Mortier, Pierre | The first map of the Carolinas to be printed outside of England

Mortier, Pierre
Carte General de la Caroline. Dresse sur les Memoires le plus Nouveaux par le Sieua [sic.] S***. Amsterdam: P. Mortier, [1700]

Copper-engraved map (sheet size: 632 x 540 mm). Full original color, first state.

The first map of the Carolinas to be printed outside of England, including an inset of Charleston with the names and positions of early plantations along the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.

The present map was included as part of Pierre Mortier's Suite de Neptune François, published in Amsterdam in 1700, and often incorrectly attributed to Nicolas Sanson. It is directly derived from the extremely rare A New Map of Carolina of 1685 by John Thornton, Robert Morden and Philip Lea. All topographical details are identical to those of its antecedent, however most of the place names have been Gallicized. Also, The table of settlers has been omitted in favor of the title caption. Amusingly a "Charle Ville ou Charles Towne" appears written in large letters near Cape Fear, while the actual Charles Towne is labeled in small letters further down the coast.

"Carolina was established in 1663 when Charles II granted the province to eight favorites, known as the Lord Proprietors, who had helped him regain the throne of England. The original grant included the territory between the 31st degree to 36 1/2 degrees north latitude, from Jekyll Island, Georgia, to Curritiuck Inlet, North Carolina. Two years later, the tract was enlarged to include the land between the 29th and the 31st degrees north latitude, thus adding a large portion of Florida. The grant extended west to the Pacific Ocean" (Degrees of Latitude 93).

REFERENCE
Burden II:767; Cumming 120; Koeman IV, M.Mor 7-33

Condition Report:
Condition as described in catalogue entry.