Marvelous map of the United States and Canada, highlighting the area in dispute between the French and English at the outset of the French & Indian War.
Notably, many of the more interesting annotations are drawn directly from the Mitchell's map. The boundaries of Virginia, North Carolina, Southern Carolina, and Georgia extend to the Mississippi. Earl Granville's Property is noted and showing extending from Albemarle Sound to the Mississippi.
The map includes a lengthy note identifying the historical origins of each of the British Colonies in North America, along with establishing that Britain's claims in the New World date back to the Discovery of Sebastian Cabot, a Venetian, whose Father John first settled at Bristol and obtained a patent from Henry VII to make new discoveries, and died before the ship sailed in 1497. Sebastian sailed in search of a Northwest Passage and proceeded to Lat 67 degrees north from whence he steered running south to Cape Florida in 25 Deg., discovering the coast as he passed along.
Sr. Walter Rawleigh was the next who professedly sailed to make settlements, and he gave the name Virginia to this continent in honor of his mistress who was styled the Virgin Queen.
At least 30 early French and English forts are shown. The map includes a number of historical notes, including the Virginia-New England border of 1609, The Limits Stipulated in 1738 for Georgia, the Bounds of Hudson's Bay by the Treaty of Utrecht, the North Bounds of New England by Chart of 1620 (extending toward the Pacific Ocean to the west of Lake Superior), etc.
The course of the Ohio or Fair River is derived directly from the Mitchell. The Providence of Maine and Massachusetts Bay appear, with East and West New Jersey delineated, but named only New Jersey. Delaware County appears as part of Pennsylvania. A note showing "Walker 1750" refers to Dr. Thomas Walker, a physician and explorer from Virginia who led an expedition beyond the Allegheny Mountains. Walker was responsible for naming what is now known as the Cumberland Plateau and by extension the Cumberland River for the Duke of Cumberland. His party were some of the first Englishmen to see this area--previous white explorers were largely of Spanish and French origins. Walker explored Kentucky in 1750, 19 years before the arrival of Daniel Boone.
The Gentleman’s Magazine was a British publication that helped to normalize the use of maps in support of articles and features. It was founded in 1731 by the prominent London publisher Edward Cave, a pioneer in periodical journalism. The magazine continued in print for nearly two centuries, shuttering production in 1922.
This was the publication which first used the word “magazine”, from the French for storehouse. Cave wanted to create a storehouse of knowledge and he employed some of London’s best writers to fill his pages: Samuel Johnson gained his first regular employment by writing for the Gentleman’s Magazine. Other famous contributors included Jonathan Swift.
The publication covered a broad range of topics, from literature to politics, and, from 1739, frequently used maps as illustrations. The first map they printed was a woodcut of Crimea; the second was a fold-out map of Ukraine by Emanuel Bowen. Maps were used to show battle lines, to chronicle voyages, and to educate about areas with which Britain traded. Certain geographers, like Thomas Jefferys, contributed several maps to the publication.