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.