The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume IX, No. 4 [‎223r] (116/172)

IHL TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY IN RELATION TO HISTORY. 433
their relative value In this case 1, 2, 3 should correspoud to a similar enumerc.-
uon at the present day; a first-class harbour at both epochs being marked with 1 .
'• ihe towns whlch were of most importance at that epoch.
8 . The distribution of monasteries, fairs, and the sites to which pilgrimages
were made, e.g. Walsingham, Norfolk. P 8 °
I can imagine no more instructive course of study than to take the main towns
of importance at this epoch, such as Bristol, York, Yarmouth, etc., and show how
their history has been influenced by physical conditions. How far it would be
possible to deal with this, except in its broad outline, in teaching the physical
geography of the British Isles at the present day would naturally depend on
the pupil At any rate, he should know the physical conditions which have
determined the growth or decay of towns in his own neighbourhood, and the
meaning of those topographical names which are a clue to the early geography
of the dis net. It may be said that this will entail more work than a student
can possibly do, but I think that if the information were systematically arranged
in a diagrammatic form for some dozen epochs in English history, separated by from
fifty to one hundred years, each of which might be studied in some three or four
lessons, that it would give the student a firmer framework on which to build up
history than a mere knowledge of dates and great events.
B. My second heading is “ Means of Communication.” It is difficult to realize
tne life ol a time when goods were brought into London by barges or on a pack-
horse by the narrow footway of old London Bridge with its shops on both sides, or
the old roads, which were often so bad in winter that Parliament was unable to
meet because members were detained a few miles out of London. The student
will, however, see this more clearly if he is able to compare that time with the
present, with its railway s and steamships and canals and all the modern facilities
of communication. Under this heading it will be useful to group the main lines
of communication of the time both with the British Isles and with other countries ;
e.y. it should be mentioned that, as the Cape route had not yet been discovered, the
trade from the East passed largely through the Mediterranean, and was controlled
by \ enice and other Italian cities, and not by English merchants. I think it
must be clear that a knowledge of the main lines and facilities of transport at
that epoch and comparison with the present would help enormously to understand
its history.
Maps and Diagrams (1350-1400).
B. Means of Communication.
1. Beads and bridges (the maintenance of which was a matter of national
importance).
2 . Navigable rivers.
3. Sea routes and overland routes of Europe, showing the course of trade, the
influence of the Hanseatic league, Venice, etc., and the position of British
navigation.
C. The Influence of Geography on Thought.
As a third heading, it would be interesting to take such a subject as the
influence of geography on thought, which really embraces two different ideas :
(a) The influence of geographical knowledge on thought; (b) the influence of
geographical conditions on thought.
Maps and diagrams under this heading might perhaps consist of—
1. The geographical knowledge of an educated man, such as Chaucer, who had
No. IV.—April, 1897.] 2 o