A Map of the Peninsula of India from the 19th Degree North Latitude to Cape Comorin
1792
Original hand-coloured copper engraving on paper
Rare two sheet unmounted map of India
Upper Portion: 59.5 x 86.3 in (151.1 x 219.2 cm)
Lower Portion: 59.5 x 86.3 in (151.1 x 219.2 cm)
Will form a huge map of 119 x 86.3 in (302.2 x 219.2 cm) approximately, when both the sheets are joined together
This two-page map represents the southern part of India as it was at the turn of the nineteenth century. It contains detailed information about the scope of British control in India at the time.
The two-page map covers the subcontinent as far north as Bombay (Mumbai), east as the City of Ellore (Eluru) and the Bay of Bengal, south as the city of Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari) and the northern part of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and west as the Laccadives (Lakshadwap).
The map emphasises the British dominance over the region by using Anglicized names for communities and landmarks, as well as by stressing the British conquest of the continent through the colour coding of various British officers' domains and marches across the subcontinent.
An intricate cartouche in the lower left corner has many remarks about the map as well as a set of scale bars depicting several units of measurement. A message from Faden appears on the first page, right above the page break, explaining his source for knowledge on the placement of a prisoner march from Condapoor to Madras, Captain Wheeler.
The map, which was first published in 1792, is color-coded by hand to depict the territorial holdings of various groups, as stated in a caption at the bottom. The red sections indicated territory controlled by the British, primarily by the British East India Company. Purple regions are those influenced by the Raja of Mysore, a state governed in the late-eighteenth century by Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, both of whom were notorious for stirring multiple rebellions against the British.
The Marhatta's estates are green, whereas the Nizam's are orange. The Marhatta and Nizam are shown as British allies at the bottom of the map, having been obtained by partition deals in 1792 and 1799. The lands highlighted in yellow are ruled by the Nawabs of Carnatic (also known as the Nawabs of Arcot), who resisted British colonization until the early nineteenth century. Territories in blue were controlled by the Kingdom of Travancore, which was ruled by the British East India Company after a contract in 1795.
The map depicts many important marches across India. The Marquess of Cornwallis, whose trip is marked in red, was a key British figure in India during this period. He served as governor general and commander in chief of India from 1786 until 1793. In 1792, he defeated Tipu Sultan of Mysore in combat, compelling the Sultan to accept peace terms. Cornwallis was also a British Army general during the American Revolutionary War and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the late eighteenth century.
The British in India from 1600-1800
While communication between Europe and the Indian subcontinent dates back centuries, European colonists first arrived in the region in 1498, with Vasco de Gama of Portugal landing in Calicut (Kozhikode). However, the British were responsible for the most well-known and massive colonization of India.
The East India Company of England was granted commercial privileges in the Indian Ocean in 1600. By the mid-seventeenth century, the East India Company had been forced out of the East Indian trade by Dutch, French, and Portuguese traders, forcing them to focus on the spice trade on the Indian subcontinent. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the British began to establish a greater foothold on the Indian subcontinent, owing mostly to Mughal Empire assaults, the building of ties with local rulers and traders, and effective military action. The Company served as Britain's representative on the subcontinent until 1858, when the Crown legally took over the province.
This map has three states, the first of which was published in 1792 and the third in 1800.
The sheets are unmounted and in 2 un-joined parts as issued. It needs to be joined together to make complete map of India of 119 x 86.3 in (302.2 x 219.2 cm) approximately, when both the sheets are joined.
This work will be shipped unframed
NON-EXPORTABLE