PASLEY, Sir Charles William – GENERAL PLAN OF THE FORTIFICATIONS OF MALTA…..very rare manuscript map – Price on request

Description

PASLEY, Sir Charles William (1780 – 1861) – MANUSCRIPT PLAN OF HARBOURS – VERY RARE ITEM

Title of Map:        GENERAL PLAN / OF THE FORTIFICATIONS / OF MALTA / WITH THE HARBOUR / THE CITIES OF VALLETTE &c / AND ENVIRONS

Malta January the 20^th 1802 / copied from / a Plan left by the French / After the Surrender of the Island to His Majesty’s Forces / Cha^s Pasley / L^t R^l Eng. ^er

The Soundings / are marked in Fathoms & / are taken from a Survey done / by order of Lord Keith, by / M^r Reynolds Master R. Navy

Cartographer:      GENERAL SIR CHARLES WILLIAM PASLEY, K.C.B., F.R.S., &C

General Sir Charles William Pasley, K.C.B., F.R.S., D.C.L., Colonel Commandant R.E.

Place:                   Malta, 1802                                                                                                                Manuscript size:   720 x 980mm

Verso:                  blank yet with text as follows:

Manuscript ink – General Plan of Fortifications / of Malta, / Lt. Col Pasley / R Engineers.

Scale:                   Scale of English Yards and Maltese Canes, 0 – 1500 Yards,  measuring 183 mm, 0 – 500 canes, measuring 145 mm

Watermark:         1794 J WHATMAN

Finely drawn manuscript map in ink and watercolour.             Price – ON REQUEST

This carefully drawn plan is done at a large scale with numerous annotations and a 252 numbered key,  to major buildings and strategic locations with extensive gazetteer of Valetta, Fort St. Elmo, Fort Manuel, Fort Tigne and Floriana. The scale is in English yards and Maltese canes. Detail extends beyond the fortifications themselves to include the environs and relief is indicated by shading of varying intensity.

This very large chart, on two joined sheets, has restoration to some edges with very minor loss of detail at lower right border, and is personally signed on the front and back of the map.

Description:       PASLEY, Sir CHARLES WILLIAM (1780–1861), general, colonel-commandant royal engineers, was born at Eskdalemuir, Dumfriesshire, on 8 Sept. 1780, and was educated by Andrew Little of Langholm. He progressed so rapidly with his studies that at the age of eight he could read the Greek testament. At twelve years of age he wrote a history of the wars between the boys on either side of the Esk, the Langholmers, and the Mucklemholmers, and translated it into Latin in imitation of the style of Livy. He also wrote a poem upon Langholm Common Riding, which brought some profit to the publisher. In 1794 he was sent to school at Selkirk with some of his cousins, the Malcolms—Sir James, Sir John, Sir Pulteney, and Sir Charles Malcolm, who, with another cousin, Sir James Little, and Pasley, were styled in later life the six knights of Eskdale. In August 1796 he joined the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, and on 1 Dec. 1797 obtained a commission as second lieutenant in the royal artillery. He was transferred to the royal engineers on 1 April 1798, and on 28 Aug. 1799 he was promoted first lieutenant in that corps.

Between 1799 and 1807 he served in Minorca, Malta, Naples, and Sicily, and was employed on various important services and confidential missions. In 1804 he was sent by General Villettes from Malta to communicate with Lord Nelson. He was promoted second captain on 1 March 1805. In 1806 he served under the Prince of Hesse in the defence of Gaeta against the French, and under Sir John Stuart at the battle of Maida in Calabria on 4 July. Pasley took part in the siege of Copenhagen under Lord Cathcart in 1807. He was promoted first captain on 18 Nov. 1807. He joined Major-general Leith at Oviedo in the north of Spain in September 1808. He was employed to reconnoitre the Asturian frontier, and then to communicate with General Blake at Reynosa in November. He left Soto on the 15th of that month at night as the French entered it.