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This map of Asia is marked with the routes taken through Southeast Asia by the British Royal Navy captain James Cook, and the French explorer Lapérouse. The title also refers to two other explorers: Louis Antoine de Bougainville and William Dampier.

This map of Asia is marked with the routes taken through Southeast Asia by the British Royal Navy captain James Cook, and the French explorer Lapérouse. The title also refers to two other explorers: Louis Antoine de Bougainville and William Dampier.

A piece of paper printed with a list of the various regions of Asia, including the regions of Southeast Asia, has been adhered to the right-hand side of this late 18th century map of Asia.

In the 18th century, European maps tended to use their own country’s meridian, so on this French map of Southeast Asia longitude is measured from the Paris Meridian. Eleven different scales are also shown.

This map of Asia has coloured borders around mainland Southeast Asia, the Philippines, the Sunda Islands (‘Isles de la Sonde’) and the Maluku Islands (‘Isles Moluques’). The cartouche features a drawing of a sailing ship and boxes of goods.

The arrows on this map mark the direction of the seasonal monsoons experienced around the Sunda and Maluku Islands (mainly modern Indonesia) during the late 18th century. Each arrow has a label in French, indicating the month.

The arrows on this map show the direction of the seasonal monsoons of Southeast Asia during the late 18th century. Each arrow has a label in French, indicating the month. The hatched sea areas are where the winds always blow in the same direction.