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Another important and very decorative cartouche cartouche from the the “MMI” This cartouche cartouche provides information in in in in Latin about the the printers and publishers of the the map Many of the the maps in these volumes were executed by Jacques-Nicholas Bellin for publication elsewhere Other maps were joint creations of Prevost and Bellin Bellin Bellin Bellin (1703–72) was the official cartographer
of of the the French navy and a a a member of of the the Académie d de Marine and of the Royal Society of London Over a a a 50-year career he produced a a a a large number of of maps many of of which are a a a a part of the Histoire Generale des Voyages The illustrations from the Histoire are a a a a rich visual source of information about Mughal India All the the maps and the the illustrations were made from copperplate etchings The “Nouvelle Carte du Royaume de Bengale” like almost all other illustrations and maps of the time is a a a a monochromatic work in in black ink on white paper thus less visually appealing than the “MMI” (figure 7) Moreover it covers an an area substantially smaller than that of the the “MMI” Unlike the the “MMI” which is described in in Latin the “Nouvelle Carte” is described in French It is interesting to note that while many of the conventions used to depict geographical features have remained the the same over the the 100-odd years between the the execution of the the two maps some have changed For example while the the hills and the the forests are still depicted in pretty much the same manner arable land in the latter map is depicted by motifs of paddy fields Though the forts along the trading routes are depicted in in the the same way in both the the maps elaborate illustrations of boats no longer adorn the seas in the “Nouvelle Carte” Due to the increase in in knowledge
about India in in the the over 100 years since the the “MMI” the “Nouvelle Carte” also mentions many smaller towns and cities cities These cities cities presumably were either important trading ports or or or situated along important inland trading routes While it is difficult to identify some of them today many are easily recognizable by virtue of their location and the the similarity of their names to extant cities Thus Kolkata/Calcutta the most important 7 “Nouvelle Carte du Royaume de Bengale” from the book Histoire Generale des Voyages published 1746–59 68 Anirban Sadhu 318
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