Carte de L'Archipel de La Recherche a la partie Occidentale de la Terre de Nuyts. . .

A large and detailed chart of the southern West Australian coast centered on the region of Esperance and the surrounding islands.

Terre de Nuyts is the name that was formerly given in French to a coastal region of Australia, while the latter was still called New Holland. Roughly from the Leeuwin Land to the west and the Napoleon Land to the east.

It occupied the southern shores of present-day Western Australia and the most westerly shores of South Australia.

This is the edition of the extremely rare atlas "Neptune des côtes orientales et du grand archipel d'Asie", published in 1807.
The atlas was a supplement to the atlas series published by Hydrographic office and prepared by C.F Beautemps-Beaupré, who is now regarded as the father of modern French hydrography. The maps for the Neptune edition are printed on very thick and larger paper. The usual text in upper right corner is not there and but instead, "N°. 308" is engraved, and instead of Bouclet's name, the words "Prix Deux Francs" are in the bottom. Very rare.

Joseph Antoine Bruny-d'Entrecasteaux was born at Aix in Provence in 1739 and died at sea in 1793. He entered the marine service at the age of 15, and soon won praise for his work as a hydrographer. He became the governor of the islands of Mauritius and Réunion (also known as Bourbon).
Later in 1791, he was put in charge of the expedition to search for La Perouse. During his voyage, he explored, mapped and named many places on the coast of Australia. Baie de la Recherche, Port d'Esperance, Detroit d'Entrecasteaux etc.
The atlas was published in Paris in 1807.

The charts prepared for d'Entrecasteaux, mostly by Beautemps-Beaupre, were of very high quality, and Matthew Flinders, the English explorer and hydrographer, called them the finest specimens of marine survey. The contribution made by d'Entrecasteaux to the mapping of the southern coast of Australia was indeed considerable.

Beautemps-Beaupré is regarded as the father of modern hydrography.

Beautemps-Beaupré was born on August 6, 1766, in La Neuville-au-Pont (Marne). He was introduced to map drawing by his cousin Nicolas Buache, and he entered the service in 1780 as a hydrographer at the Depot of Maps and Plans of the French Navy. He was admitted as a pupil in his turn in 1783. There, he collaborated in preparing maps that La Pérouse carried on his journey.

He left in 1791 on the Search with Admiral d'Entrecasteaux and remained absent for five years. During this campaign, he developed entirely new ways of using charts at sea. Overcoming the compass variations, the remarkable points of the coast are shown in the insets.

In 1779, Napoleon assigned him to conduct the hydrographic reconnaissance of the Dunkirk coast and various other tasks.

In 1816, Beautemps-Beaupré initiated the comprehensive reconstruction of France's coastal hydrography. Operations at sea will last 23 years. The French pilot, completed in 1844, the result of his work, was admired by the entire maritime world.

He was a Knight of Saint-Louis, Knight of Saint Michel and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor. He died in 1854 at the age of 88. He left to his companions the memory of a simple man, modest, judicious, courageous and good. Leading the way in the work, training his engineers, Beautemps-Beaupré has earned the title of father of hydrography, which has been awarded.

More about "mapping of Australia." and Beautemps-Beaupré [+]

Reference: Tooley, R.V, The Mapping of Australia and Antarctica pg 73, ref 550.