These are the most important maps, either general or of particular countries, with which the sixteenth century supplies us.

The seventeenth century continued the impulse which was given to the science of geography by Mercator.  As new discoveries were constantly in progress, errors in maps were corrected, vacant spaces filled up, more accurate positions assigned, and greater attention paid to the actual and relative sizes of different countries.  Malte Brun justly reckons Cluverius, Riccioli, and Varenius, as amongst the most celebrated geographers of this century.  Cluverius was a man of extensive and accurate erudition, which he applied to the illustration of ancient geography.  Riccioli, an Italian Jesuit, devoted his abilities and leisure to the study of mathematics, and the sciences dependent upon it, particularly astronomy; and was thus enabled to render important service to the higher parts of geography.  Varenius is a still more celebrated name in geographical science:  he excelled in mathematical geography; and such was his fame and merit in the higher branches of physics, and his ingenuity in applying them to geography, that a system of universal geography, which he published in Latin, was deemed worthy by Newton, to be republished and commented upon.  Cellarius bestowed much pains on ancient geography.  That branch of the science which pays more especial regard to the distances of places, was much advanced by Sanson, in France; Blew, in Holland; and Buraeus, in Sweden.

We must now turn to the progress of commerce during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The discovery of a passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope, gave immediately a great impulse to commerce; whereas, it was a long time after the discovery of America before commerce was benefited by that event.  This arose from the different state and circumstances of the two countries.  The Portuguese found in India, and the other parts of the East, a race of people acquainted with commerce, and accustomed to it; fully aware of those natural productions of their country which were in demand, and who had long been in the habit of increasing the exportable commodities by various kinds of manufactures.  Most of these native productions and manufactures had been in high estimation and value in Europe for centuries prior to the discovery of the Cape.  The monarchs of the East, as well as their subjects, were desirous of extending their trade.  There was, therefore, no difficulty, as soon as the Portuguese arrived at any part of the East; they found spices, precious stones, pearls, &c., or silk and cotton stuffs, porcelaine, &c., and merchants willing to sell them.  Their only business was to settle a few skilful agents, to select and purchase proper cargoes for their ships.  Even before they reached the remote countries of the East, which they afterwards did, they found depots of the goods of those parts, in intermediate and convenient situations, between them and the middle and western parts of Asia and Europe.