According to him, Ptolemy, in his description of India, serves as the point
of connection between the Macedonian orthography and the Sanscrit,
dispersing light on both sides, and showing himself like a luminary in the
centre. He seems indeed to have obtained the native appellations of the
places in India, in a wonderful manner; and thus, by recording names which
cannot be mistaken, he affords the means of ascertaining the country, even
though he gives no particulars regarding it. We have applied this remark to
India exclusively, but it might be extended to almost all the names of
places that occur in Ptolemy, though, as respects India, his obtaining the
native appellations is more striking and useful.
Having offered these general remarks on the excellencies and errors of
Ptolemy, we shall next proceed to give a short and rapid sketch of his
geographical knowledge respecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. On the
north-east of Europe he gives an accurate description of the course of the
Wolga; and further to the south, he lays down the course of the Tanais,
much nearer what it really is than the course assigned it by Strabo. He
seems to have been acquainted with the southern shores of the Baltic from
the western Dwina, or the Vistula, to the Cimbric Chersonesus: he also
describes part of the present Livonia. The Chersonesus, however, he
stretches two degrees too far to the north, and also gives it too great a
bend to the east.
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