1794 Laurie and Whittle Map of Singapore, Malay, and Borneo

新加坡海峡的罕见海图。

这是一幅罕见的1794年劳里和惠特尔绘制的马来半岛南端海图，包括新加坡岛（当时新加坡尚未建城）、马六甲海峡以及苏门答腊和婆罗洲的邻近地区。从制图学角度来看，这幅海图是对让-巴蒂斯特·达普雷·德·曼内维莱特早期发表于《东方海王星》杂志上的海图的大幅更新版本。

繁忙的通道

尽管当时新加坡贸易中心尚未建立，但这条航道却是通往中国和香料群岛的繁忙却又极其危险的要道。该地区拥有数条重要的海峡，包括马六甲海峡、新加坡海峡以及班卡海峡、加斯帕海峡和比利顿海峡。制图师记录了多艘船只的航线及其相关的测深数据，从而绘制出这片重要水域的水文时间线。记录的航线包括法国船只“马斯卡兰号”（1773年）、“昂斯洛号”、法国船只“星号”（1775年）、“范西塔特号”（1781年）以及“沙莫号”和“象号”（1759年）。尽管有这些地图和其他资料，该地区仍然危险重重，人们对它知之甚少。例如，在“凌加海峡”下方标注“鲜为人知”，而多格尔沙洲则“据说十分危险”。除了主地图外，这张精美的海图还包含十一幅海岸线剖面图，其中包括宾唐岛、普罗奥雷岛、凌伽岛、索拉岛和巴贝岛等地的景色。柔佛市位于马来亚半岛南端，也标注在海图上。

出版历史和人口普查

这是一幅极其罕见的海图。OCLC 仅收录了新加坡李光前参考图书馆的一份藏本。我们在澳大利亚国家图书馆和美国国会图书馆分别发现了第二份和第三份。除此之外，没有其他已知藏本。劳里和惠特尔于 1794 年 5 月 12 日在伦敦舰队街 53 号的办公室出版了这幅海图。它既有独立发行，也收录于《东印度航海指南》或《东方航海家》的各种合订本中。

Cartographers

Laurie and Whittle (fl. 1794 - 1858) were London, England, based map and atlas publishers active in the late 18th and early 19th century. Generally considered to be the successors to the Robert Sayer firm, Laurie and Whittle was founded by Robert Laurie (c. 1755 - 1836) and James Whittle (1757-1818). Robert Laurie was a skilled mezzotint engraver and is known to have worked with Robert Sayer on numerous projects. James Whittle was a well-known London socialite and print seller whose Fleet Street shop was a popular haunt for intellectual luminaries. The partnership began taking over the general management of Sayer's firm around 1787; however, they did not alter the Sayer imprint until after Sayer's death in 1794. Apparently Laurie did most of the work in managing the firm and hence his name appeared first in the "Laurie and Whittle" imprint. Together Laurie and Whittle published numerous maps and atlases, often bringing in other important cartographers of the day, including Kitchin, Faden, Jefferys and others to update and modify their existing Sayer plates. Robert Laurie retired in 1812, leaving the day to day management of the firm to his son, Richard Holmes Laurie (1777 - 1858). Under R. H. Laurie and James Whittle, the firm renamed itself "Whittle and Laurie". Whittle himself died six years later in 1818, and thereafter the firm continued under the imprint of "R. H. Laurie". After R. H. Laurie's death the publishing house and its printing stock came under control of Alexander George Findlay, who had long been associated with Laurie and Whittle. Since, Laurie and Whittle has passed through numerous permeations, with part of the firm still extant as an English publisher of maritime or nautical charts, 'Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson Ltd.' The firm remains the oldest surviving chart publisher in Europe.   Further Details...

Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Denis d'Après de Mannevillette (February 11, 1707 - March 1, 1780) was a French sailor, navigator, and hydrographer active in the mid-18th century. Mannevillette was born in Le Havre to a family of wealthy seafarers. He completed his first major voyage at 12, when he accompanied his father, Jean-Baptiste-Claude d'Après de Blangy, a captain of the Compagnie des Indes (French East India Company) vessel Solide to Bengal. On his return to France, he he studied mathematics and navigation in Paris under Joseph Nicholas De L'Isle (1688 - 1768) before returning to the sea at 19 as a fourth officer as on the merchant vessel Marechel d'Estrees. Mannevillette himself eventually attained the rank of Captain with the Compagnie des Indes. In the course of numerous voyages around Africa to India and China, Mannevillette collected and revised numerous nautical charts. His sophisticated use of the most modern instruments, most specifically the Octant or English Quarter, and keen mathematical mind, enabled Mannevillette to correct many significant errors common to earlier maps. These updates were eventually compiled and published in Mannevillette's most significant work, the 1745 Le Neptune Oriental. The 1745 Neptune Oriental was commissioned by the Compagnie des Indes and its production earned Mannevillette admission into the Academy of Sciences. The atlas was well received, but shortly after publication, most unsold examples were destroyed by the French Admiralty, who considered the secrets of East Indian navigation too dangerous for dissemination. In 1762 the Compagnie des Indes appointed Mannevillette director of chart at Lorient. In 1767 King Louis XV conferred the Order of St. Michael upon him and made him an associate of the Royal Marine Academy. In the 30 years following his first publication of Le Neptune Oriental, Mannevillette worked doggedly with his lifelong friend, Alexander Dalrymple (1737 - 1808) to update his original work with new and improved charts. In 1775, he republished his opus in a greatly expanded format - by this time nautical information was less tightly guarded. Mannevillette died on March 1, 1780 at 75 years of age.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Some restoration lower left including leaf casting to repair and stabilize area of thinning with slight loss near the 'S U M' of 'Sumatra'.

References

Phillips (Atlases) 4069. National Library of Australia, MAP Ra 72 Plate 61. National Library Board, Singapore, Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, English 623.8922472. OCLC 308676137.