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Description

Rare early charting of New Providence in the Bahamas, published by the British Admiralty.

The map provides a remarkably detailed treatment of the soundings and conditions of Providence and neighboring islands, including Hogg Island (now Paradise Island). Lighthouses are shown in Yellow and a town plan is laid out for Nassau. Fort Charlotte is located, as are several other villages.

Edward Barnett (1799-1879) entered the Royal Navy in 1811, quite probably before his 12th Birthday. He attained the rank of Lieutenant in 1826, Commander in 1838, Captain in 1846, Retired Rear-Admiral in 1864, Retired Vice-Admiral in 1871 and Retired Admiral in1877. Barnett worked in the Hydrographic Department from 1830 to 1833, before venturing into service in the Americas between 1835 and 1846. During this time, he led the survey of the Coast of Central America and the Bahamas, first aboard the Jackdaw, which was lost on an uncharted reef off Old Providence, and later as the Commander of the Lark and the Thunder.

The 1839 map of New Providence is quite rare, with only 1 example appearing on the market in the past 30 years.

Condition Description
Minor tear at lower right corner.
British Admiralty Biography

The British Admiralty has produced nautical charts since 1795 under the auspices of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (HO). Its main task was to provide the Royal Navy with navigational products and service, but since 1821 it has also sold charts to the public.

In 1795, King George III appointed Alexander Dalrymple, a pedantic geographer, to consolidate, catalogue, and improve the Royal Navy’s charts. He produced the first chart as the Hydrographer to the Admiralty in 1802. Dalrymple, known for his sticky personality, served until his death in 1808, when he was succeeded by Captain Thomas Hurd. The HO has been run by naval officers ever since.

Hurd professionalized the office and increased its efficiency. He was succeeded by the Arctic explorer Captain William Parry in 1823. By 1825, the HO was offering over seven hundred charts and views for sale. Under Parry, the HO also began to participate in exploratory expeditions. The first was a joint French-Spanish-British trip to the South Atlantic, a voyage organized in part by the Royal Society of London.

In 1829, Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort was appointed Hydrographer Royal. Under his management, the HO introduced the wind force scale named for him, as well as began issuing official tide tables (1833). It was under Beaufort that HMS Beagle completed several surveying missions, including its most famous voyage commanded by Captain FitzRoy with Charles Darwin onboard. When Beaufort retired in 1855, the HO had nearly two thousand charts in its catalog.

Later in the nineteenth century, the HO supported the Challenger expedition, which is credited with helping to found the discipline of oceanography. The HO participated in the International Meridian Conference which decided on the Greenwich Meridian as the Prime Meridian. Regulation and standardization of oceanic and navigational measures continued into the twentieth century, with the HO participating at the first International Hydrographic Organization meeting in 1921.

During World War II, the HO chart making facility moved to Taunton, the first purpose-built building it ever inhabited. In 1953, the first purpose-built survey ship went to sea, the HMS Vidal. Today, there is an entire class of survey vessels that make up the Royal Navy’s Hydrographic Squadron. The HO began to computerize their charts in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1968, the compilation staff also came to Taunton, and the HO continues to work from there today.