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War of the Austrian Succession (1740-8)

Includes much of the mapping collected by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, as Captain General of the British army

      ANONYMOUS

      Plan of Pondicherry, 1748 (Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, India) 11°55'48"N 79°49'48"E

      1748 or later

      Pencil, pen, ink and watercolour on two sheets of paper; joined | Scale: 1:10,160 approx. | RCIN 731043.2.a

      A map of the British camp and attack of Pondicherry, 1748. First Carnatic War (1746-8). Oriented with east to top. 

      The British combined operations to besiege French-held Pondicherry were commanded by Admiral Boscawen. The siege lasted from 6 September to 11 October when, having achieved nothing, Boscawen decided to raise the siege. The campsites of the besieging forces are shown on this map.

      • Anonymous (cartographer)

        Subject(s)

        Army-GB
        Army-France

      • Watermark: see Heawood 1809-1810, plate 248

        Mark, stamped: 757

        Condition: five fold lines; paper very brittle, many small tears to edges. Verso: eight old repairs, using paper, to small tears; induced discolouration; surface dirt

      • Scale: 1:10,160 approx. Scale bar: A Scale of Feet [60 mm =] 2000.

        60.3 x 92.6 cm (image and neatline)

        60.9 x 93.6 cm (sheet)

      • Manuscript title:

        A / GENERAL / PLAN of / PONDICHERRY / Camp and Attack. [top centre, in rococo cartouche]

        Additional text:

        [top left, in a trompe l'oeil scroll, a key, A-I, K-T, to the military features on the map:] REFERENCES.

        Annotations:

        George III heading: Pondicherry Aug.t - Oct.r 1748.

        Other annotations: (Recto) none. (Verso) [top right, black pencil, in eighteenth-early nineteenth-century hand, perhaps a sale number and the price paid:] No 203 - ,, 15 - ; [bottom right, black pencil, indistinct]; [bottom right, black pencil, erased and partly legible:] 16 J[…] 1761; [bottom right, black pencil:] it L.

        George III catalogue entry:

        Pondicherry A drawn general Plan of Pondicherry Camp and Attack in 1748. 2 sheets.

      • Subject(s)

        Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, India (11°55'48"N 79°49'48"E)

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      • 21 May 2025

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