"A Map of the Routs of the Russian Embassy, to Persia in 1746, on the Western Coast; Also of Mr. George Thompson's Journey on the East... ", Gibson, John

This map is from Jonas Hanway's important work on his travels to the Caspian, published just one year after the first edition. Hanway (1712-86) was a merchant, traveler, and philanthropist who partnered with a commercial firm based in St. Petersburg in 1743. As part of his duties with this firm, Hanway traveled from St. Petersburg across the Caspian Sea to the Persian city of Astrabad (present-day Gorgan) and back again, a journey that spanned 15 months from September 1743 to New Year's Day, 1745, thanks to run-ins with pirates, disease, and quarantine. He would eventually return to his native England in 1750, where he published this narrative of his travels. The map gives excellent detail of the Caspian Sea, with the route of the Russian Embassy along the western coast of the sea marked with double dashed lines. The title cartouche shows locals engaged in battle, one of whom lays on the ground in the foreground.

References:

Condition: B+

Issued folding, now flattened with minor soiling and several short fold separations archivally repaired on verso.