Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/374

 340 plint's NATUEAii HTSTOET. [Book rv. have now to follow the shores of the Northern Ocean on the left, until we arrive at Grades. In this direction a great theories, but one with which practically they had never made themselves acquainted ? — The only geographers who here merit our notice are those who are of opinion that in some of the coasts or islands here mentioned Pliny describes the Scandinavian Peninsida, and in others the Coast of Finland. The first question then is, to what pomt Pliny first carries us ? It is evident that from the Black Sea he transports himself on a sud- den to the shores of the Baltic, thus passing over at a single leap a con- siderable space filled with nations and unknown deserts. The question then is, what hne has he followed ? Supposing our author had had before his eyes a modern map, the imaginary hne which he would have drawn in making this transition would have been from Odessa to the Kurisch- Haif. In this direction the breadth across Europe is contracted to a space, between the two seas, not more than 268 leagues in length. A very shnple mode of reasoning will conclusively prove that Pliny has deviated httle if anytliing from this route. If he fails to state in precise terms upon what point of the shores of the Baltic he ahghts after leaving the Riphsean mountains, his enumeration of the rivers which discharge themselves into that sea, and with which he concludes his account of Germany, will supply us with the requisite information, at aU events in great part. In following his description of the coast, we find mention madeof the following rivers, theGuttalus, the Vistula, theElbe, theWeser, the Ems, the Rhine, and the Meuse. The five last mentioned follow in their natm^al order, from east to west, as was to be expected in a descrip- tion starting from the east of Europe for its western extremity and the shores of Cadiz. We have a right to conclude then that the Guttalus was to the east of the Vistula. As we shall now endeavour to show, this river was no other than the Alle, a tributary of the Pregel, which the Romans probably, in advancing from west to east, considered as the principal stream, from the circximstance that they met with it, before coming to the larger river. The Pregel after being increased by the waters of the Alle or Guttalus falls into the Frisch-Hafi", about one degree fm-ther west than the Kurisch-Haff. It may however be here remarked, Why not find a river more to the east, the Niemen, for instance, or the Duna, to be represented by the Gruttalus ? The Niemen ha especial would suit in every respect equally well, because it discharges itself into the Kurisch-HalT. This conjecture however is incapable of support, when we reflect that the ancients were undoubtedly acquainted with some points of the coast to the east of the mouth of the Guttalus, but which, according to the system followed by oux author, wovdd form part of the Continent of Asia. These points are, 1st. The Cape Lytaiifiis (men- tioned by Phny, B. vi. c. 4). 2ndly. The mouth of the river Carambucis (similarly mentioned by him), and 3rdly, a little to the east of Cape Ly- tarmis, the moutli of the Tanais. The name of Cape Lytarmis suggests to us Lithuania, and probably represents Domess-Ness in Command ; the Carambucis can be no other than the Niemen ; while the Tanais, xipon which 80 many authors, ancient and modern, have exhausted their con-