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A rare historical 2-sheet map of the former French Empire in North America, embracing Eastern Canada, the Northeast U.S. and the American Midwest.
This large and highly detailed map depicts New France and Acadia, the former French colonies in North America as they developed from their discovery to their conquest by British forces in 1760. The map embraces North America extending from the Carolinas in the south up to Hudson's Bay in the north, and goes as far west as Manitoba. The former French Dominions are colored in pink, while English territories in Hudson's Bay and Newfoundland are colored in green, while England's Colonies along the Atlantic Seaboard are colored in white.
The Gulf and River of St. Lawrence were first discovered by Europeans during Jacques Cartier's first voyage in 1534. However, it was not until the early 17th Century when Samuel de Champlain oversaw the first enduring permanent French settlements in North America, founding Port Royal, Nova Scotia (1603) and Quebec (1608). The Canadian Maritimes and part of Maine became the colony of Acadia, while the St. Lawrence Valley was organized into the Colony of New France, in 1663. Over the succeeding decades, the French extended their presence into the Great Lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys.
The map labels hundreds of settlements, and in many cases, notes the dates during which they were founded, 111 of which are identified through a numbered key. Various temporary boundaries between French and English territory are also shown. Insets include a detailed view of Quebec City, an antiquarian map of the Mississippi Basin by Guillaume de L'Isle (1718) and a map of the French settlements in the Montreal-Lake Champlain corridor.
The French Empire in North America fell to the British upon the conquest of Montreal in 1760, during the French & Indian War. In all, a fascinating overview of the development of one of the founding cultures of North America.
A nice example of this rare historical map.
