Plan De Bombay et de Ses Environs

1750

Copper engraving on paper

Print size: 7.75 x 11 in (20 x 28 cm)
Sheet size: 9.75 x 14.25 in (25 x 36 cm)
Folded: 9.75 x 7 in (25 x 18 cm)

An Important Eighteenth-Century Hydrographic Plan of Bombay and Its Environs

This finely engraved Plan de Bombay et de ses Environs by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin represents one of the most important eighteenth-century European hydrographic renderings of Bombay (Mumbai) and its maritime setting. Prepared using English hydrographic sources - explicitly credited to the work of the English hydrographer John Thornton - the map exemplifies Bellin’s method of critically adapting British nautical intelligence for French imperial and commercial use. The decorative cartouche embellishes the map in the lower right quadrant, inside which is included a distance scale in both French and English forms of measurement.

The plan captures Bombay at a pivotal moment in its transformation from a loosely connected group of islands into an emerging colonial port of strategic significance. The islands of Bombay, Salsette, Mazagaon, Parel, and surrounding islets are clearly delineated, while navigable channels, sandbanks, and anchorage points are rendered with particular care. Soundings and coastal contours emphasise the map’s practical function as a working nautical chart, reflecting Bombay’s growing importance within Indian Ocean trade networks under British control.

Bellin’s treatment privileges maritime geography over interior detail, underscoring Bombay’s identity as a port city defined by access, navigation, and defense rather than by inland administration. The surrounding coastline, shoals, and tidal waters are mapped with a precision that contrasts with earlier, more schematic views of the region. This hydrographic clarity reflects Bellin’s role as Ingénieur-Hydrographe de la Marine, and his broader contribution to the Enlightenment project of rational, evidence-based cartography.

Within the cartography of India, the map occupies a significant position as an early, focused survey of Bombay’s coastal environment, rather than a generalized regional map. It documents the city at a formative stage, before large-scale land reclamation irrevocably altered its geography. As such, it provides a rare visual record of Bombay’s original insular form, offering insight into the environmental and strategic conditions that shaped its subsequent rise as a major imperial and commercial centre.

The restrained elegance of the engraving—combining a decorative cartouche with a disciplined, legible hydrographic layout—is characteristic of Bellin’s mature style. Maps such as this were instrumental in transmitting accurate geographical knowledge across imperial boundaries, influencing both French and British understandings of India’s western seaboard throughout the later eighteenth century.

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