1869 Imray Chart of South China Sea, Coasts: Hong Kong, Hainan, Vietnam

A large and highly detailed 1869 James Imray and Son blueback chart or nautical map of the South China Sea (or, for Vietnamese, the East Sea) region between Hong Kong, Hainan, and Vietnam. It provides a tremendous amount of information for the navigator, including a large inset of the waters off Hong Kong, seven other insets, and coast profiles.

A Closer Look

The chart covers from just beyond the Pearl River Delta, south past and including Hainan, and most of the coast of Vietnam to Phan Thiet, some 100 miles east of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and a similar distance up the coast from the Mekong Delta. It was used for actual navigation and there are pencil marks and manuscript updates associated with maritime use.

Soundings are provided all along the coast and around islands, cays, and other features in the South China Sea. Currents, shoals, banks, hazards, anchorages, beacons, magnetic variations, the best routes to and from Hong Kong, and other maritime features are recorded. Some areas of coast are only tentatively mapped, indicated with a dotted line. Helpful explanatory notes point out information such as the nature of coastal waters and terrain, the location of coaling stations, and whether certain islands and coastal areas were heavily populated. Settlements and elevation are illustrated on land to aid with navigation.

Eight insets provide more detailed charts focusing on Hong Kong, Nha-Trang, Cam-Ranh, Port Xuan-Dai, Touron (Da Nang) Bay, Cape Boung-Quioua (near the border of today's Quảng Bình and Hà Tĩnh provinces), Yu-Lin-Kau (Yulin Port, 榆林口), and Gaalong (Yalong) Bay (亚龙湾). Several of these are excellent natural harbors and consequently have been utilized as commercial and military ports in the 20th and 21st centuries. At top-left, profiles of the entrance to four of these harbors are depicted. A legend appears at top-right, along with a warning that much of the coastline was only partially and imperfectly delineated.

The maddening complexity of the Pearl River Delta is immediately apparent, in part a reflection of greater familiarity with that region by British hydrographers, but also a genuine representation of the innumerable bays, inlets, coves, islets, hazards, and other challenges for any ship attempting to navigate these waters.

Contested Waters

Among other reasons, this chart is notable for its careful documentation of features in the South China Sea, including the Paracel (西沙 / Hoàng Sa) Islands, the Macclesfield Bank (中沙大環礁), and the northernmost portion of the Spratley (南沙 / Trường Sa) Islands. These features have been at the center of territorial disputes between China, Vietnam, and other countries for decades, which have intensified in recent years.

Blueback Charts

Blueback nautical charts began appearing in London in the late 18th century. Bluebacks, as they came to be called, were privately published large format nautical charts known for their distinctive blue paper backing. The backing, a commonly available blue manila paper traditionally used by publishers to wrap unbound pamphlets, was adopted as a practical way to reinforce the low-quality paper used by private chart publishers in an effort to cut costs. That being said, not all blueback charts are literally backed with blue paper. The earliest known blueback charts include a 1760 chart issued by Mount and Page, and a 1787 chart issued by Robert Sayer.

The tradition took off in the early 19th century, when British publishers like John Hamilton Moore, Robert Blachford, James Imray, William Heather, John William Norie, Charles Wilson, David Steel, R. H. Laurie, and John Hobbs, among others, rose to dominate the chart trade. Bluebacks became so popular that the convention was embraced by chartmakers outside of England, including Americans Edmund March Blunt and George Eldridge, as well as Scandinavian, French, German, Russian, and Spanish chartmakers. Blueback charts remained popular until the late 19th century, when government subsidized organizations like the British Admiralty Hydrographic Office and the United States Coast Survey began issuing their own superior charts on high quality paper that did not require reinforcement.

Imray's 'East India Archipelago' Series

This chart was part of series of nine maps issued by Imray entitled 'East India Archipelago' (subtitled 'Western Route to China') covering from the East Indies to the central China coast. Imray's charts are notable for their detail and their availability to traders and other mariners, as opposed to the charts of the Admiralty, which were primarily intended for government and military use. Imray nevertheless drew on Admiralty charts, while also incorporating information directly from mariners (each chart requests communication for improvements to future editions). Thus, his were typically the most detailed and up-to-date charts available on the private market.

This series of charts was particularly important for traders bound for Hong Kong, Shanghai, or other 'treaty ports' in China. A thorough understanding of currents, trade winds, coastal hazards, and other factors was absolutely necessary for increasing the likelihood of a safe journey to and from China. Even the adoption of steam powered ships did not fully overcome these obstacles, while adding new ones, such as the need to stop at coaling stations.

Publication History and Census

This chart was produced by James Imray and Son in 1869, seemingly the first edition, with a stamp dated 1870, suggesting possible updates. Later editions appeared with printed dates of 1871, 1878, and 1881, usually with a blue stamp dated to the following year, as here. The only example noted in institutional holdings in the OCLC is an example of the 1881 (stamped 1882) edition at the National Library of Australia.