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Rare and important map of Paraguay prepared by Ernest Amédée Barthélemy Mouchez, a French naval officer who became director of the Paris Observatory and launched the ill-fated Carte du Ciel project in 1887.
According to the title the information was gathered during his voyages in 1857 - 1859 on the steamship "Bisson" and published by the French "Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine". The map contains the results of Mouchez's 3 years of expeditions up the Parana and Paraguay River and compilation of the best available cartographic information.
Born in Madrid, Mouchez embarked on a career in the French Navy as an ensign in 1843. Mouchez initially worked on hydrographic studies along the coasts of Korea, China and South America, penetrating 200 miles up the Paraguay River and exploring the Abrolhos Islands, during which time he came into contact with Aime Bonpland, with whom Bonplan made a botanical excursion and sent horticulture samples with Mouchez back to the French Consul in Montevideo.
Mouchez improved the practice of surveying at sea, adapting terrestrial instruments for naval use, and was especially concerned with the problems of determining longitude. He developed the use of the theodolite and meridian telescope to improve the error in establishing longitude from around 30° to 3-4°.
![[The Rarest State] Americae Sive Novi Orbis Nova Descriptio](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/80521.jpg)
