Dartmouth Shore in the Harbour of Halifax [Nova Scotia]

by DES BARRES, J.F.W. (1721-1824)

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Book desription: London: Published by J.F.W. Des Barres in 'The Atlantic Neptune', 1 April, 1781. Etching with aquatint, printed in sepia. Printed on laid paper with `J Bates' watermark. Sheet size: 8 1/4 x 22 inches. A fine view of Halifax Harbour, from 'The Atlantic Neptune', the first British sea atlas of her North American colonies The Atlantic Neptune was the first British sea atlas of her North American colonies, and one of the greatest achievements of eighteenth century cartography. Published in England in 1774, it contained over 200 charts and views of the North American and Canadian coasts. The charts were intensely detailed and contained both hydrographical and topographical details. The Neptune was compiled and published for the Royal Navy by Joseph F. W. Des Barres, a Swiss cartographer who joined the Royal American Regiment as a surveyor. Des Barres fought in the French and Indian wars and was enlisted to survey the Canadian coastline. While his fellow surveyor, Samuel Holland charted the New England coast, Des Barres mapped the shoreline of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence River regions. In 1774, Des Barres returned to England where he compiled and published his monumental atlas; his dedication to the project was so strong that he published an updated version of the work every year until 1784. Des Barres' work was so superior to any other contemporary atlas, that the maps were used as the standard charts of the East coast for over 50 years. The Neptune remains one of the most important atlases ever printed, its views and maps chart the history of North America and allow us to glimpse a forgotten land long changed by the passage of time. This tranquil view of Halifax harbor is enlivened by the small scene in the lower right of the image where, amid clouds of steam, men work frantically to re-tar the hull of a man-of-war. Spendlove, The Face of Early Canada, Chapter 4: "J.F.W. Des Barres and The Atlantic Neptune"; pp. 18-22; Debard, "The Family Origins of Joseph Fredericks Wallet DesBarres: A Riddle Finally Solved", Nova Scotia Historical Review, Vol 14, No. 2 (1994), p.15.

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