A203 - A chart of New York Harbour with soundings

Lieuts John Hunter & John Knight, J.F.W. des Barres

h33" x w25.5"

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The chart is fully titled; 'A chart of New York Harbour with soundings, views of land marks and nautical directions for the use of pilotage'. With deep hatching to emphasis land relief, clear depth soundings, stippling to define sand banks and lines of running indicating approaches along with beautiful views to further aid the navigator the chart offers everything.

 

Lieutenants John Knight and John Hunter of the Navy (and others) compiled surveys and observations from which this final chart was drawn and published by Des Barres for inclusion in the Atlantic Neptune on May 19th 1779.

 

As with many of the charts, maps, plans and views included in the volumes of the Atlantic Neptune folio, a yellow border frames the chart image and in places the image is allowed to pour over the border edge in certain places. The page number '3' is included in the border on the top right.

 

Both of the two watercolour views and the title engraving are drawn tilted at an angle on the paper, to give an almost jaunty, artistic finish to what is otherwise an important document essential to safe pilotage. It is also well worth viewing the sheet of 5 views of New York Harbour (see Heritage Charts or 209bv) to get an alternative view of the approaches.

 

The beach at Gravesend Bay had been the sight of the landing of the British army on a clear and cloudless morning of the 22nd August 1776. This was the start of the battle for Long Island and eventual control of the city of New York and Manhattan Island by the British. On that morning 4,000 of the King's elite troops under Generals Henry Clinton and the Earl of Cornwallis had set off from Staten Island, 3 miles away, in scores of flatboats. They met no opposition. By the end of the day an army of over 15,000 fully equipped British and German troops had landed. The only greetings they received were the smell of burning from the fields and houses which had been torched by the retreating American forces, and on a slightly friendlier note hundreds of Loyalists who converged to greet the Kings army with whatever supplies they had at their disposal.

A chart of New York Harbour with soundings