![Memoir on the Geography, and Natural History and Civil History of Florida, attended by a Map of that Country, Connected with the Adjacent Places: and an Appendix, Containing the Treaty of Cession, and other Papers Relative to the Subject [with:] Map of Florida By William Darby](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/81777.jpg)
An Early Florida Book with The First American Map of Florida
An important early promotional work for Florida, by a leading American cartographer who had served as Deputy Surveyor of the United States.
Darby's Map of Florida is the first printed map of Florida following its acquisition by the United States in 1818 and the only printed map to show East and West Florida as part of the United States, prior to the merger of the two Floridas and creation of Florida Territory in March 1822.
Engraved by Benjamin Tanner, the map includes insets showing Pensacola, Mobile Bay, and Espiritu Santo Bay. In addition to Florida, the map also shows the southern parts of Georgia (thus the inclusion in the De Renne collection) and Alabama. The Okefenokee Swamp is prominently labeled "Oke phanoke Swamp," and all the main rivers and lakes are also named.
The text is a concise and enthusiastic description of the geography, natural history (especially native flora), climate and agricultural potential of Florida. On the native vines in Florida, Darby states: "there are in Florida three or four species, the most remarkable of which are: the muscadine, or fox grape; and the parsley-leaved river grape vine."
The book includes the text of the Adams-Onis Treaty, which achieved the formal cession of Florida to the United States. A Syllabus of Darby's Course of Lectures on the History of the United States can be found on four pages at the end, followed by a "List of Maps and Geographical Works, Lately Published and for Sale by H. S. Tanner." Also notable is an advertisement for Benjamin Tanner's allegorical print celebrating the independence and prosperity of the United States, "America Guided by Wisdom."
A promotional tract for immigrants with brief notes on Pensacola and St. Augustine - Servies.
A seminal early promotional tract and map for Florida collectors.
Rarity
The book is rare on the market. RBH lists 1 example at auction in the past 50 years.
Provenance: George R. Brush, with his stamp on the title page. George R. Brush M.D., served in the United States Navy as a surgeon and medical inspector, from 1861 to 1894. Brush was a notable bibliophile and author of the Brush Family in America.