Moresby, Robert
Robert Moresby (June 15, 1794 - June 15, 1854) was British Royal Navy and Indian Navy officer and hydrographer. Moresby is most famous for his 1829 - 1833 trigonometrical hydrographic survey of the Red Sea, a seminal work that opened the sea to steam navigation and for which Richard Burton called him 'the Genius of the Red Sea'. Afterwards, from 1834 to 1836 he completed the first complete hydrographic survey of the Maldives - an exceptionally complex region to survey due to its size and the sheer number of coral atolls. He then surveyed the Chagos Archipelago, and the vast submerged reef southeast of the Seychelles. His survey work under often extreme heat conditions, proved hard on his health and by 1839 forced him to give up hydrographic work altogether. After several years of recuperation in India, he returned to the sea in 1842 as captain of the luxurious 'Peninsular and Oriental' steamer, HMS Hindostan. In addition to his survey work, Moresby was also an excellent landscape painter whose artwork record scenes from his many voyages.
Largest Atoll Structure in the World.
Carte des Iles Chagos. No. 945.
$1,200.00
Acquire
- Digital Map Information
- Suitable for large format printing
- File Size: 28.38 MB
- File Type: ZIP / TIFF
- ICC color profile embedded
- Delivered instantly via download link
This is a scarce, large-format 1841 French Dépôt-général de la marine nautical chart of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It was produced at a time when Britain and France were vying for influence in the Indian Ocean, part of a wider, cautious global imperial competition in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars. (more details)