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Spectacular large two sheet map of eastern Europe by Herman Moll’s based on the chart produced from the surveys ordered by the Peter the Great, by Cornelis Cruise and with updates from the accounts of Captain John Perry. The map extends from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea and from Germany to the Volga River. At lower right is an enormous and elaborate cartouche dedicating the map to Peter the Great with his portrait, the Romanov arms and cross of the Russian Orthodox Church.
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Cornelius Cruys (1655-1727) In 1697, Russian Tsar Peter I travelled incognito with a large Russian delegation – the so-called Grand Embassy. He visited the Dutch Republic to study the latest inventions, especially in shipbuilding. Thanks to the mediation of Nicolaas Witsen, mayor of Amsterdam and expert on Russia par excellence, the tsar was given the opportunity to gain practical experience in the largest private shipyard in the world, belonging to the Dutch East India Company in Amsterdam, for a period of four months. The tsar helped with the construction of an East Indiaman, the frigate Peter en Paul.[4] During his stay in the Dutch Republic, the tsar engaged, with the help of Russian and Dutch assistants, many skilled workers such as builders of locks, fortresses, shipwrights and seamen. They had to help him with his modernization of Russia. The best-known sailor who made the journey from the Netherlands to Russia was Cornelis Cruys. Cruys accepted the tsar’s generous offer to enter into his service as vice-admiral. He emigrated to Russia in 1698 and became the tsar’s most important adviser in maritime affairs.[5] Cruys performed well in Russia and came be regarded as the architect of the Russian Navy. After his return to Russia the Tsar put his Azov Flotilla under the command of Admiral Fyodor Alexeyevich Golovin, a Russian nobleman who was the successor of the Swiss Franz Lefort. Golovin was assisted by Vice-Admiral Cruys and Rear-Admiral Jan van Rees. Cruys became the first “Russian” mayor of Taganrog from 1698 to 1702. In 1711, he made the first maps of Azov Sea and Don River. He was commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet from 1705, and masterminded the construction of Kronstadt fortress, which was essential in the Great Northern War against Sweden and many years later against the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Cruys worked for the tsar for more than 25 years and reached the highest Russian naval rank of admiral in 1721. He died at Saint Petersburg in 1727.
John Perry (1670-1732) Perry had arrived in Russia in the early summer of 1698. He was first employed to report on the possibility of establishing a canal between the rivers Volga and Don. The work was begun in 1700, but the progress made was slow, owing to the incapacity of the workmen, the delay in supplying materials, and the opposition of the nobility. Perry was also much annoyed at the the czar’s neglect to pay him any salary. In September 1701 Perry, who now received the title of ‘Comptroller of Russian Maritime Works,’ was summoned to Moscow, and early in 1702 ordered to Voronej, on the right bank of the river of that name, to establish a dock. This was completed in 1703, after which Perry was employed in making the Voronej river navigable for ships of war from the city of Voronej to the Don. To 1710 Perry made surveys and engineering work about the river Don. After some delay, caused by the Turkish war of 1711, he received instructions to draw plans for making a canal between St. Petersburg and the Volga. He fixed a route, the works were begun, but Perry was now rendered desperate by the czar’s continued refusal to reward his services. A final petition to Peter was followed by a quarrel, and Perry, afraid for his life, put himself under the protection of the English ambassador, Mr. Whitworth, and returned to England in 1712. During fourteen years’ service in Russia, he only received one year’s salary. In 1716 he brought out an interesting work on the condition of Russia, entitled ‘State of Russia under the present Tsar.’ It contains a full account of the personal annoyances suffered by Perry during his stay in Russia.
From Moll’s, A Catalogue of a New and Complete set of Twenty-five Two-Sheet Maps.
Moll was a Dutch emigre who came to London about 1680 following the Scanian Wars, he first worked as an engraver for Moses Pitt, later setting up his own business and becoming, after the turn of the century, the foremost map publisher in England. As his fame grew he became a well known figure at in the group of Intelligencia who gathered at Jonathon's Coffee House in Exchange Alley or Change Alley. This narrow alleyway connecting shops and coffeehouses in an old neighbourhood of the City of London, served as a convenient shortcut from the Royal Exchange on Cornhill to the Post Office on Lombard Street. Shops once located in Exchange Alley included ship chandlers, makers of navigation instruments such as telescopes, and goldsmiths from Lombardy in Italy. The coffee houses of Exchange Alley, especially Jonathan's and Garraway's, became an early venue for the lively trading of shares and commodities. Moll was able to obtain crucial information from the lively commercial and intellectual scene in the area. Moll was at the forefront of map making during his working life and his maps reflect his ever inquisitive nature.
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