"Representation du Cours Ordinaire des Vents de Traverse qui Regnent sur les Cotes dans la Grande Mer du Sud", Dampier, William (Capt.)

William Dampier (baptized 1651-1715) was a buccaneer (pirate) and sea captain. He was the first Englishman to explore parts of New Holland and New Guinea, and was the first man to circumnavigate the world three times.
In the 1670s he crewed with buccaneers on the Spanish Main of Central America, which eventually led to his first circumnavigation. On the ship Cygnet, following Pacific-spanning raids that included the East Indies, Manila, and the Spice Islands, Dampier's ship was beached on the northwest coast of Australia in 1688. Waiting for repairs, his scientific interest surfaced as he made notes and drawings on the local fauna and flora. Following three years of further adventures he returned to England. In 1697 he published his experiences in A New Voyage. Described as one of the greatest tales of adventure and exploration ever written, the book was published in several languages. It is reported that Captain Cook used Dampier's nautical observations on his voyages, and Charles Darwin found his books so useful that he took them aboard the Beagle.

This map comes from a French edition of Dampier's A New Voyage Round the World, and is the first map to depict the trade winds in the Pacific Ocean. It is also noteworthy for showing that the boundary between the southeast and northeast trade winds was not the equator, but 5 degrees to the north. Cartographically, the map depicts California as an island and an incomplete coastline of Australia, which appears to be connected to New Guinea.

William Dampier (1652-1715) was a soldier, buccaneer, pirate, British navy captain and hydrographer. He was also among the most influential of travel writers. Dampier completed his first circumnavigation between 1679 and 1691, during which he was among the first group of Englishmen to land in New Holland (Australia).

References: cf. Shirley (BL Atlases) G.DAM-1a #9; Sabin #18381.

Condition: A

Issued folding on watermarked paper with a closed edge tear confined to the left blank margin and a tiny chip in the top blank margin that has been replaced with old paper.