Kent, the straits of Dover and the English Channel. Jacques Nicholas Bellin spent over 50 years working for the French Hydrographic Service. He was commissioned to produce new surveys of coastal waters throughout the world, and produced a large number of attractive charts of high quality. These appeared in various editions of his several published works, and were also often sold individually. This chart entitled "Carte du Compte de Kent et du Pas de Calais" is dated 1759, and shows full inland details of Kent, and the western parts of Sussex and Surrey, together with detail of the Picardy coast from Dunkerque to Etaples.
J. Bellin Carte Reduite de la Rade des Dunes 1757
North-east Coast of Kent. This is one of the set of 5 coastal charts by Bellin for the Depot de La Marine, which cover the English Channel. It is at a larger scale than the others, and focuses upon the coastline from Dover to Reculver, including the towns and harbours of Deal, Sandwich, Ramsgate, Boroadstairs and Margate. Off the eastern tip of this coastline it also features "La Rade Des Dunes" - what the English Called "The Downs", where English fleets often gathered in times of danger. The area was thus of great strategic importance to both France and England, and this chart would have been most useful to any prospective French invasion. The cartouche states that it is based on English sources.