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Nautical Maps and Charts |
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JFW
Des Barres, A chart of New York Harbour from his Atlantic
Neptune, 1778
JFW
Des Barres (1722-1824) was born in Switzerland but trained as a military
engineer at the college in Woolwich, England. This college, like its
counterparts in France, Spain and Prussia, gave young officers a grounding in
cartography, which was now an essential element in all military operations.
Posted to north America, he served with general Wolfe at the captuire of
Quebec (1759),
and constantly worked on mapping the area. His work came to stand as the
climax of a long period of chart-making, for in five volumes – variable
according to the needs of the captains using them – he brilliantly delineated
the complicated coastline, including some land topography as well. Our detail
shows the care with which he showed New York Harbor in 1778.
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