A French dispatch aviso (a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat") under full sail with a lateen at the mast drying off its sails. Aviso is depicted by land. Small inscriptions to the bottom left and right of engraving note: "Designed after nature" and "engraved by Baugean".
This engraving is from a series of 72 fine engravings of merchant and naval vessels created and engraved by Baugean (1764-1830) in the series: "Collection de Toutes les Especes de Batimens de Guerre et de Batimens Marchard." Baugeans engravings are notable for their accurate and detailed depictions of ship construction and rigging.
