An unusual manuscript chart of the world, it appears to be a work in progress. What is interesting is that it is almost certainly American in origin. The groundwork of a grid of latitude and longitude lines cover the entire map. No land masses are drawn yet, but a number of cities are located and named. In addition to this, some important American topographical features for navigation such as Cape Hatteras, Cape Charles, Sandy Hook and Cape Cod are identified. Just to the north of Charleston, South Carolina, the mapmaker has laid down a series of triangulations with a notation “page 29”, these extend across the land mass. There is a similar note reading “page 150” next to the Lizard in Cornwall south west England, a notorious shipping hazard. It appears that the maker was working from some sort of geographical text, probably some unidentified navigator’s guide such as ‘Moore’s New Practical Navigator’, London, 1772. The fact that the map was most developed along the east coast of North America suggests that the chart has an American origin. In addition, the Prime Meridian runs through London, not Greenwich, an error that a British chartmaker would not have made. This hypothesis is confirmed by an analysis of the paper which was manufactured in the United States, with the watermark of one of the earliest paper-mills in America. The Stacy Potts & John Reynolds paper-mill in Trenton, New Jersey.

Stacy Potts was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1731, to an important Pennsylvania Quaker family. His ancestor Thomas Potts had arrived in America in 1678 with the founder of Trenton, Mahlon Stacy, on board of the ship “Shield”. In 1776, besides owning a tannery, Stacy Potts built the steel-works in Trenton. At the close of the Revolution he turned his attention to the erection of a paper-mill in the same locality. In December 1788 the paper-mill was advertised by its proprietors, Stacy Potts and John Reynolds, as “now nearly completed.” It seems likely that Stacy Potts may have owned his own paper-mill earlier since it is mentioned in the records of the New Jersey Legislature. On 20 June 20 1778 the General Assembly of New Jersey, meeting at Princeton, passed “An act for encouraging the Manufacture of Paper in the State of New Jersey.” In the “Votes and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey”, under date of 24 May 1780, an entry reads “That Mr. Ogden do carry to the House of Assembly the Bill, intitled [sic] An Act to empower Stacy Potts to erect a Dam across the Assanpink Creek, a little above his Paper-mill, in Trenton”. Stacy Potts was also involved in the American Revolution, his house in Trenton being the headquarters of the Hessian commander, Col. Johann Rall. He died there of injuries suffered in the Battle of Trenton. George Washington famously visited him on his deathbed at Stacy Potts’ home. There is an engraving of the scene in Benson J. Lossing’s “Field Book of the American Revolution”. It is drawn from a painting by Flagg, with Generals Washington and Greene visiting and Stacy Potts and his wife attending. Later, in 1792, Stacy Potts’ house was used as a residence for Richard Henry Lee while he was President pro tempore of Congress. Lee was the delegate to the Continental Congress who offered on 7 June 1776 the Resolution for Independence from England. This led a month later to the Declaration of Independence.

No information on any A. Rogers working as a map or chart maker in the late eighteenth century could be found. However it has been suggested that he may have been a member of the well known Rogers seafaring family from New London, Connecticut. This family included Captain Moses Rogers who was born in New London in 1780 is best known. Captain Moses assisted Robert Fulton in experiments to develop the steamship. In June, 1809, in partnership with Robert L. Stevens, he was in charge of the “Phoenix” in her voyage from New York to Philadelphia. This was the first ocean going steam trip ever made. His greatest claim to fame however was to command the steamship “Savannah” in May to June 1819, alongside his brother-in-law Captain Stevens Rogers who was born in New London in 1788-89. This was the first crossing of the Atlantic by a steamship, a feet not repeated by an American steamship for 28 years. President James Monroe visited the “Savannah” before she left and was so impressed that he recommended that Congress purchase it for use as a cruiser against Cuban pirates.