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This finely detailed map presents the easternmost expanses of the Russian Empire, drawing heavily on surveys produced by the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg and incorporating the maritime discoveries of Captain James Cook’s third voyage.
Geographically, the map extends from the Arctic Ocean south to northern China and eastward to the Pacific, encompassing Siberia, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Kuril Islands. It illustrates the rugged, mountainous terrain of eastern Siberia, the river systems flowing northward into the Arctic, and coastal features critical to 18th-century navigation.
The map shows two exploratory tracks across the Sea of Okhotsk labeled “Track of Pilot Petuszcov from Okotskoi in 1777” and “Return of Pilot Petuszcov to Okotskoi in 1778.” These routes document the voyages of a Russian pilot—known only by his surname, Petushkov—who sailed from Okhotsk to survey the eastern coastal regions near Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. We were not able to further identify the voyage. His missions reflect Russia’s broader efforts during the late eighteenth century to improve geographic knowledge of its remote eastern territories and to support growing maritime activities across the North Pacific.
Robert Laurie (ca. 1755-1836) and James Whittle (1757-1818) formed their Fleet Street, London-based firm upon the 1794 death of their employer Robert Sayer, himself one of the dominant print and mapmakers of the last half of the 18th century.
Laurie & Whittle started managing Sayer's business as early as 1787. They took over all managerial duties when Sayer's health flagged in 1792, and they changed the imprint in 1794 upon his death. Sayer left the two a 21-year lease on the shop (at £100 a year) and on Sayer's Bolt Court premises, as well as an option to acquire stock and equipment at a preferential price of £5,000 payable over three years.
Robert Laurie retired from the firm in 1812, and his role was assumed by his son, Richard Holmes Laurie (1777-1858). The younger Laurie worked with James Whittle until the latter died in 1818. After R. H. Laurie died in 1858, Alexander George Findlay, FRGS (1812-1875) purchased the firm from his daughters. The firm continues today under another name, specializing in yachting charts.
Laurie & Whittle were prolific print and map publishers, and throughout their careers, they produced numerous very important and rare works. They carried on Robert Sayer's atlas business and were responsible for editions of The Complete East-India Pilot and The American Atlas.
