This map of Anson's voyage around the world is from an Italian edition. It is nearly identical to the English edition "A Chart Shewing the Track of the Centurion Round the World…" except for the Italian place names and the addition of a decorative title cartouche. Details are primarily confined to the coastlines, with mostly blank interiors save for large rivers, lakes, seas and important cities. California is depicted as an island, and is a late depiction of this cartographic error. Only the western half of Australia is delineated and is connected to New Guinea, and there is no mention of New Zealand. The title cartouche features female representations of the four continents, each with a symbol related to their continent: a cathedral and cornucopia for Europe, incense for Asia, a lion for Africa, and an alligator for the Americas.

This map accompanied an account of Commodore Anson's expedition to the South Seas to harass the Spanish bases but, more importantly, plunder their shipping. From a military viewpoint the expedition was a disaster: back-stabbing in the Admiralty meant that Anson was equipped with poor ships and received a regiment of Chelsea Pensioners rather than the promised Marines. One had served at the Battle of the Boyne sixty years earlier! Half had deserted before they reached the docks at Portsmouth. An atrocious voyage meant that the fleet arrived in the Pacific in very poor shape, but a stroke of luck presented them with a Spanish galleon laden with silver. On their return to London, thirty-two wagons were needed to transfer it to the Tower of London.

References: Sabin #101189.

Condition: B+

A crisp impression, issued folding on a bright, watermarked sheet with narrow margins at top and bottom. There is a vertical printer's crease in the Pacific and a short tear in the left blank margin.