HISTORIE, TECHNIEKEN EN MAATSCHAPPELIJKE ...

1. Summary of the cartographic aspects in the East- and West-Indies.
1.1. A demarcation line was established by the treaty of Tordesillas, assigning
all discovered countries and countries still to be discovered west of this
line to Spain and east there-of to Portugal.
Around the middle of the 16th century Portugal dominated the commercial
routes to the east, while Spain mastered the wealth of Central America and
of a great deal of South-America.
Gradually also the English, the French and the Dutch undertook explora-
tions, discarding the papal demarcation line.
The different Dutch enterprises sailing to the East in 1602 formed the
chartered East-Indian Company (V.O.C.).
The V.O.C. had its own cartographers in men like Plancius, Hessel Gerritsz,
Blaeu, De Graaf and Van Keulen (the latter remained in this function until
1795 when the V.O.C. was anulled).
Initially there was a need for charts, which in first instance were copied
from the Portuguese, improved and completed.
A special committee was installed in 1787 with the aim to acquire better
charts and to promote longitude-fixing on sea.
These charts only improved when Netherlands-East-India Geographic Servi-
ce (later Topographic Service) was established and astronomical point-de-
termination took place on several locations in the Archipelago.
There-after topographic surveying followed and a Cadaster was installed.
1.2. The West-Indies
The oldest subdivision of the West-Indian islands dated back to the Spanish
episode and is connected with the trade winds.
A more time-bound division is the one according to nationality.
The Caribbean sea, initially the property of the Spanish Crown was fre-
quented in the beginning of the 17th century by Dutch sailing ships, the so-
called "zouthalersl' (fetching salt).
Also Dutch pirates penetrated this "mare clausus" and started the clandes-
tine slave-trade.
Then, in 1621, the chartered West-India Company (W.I.C.) was established
having war-fare, buccaneering and commerce as its purpose. From this la-
ter on patronages originated, which caused the W.I.C. to become also a
supplier of slaves.
The West-Indian Atlas of Thomas Jefferys dates back to 1775 and contains
forty maps and charts (altogether) based on measurements while the compi-
ler considered his Atlas as the first English I1Pilot for the West-Indies".
The maps are preceded by an extensive "Introduction", in which attention is
given to the applied prime meridian for the map-projection, the astrono-
mical observations, data and colonization, products, number of plantations
etc. From this atlas a number of maps are discussed.
Another 5 maps compiled during the first half of the 19th century extant in
Map and Plans in the Public Record Office (by P.A. Penfold) call for atten-
tion.
Important collective works of British Cartography are among other the
Blathwayt-atlas and the map of Popple (1733).
From this Blathwayt-atlas the map of the island of Monserrat (1673) is dis-
cussed, according to J.D. Black's commentary on the Atlas.