PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIGATOR

A few great ages, the age for instance of Almamoun in
Bagdad (A.D. 830), of Mahmoud in Ghazneh
(A.D. 1000), of Abderrahman III. in Cordova
(A.D. 950), give us the history of Arabic geography.
Beginning in the latter years of the eighth century,
Moslem science was reformed and organised, in the
New Empire, by the patronage of the Caliphs of the
ninth. Itineraries of victorious generals, plans and tables
prepared by governors of provinces, and a freshly
acquired knowledge of Greek and Indian and Persian
thought, made up the subject-matter of study. The
barbarism of the first believers was passing away, and
Mohammed's words were recalled: "Seek knowledge,
even in China." By the end of the eighth century
Ptolemy's Geography and the now lost work of Marinus
of Tyre had already been translated. Almamoun drew to
his Court all the chief "mathematicians" or philosophers
of Islam, such as Mohammed Al-Kharizmy, Alfergany,
and Solyman the merchant. Further he built two
observatories, one at Bagdad, one at Damascus, and
procured a chart fixing the latitude and longitude of
every place known to him or his savants. Al-Kharizmy
interpolated the new Arabic Ptolemy with additions
from the Sanscrit, and made some use of Indian
trigonometry. Alfergany wrote the first Arab treatise on
the Astrolabe and adopted the Greek division of the
seven Climates to the new learning. Solyman, at the
time of closest intercourse between China, India, and
the Caliphate, travelled in every country of the Further
East, sailed in the "Sea of Pitchy Darkness" on the east
coast of Asia, and by his voyages became the prototype
of Sinbad the Sailor.
The impulse given by Almamoun did not die with him.
About 850 Alkendy made a fresh version of Ptolemy;
as early as 840 the Caliph Vatek-Billah sent to explore
the countries of Central Asia, and his results have been
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