1859 Roche-Poncié Chart of the Korean Peninsula

This is a fine potentially unique example of the 1859 edition of Ferdinand de la Roche-Poncié's chart of Korea, the first scientifically surveyed chart of the southern half of the peninsula. It depicts the Korean coastline from the Ongjin Peninsula on the western side of the peninsula to Mt. Kumgang (here as Siedlovaia) on the eastern side.

A Closer Look

Combining survey work done by Roche-Poncié, his sub-engineers, and other recent French and British explorers, this chart covers the Korean coastline along a stretch roughly concurrent with today's South Korea. The names of features along the coast reflect this multinational process of exploration, for example the Ile Quelpaert (Jeju Island) and Aukland Island (most likely Wando Island). Some placenames, such as Unkovskago for Yongil Bay off Pohang and Siedlovaia for Mt Kumgang, come from Russian, perhaps derived from second-hand accounts of Korea written by Russian ambassadors in Beijing. Other names, especially for coastal towns and cities (Chang-yuen, Ya-chan, Chou-yng, Fou-an, Yo-keou, etc.), look to be derived from Chinese but have been garbled in transliteration beyond recognition.

Soundings are provided at various points along the coast, particularly on the west. Handwritten annotations are included near the title at top-left, filling in Ganghwa Island and the Han River down to Seoul; in later editions of the map, these have been engraved and printed. The dashed line marked 'Route des navaries' is likely Roche-Poncié's own ship, the Sabine, and/or other ships under the command of Admiral Guérin. Aside from the Ganghwa-Seoul region, special detail is also provided around important ports such as Busan (Havre Chosan) and Pohang (Unkovskago), bays, and islands.

Franco-Korean Relations

Although the 'hermit kingdom' moniker applied to Joseon Korea by Westerners was an exaggeration, there is no question that the Joseon were deeply concerned with limiting foreign influence and justly alarmed at the increasing number of foreign ships on Korea's shores. In particular, they opposed the influence of Christian missionaries, who often snuck into Korea and made inroads among Korea's large underclass, which the Confucian elite saw as politically and culturally subversive. Aside from contact with Korean diplomats and traders in Beijing, these missionaries (including Chinese Catholics who went to Korea and Koreans in China who converted to Christianity like Andrew Kim Taegon) were the primary source of direct information about Korea in the West from the 17th through the mid-19th century.

Joseon's rulers had reason to be concerned, as missionaries commonly presaged a colonial presence, as in Vietnam. The French were especially prone to such tactics, as they lacked the commercial power of the British but had a surplus of zealous missionaries. From 1862 until his death in 1898, one of the leading figures in Korean politics was the regent Heungseon Daewongun, anti-Christian hardliner who recognized the chaos in China as a warning against foreign influence. In 1865, he launched a crackdown and executed seven French missionaries along with many Korean Catholics. In response, France launched a punitive military expedition, but were held off for six weeks by the Korean garrison at Ganghwa Island, which protects the Han River flowing into Seoul. France's defeat was an embarrassment, further cementing their secondary role vis-à-vis the British in East Asia, and also seemingly confirmed Joseon's isolationist policies, with profound long-term consequences.

Publication History and Census

This chart was drawn by Ferdinand de la Roche-Poncié with assistance from his sub-engineers Estignard and J. Delbalat, with text engraved by Jacques-Marie Hacq and nautical features engraved by Stanislas Joseph Jacobs. It was first published in 1848 for the Dépôt de la Marine and went through multiple editions afterwards, including the present one, an 1884 Russian edition, and an 1887 French edition (which included Tsushima and some other Japanese coastal islands). All of these are quite rare, and the present edition has no known institutional presence or history on the market.