Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 053.djvu/103

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XIX. A Defence of Mercator's Chart against the Censure of the late Mr. West of Exeter: In a Letter to Charles Morton, M. D. Secret. R. S. from Mr. William Mountaine, F. R. S.

To Doctor Morton, Secretary to the Royal Society.

Dear Sir,

Read March. 17,
1763.I Received your favour with Mr. Samuel Dunn's letter, touching Mr. West's method of constructing a nautical planisphere, referred to me by the Royal Society, which I now beg leave to return with the following account.

As this island is situate by nature, not only for coasting trade, but foreign commerce, so every real improvement in the art of navigation has always met with the approbation and encouragement of the ingenious and sensible part of these kingdoms.

The greatest single advantage that this important business ever received, was from the invention of the mariner's compass; and next to this, the projection of a true nautic practical chart claims place;—this last was performed by that great improver of navigation, Mr. Edward Wright, as appears by his book intitled "certain errors in navigation detected and corrected", published about the year 1599.

In chapter 2d, of said book, he tells us, "that the errors in the plain chart had been complained"of

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