A very large rolled nautical chart / map by famous British Hydrographer and Chart Maker John William Norie (1772 in London – 1843) | Chart titled: “A General Chart of THE MEDITERRANEAN, Adriatic and Black Seas" TOGETHER WITH The Grecian Archipelago CONSTRUCTED PRINCIPALLY FROM The Surveys of [William Henry] Smyth, [Francis] Beaufort, Graves, Copeland, [Vincente] Tofino, Brard, … MADE By Order of their respective Governments, By J.W. NORIE, HYDROGRAPHER. A NEW EDITION, REVISED 1857.” The chart was used by master seaman and ship captain F. Howes throughout the region (map has red dots at locations it is believed were seaports where Howes ships may have anchored. The reverse bears two handwritten inscriptions naming the chartÂ’s owner as Captain F. Howes (Massachusetts, United States 1813 – 1878) (see photographs). Captain Howes was an active and efficient seaman and officer, and after numerous voyages, and passing through all the grades of seamanship, took command of his first vessel in 1840. From that time on to his retirement in 1862, Howes was constantly at sea on distant voyages to most of the seaports of the world. It is worthy of notice that in eighteen years of his service he only changed ships once— sailing nine years each in two ships. The chart also includes handmade red marks on cities all along the coasts, navigational markings and lines, and other handwritten notes, especially around the city of Alexandria. The chart features many detail paines and engravings of landmarks such as lighthouses. The large rolled chart is affixed to its original canvas trim and bears a label on the back for a dealer of nautical and navigational goods and tools, which reads "Agents for Maury’s Wind and Current Charts, which are given gratuitously to Ship Masters who will furnish a Journal for the National Observatory, Washington. Boston, May 14 1856 FREDERIC W. LINCOLN, JR.” Frederic Lincoln was the 16th and 18th Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.History: This map is a very rare “new edition, revised” chart by John William Norie of earlier original 1831 edition entitled “New Piloting Directions for the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic, or Gulf of Venice, the Black Sea, Grecian Archipelago, and the Seas of Marmara and Azov.” Other Norie charts such as the Norie & Wilson “Orkney & Feroe Islands to the Bay of Biscay – Blueback nautical chart, with 4 inset maps: that includes Great Britain, English Channel, Atlantic Coast of France and Bay of Biscay Coast of Spain down to Cape Finesterre, published in 1879 sold for $2,500; and the “Heather Chart of the Mediterranean Sea – Norie Chart of the Mediterranean Sea, including the Gulf of Venice and the Black Sea, revised by J.W. Norie, 1818, sold for $3,800; and the Norie Chart of the The English Channel – published by Chas. Wilson/J.W. Norie in 1879 sold for $1,500. John William Norie (1772 in London – 1843), was a mathematician, hydrographer, chart maker and publisher of nautical books most famous for his Epitome of Practical Navigation (1805) which became a standard work on navigation and went through many editions as did many of Norie’s works. Norie began his career working with William Heather, who had in 1765 taken over chart publishers Mount and Page and who ran the Naval Academy and Naval Warehouse in Leadenhall Street from 1795; the Naval Warehouse provided navigational instruments, charts, and books on navigation. Norie took over the Naval Warehouse after Heather’s retirement and founded the company J.W. Norie and Company in 1813. After NorieÂ’s death the company became Norie and Wilson, then in 1903 Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson. Charles Dickens later used the Naval Warehouse in Dombey and Son. Jack London mentions Norie’s ‘Epitome’ in Chapter 5 of his novel Martin Eden, and C. S. Forester refers to it in Chapter 17 in the book The Commodore of the Horatio Hornblower series of novels. He died at 3 Coates Crescent in Edinburgh’s fashionable West End, Leaving his house to William H. Norie FRSE a barrister-at-law.

This map is in good condition with signs of normal period wear. There are repairs to the backing paper of the map.

30.75 x 95 in