A magnificent wall map of all of Asia, including eastern Europe, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and the East Indies. The map is based on Laurie & Whittle's earlier map of 'Asia' (1794), but here augmented with two further sheets to include eastern Africa and "New Holland". The latter includes two insets: 'Sketch of King Geo. IIIds Sound', or King George Sound, with Vancouver's discovery of Princess Royal Harbour, Western Australia on 29 Aug. 1791; and 'The discoveries made by the ship Duke on the south extremity of New Holland in 1791', showing the south-eastern tip of Tasmania, now the region of Hobart, extending up the Derwent River.

The mapmakers
The foundation of the partnership of Robert Laurie (1755–1836) and James Whittle (1757–1818) was the existing stock of Robert Sayer's printing plates, both for maps and atlases and also decorative prints. Laurie had originally apprenticed to Robert Sayer in 1770, and made free in 1777. He was a skilled artist, who exhibited at the Society of Artists from 1770, winning a silver palette for a drawing in 1770, and he was also an accomplished engraver of mezzotint portraits and produced views and other decorative items. In about 1792 he returned to the Sayer business and took it over from the ailing Sayer in 1794. Whittle was apprenticed into the Needlemakers' Company, evidently made free by 1792, and joined with Laurie to take over the Sayer business in 1794.

Laurie retired in 1812. His son Richard Holmes Laurie replaced him in the partnership and, eventually, took over the firm after Whittle's death in 1818. Presumably under the influence of Richard Holmes Laurie, the partnership became noted as chartmakers and publishers, with the business existing to the current day as Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson.