CARTE CONTENANT 80 LIEUX DU GOUVERNMENT DE CAYENNE [manuscript cartouche].
[Cayenne]:
[Np, but likely Cayenne]. Nov. 23, 1690. Manuscript map, 9 x 14 1/2 inches. Elaborate cartouche in lower left corner. Minor edge wear. Vertical fold through center. Overall clean. Very good. In a half morocco and cloth box. A detailed and ornamental map of part the coastline of French Guiana, centering on the island and town of Cayenne, the fledgling capital of the colony, showing the coastline and some distance inland, with settlements and rivers clearly marked, from Cap d'Orange to the Amana and Maroun rivers. The decorative cartouche in the lower left corner shows a French officer on one side and a Cayenne native on the other, and is dated Nov. 23, 1690. Two large French ships float just offshore. The early settlement is clearly delineated on the coast, with specific buildings labelled. Also given are the names of the various rivers and creeks along the coast. The entire map is executed in minute and beautiful penwork. The French first established themselves at Cayenne in 1652, although it was not firmly secured as a French colony until 1676. It was one of their first colonies in the Caribbean area and their only colony on the mainland of South America. By 1690, when this view was made, it was a flourishing and prosperous settlement. A unique and appealing view of a major French colony. From the papers of Michel Bégon (1638-1710). Bégon was a French civil servant and colonial administrator who served for a while in Canada, and then in the Caribbean at Martinique. In the 1680s he became intendent at Santo Domingo, and was later sent to Martinique for official duties, which is probably when he collected this map. Later he served as the intendent of the port of Rochelle and was active in gathering intelligence for the French government.
(Item ID: WRCAM34693) $17,500.00