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Description

Scarce example of the Universal Magazine edition of Thomas Jefferys' map of the siege of Quebec of 1759, widely considered to be the most important printed military map in Canadian history.

This fascinating map embraces the environs of Quebec City and was one of the first maps to be printed in London following news of the British victory on the Plains of Abraham in 1759, the fateful showdown between the armies of General James Wolfe and the Marquis de Montcalm. It shows the city and topography in carefully rendered detail. All of the main scenes of action surrounding the British siege are shown, including the abortive attack on Beauport, the British Headquarters at Levis and the site of the decisive Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Interestingly, each vessel of the British fleet, under the overall command of Admiral Saunders, appears in pictographic form, with the names of each ship labeled. The map was considered to be by far the most authoritative geographical depiction of this momentous series of events and was used as the source map for many other publications printed in London.

To lend perspective, the map includes a detail inset of the decisive battle itself, A view of the action gained by the English Sepr. 13, 1759 near Quebec, brought from thence by an officer of distinction and another inset map entitled Part of the upper river of St. Laurence, showing the region located upriver of that depicted on the main map.

Thomas Jefferys (1719-1771) was the leading British cartographer of his era, and is credited with spearheading London's ascendency as the world's premier map center during the second half of the 18th-century. He was the official cartographer to George III and is best known for his publication of many of the most important maps of the Seven Years War (or the French & Indian War) as well as a groundbreaking series of surveys of American colonies.

A nice example of the earliest obtainable copy of the original Jefferys map.