1847 Dortet de Tessan Map of Singapore and Vicinity

Remarkable early French map of Singapore representing the forefront of scientific mapping of the region I the 1840s.

An exceptionally rare nautical chart of Singapore and vicinity issued by Urban Dortet de Tessan, under the patronage of Louis Philippe I of France. French nautical charts of the Singapore region have long been overlooked by collectors and scholars in favor their more popular English counterparts. Nonetheless, this chart stands at the forefront of scientific mapping of the region and should be given due attention.

Tessan's map covers from the southern tip of the Malay peninsula to the coast of Sumatra and from (roughly) Pulau Rangsnag to Pauau Mapur (Panjang). It is centered on the Bantam Islands, including Batnam, Pulau Bulan, and Pulau Brintan. The focus of the map are the newly surveyed maritime routes south of Singapore, via the straits of Durian and Rhio (Riouw), towards the Dutch trading centers in Jakarta and the Pepper Ports of Sumatra. While inland detail is limited, the street structure of Singapore City is evident, as ore some notable inland features, such as mountains and volcanoes, are noted. Profile charts appears in the lower left quadrant.

When Singapore was founded in 1819 the seas around the colony were only tentatively mapped. The Malacca straits, which had long been a major artery of trade, had been mapped, but within proximity of Singapore island, most early mappings fell apart. This chart follows on the work of Horsburgh, supplemented by new surveys initiated by the Admiralty in 1840. Additionally, it also drawn on Dutch surveys produced under the direction of M. Van Der Plaat, who surveyed the islands just south of Singapore, in the same year. The consolidation under Tessan represents a considerable advancement over both previous charts.

The whole exhibits a level of meticulousness and detail rarely apparent in earlier charts of the region and is technically superior to the better documented British charts, such as the Thompson chart of 1846. The islands to the south remain loosely mapped, with some shorelines only ghosted in and other left notably blank, 'Partie inconue.' Nonetheless, significant advancement can be seen in the detailed sounding through in the Detroit de Rhio (Roiuw), the Detroit de Bolang, and the Detroit de Durian.

The publication history of this map is limited. The present 1847 example appears to be the only edition. The OCLC identifies the map, but also states that examples are unknown in any library that uses their system. In 1866 another, completely new map but with a similar range of coverage was issued by the Dépôt Général de la Marine, but this is very different chart and not valuable as a comparable. A unique acquisition opportunity for the Singapore collector.

Cartographers

Urbain Dortet de L'Espigarié de Tessan (August 25, 1804 - September 30, 1879) was a French physicist and Hydrographer Engineer active in Paris during the early to middle part of the 19th century. Tessan was considered among the most scientific of cartographers active at the time, and his work is notable for its meticulousness and precision. Tessan was born in Vigan, the scion of an old Languedoc family. He graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1825. On graduation, he was placed in the command of Beautemps-Beaupré (1824), under whom he participated in the Gironde estuary campaigns (surveying shifting sandbanks) and Bayonne (1825 - 26), before conducting seabed surveys at Saint-Malo and Saint-Brieuc. He was then reassigned to Lieutenant Commander A. Bérard of the brig Le Loiret; with whom he mapped the Algerian coast, devising in the process a new technique for offshore surveying (1831 - 33). From 1836 to 1839, he participated as expedition meteorlogist on the Abel Aubert Dupetit-Thouars (1793 - 1864) expedition, a scientific-naval westward circumnavigation of the globe on the frigate Vénus. After the circumnavigation, he worked mostly in and around France, retiring in 1852 as a first-class engineer. In 1861, he was voted a full member of l'Académie des Sciences. Tessan published several important works on physics, hydrography, astronomy, and more. Some of his more significant research presaged the invention of sonar over one hundred years later.   Further Details...

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...

Condition

Very good. Slight toning and minor spotting. Else clean.