Alexis Hubert Jaillot (1628-88) was the leading French cartographer of the late seventeenth century. The Neptune Francois was first published in Paris in 1693. Issued with official approval it was a magnificent work with beautifully engraved large clear plates. It was however immediately copied by Pierre Mortier who issued an edition in Amsterdam before the year was finished. With superior Dutch marketing the Dutch editions were a success. The Paris edition suffered accordingly and is today quite rare. This detailed chart from the FIRST EDITION and therefore in the FIRST STATE covers the waters from the Isle of Thanet in Kent to the Norfolk Broads taking in Essex, and Suffolk on the way. Pastoureau (1984) Neptune Francais A no. 8; Shirley (2004) T. M.Nep 1a.