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BELLIN, Jacques Nicolas (1703-72)

[Great Lakes] Partie Occidentale de la Nouvelle France ou du Canada

Nuremberg: Homann Heirs, 1755. Copper-engraved map, with original outline colour, in excellent condition. Sheet size: 21 1/8 x 24 1/8 inches.

A very fine edition of Bellin's map, and one of the most important maps of the Great Lakes

This important map depicts the Great Lakes as they appeared in the years immediately before the Seven Years War, and significantly, it "constituted the first new material pertaining to New France to appear since the maps of Guillaume de L'Isle three decades earlier" (Heidenreich & Dahl). The present map represents the edition published by the esteemed firm, Homann Heirs as part of their Atlas Maior. It is closely derived from Bellin's 1745 first state of the map. A curious aspect of the map is its foreshortened rendering of Pennsylvania and New York. While this map evinces the latest in French knowledge of the region, it curiously places many fictitious islands, most notably "Ile Philippeaux" in Lake Superior. The land is still shown to be the domain of various native nations, including the "Pays des Iroquois" and the "Pays de Miami," and features the locations of numerous native villages. This in mind, the region was under tenuous French hegemony, as indicated by the presence of forts and Jesuit missions, such as "Fort Frontenac" (Kingston, Ontario), Niagara, Detroit, Sault Ste. Marie, and Kaskasquias in southern Illinois. The future site of Chicago is noted on the shores of Lake Michigan as "R. et Port de Chicagon". The coastline of the Thirteen Colonies from Chesapeake Bay to New York City is visible in the lower right corner. Bellin's rendering of the Great Lakes proved to be the most important cartographic source in the coming decades, most notably for John Mitchell's A Map of the British & French Dominions in North America (1755), the map that was used to define the boundaries of the newly independent United States in 1783. The composition is graced in the upper center-right by an extremely virtuous title cartouche of a rococo ethic.

Karpinski, Bibliography of the Early Printed Maps of Michigan, p.138; Kershaw, Early Printed Maps of Canada III, 950, plate 715; Phillips, A List of Maps of America, p.191; Sellers & Van Ee, Maps & Charts of North America & West Indies, 19; Cf. Heidenreich & Dahl, 'The French Mapping of North America', in The Map Collector 19 (June, 1982); Schwartz & Ehrenberg, The Mapping of America, p.165, pl.97

#19857$4,500.00
 
 
BELLIN, Jacques Nicolas (1703-72)

[North Pacific] Carte Réduite de L'Ocean Septentrional compris entre l'Asie et l'Amerique suivant les Decouvertes qui ont été faites par les Russes...

Paris: J. N. Bellin, 1766. Copper-engraved map, in very good condition. Sheet size: 25 1/3 x 37 1/8 inches.

A fascinating map of the North Pacific shown just before the voyages of Cook, by Bellin, the esteemed French Royal hydrographer, present here in the first state

This extremely interesting and finely engraved large map depicts the northern Pacific Ocean, and adjacent coasts during an early stage in its exploration, after the first wave of great Russian explorers but just before the momentous voyages of Captain James Cook. The map embraces a vast expanse from north of the 35th parallel, from Japan to California. The map shows the tracks of the Russian voyages of Bering and his deputy Aleksei Chirikov conducted from 1728-43 that first defined eastern Siberia and touched upon the American northwest. Save the imaginary bulge on the north coast of the Chuckchi Peninsula, the coasts of Siberia are extremely well-defined, attesting to Bering's enormous talent as a cartographer. Japan, whose rulers were known to be especially unwelcoming to foreign explorers, is not well understood, such that its large northernmost island, Hokkaido, does not appear at all on the map.

It is perhaps Bellin's depiction of North America that is most intriguing. It shows how Bering and Chirikov touched on various points of the Aleutians and sighted Mount St. Elias, the 18,000 ft. peak located near the top of the Alaska panhandle. The Pacific northwest immediately south of that point is entirely conjectural noting apocryphal discoveries such as the 'River of the King's' encountered by the Spanish Admiral de Fuente in 1640, and the Strait of Juan De Fuca, discovered in 1592. Although the latter body of water does exist, it was probably first encountered by Europeans in the 1770s. Bellin does, however, note Sir Francis Drake's actual discovery of 'Nouvelle Albion' (northern California) in 1578. The map optimistically shows a land route across the continent to the Pacific, decades before any such endeavor was embarked upon. The mapping of the heart of North America is also most curious, as it shows the Red River system, which in reality flows towards Hudson's Bay, as being connected to the Mississippi Basin. The map is elegantly traversed by rhumb lines and the composition is completed by an exquisite rococo title cartouche.

