Rennell, began his survey of Bengal in 1764, became Surveyor General for the East India Company in 1767, and spent the next 10 years carrying out his survey of an area of about 3000,000 square miles, an area slightly larger than the state of Texas. The Bengal Atlas, first published in 1779, was the culmination of this work and was critical for commercial, military and administrative activities. Rennell’s maps were the most accurate ones of the area for the next sixty years. Our copy of the atlas bears the name Mr. Bosanquet stamped in gold on the cover. Jacob Bosanquet (d. 1828) was a director of the East India Company and served as its chairman on three occasions between 1798 and 1812.
