A French sailor and hydrographer, D' Après de Mannevillette (1707-1780) used new instruments to correct the latitudes measured by previous explorers. His atlas Le Neptune Oriental, first published in 1745, was considered a major achievement and an indispensable resource for navigators.

This uncommon sea chart shows northern Java and eastern Sumatra along with an inset of the small islands in the Detroit Sound. The handsome chart provides detailed navigational information, including the route of Julien Crozet in April 1772, who led a French expedition to the South Pacific after the voyage's commander, Marion De Fresne, and 26 crew members were killed (and allegedly eaten) by a Maori tribe in the Bay of Islands off the coast of New Zealand.

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) M.APR-1c.

Condition: A

A nice impression on a bright sheet with a small church watermark and a tiny tear in the left blank margin.