COLLECTION NAME:
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Record
Author:
Christison, George W. 1837-1924
Date:
1905
Short Title:
Map of the Eastern Himalayan Mission Field of the Church of Scotland
Publisher:
George Christison
Publisher Location:
London
Type:
Separate Map
Obj Height cm:
93
Obj Width cm:
79
Scale 1:
231,000
Note:
Notes from Alex Johnson: "This excellent wall map embraces Sikkim (today its own Indian state), Darjeeling (today a part of West Bengal) and the adjacent districts of northeastern India. Located at the foot of the Himalayas, the area is one of extreme natural beauty and cultural wealth. Highly detailed in parts, the map is predicated on advanced Indian government surveys, but also features new information supplied by Scottish missionaries and tea planters. The map was compiled by George Watt Christison, a leading pioneer in the development of the Darjeeling tea industry, and privately printed by him in London. The map depicts the Sikkim (sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan), which lay at the foot of Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world (8,586 m / 28,169 ft); while to the south is the famous tea-growing region of Darjeeling Hills, while to its south is Darjeeling Terai; to the east is Daling Hills, and below the district of Dooars. The map labels innumerable villages, monasteries, tea plantations (known as gardens or ‘Bair’), walking paths, roads, railways and the heights of mountains (given in feet). The level of detail, especially in the Darjeeling and Daling Hills, is impressive, and of particular note are the numerous tea gardens, as well as the line of the Northern Bengal State Railway, built from 1874, which connects Darjeeling with Calcutta. The map was specifically designed by Chirstison to show the missionary activities of the Presbyterian Church in the Eastern Himalayas and, in this account, the map shows the locations of mission churches, schools (both day and night) and dispensaries. Christison’s lengthy notes in the upper right of the map, explains what is depicted, details his sources, gives an account of the region’s topography and provides a miniature map of the winding road to the famous Tukvar Tea Plantation, in Darjeeling Hills, giving an idea of the rugged nature of the country. The map was drafted at the Tukvar Plantation, but privately lithographed by Christison (likely at his residence) in West Norwood, Southeast London. The map has a wonderfully eccentric, homemade printing style, adding to the authentic quality of the piece. George Christison & Tea Gardens of Darjeeling The region of the Eastern Himalayas showcased on the present map was culturally rich and long fiercely fought over by a number of major powers, including Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Qing Dynasty China. Sikkim was an ancient, proud kingdom that had to continuously fight for its survival against its larger neighbors. Darjeeling was traditionally under the control of Nepal. In 1817, following the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), Sikkim came under the loose protection of the British East India Company (EIC), wile Darjeeling came under the effective control of the Company. In 1835, the EIC assumed sovereignty over Darjeeling. Meanwhile, the British market had an ever-increasing thirst for tea, yet the EIC was unable to acquire sufficient, economically viable sources from China, so came to look elsewhere. The British realized that the Darjeeling Hills possessed the perfect climate and soils to grown high quality Chinese teas. In 1841, the British embarked on the first experiments to grow Chinese teas near the sleepy hill station of Darjeeling. These experiments proved successful, but it was not until the 1850s that the British embarked upon mass production upon large plantations. The EIC backed the establishment of the Darjeeling Tea Company to manage the bounty, and its operations were largely led by Scotsmen, tough men who where adept at pioneering complex operations in rugged lands. The most famous of the great tea gardens established by the Company was Tukvar, founded in in 1856. George Watt Christison (1837 - 1924) was one of the greatest figures in the Darjeeling tea industry. He was born near Wigtown, Scotland, and came to India in 1862. He joined the Darjeeling Tea Company in 1864 and proved to be a phenomenally good planter and businessmen. He was also a great diplomat, maintaining excellent relations with the local Gurkhas and landowners. He developed new methods of growing tea, increasing yields, while sparing the soils of erosion and nutrient degradation. He was also an active sponsor of the Presbyterian missionaries in the region. Fueled by Victorian Britain’s obsession with tea, by 1874, the Darjeeling Tea Company ran 113 plantations, covering over 6,000 hectares, employing 19,000 workers. Shorty thereafter, Christison, became chairman of the Company, taking its operations to even greater heights. By 1905, the year that the present map was made, the company controlled 148 plantations, covering 18,475 hectares that annually produced over 5.85 million kilograms of tea! While the industry declined since that time, Darjeeling remains to this day, synonymous worldwide with high quality tea. A Note on Rarity This is undoubtedly one of the finest and most attractive maps of Darjeeling and Sikkim to be made during its era. It is also exceedingly rare; we cannot trace the location of any other examples, nor can we find any references in sales records."
Country:
India
City:
Darjeeling (India)
Subject:
Religions
Full Title:
Map of the Eastern Himalayan Mission Field of the Church of Scotland : Reduced and Compiled from the Indian Government Maps and Information Supplied by the Missionaries. Tukvar, London West Norwood 1905. Reduced, compiled and drwan by George Christison.
List No:
13318.000
Publication Author:
Christison, George W. 1837-1924
Pub Date:
1905
Pub Title:
Map of the Eastern Himalayan Mission Field of the Church of Scotland : Reduced and Compiled from the Indian Government Maps and Information Supplied by the Missionaries. Tukvar, London West Norwood 1905. Reduced, compiled and drwan by George Christison.
Pub Note:
Lithograph outline hand color map of Darjeeling (today a part of West Bengal) and the adjacent districts of northeastern India. Located at the foot of the Himalayas. Printed in London by the Scottish tea planter George W. Christison. The map was specifically designed by Chirstison to show the missionary activities of the Presbyterian Church in the Eastern Himalayas and, shows the locations of mission churches, schools, also showing rivers, roads, railways, cities and towns.
Pub List No:
13318.000
Pub Type:
Separate Map
Pub Height cm:
93
Pub Width cm:
78
Image No:
13318000.jp2
Authors:
Christison, George W. 1837-1924
