1860 manuscript map saigon back (1 Ergebnisse)

Good. Partial centerfold split. Some ink burn through. Even toning. Edge wear. Size 24.5 x 37.5 Inches. This is a remarkable set of back-to-back maps - both are significant in different ways. The most interesting is a finely-executed c. 1860 manuscript chart detailing river approaches to Saigon (Ho Chi Min City). On the verso (or recto, depending) is an 1850 printed nautical chart of the approaches to Shanghai based on the cartography of the First Opium War (1839 - 1842). Both maps are significant, with the manuscript taking primacy as, in all likelihood, it is the first modern hydrographic survey of the Song Sai Gon Estuary. Manuscript Map of Saigon This spectacular manuscript map details the complex network of waterways between the China Sea and Saigon. It is likely the earliest hydrographic survey of these waters. It emerged from French efforts to seize and develop Saigon as a major port in the early 1860s. Soundings in meters elucidate the most important channels, with further identification of fortifications, villages, notable trees, and more. It highlights a large coral reef, Banc de Corail, at center, with the same treated with great care in a large detail map at right. This coral bank, situated centrally on one of the main navigable channels to and from Saigon, was a significant danger coming to and from the city. It remains a threat to navigation to this day. The manuscript is undated, but it almost certainly hails from the French seizure of Saigon around 1859-60. We have identified a similar printed nautical chart published around 1863 by Léo de Lespès, which is based upon this manuscript - with several updates. The coverage is identical, although the later printed chart has been revised more detail than is present here. Both charts feature a larger scale map of the dangerous 'Banc de Corail'. Both manuscript maps (Saigon and Banc de Corail) bear the signature of A. Deschamps. We have unfortunately been unable to learn more of this elusive cartographer. The Map of Shanghai The printed Shanghai map / nautical chart is itself quite rare. Although published by the French Dépòt Général de la Marine in 1850, it represents British surveys made during Shanghai's occupation in the First Opium War (1839 - 1842) by commanders Henry Kellett (1806 - 1875) and Richard Collinson (1811 - 1883). A Closer Look at Shanghai On a scale of 1:28610, coverage embraces from the confluence of the Yangtze and Huangpu (Woosong) Rivers, south along the Huangpu as far as the old city of Shanghai (Shang-Hae). Soundings along the Huangpu are numerous, but there is otherwise very little inland detail. Around the somewhat circular walled city, the map notes some port development, as well as development along nearby roads. However, the map generally predates the rapid development of Shanghai during the Treaty Port Era. Further north, the map recognizes several forts protecting the river, including the walled city of Paou-Shan and the fishing port of Woosung. Publication History and Census We are aware of no other examples of either the manuscript maps of Saigon, or the printed nautical chart. We have noted that the original manuscript draught for the Shanghai map survives at the Bibliothèque nationale de France but note no other known printed examples. Conversely, we are aware of a related printed map of the Song Sai Gon Estuary, but as a manuscript piece, it is unique. References: cf. (Shanghai) Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Cartes et plans, GE SH 19 PF 179 DIV 18 P 21. cf. (Saigon) Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Cartes et plans, GE B-902.