A fascinating and incredibly practical sea chart of the Gulf of Aden and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, the entrance to the Red Sea. Numerous inset maps, coastal views, and text paragraphs provide detailed sailing instructions for captains navigating this area. Aden and Mocha were both major trading ports for British ships at this time, so charts like this one would have been invaluable resources.

The information on this map was compiled from surveys and logbooks collected by Commander William Moffat of the East India Company Ship Phoenix. Further instructions for entering the harbour of Mocha are given from a Captain Richardson with helpful instructions, such as "After seeing the trees, the Grand Mosque is the first object that appears... When you bring the Grand Mosque to bear... just touching with the bluff part of a long sloping hill... You may haul up for the mosque without danger."

Another helpful inset map shows the location of the best watering place on the island of Socotra with a lengthy paragraph of text explaining where to find it and how to best trade with the locals.

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