Sign In

Illustrating A Precuror To the Gulf Stream

Nice example Pierre Du Val's map of the eastern part of North America and contiguous parts of the Caribbean, Atlantic Ocean and West Africa and the west coast of Spain.

Du Val's map features a depiction of the most important trade routes in the second half of the 17th Century.  Intended as a stand-alone map with its own title or to be joined as part of a 4 sheet map of America, this map includes an fine depiction of eastern half of North America and a marvelous depiction of the route of the Spanish Galeons to and from North America, an early precursor to a depiction of the Gulf Stream.  Further north, "Route tennue l'an 1665 pour aller au Iapon et la Chine," which extends into Hudson Bay, a reference to the Pierre-Esprit Radisson's expedition of 1665 described below. 

The map shows a credible depiction of the Great Lakes, reflecting the growing knowledge brought back by French Fur Traders and Missionaries in the region as they pressed further southward, although notably there is no credible depiction of the Misissipppi River.

One interesting feature in the interior of North America is the crown which appears between Aplacites and Ocali, an apparent tribute to the size and stength of the Apalachee peoples who had dominated the southeastern part of the continent in the 17th Century. 

Floride Francoise is shown, an historical reference to the brief attempts by France to establish a colony in the southeastern part of North America during the 16th century. In 1562, the French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault led an expedition to the region, founding Charlesfort on Parris Island in present-day South Carolina. In 1564, René Goulaine de Laudonnière established Fort Caroline near modern-day Jacksonville, Florida, as a refuge for French Huguenots seeking religious freedom and as a foothold for French ambitions in the Americas. These efforts alarmed Spain, which claimed the region under its imperial monopoly. In 1565, Spanish forces under Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine and attacked Fort Caroline, massacring most of the French settlers and effectively ending French attempts to colonize Florida.  

Further north, Nouvelle Suede and Christina were part of Sweden's short-lived colonial presence in North America during the 17th century. Established in 1638, New Sweden was located along the lower Delaware River, encompassing parts of present-day Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The colony's primary settlement, Fort Christina (near modern Wilmington, Delaware), was named after Queen Christina of Sweden and served as its administrative and trading center. The Swedes built strong relations with local Lenape and Susquehannock tribes, engaging in fur trade and agriculture. However, New Sweden was a small colony, with limited resources and settlers, and faced competition from the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which claimed the same territory. In 1655, Dutch forces led by Peter Stuyvesant conquered New Sweden, bringing it under Dutch control.  

The map also locates Mariland, Jamestown, Manate (Manhattan), Boston and N. Plymouth, but does not acknowledge any Dutch presence in the region.

Pierre-Esprit Radisson and the Northwest Passage

Of particular note is the appearance of an open-ended waterway, with notations suggesting a possible link to a western sea. This speculative feature reflects the persistent European ambition to find a navigable route through the continent, facilitating trade with Asia. This hope had been sustained by reports from indigenous peoples of a "salt sea" abundant in furs, a reference that French explorers Radisson and Groseilliers, during their 1659–1660 voyage, interpreted as referring to Hudson Bay. The explorers’ determination to uncover such a route drove their efforts to secure financing for subsequent voyages, further symbolizing the geopolitical and economic motivations underpinning these quests.

The map shows a possible Northwest Passage, depicted as winding through Hudson Strait and Button’s Bay, and labeled "Route tenue l’an 1665 pour aller au Iapon et a la Chine" (Route taken in 1665 to go to Japan and China). This route is likely a reference to Pierre-Esprit Radisson’s ill-fated 1665 attempt to reach Hudson Bay. Radisson and his partner Groseilliers had tried multiple times to access Hudson Bay, but their early voyages were thwarted by bad weather and shipwreck.

The pair had heard consistent reports of a sea rich in furs, leading them to believe that Hudson Bay was the key to both fur trade riches and potentially a passage to Asia. However, their first voyage to Hudson Bay ended prematurely when they judged their supplies insufficient to survive the early onset of winter, forcing them to return to Boston. A subsequent attempt in 1665, which Radisson undertook with the support of King Charles II of England, also failed when Radisson’s ship, Eaglet, was nearly lost in a storm and forced to turn back to Plymouth, England. Despite these setbacks, the continued depiction of this speculative passage on maps such as DuVal’s underscores the European obsession with discovering a Northwest Passage.

Radisson’s persistence paid off in part when, in 1668, Groseilliers successfully reached the shores of James Bay aboard the Nonsuch and established trade relations with local Cree groups, a venture that laid the foundation for what would become the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). With the support of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, King Charles II’s cousin, Radisson and Groseilliers secured a royal charter in 1670 granting them exclusive rights to trade in the Hudson Bay region, thus founding the HBC. This charter not only provided the company with vast territorial claims—known as Rupert’s Land, comprising much of modern Canada—but also solidified English dominance in the North American fur trade. Radisson and Groseilliers, the only Europeans at the time with intimate knowledge of the Hudson Bay area and its indigenous inhabitants, were crucial to the early success of the HBC.

The depiction of Radisson’s 1665 voyage and the possible Northwest Passage route on the map also reflects broader European ambitions to control valuable trade routes and monopolize the fur trade. Radisson, in particular, navigated complex political and economic waters, securing royal patronage and substantial investment from London financiers. His partnership with Prince Rupert and figures like Sir John Robinson allowed the HBC to flourish in its early years. However, as anti-French and anti-Catholic sentiment grew in England, Radisson faced challenges within the company, ultimately leaving London in 1675 to return to French service. His shifting allegiances highlight the complex intersection of personal ambition and the political dynamics of the time, as both Radisson and Groseilliers operated in a volatile environment where their fortunes were tied to the shifting interests of European powers.