Great Britain's Coasting Pilot (Welsh Coast only - 8 sheets)

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WELSH Coast only. The First edition of the maps was in 1693, the first Sea Atlas produced by an Englishman and was reissued numerous times over the next hundred years. The maps in this offer make up 8 loose center fold charts of the Welsh Coast, not dated but c1750s, on thick heavy paper, 50*59 cms, no water marks, copper engravings, most showing a compass rose, rhumb lines, sailing boats, un-coloured, all with large decorative cartouches. They are: Not numbered - St Georges Channel, No 24 Milford-Haven, No 25 Milford Haven and the Islands Adjacent, 26 Cardigan Bay, 27 Holy-Head Part of the Island of Anglesey in North Wales, 28 P. of Carnarvan Shire, 29 The Isle of Man, 30 The River Dee or Chester-Water. All have a couple of tiny pin pricks to top left & right corners and a couple have a tiny pin prick to the maps -plotting?-. No date or edition stated. Housed in a large protective up and over box covered in brown book-cloth with printed title to front on white paper label. An interesting feature of Collins's maps are the series of straight lines originating in small black circles and ending at prominent landmarks on shore. The circles represent the position of the survey vessel, the locations of which were fixed by compass bearings represented by the straight lines. Soundings were taken by lead line and depths are indicated in fathoms. The survey took seven years and was undertaken from the Merlin, Monmouth, Martin, and the Younge Spragge. Collins probably used existing charts and seamen's sketches and notes, as well as his own observations in this remarkably ambitious undertaking. See ODNB for a full Bio. 0