This map was part of the l'Hydrographie Française, a great sea atlas, published by Bellin in two volumes from 1755 to 1766. This was one of the finest works of the prolific Bellin, the "Hydrographer to the King", who was so highly regarded that the British (who were almost always at war with France) made him a member of their Royal Society.

Kershaw, Early Maps of Canada IV, 1125, plate 879; Wagner, Cartography of the Northwest Coast of America, 610

#19716$2,750.00
 
 
BOUCHETTE, Joseph (1774-1841)

[Quebec] Topographical Map of the Districts of Quebec, Three Rivers, St Francis and Gaspé, Lower Canada, exhibiting the new civil division of the districts into counties pursuant to a recent act of the Provincial Legislature

London: James Wyld, 2 May 1831. Large engraved map (50 x 90 inches, if joined), on six sheets, hand-coloured in outline. In good condition.

A spectacular large scale map of Quebec and other districts in Lower Canada by one of the most important figures in the history of Canadian cartography.

This very rare and beautifully-executed map is Joseph Bouchette's cartographic masterpiece, and is here in its most desirable form: it was available on six sheets (as here), four sheets backed on to linen, or dissected into small sections backed onto cloth and folding into protective covers. It includes a smaller scale inset map of the district of Gaspé, together with 5 inset views of coastal scenery. In addition many of the new counties also include the grid divisions which were used to mark out the plots which had been surveyed and were available for settlement.

Joseph Bouchette was "particularly important for the history and development of Canada. In addition to completely reorganizing surveying and cartographic services in Lower Canada, He published works that demonstrate his artistic and scientific talents" (Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online). Bouchette served as Surveyor-General of Lower Canada from 1804 to 1841 (the office was abolished at his death), he travelled extensively over a period of fifteen years, and went on to produce the most accurate and important topographical works of his time on British North America. The genesis of the present work was the need to resolve ownership disputes in the area and also to establish which areas had been surveyed. "With this in mind ... [Bouchette] asked all the seigneurs for copies of their title deeds, to enable him to direct the work of his survey parties. Furthermore, his office was swamped with requests from men who, having served in the war, had received crown land grants and wanted them surveyed. Matters were in such a state of confusion that in 1820 the governor, Lord Dalhousie, asked Bouchette to investigate the situation in the area between Lake Champlain and the American frontier and the St Lawrence River. It was necessary to identify which of the occupied lands had been surveyed and which had not ... Subsequently he directed the work on a vast number of files related to the surveying of crown lands in Lower Canada. Because there was still so much confusion regarding grants to military men, in 1824 Lord Dalhousie asked Bouchette to make a tour of the various townships in which they were located" (op. cit.). From 1826 to 1829 Bouchette continued to collect data, before leaving for London in September 1829 and beginning his attempt to publish the information he had gathered. Despite his official position and the help of various influential friends and potential patrons, it took him almost three years before anything was published. The present map, a very visible vindication of all Bouchette's efforts, appeared in May 1831.

#20305$15,000.00
 
 
CHATELAIN, Henri Abraham. (1684-1743)

[Canada] Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France, & des Découvertes qui y ont été faites

Amsterdam: Chez L'Honoré & Châtelain, 1719. Copper-engraved map, in excellent condition. Sheet size: 18 x 21 5/8 inches.

An important and fascinating map of Canada from Châtelain's celebrated 'Atlas Historique'

This very finely engraved and epistemologically interesting map was one of the most important maps of Canada printed during its time, and was included in Châtelain's Atlas Historique. It is largely derived from Guillaume de L'Isle's famous 1703 map of Canada, and the geography of the Great Lakes, eastern Canada and New England is quite accurate for the time. The numerous trading posts and missions of New France and the major towns of the adjacent British colonies are labeled. The area around Hudson's Bay is shown to be inhabited by native tribes referred to as the "Christinaux or Kilistinons," while Labrador is home to the "Eskimaux." Interestingly, the map features a number of notes specifically referring to the names of explorers and the dates in which they discovered certain places, such as the reference to 'Nouveau Danemarc', discovered by the Danish explorer Jan Munk in 1619. The depiction of the upper Mississippi and Ohio basins is also quite detailed, noting the position of the French fort of 'St. Louis' or 'Crèvecouer' near the present-day site of Peoria, Illinois. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the map is its portrayal of the "Rivière Longue," one of the most sensational and enduring cartographic misconceptions ever devised. This imaginary river was reported to flow from the 'Pays des Gnacsitares' in the far west, promising the best route through the interior of the continent, supposedly placing one within close reach of the Pacific Ocean. It is a product of the imagination of the Baron Lahontan, an entertaining and roguish French adventurer, whose best-selling travel narrative Nouveaux voyages dans l'Amérique septentrionale (1703) convinced many of the world's greatest intellects of the existence of this mythical waterway. The text, 'Remarque Historique' that fills the northwestern part of the map describes the history of New France from the days of Jacques Cartier to contemporary times.

