This copy is copyright protected.
Copyright © 2025 Geographicus Rare Antique Maps
Digital Image: 1820 John MacDonald Manuscript Nautical Map of Western Sumatra (vicinity of Pedang)
SumatraWest-macdonald-1820_d
Title
A Survey of the West Coast of Sumatra From Padang head to batang Capay Bay.
c. 1820 (undated) 18.5 x 24.5 in (46.99 x 62.23 cm)
c. 1820 (undated) 18.5 x 24.5 in (46.99 x 62.23 cm)
Description
FOR THE ORIGINAL ANTIQUE MAP, WITH HISTORICAL ANALYSIS, CLICK HERE.
Digital Map Information
Geographicus maintains an archive of high-resolution rare map scans. We scan our maps at 300 DPI or higher, with newer images being 600 DPI, (either TIFF or JPEG, depending on when the scan was done) which is most cases in suitable for enlargement and printing.
Delivery
Once you purchase our digital scan service, you will receive a download link via email - usually within seconds. Digital orders are delivered as ZIP files, an industry standard file compression protocol that any computer should be able to unpack. Some of our files are very large, and can take some time to download. Most files are saved into your computer's 'Downloads' folder. All delivery is electronic. No physical product is shipped.
Credit and Scope of Use
You can use your digial image any way you want! Our digital images are unrestricted by copyright and can be used, modified, and published freely. The textual description that accompanies the original antique map is not included in the sale of digital images and remains protected by copyright. That said, we put significant care and effort into scanning and editing these maps, and we’d appreciate a credit when possible. Should you wish to credit us, please use the following credit line:
Courtesy of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps (http://www.geographicus.com).
How Large Can I Print?
In general, at 300 DPI, you should at least be able to double the size of the actual image, more so with our 600 DPI images. So, if the original was 10 x 12 inches, you can print at 20 x 24 inches, without quality loss. If your display requirements can accommodate some loss in image quality, you can make it even larger. That being said, no quality of scan will allow you to blow up at 10 x 12 inch map to wall size without significant quality loss. For more information, it is best consult a printer or reprographics specialist.
Refunds
If the high resolution image you ordered is unavailable, we will fully refund your purchase. Otherwise, digital images scans are a service, not a tangible product, and cannot be returned or refunded once the download link is used.
Cartographer
John MacDonald (1759 - 1831) was a British naval officer active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. John was the son of Flora MacDonald, a Jacobite heroine who sheltered the young Bonnie Prince Charles, the second Jacobite pretender to the throne of the British Isles. MacDonald entered the service of the British East India Company where he was commissioned as a captain in the Crops of Engineer, Bengal. By 1784 he has been assigned to British East India company trading post at Fort Marlborough, Bencoolen, Sumatra. There he married the widow Nancy Scott Bogle. He spent approximately sixteen years in Bencoolen wherein he surveyed much of the western coast of the island. He sent several missives to the Royal Society featuring observation on magnetic variations based on studies done at Bencoolen and St. Helena from 1794 - 1796. Back in England, c. 1800, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society and elevated to Lieutenant-Colonel of the Royal Clan-Alpin regiment. Subsequently he was stationed in Ireland where he composed several volumes on military strategy. MacDonald seems to have returned to Bencoolen by 1808 when he was assigned to the post of Chief Engineer at Fort Marlborough. In 1818 or 1819 he returned to England settling in Exeter, where lived for twelve years until his death in 1831, he was 72. He is buried at Exeter Cathedral. More by this mapmaker...