Eastern Islands Birmah &c.

Southeast Asia during the mid-19th century.

This detailed steel engraved map features original hand color with vibrant red outlines. It was engraved by Sydney Hall and published in Edinburg by A. & C. Black around 1860. The image includes China, French Indochina, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines (then under Spanish control). A variety of toponyms reflect a mix of indigenous and European place names, while topography is depicted in delicate hachure.

An inset map in the lower-left reflects a fascinating footnote of the British Empire. Labuan Island in Brunei Bay was intended to become a trading depot second only to Singapore, but its resource deposits proved disappointing and its development was a financial failure. A short-lived economic asset emphasized on only a handful of printed maps.