Carte Generale de la partie Meridionale de la Nouvelle Hollande. . .Terre D'Anthony van Diemen. . .

A rarely seen map showing, in great detail, an area of Tasmania explored by Admiral Bruny-Dentrescasteaux. The expedition to search for the lost expedition of La Perouse occurred in 1792-93, the height of the French Revolution.
The expedition ended in the East Indies amid open clashes between the Royalists and the Republicans in the crew.
The chart centers on the area known as Storm Bay showing track date and excellent coastal topography and survey detail. Inset maps of the southern end of Van Diemens Land, Marion Bay and Frederick Hendrick Bay.
Local islands, rivers, gulfs and bays shown, depth soundings also given.

This is the edition of the extremely rare atlas "Neptune des côtes orientales et du grand archipel d'Asie", published in 1807. The atlas was a supplement to the atlas series published by Hydrographic office and prepared by C.F Beautemps-Beaupré, who is now regarded as the father of modern French hydrography. The maps for the Neptune edition are printed on very thick and larger paper. The usual text in upper right corner is not there and but instead "N°. 301" is engraved and instead of Bouclet's name the words "Prix Deux Francs" in bottom. Very rare.

Joseph Antoine Bruny-d'Entrecasteaux was born at Aix in Provence in 1739 and died at sea in 1793. He entered the marine service at the age of 15, and soon won praise for his work as a hydrographer. He became governor of the islands of Mauritius and Bourbon.
Later in 1791 he was put in charge of the expedition to search for la Perouse. During his voyage he explored, mapped and named many places on the coast of Australia. Baie de la Recherche, Port d'Esperance, Detroit d'Entrecasteaux etc.
The atlas was published in Paris in 1807.

The charts prepared for d'Entrecasteaux, mostly by Beautemps-Beaupre, were of a very high quality and Matthew Flinders, the English explorer and hydrographer calling them the finest specimens of marine survey. The contribution made by d'Entrecasteaux to the mapping of the southern coast of Australia was indeed considerable.



Beautemps-Beaupré is regarded as the father of the modern hydrograpy.
Beautemps-Beaupré was born on August 6, 1766 in La Neuville-au-Pont (Marne). He was introduced to map drawing by his cousin Nicolas Buache, and he entered in 1780 as a hydrographer at the Depot of maps and plans of the French Navy. He was admitted as a pupil in his turn in 1783. There, he collaborated in the preparation of maps that La Pérouse carried on his journey.
He left in 1791 on the Search with admiral d'Entrecasteaux and remains absent five years. During this campaign, he developed entirely new ways of using charts under sail. Overcoming the compass variations, the remarkable points of the coast are shown in insets.
In 1779, Napoleon charged him with the hydrographic reconnaissance of the Dunkirk coast and various other works.
In 1816, Beautemps-Beaupré began the complete reconstruction of the hydrography of the coasts of France. Operations at sea will last 23 years. The French pilot, completed in 1844, the result of his work, was admired by the entire maritime world.
He was a Knight of Saint-Louis, Knight of Saint Michel, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, he died in 1854, at the age of 88 years. He left to his companions the memory of a simple man, modest, judicious, courageous and good. Leading the way in the work, training his engineers, Beautemps-Beaupré has earned the title of father of the hydrography that has been awarded.
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Reference: Tooley, the mapping of Australia, Part III, Printed maps of Tasmania, #163, page 309.