Home | Holdings and Collections
| Accession No: | 1980-0042 |
| Title: | Hydrographic Charts Collection |
| Location: | Map Cabinets 2 and 3 |
| Physical Description: | 574 charts |
| Organization: | The collection has been arranged into series according to publisher, with the exception of the first group which includes all early charts produced before 1800, that is prior to the production of the official Admiralty charts. HC-01 Early charts to 1800 HC-02 Admiralty charts HC-03 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey charts HC-04 U.S. Hydrographic Office charts HC-05 Service hydrographique charts HC-06 Geo. W. Eldridge's charts HC-07 Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson charts HC-08 Canadian Hydrographic Service charts HC-09 Star Charts HC-10 George Snelgrove's charts |
| Restrictions on Access: | No restrictions |
| Scope and Content: | The predominant area of coverage by the charts is the North American eastern coastline, from the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic provinces, particularly Newfoundland and Labrador, down the eastern seaboard to the Gulf of Mexico. They also include charts of Arctic America, Greenland, the Caribbean, including the north coast of South America, the North Atlantic (Bermuda and the Azores), areas of Great Britain, Norway, the Channel and parts of the North Sea coastline of Northern Europe. There is also one chart of a small area of West Africa (HC-05). All the charts show depth soundings, the position of buoys and lighthouses, and magnetic variation. There is usually an indication of the type of sea bottom. Other features sometimes included are tidal information, conversion charts, sites of wrecks, wireless stations, and on some of the modern charts (HC-08) Loran-C lines for use with groundwave signals are given. The extent of topographic detail varies considerably, from a bare outline of the coast to hill shading, hachures and form lines, railway lines and town layouts, and on some large scale plans of harbours buildings are identified. This information is often taken from the Ordinance Survey, U.S. Geological Survey or other similar sources. Some charts, particularly Admiralty charts, often have pictures of landmarks such as lighthouses, and views of the coastline from defined positions at sea. Coastal settlements and features are all named. The Star Charts (HC-09) give the location of the major constellations and diagrams for navigation. George Snelgrove's charts (HC-10) of Newfoundland and the North Atlantic include a 1907 map of Howley's geological survey of Newfoundland (top half only), which belonged to his father, Capt. Arthur Snelgrove. |
| Terms Governing Use: | Normal copyright rules for published materials apply. |
| Finding Aids: | MHA finding aid 94 MHA finding aid 107 (HC-10) |
| Subject: | Hydrographic charts |
