Summary
CONVERSATION BY A 17TH-CENTURY CHART-MAKER
Documents, known as "British Museum Additional Manuscripts No. 5027A", appear to be remnants of a file of
notes, written down by a chart-maker, most likely employed by Joannes Blaeu at Amsterdam about 1660-1670.
All the notes are in Dutch and refer to various map and chart projects. The text, often in the style of a
monologue, and frequently composed in the shape of productions records, reflects sentiments, critical appraisals,
expressions, often put strongly. They were written down by a person named Paulus van Husum who's identity
was only partially revealed and who's name has never before turned up in the Dutch chartmaking history.
About the provenance of the documents, very little is known. Before 1753 they were in the possession of Hans
Sloane and might have been obtained by him at Amsterdam, either from remainings of Blaeu's archives or from
the heritage of Paulus van Husum.
In the article given before, a selection from the odd 160 documents (of which 110 maps and Charts) is published.
Most interesting is Paulus van Husum's account of his findings, while he is checking Joan Blaeu's large portolan
chart on vellum of the Indian Ocean and the Far East (being the area of the V.O. C. 's interests). At many places
the documents give us insight into matters of conscience, relevant to mapmakers. They afford us the very rare
occasion to witness the professional code of a 17th Century cartographer.
KT 1975.1.4
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