Rigobert Bonne; 1729-1793.
Bonne, a trained mathematician, was appointed Hydrographer
to the King. He took over the responsibility of the french
hydrographic institute ("Dépôt de la Marine") after the death
of Bellin in 1772. This position enabled Bonne to the unequaled
access to prime mapping data, which he could use successfully
for his own private business interests.
He followed in the steps of the french school of cartographic
minutiae and geographic accuracy. As such he produced, often
in collaboration with other mapmakers, a large number of excellent
sea charts.
His name is generally associated with a type of equal area
projection he often used after 1757.
Of note, his participation (with Janvier and Rizzi-Zannoni)
to Jean Lattré's 1762 "Atlas Moderne". But he is most well
known for the wealth of maps he prepared for Guillaume Thomas
François Raynal's "Atlas de toutes les parties connues du
globe terrestre" (1780), and also for Nicolas Desmaret*'s
"Atlas Encyclopédique" (1787, re-issued in 1827).
* Desmaret: of engineering fame for the first recorded design
of a tunnel between France and England in 1751.
Partie méridionale, de l'ancien Mexique ou de la
nouvelle Espagne.
This map (12" ¾ X 8" ½) was prepared for the "Atlas de toutes
les parties connues du globe terrestre".
It is showing what was then known as "New Spain", or "Mexico"
(by opposition to the "New Mexico" province, whose capital
was Santa Fe). Its southern administrative area (present days:
Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize,
Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua), was known as the "Captainship
General of Guatimala", then as the "Audience of Guatimala".
The other audiences of New Spain were: Florida, Guadalajara,
and Mexico.
Bonne shows here only the south part of the Guatimala Audience,
almost prescient of the 1821 independent Kingdom of Guatemala,
and of the 1824 "Federal Republic of Central America". Longitudes
are indicated (top) east of Ferro island, as it was customary
at that time; and (bottom) west of Paris.
No text on verso.
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