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Swiss Glaciers Described
This 1799 map of Switzerland, published by Wiliam Faden in London, offers a detailed topographical and political depiction of the region, emphasizing the Thirteen Cantons, their allies, and subjects.
One of the prominent insets at the bottom center, titled Vue de la Vallée de Chamouny et des Glacieres du Côté du Midi, Prise de l'Eglise de Chamouny en 1742, provides a picturesque view of the Chamonix Valley and the surrounding glaciers, taken from the perspective of the Chamonix church. The detailed annotations in this inset label significant geographic features, such as Mont Blanc, the Mont Malet, and various glaciers like the Glacier des Bossons and Glacier des Bois. This inset emphasizes the \majestic scope of the Alpine region, underlining the importance of the mountainous geography to Swiss identity and European natural science in the period.
At the lower left of the map, another inset presents a list of the heights of the various glaciers and peaks in the region, with precise measurements in pieds Anglais (English feet) above the Mediterranean Sea. Peaks like Mont Blanc are prominently noted, as well as other significant elevations like Mont Paiclairais (or Aiguille d'Argentière), Mont du Tour, and the Valley of Chamonix. This topographical data reflects the advanced surveying and scientific interest of the era, particularly in the Alpine regions.
An additional inset, placed below the geographical chart, offers a warning and explanatory note (Avertissement), detailing the sources of the cartographic information. The text credits the triangulations completed in 1775 by Sir George Augustus William Shuckburgh-Evelyn, highlighting the significant contributions of this British polymath to determining the relative positions of key locations like Geneva, Mont Blanc, and neighboring peaks.
This section of the map, titled Observations, provides a comprehensive political and religious overview of Switzerland in 1799. It categorizes the Thirteen Swiss Cantons based on their religious affiliation, differentiating between Protestant, Catholic, and Mixed cantons, and lists the allied regions and subject territories within the Swiss Confederation. The cantons are organized by religion, with Protestant cantons including Zurich, Berne, Basle, and Schafouse, while Catholic cantons consist of Lucerne, Uri, Schwitz, Underwald, Zug, Fribourg, and Soleure. The mixed cantons include Glaris and Appenzel, reflecting Switzerland’s religious diversity at the time.
The map also outlines the allied regions of Switzerland, which were politically connected to the Confederation through various alliances. These include the Grisons, composed of three leagues (the League Grise, the Cadée, and the Dix Droitures), as well as Valais, the Principality of Neuchâtel, Geneva, the Abbey and Valley of St. Gall, the Bishopric of Basle, the City of Bienne, and the City of Mulhausen. These regions, while not formal members of the Swiss Confederation, played crucial roles in its political and military alliances.
In addition, the map lists the subject territories governed by the Swiss Cantons. Among these are the Thurgovie, the County of Sargans, and several free provinces under the authority of Zurich, Berne, Lucerne, Uri, Schwitz, Underwald, Zug, and Glaris. Specific administrative districts, or bailliages, such as those in Rheinthal, Gaster, and Uznach, are also mentioned, highlighting the extent of control held by certain cantons over neighboring regions.
William Faden (1749-1836) was the most prominent London mapmaker and publisher of the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries. His father, William Mackfaden, was a printer who dropped the first part of his last name due to the Jacobite rising of 1745.
Apprenticed to an engraver in the Clothworkers' Company, he was made free of the Company in August of 1771. He entered into a partnership with the family of Thomas Jeffreys, a prolific and well-respected mapmaker who had recently died in 1771. This partnership lasted until 1776.
Also in 1776, Faden joined the Society of Civil Engineers, which later changed its name to the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers. The Smeatonians operated as an elite, yet practical, dining club and his membership led Faden to several engineering publications, including canal plans and plans of other new engineering projects.
Faden's star rose during the American Revolution, when he produced popular maps and atlases focused on the American colonies and the battles that raged within them. In 1783, just as the war ended, Faden inherited his father's estate, allowing him to fully control his business and expand it; in the same year he gained the title "Geographer in Ordinary to his Majesty."
Faden also commanded a large stock of British county maps, which made him attractive as a partner to the Ordnance Survey; he published the first Ordnance map in 1801, a map of Kent. The Admiralty also admired his work and acquired some of his plates which were re-issued as official naval charts.
Faden was renowned for his ingenuity as well as his business acumen. In 1796 he was awarded a gold medal by the Society of Arts. With his brother-in-law, the astronomer and painter John Russell, he created the first extant lunar globe.
After retiring in 1823 the lucrative business passed to James Wyld, a former apprentice. He died in Shepperton in 1826, leaving a large estate.
