1837 Tardieu Map of the Madura Strait, Indonesia

This is an 1837 Ambroise Tardieu map of the Madura Strait between the islands of Java and Madura in Indonesia.

A Closer Look

With Java on the left and Madura on the right, the map illustrates the Madura Strait from the north end to the mouth of the Surabaya River. Depth soundings are noted, and the course of the Thétis is traced through the strait, suggesting the safest route. The Fort d'Orange occupies Menaris Island near the north end of the strait. This is the historic Fort Lodewijk, constructed in 1808 on the orders of the Governor General of the Dutch East Indies, Herman Willem Daendles, to defend against British incursions from the northwest. Towns are labeled on both islands. A view of the Fort d'Orange and the entrance to Madura Strait appears along the bottom border.

The Voyage Around the World by Hyacinthe de Bougainville

Hyacinthe Yves Philippe Florentin de Bougainville (December 26, 1781 - October 18, 1846) was a French admiral and the son of the famous navigator Louis-Antoine de Bougainville who successfully completed the first French circumnavigation. The younger Bougainville began his circumnavigation from Brest, France, when he left on March 2, 1824, and returned to Brest on June 23, 1826. Bougainville commanded the frigate Thétis and the corvette Espérance. The French government gave Bougainville secret orders to scout British strongholds throughout the Pacific. The voyage made numerous stops over the 27-month voyage, calling at Pondicherry, Manila, Macau, Singapore, Surabaya, Madura, Port Jackson (Sydney), Hobart, Valparaiso, and Rio de Janeiro. This expedition was the first European expedition to explore and map the Anambas Islands, and it was among the first French expeditions to visit Singapore.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved by Ambroise Tardieu after work done by Edmond Bigot de la Touanne during Bougainville's voyage with the lettering engraved by J. P. Besançon. It was published in 1837 in the atlas that accompanied Bougainville's Journal de la Navigations Autour du Globe de la Frégate la Thétis et de la Corvette l'Espérance Pendant les années 1824, 1825 et 1826. We note a single cataloged example of the separate map at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France. An empty OCLC reference appears for this work, suggesting that an institution that was once part of OCLC cataloged it at one point.