130 MEMOIR OF C. F. BEAUTEMPS-BEAUPRE. 



:ombiiie(l tlioir opcnitions with those of our own countrymen, and have com- 

 menced the publication of a magnificent chart of England, designated by the 

 name of the Ordnance Map. 



To place French hydrography on a level with geography, while rescuing 

 it from the momentary abandonment which war had necessitated, was now the 

 object of interest. The instructions which ]\[. Beautemps-Beaupni received 

 for this purpose were framed by Admiral Rosily, chief of the marine depot, 

 and ]M. de Ilossel, Avho had become one of its joint directors, after having aided 

 in the hydrographical labors of the expedition of d'Entrecasteaux. These in- 

 structions indicated the west coast of France as first claiming attention, since 

 among all those to whose hydrography navigators had need of daily recur- 

 rence, this was most noted for its defect of exploration. It was to Brest, 

 therefore, that M. Beauteinps-Beaupre repaired, and here two schooners had 

 been built for him, whose names, la liechcrchc and V Astrolabe, gratefully re- 

 called the memory of la Perouse and d'Entrecasteaux, To these were joined 

 the light vessels necessary for the accomplishment of his mission. 



In indicating the objects proposed for his attainment, he was left at liberty 

 to adopt that mode of operating which long experience in labors of this nature 

 might iiuluce him to select. He thus found himself authorized either to unite 

 all the means placed at his disposal on a small extent of coast, in order to pro- 

 ,duce promptly a description of it, or to di^iribute them over several points at 

 the same time. 



The first was the mode on Avhich he determined ; as well because he had 

 already proved, as he himself tells us,* its efiiciency under various circum- 

 stances, as because it was the only one which would enable the depot of marine 

 to publish in succession the collective results of each campaign. By concen- 

 trating the operations of the engineers successively on small extents of coast, it 

 Avas in his power to verify in some measure daily the labors of each of his as- 

 sistants. Thus, for instance, Avhen an engineer, in sounding, encountered some 

 obstruction which had escaped former researches, he gave notice of it, and M. 

 Beautemps-Bcaupie Avas in a position to make a personal investigation imme- 

 diately. To this mode of operating he owed the advantage of being able to 

 combine all his means at the same moment on a dangerous position, when the 

 weather was favorable. In this way he has often succeeded in terminating in 

 a single day, or even a ia^^ hours, the examination of dangers situated far in 

 the oiling, the description of which would have required the employmenfof an 

 isolated engineer during a whole season; of this kind were the reconnaissances 

 of the western extremity of the bank and race of Sein, the flals of lloche- 

 Bonne, &c. 



The years 1816, 1817, 1818, were exclusively devoted to the survey of the 

 maritime position of Brest, and its results, forming the first part of the Pilole 

 Fran^a'iH, were published in 1822, The operations of 1819, 1820, 1821, and 

 of the first part of 1822, embraced the survey of that part of the western 

 coast of France comprised between the point of Penmarch (Finislerre) and 

 the isle of Yen, (Vendee.) and furnished the materials of the second part 

 of the above work, published in 1829. From 1822 to 1826 the survey was 

 extended to that part of the coast comprised between the isle of Yen and Spain, 

 and its results appeared as the third part in 1832. In 1839 the fourth part 

 was given to the world, representing the labors of five years from 1829 to 1833, 

 and embracing a description of the coast between the isle of Brehat and Bar- 

 fieur. In 1834, 1835, and 1836, the operations were extended from the latter 

 point to Dunkirk. Finally, in 1837 and 1838, the survey was made of 

 that portion of coast comprised between the isle of Brehat and the 



* Expos6 des Travaux Uilutifs a la Reconnaissance Jlijclrogrftphique des Cotes Occidentalis 

 de France, par M. Beauleuips-Bcuupie, p. 3. 



