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1775 Mannevillette Nautical Chart or Map of the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean
GolfedeBengale-mannevillette-1775$450.00
Title
Carte Reduite du Golfe de Bengale, depuis L'Isle de Ceyland jusqu'au Golfe de Siam avec la partie Septentrionale du Detroit de Malac.
1775 (undated) 20 x 30 in (50.8 x 76.2 cm) 1 : 5000000
1775 (undated) 20 x 30 in (50.8 x 76.2 cm) 1 : 5000000
Description
An important 1775 chart of the Bay of Bengal issued for Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Denis d'Après de Mannevillette's La Neptune Oriental, the most influential work of hydrography dealing with Asia in its time.
Islands, shoals, hazards, and other features noted throughout, especially in difficult to navigate areas like the western coast of the Malay Peninsula and the Palk Strait between the Indian mainland and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The placenames here are recognizable, although some are rather idiosyncratic. A prominent example is the term 'Rivière Japonoise' for a branch of the Mekong River, perhaps derived from the presence of Japanese traders in the area in the 17th century.
A Closer Look
As the subtitle indicates, coverage ranges from the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent to Cambodia and the Mekong Delta. Rivers, landmarks (such as pagodas), and coastal settlements are noted, including the French outposts of Pondicherry (Pondicheri), Yanam (Yanaon), and Karaikal (Careical), among others. Soundings are provided around Bengal and the Gulf of Thailand.Islands, shoals, hazards, and other features noted throughout, especially in difficult to navigate areas like the western coast of the Malay Peninsula and the Palk Strait between the Indian mainland and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The placenames here are recognizable, although some are rather idiosyncratic. A prominent example is the term 'Rivière Japonoise' for a branch of the Mekong River, perhaps derived from the presence of Japanese traders in the area in the 17th century.
Publication History and Census
This chart appeared in the 1775 expanded edition of Mannevillette's La Neptune Oriental, first published in 1745. It is independently cataloged among the holdings of Northern Illinois University, Leiden University, the Sächsische Landesbibliothek of the Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, and the National Library of Australia, while the Neptune Oriental is somewhat more widely distributed.Cartographer
Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Denis d'Après de Mannevillette (February 11, 1707 - March 1, 1780) was a French sailor, navigator, and hydrographer active in the mid-18th century. Mannevillette was born in Le Havre to a family of wealthy seafarers. He completed his first major voyage at 12, when he accompanied his father, Jean-Baptiste-Claude d'Après de Blangy, a captain of the Compagnie des Indes (French East India Company) vessel Solide to Bengal. On his return to France, he he studied mathematics and navigation in Paris under Joseph Nicholas De L'Isle (1688 - 1768) before returning to the sea at 19 as a fourth officer as on the merchant vessel Marechel d'Estrees. Mannevillette himself eventually attained the rank of Captain with the Compagnie des Indes. In the course of numerous voyages around Africa to India and China, Mannevillette collected and revised numerous nautical charts. His sophisticated use of the most modern instruments, most specifically the Octant or English Quarter, and keen mathematical mind, enabled Mannevillette to correct many significant errors common to earlier maps. These updates were eventually compiled and published in Mannevillette's most significant work, the 1745 Le Neptune Oriental. The 1745 Neptune Oriental was commissioned by the Compagnie des Indes and its production earned Mannevillette admission into the Academy of Sciences. The atlas was well received, but shortly after publication, most unsold examples were destroyed by the French Admiralty, who considered the secrets of East Indian navigation too dangerous for dissemination. In 1762 the Compagnie des Indes appointed Mannevillette director of chart at Lorient. In 1767 King Louis XV conferred the Order of St. Michael upon him and made him an associate of the Royal Marine Academy. In the 30 years following his first publication of Le Neptune Oriental, Mannevillette worked doggedly with his lifelong friend, Alexander Dalrymple (1737 - 1808) to update his original work with new and improved charts. In 1775, he republished his opus in a greatly expanded format - by this time nautical information was less tightly guarded. Mannevillette died on March 1, 1780 at 75 years of age. More by this mapmaker...
Source
Mannevillette, Jean-Baptiste d'Apres de, Le Neptune Oriental, (Paris) 1775.
Le Neptune Oriental was a large-scale maritime atlas issued in 1745 by Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Denis d'Après de Mannevillette, a wealthy French sailor and hydrographer. From his first voyage as an adult in 1726, Mannevillette collected, revised, and created new nautical charts. These he published 20 years later in the first edition of Le Neptune Oriental, an important work issued for the Compagnie des Indes (French East India Company), for whom Mannevillette was a captain. The first edition of Le Neptune Oriental containing some 22 charts, was received and earned him accolade on both navigational and scientific circles. Nonetheless, according to Manonmani Filliozat, writing in the Indian Journal of the History of Science,
The French Admiralty considering that the Neptune Oriental was too dangerous for ... ordered the remaining copies to be destroyed. (#292, 1994, p. 341)This accounts somewhat for the extreme scarcity of the first edition and all of the maps contained therein. We also note a supportive comment in a, 1763 catalog of maps and charts issued by the French chart and map dealer Roch-Joseph Julien (1745 - 1779). Mannevillette nonetheless continued to collect and revise nautical chart for the next 30 years, often working with the important English cartographer Alexander Dalrymple (1737 - 1808). In 1775, he issued greatly expanded and updated second edition of Le Neptune Oriental. This time with an additional 41 charts, making a total of 63 charts. This edition also proved popular and was widely disseminated. As noted by multiple cartobibliographers, there are variations between examples and no two seem to be identical, suggesting that many were compiled to order, often with additional maps that could be purchased but which were not in the standard collation. The second edition was published in Paris by Demonville and in Brest by Malassis. In 1781, one year after Mannevillette's, another work, Supplement au Neptune Oriental was issued, also by Demonville and Malassis.
Condition
Good. Edge wear and toning, including repaired wormholes in the bottom margin. Some centerfold wear. Light offsetting.
References
Rumsey 13102.045 (1810 edition). OCLC 7449425, 220498753, 220498753.