| Method | Copper engraved with hand colour |
| Artist | Seale, Richard William |
| Published | R.W. Seale sculp. [London: Printed for the Author by John and Paul Knapton, in Ludgate Street, MDCCXLVIII (1748)] |
| Dimensions | 200 x 255 mm |
| Notes |
An eighteenth century plan of Manila Bay and surrounds, engraved by Seale to accompany A Voyage Round the World in the Years MDCCXL, I, II, III, IV, a narrative of the circumnavigation of the globe by George Anson, written by Richard Walter, a Chaplain aboard the Centurion, Anson's flagship. The map is oriented with East to top, stretching from Subic Bay in the north to Batangas Bay in the south. Manila proper is shown as a trio of islands, joined by a bridge, and the islands of Marikaban, Corregidor, and Lubang are also shown. Anchorages are shown as icons in Manila Bay, and depth soundings are provided along the coasts and across the mouth of the bay. The map was originally engraved alongside a similar map of Acapulco printed on the same plate, intended to illustrate one of Anson's key objectives, the seizure of the Manila treasure galleon from the Spanish, a goal that was achieved despite the seemingly insurmountable odds the expedition faced. From the start, Anson's voyage had been beset by difficulties. When his allocated 500 men, a number already inadequate for the intended assaults on Callao, Lima, Panama, and Acapulco, were unavailable, Anson was instead given invalids from the Chelsea naval hospital, and marines that were so green they had yet to be taught how to fire a gun. Delays meant that the Spanish were made aware of the voyage by French agents before the flotilla had even made it to Madeira, and typhus and dysentery plagued the overladen and under ventilated ships. Of the almost two thousand men who set out, only a tenth came home again. Having failed to achieve any of the other objectives set him, Anson made a last and daring attempt on the galleon just as it was nearing Manila. His success was probably due as much to the underestimation of the Spanish as it was his own ingenuity, but his return to England found him a decorated hero nonetheless. Richard William Seale (1703-1762) was a London-based engraver, mapmaker, and draughtsman. He is best known for producing maps of London and the English Counties for Henry Overton, as well as numerous maps for the English translations of Paul de Rapin's Histoire d'Angleterre. Condition: Vertical fold, as issued. Trimmed within platemark at top and right, not affecting map. Minor time toning and creasing to sheet. Old adhesive stains on verso, otherwise blank. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £300.00 |
| Stock ID | 53441 |