1786 Huddart Map of the Pearl River, China: Hong Kong, Guangzhou

终于找到一张不错的珠江水道图了！

这是约瑟夫·哈达特于1786年绘制的中国珠江水文地图。这张珍贵的地图是哈达特于1785年亲自完成的全新勘测成果，当时他对澳门珠江雇佣的引航员的无能感到失望。

仔细观察

该地图涵盖珠江三角洲，大致从广州市至屯门，位于香港新界西部，以及深圳湾。地图包含多幅海岸线剖面图，以及详尽的航行指南。

人为航行危险

哈达特完成调查并发布这张海图，是为了解决珠江三角洲持续存在的航行问题——澳门引航员的强制性要求：

底格里斯河航行并不困难，但近年来许多船只因澳门引航员的无知而搁浅，而这些引航员对这条河知之甚少；然而，官员们却不愿更换他们，他们必须把（他们引来的）船重新开下去，他们说政府已经接纳了他们，他们必须了解这条河。

出版历史和人口普查

这幅地图最早于1786年由罗伯特·塞耶（Robert Sayer）根据约瑟夫·哈达特（Joseph Huddart）的水文测量数据绘制并出版，此处展示的是第一版。第二版由劳里和惠特尔（Laurie and Whittle）于1794年发行。所有版本都十分稀少，尤其是在私人市场上。法国国家图书馆、大英图书馆和香港科技大学等机构均有收藏。由于OCLC上的数字副本数量众多，因此无法对所有机构的收藏进行全面统计。

Cartographers

Joseph Huddart (January 11, 1741 - August 19, 1816) was a prominent English sea captain, hydrographer, chartmaker, inventor, and entrepreneur. Born into a fishing family in Allonby, near Maryport in Cumberland, he began his career at sea with his father as a fisherman. By 1762, he commanded the sloop Allonby, carrying cured fish to Ireland for the West Indian market. Later, he designed and built the first ship he would own privately, the Patience, launched in 1768 for the West Indies trade. In 1773, Huddart entered the service of the East India Company as Fourth Officer aboard the York, sailing to St. Helena and Bencoolen. During this voyage, he carried out extensive scientific surveys and observations along the western coast of Sumatra. His efforts came to public notice in 1777 when Robert Sayer published Huddart's charts of the Sumatran coastline and commissioned him to survey St. George's Channel, a project completed in the summer of 1778. The resulting chart, noted for its precision, secured his reputation as one of Britain's foremost hydrographers and ensured his financial success. Later, in 1777, he returned to the East India Company, where he rose to the position of Captain of the Royal Admiral. For nearly ten years, he sailed routes between India and China. In 1786, his chart of the Tigris (Pearl River, China) delta was issued by Robert Sayer. Huddart retired from active service in 1791 but continued to play a central role in maritime affairs. That same year, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1798, he became one of the founding directors of the East India Dock Company, laying its first foundation stone in 1804. He also served for 25 years as one of the Elder Brethren of Trinity House, offering his expertise on harbor and dock improvements. His inventive work included the three-arm protractor used by hydrographers and a system for using high-water marks in the London docks - a method that remained in practice until the 1960s. Perhaps his most significant contribution to the maritime arts was the development of steam-powered machinery for rope-making, which he transformed into a highly profitable enterprise.   Further Details...

Robert Sayer (1725 - January 29, 1794) was an important English map publisher and engraver active from the mid to late 18th century. Sayer was born in Sunderland, England, in 1725. He may have clerked as a young man with the Bank of England, but this is unclear. His brother, James Sayer, married Mary Overton, daughter-in-law of John Overton and widow of Philip Overton. Sayer initially worked under Mary Overton, but by December of 1748 was managing the Overton enterprise and gradually took it over, transitioning the plates to his own name. When Thomas Jefferys went bankrupt in 1766, Sayer offered financial assistance to help him stay in business and, in this way, acquired rights to many of the important Jefferys map plates as well as his unpublished research. From about 1774, he began publishing with his apprentice, John Bennett (fl. 1770 - 1784), as Sayer and Bennett, but the partnership was not formalized until 1777. Bennett retired in 1784 following a mental collapse and the imprint reverted to Robert Sayer. From 1790, Sayer added Robert Laurie and James Whittle to his enterprise, renaming the firm Robert Sayer and Company. Ultimately, Laurie and Whittle partnered to take over his firm. Sayer retired to Bath, where, after a long illness, he died. During most of his career, Sayer was based at 53 Fleet Street, London. His work is particularly significant for its publication of many British maps relating to the American Revolutionary War. Unlike many map makers of his generation, Sayer was a good businessman and left a personal fortune and great estate to his son, James Sayer, who never worked in the publishing business.   Further Details...

George Wigzell (1753 - December 12, 1833) was an English engraver active in London in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Wigzell was born in Greenwich to a poulterer. From 1769, he apprenticed under Joseph Ellis of the Stationer's Guild and joined the Guild in 1776. Wigzell engraved maps for Robert Sayer, Aaron Arrowsmith, John Stephenson, Laurie and Whittle, and others. His son, Thomas Wigzell (1791 - 1873), was also a map engraver.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. A few minor tears, stabilized on verso. Faint contemporary grid introduced in pencil - could be erased on request.

References

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, G7822.C7 1786.H84. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, département Cartes et plans, GE SH 18 PF. OCLC 1007363791.