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Description

Rare 1783 variant edition of Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu's A New General Chart of the Atlantic or Western Ocean and Adjacent Seas, first published in English by Sayer & Bennett in 1777.

An extremely detailed chart of the North Atlantic from the Equator to 61 degrees north and from Rostock and Fernando Po to the Gulf of Mexico and the Hudson Strait. A mass of detail, showing shoals rocks, vigias, notes of reported sightings. Part of the Pacific coast of Central & South America is also shown, but only naming chief headlands.

First published in 1777, this 1783 edition moves the title from the top left to the bottom right, adds a decorative cartouche, and expands the coverage of the map. The full title of the first edition of the map is A New General Chart of the Atlantic or Western Ocean and adjacent seas, including the coasts of Europe and Africa, from 60° north lat. to the Equator ; also the opposite coast of America .... with the determinations of the longitude as given by the marine clocks of M. F. Berthoud in the voyage performed by order of the Government of France in 1768, 69, in the ship Isis : By M. de Fleurieu, officer in the French Navy. London, Sayer, 1777.

The map retains the scientific detail of the de Fleurieu map, adding a large inset of Hudson's Bay and improvements from the first edition. Also gone is the credit to Fleurieu. The map was later issued by Sayer & Bennett in 1786 (with the Fleurieu credit included) and re-issued by Laurie & Whittle in 1794, 1800, 1803.

Rarity

We were unable to locate any example of this 1783 edition of the map.

Condition Description
Four sheets joined as one. Professionally restored with some splits and creases flattened and mended. Backed on modern archival linen with linen overlaying the margins somewhat.
Sayer & Bennett Biography

Sayer & Bennett refers to the partnership of Robert Sayer (ca. 1724-1794) and John Bennett (fl. 1760-d.1787), which lasted between 1774 and 1783. Bennett had been Sayer’s apprentice. The pair specialized in American atlases, based on the work of Thomas Jefferys, who plates had been acquired by Sayer when Jefferys went bankrupt in 1766. They also began publishing navigational charts in the 1780s and quickly became the largest supplier of British charts in the trade. However, in 1783 Bennett lost control of his mental faculties and the partnership dissolved as a result. Sayer’s business was later passed to his employees, Robert Laurie and James Whittle.