Kershaw, Early Maps of Canada II, 334, plate 215

#19709$1,500.00
 
 
COLTZ, C.

[Plan of Fort Cumberland off the Island of St. Lawrence] Plan von Fort Cumberland auf der insel St. Laurenti

circa 1760. Gouache, painted on fine watermarked laid paper, in excellent condition. Sheet size: 19 7/8 x 28 1/8 inches.

A rare fictional manuscript plan of Fort Cumberland in Canada.

This fascinating manuscript map purports to depict the English Fort Cumberland on the island of St. Lawrence. Closer research has uncovered that there was no Fort Cumberland on a St. Lawrence island. It is possible that the artist is referring to Fort Cumberland, located on the Bay of Fundy in Canada, which is near the St. Lawrence River. Originally named Fort Beausejour, the fort was erected by the French in 1751. It was captured by the British in 1755 and renamed Fort Cumberland. The fort was located on the coast rather than an island and was used to command the territory between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The location as well as the complicated layout of the ramparts suggests that this representation is fictional rather than illustrative. The buildings, which are all identified in a numbered key, resemble medieval architecture rather than eighteenth century design, signifying that this fine painting is a product of the artist's romantic vision rather than a depiction of an actual place. Accounts of the exploration of North America and Canada circulated throughout Britain and the Continent, and it is most likely that this magnificent painted plan was based on these texts. Although fictional, this is a fascinating glimpse of eighteenth century cartography, which often relied more on written accounts and hypothetical theories than actual geographic surveys.

#16111$3,500.00
 
 
DE L'ISLE, Guillaume (1675-1726)

[Canada] Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France

Amsterdam: Jean Covens & Corneille Mortier, [circa 1730]. Copper-engraved map with original outline colour, in excellent condition. Sheet size: 21 1/4 x 25 1/2 inches.

Second state of Covens & Mortier edition of De l'Isle's important and influential map of Canada, and one of the finest works of a great French cartographer

This very finely engraved and epistemologically interesting map was the most important map of Canada printed during its era. It is one of the finest maps devised by Guillaume De L'Isle, first printed in 1703. De L'Isle was a much esteemed figure who became the geographer to the French Academy of Sciences in 1702, and the Premier Géographe to Louis XV in 1718. Rodney Shirley notes that "De L'Isle's work is distinguished by its scientific basis, the minute care taken in all departments, constant revision, and personal integrity". The present map is the edition printed by Covens & Mortier for their Atlas Nouveau. The geography of the Great Lakes, eastern Canada and New England is quite accurate for the time. The numerous trading posts and missions of New France and the major towns of the adjacent British colonies are labeled. The area around Hudson's Bay is shown to be inhabited by native tribes referred to as the "Christinaux or Kilistinons", referring to their conversion to the Christian faith, while Labrador is home to the "Eskimaux". Interestingly, the map features a number of notes specifically referring to the names of explorers and the dates in which they discovered certain places, such as the reference to 'Nouveau Danemarc', discovered by the Danish explorer Jan Munk in 1619. The depiction of the upper Mississippi and Ohio basins is also quite detailed, noting the position of the French fort of 'St. Louis' or 'Crevecouer' near the present-day site of Peoria, Illinois. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the map is its portrayal of the "Rivière Longue," one of the most sensational and enduring cartographic misconceptions ever devised. This imaginary river was reported to flow from the 'Pays des Gnacsitares' in the far west, promising the best route through the interior of the continent. A short distance over some mountains lies a long salt water lake, that is supposedly connected to the Pacific Ocean. It is a product of the imagination of the Baron Lahontan, an entertaining and roguish French adventurer, whose best-selling travel narrative Nouveaux voyages dans l'Amérique septentrionale (1703) convinced many of the world's greatest intellects of the existence of this mythical waterway.

Kershaw, Early Printed Maps of Canada I, 318; Tooley, MMC 33 39

#19710$1,750.00
 
 
DES BARRES, J.F.W. (1721-1824)

Annapolis Royal... St. Mary's Bay

London: Published by J.F.W. Des Barres in 'The Atlantic Neptune', 1 January, 1781. Etching with added hand-colour. On laid paper with `J Bates' watermark and `JB' countermark. Sheet size: 31 3/4 x 47 inches.

