Spherical chart of part of the coast of Peru, from the Parallel of 7.° to 21.° 45.' South Latititude; Surveyed and Drawn by Order of the King of Spain in the year 1790, By Officers of the Royal Navy.

1805 William Faden Nautical Chart of Coastal Peru

Publication Date: 1805

About this Item

Very good. Centerfold reinforced at margin. Size 33.5 x 22 Inches. This beautiful, rare nautical map of the coast of Peru was printed in 1805 by William Faden. It is based on the elusive chart of Felipe Bauzá y Cañas, who attended the Alexandro Malaspina Expedition (1789 - 1794) on its 1790 exploration of this coast. A Closer Look The nautical chart details the Pacific coast of South America from the vicinity of Chiclayo, Peru to south of Iquique, Chile. The tracks of Malaspina's two corvettes, the Descubierta and the Atrevida , are marked. Six coastal profile views are included in the upper right. Another notation is added from a different source: a rock sighted in 1792 by the captain of the Hercules , a West Indiaman converted to a whaling ship. 1792 would have been her first whaling voyage. Malaspina Expedition Setting off from Cadiz in 1789, the five-year Malaspina Expedition was the most important Spanish voyage of discovery of the 18th century. Aboard the two corvettes, Malaspina and his subordinate José de Bustamante y Guerra sailed from Spain to the Pacific, surveying both the physical coasts and the political landscape of the Spanish Empire in America and the Philippines. During the leg depicted on the present chart, the two ships were sailing separately; they would rejoin in Mexico in March 1790. After further exploration of the Pacific, from Nootka to Manila to Australia, the fleet returned to Cadiz in September 1793. Malaspina's Exile and Silencing On his return, Malaspina was well-received by King Charles IV and Prime Minister Manuel de Godor, who promoted him to fleet-brigadier. But when he submitted his political review of the Empire to the government, it was deemed politically volatile for his recommendation that Spain free its colonies - among other absurdities! - and he was not permitted to publish. Malaspina complained vehemently in Madrid newspapers, whilst joining in a conspiracy to oust Godoy. He was accused of his role in the conspiracy, stripped of rank, and imprisoned from 1796 to 1802. When he was freed - partially under pressure from Napoleon - he was exiled from Spain. Due both his political disfavor and the economic constraints of Spain's war with revolutionary France, Malaspina's account remained unpublished. Nonetheless, several charts based upon the expedition's discoveries were issued by the Dirección de Hydrographia , including the source of this map, Felipe Bauza?'s 1798 Carta Esferica de una Parte de la Costa del Peru . Publication History and Census This map was engraved on behalf of William Faden for separate publication in 1805. It is rare on the market, and appears in only two institutions in OCLC: Princeton and the Clements Library. References: OCLC 77879427.

Seller Inventory # Peru-faden-1805

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Spherical chart of part of the coast of Peru, from the Parallel of 7.° to 21.° 45.' South Latititude; Surveyed and Drawn by Order of the King of Spain in the year 1790, By Officers of the Royal Navy.
• Publication Date: 1805
• Seller catalogs:
  • SOUTH-AMERICA