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Description

Rare and unusual map of the world, produced in Paris by Jacques Clermont.

Clermont's map gives a credible account of the known world up to, but pre-dating, Cook's first voyage.  This includes Anson's cartography in the Pacific, Tasman's treatment of Australia and New Zealand, The Sea of Korea and Tchirikow's discoveries in 1741 along the eastern coat of Russia and Alaska, along with earlier Russian discoveries from 1728.   The map notes "What is called West Sea can be placed in this part" a suggestion that Clermont was agnostic on the Sea of the West theory.  At the west end of Hudson Bay, a note that the English are seeking a route to the "Mer du Sud" (Pacific Ocean).

The map was apparently issued to accompany a book by Rabiqueau, which seeks to demonstrate that the world is really flat. Warren Heckrotte, in his notes, queries "How he accommodates this map - a Mercator's projection of the world - to that thesis, I do not understand, even though the title states that the geography is 'tres aisée'." 

There are graphic depictions of flames along the equator, and ice and snow in the polar regions, with a note in the northwest stating "it is unknown if this region is land or sea."

 A curious note at the bottom left translates as follows:

Nous prevenons que cette carte reduite, presentant des oppositions locales a raison de la proximite de l'Amerique avec l'Asie &c. Nous ne nous en servons que comme etant la  plus propre a Etablire notre Systesme. Car le Trait de la rotondite, une foise ote du cannevas, on aura bientot une carte concordante. 

We anticipate that this reduced map, presenting local oppositions is due to the proximity of America with Asia & c. We use it only as being the most suitable for establishing our system. Because the trait of rotondite, a feast of cannevas, we will soon have a concordant map.

Charles Rabiqueau was an engineer and optician to the King of France and gave courses of experimental physics, at rue Dauphine.  The first part of book deals with the elements and principles that animate the Earth, the Sun and living beings, while the second deals with the different phenomena that govern the celestial and terrestrial elements between them. This includes observations on magnetism, electricity, stars, comets, meteors, eclipses.

Rarity

OCLC/WorldCat cites only a single example of the map (Bibliotheque Nationale de France).

Provenance: Warren Heckrotte Collection.