William Heather, East India Company Track Chart, 1802

From 1795 onwards, William Heather was the premier specialist chart publisher in London. He had taken over the business of the venerable firm of Mount and Page, who had been active for close to a century, as well as their premises at the Navigation Warehouse. This was a novel establishment, which outfitted merchant navy officers with all personal sea going possessions, from charts, scientific instruments, drawing equipment, to clothing, telescopes and sailing directories. These activities made it a hub for departing and arriving officers who, among many other purchases, would outfit themselves with the latest charts of the routes to their destinations. This worked conversely, with returning officers also eager to sell their newly corrected or drawn charts to the Navigation Warehouse.

One of Heather's prestige publications was his East India Pilot, a collection of charts illustrating the coasts and seas on the route from the United Kingdom to India and the Far East. As a bound atlas, The Pilot was aimed at the wealthy merchant, naval officer or aristocrat and was never meant to be taken to sea. It was an item to be held in a library. Therefore, it was almost always compiled to the customer's specifications and few examples are exactly the same.

This simple chart has a specific purpose and judging by its long publishing history, it must have been a popular item. It invites the owner to trace his ship's route via pin pricks from England to his destination. Geographically, it is simplistic, showing Eurasia, Africa and Oceania, with only a little coastal detail. With its dedication to the "Officers of the East India Company's Service" and with the largest amount of detail being present on the coast of the sub-continent, it is clear where Heather saw the largest market for this chart. However, it does also mark Singapore, Malacca, together with early markings of Port Jackson, Botany Bay and an early depiction of Bass Straits.

This item must have proved popular. Heather's successor, John William Norie issued different versions of the map in his own "East India Pilot" in the 1820s and 1830s, with greater detail as it was discovered, as well as greater geographical coverage.

There are several examples of this map in institutions, including the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Singapore and several in the Royal Maritime Museum at Greenwich; however, all of these are the later issues by John Norie. We have been unable to find any holdings of this early 1802 edition solely credited to William Heather and engraved by J. Stephenson. SL [WLD4184]

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William Heather

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William Heather