1852 Depot de la Marine Nautical Chart or Map of Bermuda

Main Waypoint in the Atlantic.

This is an 1852 nautical chart or map of Bermuda issued by the French Dépôt général de la Marine. It presents the island when it had become the primary waypoint between Europe and the Americas, as well as one of Britain's most important strategic holdings globally.

A Closer Look

The chart covers the main island of Bermuda along with adjacent smaller islands, islets, and reefs, including a large 'plateau de corail' north of the island. Soundings, rocks, hazards, currents, anchorages, and other navigational information are recorded in detail. Around the edge of the island, bays, sounds, points, and other features are noted. Features on land are also labeled and/or illustrated, including a light (the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse), settlements, forts, churches, and areas of elevation. At the bottom is an inset of the entrance to the anchorages of Murray near the island and town of St. George in the northern part of Bermuda.

Historical Context

When this map was produced, Franco-British relations were somewhat tense for historical reasons but relatively good overall, and it likely had no intended military purpose. Bermuda was the primary British naval base in the Atlantic Ocean, heavily fortified and a key waypoint between Europe and the Americas. From 1849, French merchant vessels sailing between France, Senegal, Cayenne, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, and other Atlantic destinations could call at Bermuda and therefore needed reliable knowledge of the islands and their dangerous surrounding reefs. Though more restricted, French naval vessels also could anchor off Bermuda (away from the Royal Naval Dockyard on Ireland Island) to make repairs or escape poor weather.

Publication History and Census

This chart was engraved by Chassant with lettering by J. M. Hacq and V. Carré. It is based on earlier hydrographic surveys of the islands, particularly Hurd's groundbreaking 1827 Admiralty chart (previously sold by us, Bermuda-hurd-1827). The present chart appeared in the 1852 edition of the Dépôt général de la Marine's Annales hydrographiques. The separate chart is only individually cataloged at the British Library, whereas the entire two-volume 1852 edition of the Annales hydrographiques is well represented in institutional collections.

Cartographers

Dépôt des Cartes et Plans de la Marine (fl. 1720 - present), often called the Dépôt Général de la Marine, was a French hydrographic mapping organization founded in 1720 under Charles-Hercule of Albert de Luynes (1674 - 1734). Much like the U.S. Coast Survey, the British Admiralty, and the Spanish Deposito Hydrografico, the Dépôt was initiated as a storehouse and distribution center of existing nautical and marine charts. Eventually the Dépôt initiated its own mapping activities in an attempt to improve and expand upon existing material. Some of the more prominent cartographers and hydrographers associated with the of Dépôt Générale des Cartes were, Philippe Buache, Jacques-Nicholas Bellin, Giovanni Rizzi-Zannoni, Rigobert Bonne, and Jean Nicolas Buache.   Further Details...

Chassant (fl. c. 1830 - 1860) was a French line and chart engraver active in Paris in the middle part of the 19th century. Chassant was active with the French Dépôt de Marine from the 1830s into the 1860s. He was a master engraver and, some have argued, his dramatic hachuring work to illustrate topography suggests he may have been wasted on nautical charts. Most of his engraving was completed in partnerships with Jacques-Marie Hacq (September 22, 1785 – 18??). Chassant did not sign any of his engravings with a first name or other identifier, so it is difficult to track him down. He may be Alphonse Antoine Louis Chassant (August 1, 1808 - September 7, 1907), who in later life was an art historian and librarian of the city of Évreux. He wrote several books, including works on engraving. We cannot alas verify the connection and it may be pure guesswork.   Further Details...

Jacques-Marie Hacq (September 22, 1785 – 18??) was a French letter and line engraver, and historian, active in Paris during the middle part of the 19th century. Hacq was born in Paris and trained under J. P. Besançon, who he succeeded at the Dépôt de la Guerre in 1830. He engraved for the Dépôt de la Guerre as early as 1830 and for the Dépôt des Cartes et Plans de la Marine from, at least, 1840 to 1852. In addition to his work for the French Government, he also completed maps and engravings for Lesage, Lapie, Dufour, Duperrez, Gouvion St. Cyr, and Dumont d'Urville. His historical works include a history of the Napoleonic Wars and a history of Paris under the reign of Louis XIII. During most of his career in Paris he lived at 58 Rue de la Harpe.   Further Details...

Source

Dépôt général de la Marine, Service hydrographique et océanographique de la marine, Annales hydrographiques recueil d'avis, instructions, documents et mémoires relatifs à l'hydrographie et à la navigation, 2 Vols., (Paris: P. Dupont) 1852.    

Condition

Average. Large discoloration from right margin, likely an ink stain from original printing process.

References

British Library Maps H.F.SEC.9.(1326.).