Biography

The present globe is the work of Nicholas Lane (fl.1775-1783) whose business was particularly associated with pocket globes. This present globe, with completely new terrestrial plates, was first issued in 1779. His son, Thomas, who had taken over the buisness following his father's death, updated the plates in 1807 and sold them wholesale and retail. With retails such as George Minshull, adding their name to the globe.

Geography

"New South Wales, Botany Bay and Cape Byron are depicted in New Holland (Australia), and "Buenos Ayres" (Buenos Aires) appears in South America." (Sumira) Thomas would be very thorough with updating the globe as: " Two years later [1809] there were more changes: Dimens Land (Tasmania) is separated from New Holland by the Bass Strait; Port Jackson (Sydney) is added to the eastern coast of the mainland; and Sharks' Bay and 'South C.' are newly marked on the western side. The Antipodes of London are also shown. In northwest America, "New Albion" and the "Stony Mountains" (the Rockies) have been added. Curiously, the date of Captain Cook's death, 14 February 1779, is another late addition squeezed in below the Sandwich Islands" (Sumira).

Astronomy
The celestial gores, which were acquired by Nicholas Lane from Richard Cushee sometime in the mid-eighteenth century, are geocentric in orientation. The difference is most noticeable in the orientation of Ursa Major, with the bear facing the other direction. The deep green colour is characteristic of Lane globes. Minshull has put his own stamp on the celestial gores by only colouring the constellations in green.