A132 - Boston Harbor
This is a hand-drawn, finished copy plan of Boston Harbor, used by J.F.W. Des Barres in the making of printed charts for the Atlantic Neptune in 1775.
c1775
Unknown
h44" x w45"
- L
This 'plan' is currently under research. Although there is an undoubted connection with the Des Barres' chart published as part of the Atlantic Neptune Folio in August 1775 (see HC A102 & A112). The detail and indeed the style of the plan is pretty much identical to the the Neptune editions with just a few differences; this plan includes the name Bunkers Hill on the Charlestown penninsular where the Neptune, published, edition does not. The plan is likely to be based on the survey work of Samuel Holland and his team who first surveyed the area in 1774.
What makes this 'Chart' so significant is that, at the time, it was unusual for so much detail of land features to be included in a sea chart intended for navigational purposes and it is especially significant that this chart includes the disposition of military positions such as batteries, entrenchments, forts and a redoubt (a temporary or supplementary fortification). Such detail had never, up until this publication, been seen together. The information included in the Reference key to the military disposition on this plan is the same on the later published editions but is laid out slightly differently.
The topography includes buildings, boundaries and roads. Relief is shown through a very smooth style of shading and color is included where it is not on the two later, published palns (A102 & A112). Although this edition of the plan includes sailing lines in to and out of the harbor they are not labelled, where they are In the Navigation Remarks included with the full printed edition (A102).
A Plan of Boston Harbor completed between 1774 & 1775 from a land survey made by Samuel Holland and his survey team working for the Lords of the Board of Trade and Plantations. A printed version was included by J.F.W. Des Barres in the Atlantic Neptune in 1775.
