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Large engraved "blueback" sea chart covering the full breadth of the South Atlantic Ocean, extending from the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Guinea in the north to the South Shetlands and Sandwich Islands in the far south. The coasts of South America and Africa are rendered in extensive detail, with soundings, coastal place names, and navigational instructions, reflecting British hydrographic efforts during the height of global maritime commerce. Insets show detailed plans of important harbors and landfalls including Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco, Stanley Harbour (Falklands), Ascension Island, St. Helena, and Table & False Bays (South Africa). Coastal profiles of Table Mountain, Cape Horn, and other major landmarks are included for navigational reference.
Wind roses, isogonic lines, and prevailing current annotations are scattered across the open ocean. Commentary address the Agulhas Current and navigational strategies around Cape Horn. The Equator and Tropic of Capricorn are clearly marked, with trade routes and voyage tracks showing seasonal variation in sailing directions between Europe, South America, and southern Africa.
This edition, dated 1863, was issued during a period of transition in global navigation, as steam increasingly supplemented sail. Hobbs, a prominent British hydrographer, published a wide range of oceanic charts under the imprint of Norie & Wilson, a leading London navigation firm that had been operating since the early 19th century.
A monumental chart both in scale and geographic coverage, capturing the global interconnectedness of maritime routes between the Americas and Africa during the Victorian period.
Provenance
This example with pencil sea tracks noting a voyage to and from the Pacific Ocean, around the Horn.
![[ South America / Mexico City ] Americae Peruvi Aque Ita ut Postremum Detecta Traditur Recens Delineatio](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/106805.jpg)
