JEFFERYS, Thomas (1719-1771)
St. Lucia; Done from Surveys and Obserations made By the English whilst in their Possession
London: Printed for Robert Sayer, 20 February, 1775. Engraved map, uncoloured, with inset "Plan of the Carenage" at upper left, compass rose, latitude and longitude borders, and two scale bars. Sheet size: 28 1/2 x 21 3/8 inches.
A desirable large format English map of Saint Lucia, combining fine engraved topography with practical information on plantations, harbours, anchorages, and colonial settlement from British surveys made during their brief occupation.
This is one of the principal eighteenth-century English maps of Saint Lucia, based on surveys made during the British possession of 1762-1763. Published in 1775, shortly before Britain again seized the island during the American Revolutionary War, it reflects Saint Lucia's strategic importance in the Anglo-French struggle for the eastern Caribbean. The mountainous spine of the island is rendered with dense hachuring and stipple, with forested areas shown pictorially throughout the interior. The coast is replete with French place names, among them Gros Islet, Anse du Gros Islet, Anse la Raye, Pointe Chimmachin, Anse de la Souffrière, Pointe du Gros Piton, Anse du Vieux Fort, Pointe de Sable, Anse Mabouya, and the Cul de Sac de Troumassee. The famous Pitons and the Soufrière region are clearly marked on the southwest coast, while the southeast is labelled Pays Plat / Flat Land. On the eastern side, the map preserves the colonial label Carib, marking Indigenous Kalinago presence in the islands landscape. The engraved key on the lower left distinguishes plantations, anchorages for large vessels, and anchorages for ships of fifty tons. These symbols make the map a practical colonial and naval document, registering productive estates, landing places, and the maritime approaches most useful to military and commercial shipping. The inset Plan of the Carenage shows the protected harbour at the northwest of the island, with soundings, anchorages, points, roads, and surrounding heights. Carenage was later renamed Castries in 1785 and became the capital and chief port of Saint Lucia. The inset therefore gives an early detailed English survey of what would become the islands principal harbour and administrative center. Thomas Jefferys was one of the leading English cartographers of the 18th century. From about 1750, he published a series of maps of the Americas, that were among the most significant produced in the period. As Geographer to the Prince of Wales, and after 1761, Geographer to the King, Jefferys was well-placed to have access to the best surveys conducted, and many of his maps held the status of "official work." Jefferys died on 20th November 1771, but Robert Sayer (in partnership with John Bennett) 'having acquired the sole property of the Plates' and other material relating to the work, 'minutely followed' Jefferys' plans for The West India Atlas although Sayer does note that additional work was done using various sources to ensure that the information was up to date.
See also: D. Gestetner "Thomas Jefferys': West-India Atlas, 1775" in MapForum, issue 7 (2005), pp.40-48 & issue 8 (2005), pp.30-35; Phillips 2699.
Item #42747
Price: $1,500.00