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This finely detailed map traces the course of the Saguenay River from its confluence with the Saint Lawrence River to its inland sources, capturing the geographical and cultural landscape of 18th-century New France. It includes indigenous place names, reflecting Bellin’s attention to native terminology, with the river itself referred to by its indigenous name, Pitchitaouichetz. Numerous smaller tributaries and notable lakes, such as Lac Mycouitch, are depicted along the river's length. Settlements and strategic locations are marked, including Embouchure du Saguenay (the mouth of the Saguenay), Pointe aux Alouettes, and Port aux Femmes.
The map also includes fortifications, trading posts, and several petites rivieres (small rivers), offering a detailed look at the area’s waterways and their connections to key colonial outposts. These details reflect French interest in the region’s fur trade and its strategic position within the broader framework of New France.
From Charlevoix’s Histoire et description générale de la Nouvelle France, a seminal work documenting French exploration and colonial efforts in North America.
Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was among the most important mapmakers of the eighteenth century. In 1721, at only the age of 18, he was appointed Hydrographer to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographic Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King.
During his term as Official Hydrographer, the Dépôt was the one of the most active centers for the production of sea charts and maps in Europe. Their output included a folio-format sea atlas of France, the Neptune Francois. He also produced a number of sea atlases of the world, including the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise. These gained fame and distinction all over Europe and were republished throughout the eighteenth and even in the nineteenth century.
Bellin also produced smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime, containing 580 finely-detailed charts. He also contributed a number of maps for the 15-volume Histoire Generale des Voyages of Antoine François Prévost.
Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy, cementing France's leading role in European cartography and geography during this period. Many of his maps were copied by other mapmakers across the continent.
