In 1763, Lieutenant Bougard of the French Navy published his Petit Flambeau de la Mer - a so called “coasting guide” covering a large number of well known Mediterranean, Atlantic and Barbary ports.
In 1801 John Thomas Serres - marine painter to the King of England - published an illustrated version which he gave the title of The Little Sea Torch. It included 144 pages of text, 24 maps and 137 plates - three of which were of Gibraltar with seven different views of the Rock - far more than for any other place covered in the book. All of them, including the maps are hand-coloured (hand coloured!!) aquatint engravings
The cover of The little Sea Torch
The following are the plates that refer to Gibraltar.
Map of the Strait of Gibraltar (1801 - The Little Sea Torch)
Photograph (1868 Willaim Burger)
The above map shows the Atlantic on the wrong side but it also explains why it was impossible for sailing ships anchored in the Bay of Gibraltar to leave whenever they fancied. The photo is unusual - It is rare to a similar scene of the bay showing so many ships with their sails up and ready to go. The wind had probably changed direction. They could easily have been tied up for weeks.
The New Mole was anything but new in 1801 - Apes Hill is Gebel Musa
According to the text:
One reason at least as to why Gibraltar is so often referred to as an islandGibraltar . . . is only joined to Spain by a very low and small isthmus, from which ships sailing along the Coast of Spain, to go out of the Straits in thick weather may mistake it for the entrance of the Straits.
Text referring to the Bay of Gibraltar
With acknowledgements and thanks to the Bibliteca Nacional de Portugal