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Description

Detailed map of the Gambra (Gambia) River and its tributaries, which appeared in A New General Collection of Voyages and Travels . . . published in London in 1745.

The map extends from the Atlantic to Eropina, identifying a number of towns, factories and other details and including soundings within the river. The map illustrates the explorations of John Leach, on behalf of the Royal Company of Africa. Leach and Thomas Harrison explored the Gambia River in 1732 in search of new trading opportunities.

The Royal Company of Africa had established English settlements along this river, which explains the amount of the detail provided on these charts. Trading rights to the region were purchased by England from Portugal in 1588.

John Green has been credited as the compiler of this work. Green (an alias), was born Braddock Mead, compiled a number of important maps and books during his time in London, but is probably best known as the perpetrator of one of the more elaborate crimes in the annals of "mapmaker" history. Braddock Mead (c.1688-1757) was born in Dublin. Mead moved to London in the early 18th Century, producing several words of note, beginning with a book on the Construction of Globes in 1717. Sometime thereafter, he became embroiled in a scheme to defraud a 12 year old Irish heiress out of her fortune, which included a failed plan to kidnap and either marry her or extort a large ransom for her safe return, which resulted in his spending the majority of his life underground on the fringes of London's map and print publishing business (and adopting his alias).