A fine print from 'The Atlantic Neptune' which charts the Annapolis Royal, with a coastal view of Gulliver's Hole and a descriptive text.

'The Atlantic Neptune' was the first great marine atlas, and one of the greatest achievements of eighteenth century cartography. Published in England in 1774, it contained over 250 charts and views of the North American and Canadian coasts. The charts were intensely detailed and contained both hydrographical and topographical details. The Neptune was compiled and published for the Royal Navy by Joseph F. W. Des Barres, a Swiss cartographer who joined the Royal American Regiment as a surveyor. Des Barres fought in the French and Indian wars and was enlisted to survey the Canadian coastline. While his fellow surveyor, Samuel Holland charted the New England coast, Des Barres mapped the shoreline of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence River regions. In 1774, Des Barres returned to England where he compiled and published his monumental atlas; his dedication to the project was so strong that he published an updated version of the work every year until 1784. Des Barres' work was so superior to any other contemporary atlas, that the maps were used as the standard charts of the East coast for over 50 years. The Neptune remains one of the most important atlases ever printed, its views and maps chart the history of North America and allow us to glimpse a forgotten land long changed by the passage of time.

This chart is an excellent eighteenth century record of the first settlement in Canada. In 1605, two years before the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, three years before the founding of Quebec, and fifteen years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, a small party of French explorers, led by Sieur de Monts, established Port Royal as the first settlement in Canada. The settlement was later renamed Annapolis Royal which is the name asigned to it in Des Barres chart.

Spendlove, The Face of Early Canada, Chapter 4: "J.F.W. Des Barres and The Atlantic Neptune"; pp. 18-22; Debard, "The Family Origins of Joseph Fredericks Wallet DesBarres: A Riddle Finally Solved", Nova Scotia Historical Review, Vol 14, No. 2 (1994), p.15.

#5598$3,500.00
 
 
DES BARRES, J.F.W. (1721?-1824)

[Chart of] Leith Harbour... Port Durham ... Prospect Harbour ... Bristol Bay ... Sambro Harbour [with a small inset panoramic view to the lower left corner] Hopsons Nose, bearing N.N.W. two Miles

London: Publiched by J.F.W. Des Barres in 'The Atlantic Neptune', 20 Feb 1779. Etching with roulette-work, with added touches of hand-colour, on two joined sheets. Printed on laid paper with `J Bates' watermark and `JB' countermark. Expertly repaired at old folds, two expertly repaired tears. 28 1/4 x 40 inches overall.

A fine chart of the coastline between Charlotte Bay and Halifax Bay in Nova Scotia

'The Atlantic Neptune' was the first great marine atlas, and one of the greatest achievements of eighteenth century cartography. Published in England in 1774, it contained over 250 charts and views of the North American and Canadian coasts. The charts were intensely detailed and contained both hydrographical and topographical details. The Neptune was compiled and published for the Royal Navy by Joseph F. W. Des Barres, a Swiss cartographer who joined the Royal American Regiment as a surveyor. Des Barres fought in the French and Indian wars and was enlisted to survey the Canadian coastline. While his fellow surveyor, Samuel Holland charted the New England coast, Des Barres mapped the shoreline of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and the St. Lawrence River regions. In 1774, Des Barres returned to England where he compiled and published his monumental atlas; his dedication to the project was so strong that he published an updated version of the work every year until 1784. Des Barres' work was so superior to any other contemporary atlas, that the maps were used as the standard charts of the East coast for over 50 years. The Neptune remains one of the most important atlases ever printed, its views and maps chart the history of North America and allow us to glimpse a forgotten land long changed by the passage of time.

Spendlove, The Face of Early Canada, Chapter 4: "J.F.W. Des Barres and The Atlantic Neptune"; pp. 18-22; Debard, "The Family Origins of Joseph Fredericks Wallet DesBarres: A Riddle Finally Solved", Nova Scotia Historical Review, Vol 14, No. 2 (1994), p.15.

#16863$900.00
 
 
DES BARRES, J.F.W. (1721-1824)

Egmont Harbour [modern Jeddore Harbour, Nova Scotia]

London: Published by J.F.W. Des Barres in 'The Atlantic Neptune', 1 April, 1779. Sea chart, etched with roulette-work, with original colour, with aquatint view. Printed on laid paper with `J Bates' watermark and `JB' countermark. Sheet size: 32 x 24 1/8 inches.

