First Edition. A Nearly Flawless Example.
The French Navy's Official Atlas of the American Coasts During the Revolution.
"A collection of very beautiful charts of the coast of North America, with plans of the ports and harbours" - Sabin
The Neptune Americo-Septentrional, a seminal collection of nautical charts, was published during the height of the American Revolutionary War, under the auspices of Antoine Sartine, Minister of the French Navy. This atlas, first released for the strategic use of the French Navy, encapsulates an extensive survey of the North American coastline, stretching from Greenland to the Gulf of Mexico, including Florida, Louisiana, and various significant ports and rivers.
This atlas represents a critical moment in maritime history, produced amidst the geopolitical turbulence of the late 18th century. Its creation coincided with a period marked by the American Revolution and the ensuing recalibration of colonial powers. Antoine Sartine, notable for his efforts in modernizing the French fleet, orchestrated the compilation of these charts, underscoring the strategic maritime importance of North America during this era. The detailed maps and plans within the atlas were integral to naval operations, offering unprecedented precision and breadth in depicting the American Atlantic coast and its adjoining waterways.
The Neptune Americo-Septentrional draws upon both French and foreign cartographic sources, augmented by authentic manuscript plans and aligned with contemporary astronomical observations. The atlas includes 36 charts and plans, showcasing key locations such as Chesapeake Bay, the ports of Boston Harbor, Charleston Harbor, Narragansett Bay, Port Royal, New York Harbor and the Delaware Bay and River to Philadelphia. Other important charts cover Florida, the Gulf Coast and Cape Fear, North Carolina.
Notably, William Faden, the preeminent English cartographer, acquired three copies of the atlas, distributing them to influential figures including the hydrographer to the East India Company, the secretary of the admiralty, and King George III. Furthermore, the Dépôt de la Marine, the French governmental body responsible for the atlas's publication, notably sent a copy to American statesman Benjamin Franklin. This gesture symbolizes the intertwining of scientific, military, and diplomatic endeavors in the late 18th century, epitomizing the atlas’s enduring legacy in the annals of cartographic and naval history.
List of Maps
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Carte Réduite des Côtes Orientales de L'Amérique Septentrionale contenant Celles des Provinces de New-York et de la Nouvelle Angleterre, celles de l'Arcadie ou Nouvelle Ecosse de l'ile St. Jean avec l'intérieur du Pays (1780)
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Carte Réduite des Côtes Orientales de L'Amérique Septentrionale contenant Partie du Nouveau Jersey, la Pen-sylvanie, le Mary-land, la Virginie, la Caroline Septentrionale, la Caroline Méridionale et la Géorgie (1778)
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Plan de L'Île de St. Jean (1778)
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Carte de la Baie des Chaleurs (1780)
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Plans Particuliers Dépendans de L'Île Royale [5 plans on 1 sheet]
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Carte Réduite de L'Ile Royale (1780)
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Plan de la Ville du Port de Louisbourg levé en 1756 (1779)
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Plan de la Baie de Gabarus (1779)
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Plan de la Baie de Nerichac (1779)
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Plan de Port Toulouse (1779)
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Plan du Port Dauphin (1778)
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Plan du Port de Chibouctou (1779)
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Plan du Port de la Rivière St. Jean (1779)
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Plan du Port de la Heve
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Plan du Port Rochelois
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Plan de l’Isthme de L’Acadie (1779)
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Plan de la Baie et du Havre de Casco (1779)
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Plan du Bassin et de la Rivière du Port Royal ou Annapolis (1779)
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Carte Particulière du Havre de Boston (1780)
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Plan de la Baie de Narraganset (1780)
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Carte de la Baye et Rivière de Delaware (1778)
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Carte de l'Entrée de la Rivière d’Hudson (1778)
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Carte de la Baie de Chesapeake (1778) [inset map] Plan de la Baie Herring en Maryland
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Plan de la Rivière du Cap Fear (1778)
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Plan de la Barre et du Havre de Charles-town (compiled in 1778 based on an English plan from 1776)
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Plan de Port Royal et de la Rivière et du Détroit d'Awfoskée (1778)
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Plan de l'Ile d’Amelia à la Cotê de la Floride Orientale (1779)
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Plan de la Barre et de l’entrée de la Riviere de Nassau
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Plan de la Barre et du Port d’Amelia à la Cotê de la Floride Orientale (1779)
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Carte d’une partie des côtes de la Floride et de la Louisiane contenant le cours du Mississipi (1778)
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Carte réduite des côtes et de la presqu’île de la Floride (1780)
The Dépôt de la Marine, known more formally as the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine, was the central charting institution of France. The centralization of hydrography in France began in earnest when Jean-Baptiste Colbert became First Minister of France in 1661. Under his watch, the first Royal School of Hydrography began operating, as did the first survey of France’s coasts (1670-1689). In 1680, Colbert consolidated various collections of charts and memoirs into a single assemblage, forming the core of sources for what would become the Dépôt.
The Dépôt itself began as the central deposit of charts for the French Navy. In 1720, the Navy consolidated its collection with those government materials covering the colonies, creating a single large repository of navigation. By 1737, the Dépôt was creating its own original charts and, from 1750, they participated in scientific expeditions to determine the accurate calculation of longitude.
In 1773, the Dépôt received a monopoly over the composition, production, and distribution of navigational materials, solidifying their place as the main producer of geographic knowledge in France. Dépôt-approved charts were distributed to official warehouses in port cities and sold by authorized merchants. The charts were of the highest quality, as many of France’s premier mapmakers worked at the Dépôt in the eighteenth century, including Philippe Bauche, Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, Rigobert Bonne, Jean Nicolas Buache, and Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupré.
The Dépôt continued to operate until 1886, when it became the Naval Hydrographic Service. In 1971, it changed names again, this time to the Naval and Oceanographic Service (SHOM). Although its name has changed, its purpose is largely the same, to provide high quality cartographic and scientific information to the France’s Navy and merchant marine.