Carte des Iles Seychelles. No. 1205. 1849 (dated) 20.5 x 27.5 in (52.07 x 69.85 cm) 1 : 535000

This is a rare 1849 French Dépôt-général de la marine nautical chart of the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. It was produced at a time when Britain and France were vying for influence in the Indian Ocean, part of a wider, cautious global imperial competition in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815).

A Closer Look

Coverage includes the islands and islets that form the core of the Seychelles Archipelago, near the largest and most inhabited island of Mahé. Soundings (in meters) are noted throughout, as are bottoms, rocks, shoals, and hazards. A table below the title provides conversion between feet, meters, and brasses, while a compass with magnetic variations appears at bottom.

Historical Context

Much of French imperial history in the 19th century was the result of competition with and a sense of inferiority vis-à-vis the British. France held several overseas territories but lacked anything on the order of the wealth and prestige the British gained from their effective control of India. These concerns led the French to consider establishing their own string of colonies in the Indian Ocean and eventually to the East Indies and China. In fact, this desire was in theory only solidifying earlier French claims: in addition to Réunion, which was and has remained part of France, the French also laid claim to Seychelles, Mauritius, and the Chagos Archipelago in the 18th century as part of a larger Isle de France colony, but these territories were seized by Britain in the course of the Napoleonic Wars (Réunion was occupied but returned to France at the end of the conflict).

Seeking to recover some of their lost prestige and power, in 1840, France gained a protectorate over the island of Nosy Be and part of the mainland of Madagascar and stationed troops there the following year. In 1841, the territory of Mayotte was purchased from the King of Boina on Madagascar, and has been part of France ever since. These moves were a prelude to more aggressive actions later in the 19th century, including a protectorate over all of Madagascar in 1882 and then its complete colonization in 1897, as well as claiming several atolls around Madagascar for France (the ‘Scattered Islands’ of Îles Éparses).

The Anglo-French rivalry in the Indian Ocean was a strange one, however. To begin with, the leading voice for colonial expansion in France at the time, Foreign Minister (and at times Prime Minister) François Guizot (1787 - 1874), was Anglophone and an Anglophile by instinct (he translated Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire into French), who saw Britain as a partner rather than an enemy. Aside from a desire to keep the peace (the Napoleonic Wars still fresh in their minds), the two countries worked together in this era to expand commercial exchanges and suppress the slave trade (though not slavery itself). They even cooperated on some military actions, including a joint blockage of the Rio de la Plata. Even after Guizot’s tenure, the French were loath to challenge the British directly, knowing they would be at a significant disadvantage in any naval confrontation. As in Asia more broadly, the French settled into a secondary role in the Indian Ocean, with Réunion and Madagascar as strongholds, jealously watching the ever-expanding writ of Great Britian.

Today, the independent country of Seychelles is known for being the smallest African country in terms of both population and land area. However, it is also the wealthiest African country on a per capita basis, and usually ranks as the continent’s best-functioning democracy. Much of the country’s success is thanks to its thriving tourism sector, driven by its lush landscape, picturesque beaches, and superior diving opportunities. Unfortunately, the islands are also highly susceptible to climate change and a rise in global sea levels.

Publication History and Census

This 1849 chart was engraved by Charles Dyonnet and Jacques-Marie Hacq, both of the Dépôt-général de la Marine. It is based on a 1825 British chart prepared by Capt. William Fitzwilliam Owen of the Royal Navy, with updates added by French navigators aboard the corvette Le Berceau in the mid-1840s. This chart is not recorded in the OCLC and is only held by the Swedish Royal Naval Academy. Scarce to the market.

CartographerS

Dépôt des Cartes et Plans de la Marine (fl. 1720 - present), often called the Dépôt de Marine, was a French hydrographic mapping organization founded in 1720 under Charles-Hercule of Albert de Luynes (1674 - 1734). Much like the U.S. Coast Survey, the British Admiralty, and the Spanish Deposito Hydrografico, the Dépôt was initiated as a storehouse and distribution center of existing nautical and marine charts. Eventually the Dépôt initiated its own mapping activities in an attempt to improve and expand upon existing material. Some of the more prominent cartographers and hydrographers associated with the of Dépôt Générale des Cartes were, Philippe Buache, Jacques-Nicholas Bellin, Giovanni Rizzi-Zannoni, Rigobert Bonne, and Jean Nicolas Buache. More by this mapmaker...

Charles Dyonnet (fl. c. 1822 - c. 1880) was an extremely active Paris based engraver working in the mid to late 19th century. From his offices at 220 Rue St. Jacques, Paris, Dyonnet engraved numerous maps for many of the most prominent 19th French cartographic publishers including Vuillemin, Dufour, Fremin and Duvotenay. From 1850-1861, he held the coveted position of “Graveur du Dépot de la Marine,” and in this position engraved numerous French naval and military maps. Dyonnet had a detail oriented and aesthetically minded hand and is responsible from some of the most beautiful French maps to emerge during the 19th century. Learn More...

Jacques-Marie Hacq (September 22, 1785 – 18??) was a French letter and line engraver, and historian, active in Paris during the middle part of the 19th century. Hacq was born in Paris and trained under J. P. Besançon, who he succeeded at the Dépôt de la Guerre in 1830. He engraved for the Dépôt de la Guerre as early as 1830 and for the Dépôt des Cartes et Plans de la Marine from, at least, 1840 to 1852. In addition to his work for the French Government, he also completed maps and engravings for Lesage, Lapie, Dufour, Duperrez, Gouvion St. Cyr, and Dumont d’Urville. His historical works include a history of the Napoleonic Wars and a history of Paris under the reign of Louis XIII. During most of his career in Paris he lived at 58 Rue de la Harpe. Learn More...

William Fitzwilliam Owen (September 17, 1774 - November 3, 1857) was an officer in the British navy and a renowned explorer. He embarked on the HMS Culloden as a midshipman at the age of 13 and began his life in the navy. He served under Lord Nelson during the first years of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1803, when war with France resumed, he was given command of the 16-gun brig HMS Safflower and sent to the East Indies, where he would spend the next few years. He explored the Maldives in 1806 and discovered the Seaflower Channel, which is between the islands of Siberut and Sipora off the west coast of Sumatra, that same year. In 1808 he was captured by the French and imprisoned in Mauritius for two years. he returned to England in 1813 and spent from 1815 to 1816 surveying the Canadian Great Lakes.

Between 1821 and 1826, Owen mapped the entire east coast of Africa from the Cape of Good Hope to the Horn of Africa in the sloop Leven. He returned in 1826 with 300 new charts which covered 30,000 miles of coastline, but over half of the original crew had died of tropical diseases. In the mid-1830s, nearing the end of his career, Owen moved his family to New Brunswick, where he became involved in local politics and even served as a justice of the peace. In the final action of his career in the Navy, Owen conducted the definitive survey of the Bay of Fundy between September 1842 and December 1847. Some charts in use today are based on his work. Learn More...

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