A very fine sea chart and view of Egmont, now called Jeddore Harbour, from 'The Atlantic Neptune', the first British sea atlas of her North American colonies

This is a finely presented and highly detailed chart of what is now known as Jeddore Harbour, near Halifax. The bay, seven miles long and three miles wide, is captured in a cartographic composition of great topographical and hydrographical detail, and is further embellished by a roundel containing a mariner's view of the area. This chart is the fifth and final state produced, and is identical to the Henry Stevens Collection, variant 49G, in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

Des Barres studied under the great mathematician Daniel Bernoulli at the University of Basel, before continuing on to the Royal Military College at Woolwich. On the outbreak of the Seven Years war in 1756, he joined the British Royal American Regiment as a military engineer. He came to the attention of General James Wolfe, who appointed him to be his aide-de-camp. From 1762, Des Barres was enlisted to survey the coastlines of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St.Lawrence, while his colleague, Samuel Holland charted the New England coast. In 1774, Des Barres returned to England where he began work on the Neptune. His dedication to the project was so strong, that often at his own expense, he continually updated and added new charts and views up until 1784. That year he returned to Canada, where he remained for a further forty years, becoming a senior political figure and a wealthy land owner, and living to the advanced age of 103.

The Atlantic Neptune was the first British sea atlas of her North American colonies, and one of the most important achievements of eighteenth century cartography. With an official commission from the Royal Navy, Des Barres published the first volume in London in 1775, which was soon followed by further volumes. Des Barres' monumental endeavor eventually featured over two-hundred charts and aquatint views, many being found in several states. All of the charts were immensely detailed, featuring both hydrographical and topographical information. Des Barres' plates were used to print further editions up into the first decade of the nineteenth-century. The Neptune met with the highest acclaim from the beginning, and is today widely regarded as superior to all other atlases produced during its time.

National Maritime Museum: Henry Stevens Collection: K0124 HNS 49G & Catalogue, no.38, p.382; Cf. Spendlove, The Face of Early Canada, Chapter 4: "J.F.W. Des Barres and The Atlantic Neptune"; pp. 18-22; Debard, "The Family Origins of Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres: A Riddle Finally Solved", Nova Scotia Historical Review, Vol 14, No. 2 (1994), p.15

#5597$2,500.00
 
 
DES BARRES, J.F.W. (1721-1824)

[Nova Scotia & Newfoundland - A Series of Four Views on a single Sheet] Cape Blowmedown [and[ Cape Split [and] The Entrance of Mines Bason [and] Isle Haut and Cape Chegnecto

London: Published by J.F.W. Des Barres in 'The Atlantic Neptune', Jany. 1st, 1779. Etching with aquatint with sepia, with original colour, printed on 'J Bates paper'. Sheet size: 32 3/4 x 24 1/4 inches.

An extraordinary series of navigational views of the coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, evincing Des Barres signature artistic virtuosity

Des Barres, of Swiss-Huguenot extraction, studied under the great mathematician Daniel Bernoulli at the University of Basel, before continuing on to the Royal Military College at Woolwich. Upon the outbreak of hostilities with France in 1756, he joined the British Royal American Regiment as a military engineer. He came to the attention of General James Wolfe, who appointed him to join his personal detail. During this period he also worked with the future legendary explorer James Cook on a monumental chart of the St. Lawrence River. From 1762, Des Barres was enlisted to survey the coastlines of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while his colleague, Samuel Holland charted the New England coast. He also managed to gain access to some surveys of the American South, Cuba and Jamaica. In 1774, Des Barres returned to England where he began work on The Neptune. His dedication to the project was so strong, that often at his own expense, he continually updated and added new charts and views up until 1784. That year he returned to Canada, where he remained for a further forty years, becoming a senior political figure and a wealthy land owner, and living to the advanced age of 103.

The Atlantic Neptune, the most celebrated sea atlas, contained the first systematic survey of the east coast of North America. Des Barres's synergy of great empirical accuracy with the peerless artistic virtue of his aquatint views, created a work that "has been described as the most splendid collection of charts, plates and views ever published" (National Maritime Museum Catalogue). Upon the conclusion of the Seven Years War, Britain's empire in North America was greatly expanded, and this required the creation of a master atlas featuring new and accurate sea charts for use by the Royal Navy. Des Barres was charged with this Herculean task, publishing the first volume in London in 1775, which was soon followed by three further volumes. Des Barres's monumental endeavor eventually featured over two-hundred charts and views, many being found in several states. Des Barres's charts were immensely detailed, featuring both hydrographical and topographical information, and in many cases remained the most authoritative maps of the regions covered for several decades.

National Maritime Museum (Greenwich), Henry Newton Stevens Collection NHS 16C & Catalogue, no.8, p.381

#19315$2,250.00
 
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