythie, avec une carte.
34. Sur la mer Erythrée, avec une carte.
35. Sur l’étendue de Constantinople, comparée à celle de Paris, avec une carte.
36. Des fleuves du nom d’Araxe.
37. Sur la navigation de Pythéas à Thulé.
38. Sur les noms de peuples et de villes cites dans un fragment du 91° livre de Tite-Live, avec une carte.

And the following in the Transactions of the Academy of Sciences:

Memoire pour corriger la latitude de la Mesopotamie, avec une carte.

 

We find from a Notice in the second volume of that useful Geographical Miscellany—the Annals du Voyages, &c. by Malte Brun,—that a complete edition of the works of D’Anville, containing ail the memoirs and tracts above enumerated, had been announced for publication at Paris in 1808. The first volume was to be published in that year, and the work was to consist of 6 volumes 4to, with a Folio Atlas. (B.)