Bellin, Jacques Nicolas

Bellin spent over fifty years at the French Hydrographic Service where he was appointed the first `Ingenieur hydrographe de la Marine'. During his term of office there he was commissioned to carry out major surveys, first of the coast of France and later of all the known coasts of the world. These tremendous undertakings resulted in the production of a very large number of sea charts of the highest quality, which appeared in many editions with varying numbers of charts to the end of the century. He was appointed Hydrographer to the King and was a member of the Royal society in London.

(Ref: Moreland and Bannister).