The First Mapping of America: The General Survey of British North America

Description

The First Mapping of America tells the story of the General Survey. At the heart of the story lie the remarkable maps and the men who made them - the commanding and highly professional Samuel Holland, Surveyor-General in the North, and the brilliant but mercurial William Gerard De Brahm, Surveyor-General in the South. Battling both physical and political obstacles, Holland and De Brahm sought to establish their place in the firmament of the British hierarchy. Yet the reality in which they had to operate was largely controlled from afar, by Crown administrators in London and the colonies and by wealthy speculators, whose approval or opposition could make or break the best laid plans as they sought to use the Survey for their own ends. Cover Title Copyright Contents List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Part I: On the Tide of the Enlightenment 1. Introduction Maps, knowledge and power in the Age of the Enlightenment Organisation of the book Part II: The Antecedents and Genesis of the General Survey Introduction 2. The Civilian and Military Antecedents of the General Survey Developments in English colonial cartography during the late seventeenth century Governance of colonial affairs in British North America Signs of progress Lord Halifax becomes President of the Board of Trade Introducing William Gerard De Brahm The development of military cartography in British North America Introducing Samuel Holland 3. The Genesis of the General Survey The role and status of the Board of Trade, 1761–4 The Grenville Ministry and the new colonial policy The important new policy questions of the day The Proclamation of 7 October 1763 Samuel Holland’s timely proposal for the General Survey The plan for the survey is defined Linking surveys, envisioned as additions to complete the General Survey Scientific surveying as practised by the General Survey of British North America 4. The Pre-existing Information Influencing the General Survey Pre-existing maps of the Northern District The maps of L’Acadie versus Nova Scotia Depiction of the Island of St John up to 1764 Depiction of Cape Breton Island up to 1764 Pre-existing maps for the Southern District Spanish Florida, 1565–1763 Spanish conceptions of Florida during their first colonial period Maps and geographical information acquired by the British in 1764 Part III: Mapping ‘Infant Colonies’: The Commencement of the General Survey Introduction 5. The Northern District Holland arrives to begin the survey Holland assembles his team Holland manages the inherent operational issues The survey in Nova Scotia begins The survey of the Island of St John Holland’s general map and account of the Island of St John Holland’s account of the natural attributes of the Island of St John Holland’s survey received The decision about the island of St John The survey of Cape Breton Island Whitehall’s ‘temporary’ settlement freeze in Cape Breton Surveying operations in Cape Breton Island, 1765 and 1766 Holland’s reports and general map of Cape Breton Holland quietly supports Nova Scotian activism Whitehall continues the settlement freeze The survey begins in Quebec Holland’s own ‘Murray Map’ Mapping the Gaspésie Charting Lower St Lawrence Surveying Newfoundland’s dependencies The Magdalen Islands Anticosti Island Labrador Conclusions 6. The Southern District Introduction Whitehall’s high hopes James Grant becomes East Florida’s first governor De Brahm sets out De Brahm’s reconnaissance mapping of the Atlantic coast, 1765 De Brahm’s first mission De Brahm’s survey of Mosquito Inlet The second coastal reconnaissance mission, spring to summer of 1765 Mapping the St John’s River and the search for a trans-peninsular navigable passage Cadastral surveys The gathering storm De Brahm excluded Enter James Moncrief Conclusions Part IV: ‘Closing the Net’: The General Survey During the Administration of the Earl of Hillsborough Introduction 7. The Northern District Decision points in Quebec and Atlantic Canada Charting New England New Hampshire The coastal surveys from Cape Ann to the Kennebec River Whitehall’s new forestry agenda 8. The Southern District The trials of William Gerard De Brahm Romans and Durnford take over De Brahm’s duties on the General Survey East Florida, 1768–71: growing pains Exploring the St John’s River The search for a connection to the Gulf of Mexico Tampa Bay: ‘a good harbour for all purposes’ Enter Bernard Romans The General Survey charts the Gulf coast The northernmost parts of East Florida’s Atlantic coast Towards Miami De Brahm’s Atlantic Pilot: the Florida Keys and the Gulf Stream Bernard Romans continues the Gulf Survey West Florida The downfall of the Earl of Hillsborough Part V: ‘A New Spring to Our Future Endeavours’: The General Survey under the Administration of the Earl of Dartmouth Introduction Lord Dartmouth becomes Secretary of State for the colonies Power and influence within the American Department and the Board of Trade The role of the General Survey in fulfilling policy objectives during Dartmouth’s tenure The royal factor: George III’s interest in the General Survey 9. The Northern District Organisation and funding of the Northern Survey during Dartmouth’s tenure Holland’s struggle to retain his workforce and key surveyors The Admiralty and the elusive general map of the Northern District The recalcitrant J.F.W. Des Barres Maine and the timberlands The Survey’s magnificent maps of Coastal Maine The Northern Survey in New Hampshire The mystery of the general map of New Hampshire The Northern Survey in metropolitan Massachusetts The Northern Survey in Rhode Island The operational end of the Northern General Survey 10. The Southern District De Brahm in London: a time of redemption De Brahm, the author De Brahm, the scientist Dartmouth and De Brahm in land speculation De Brahm: the journey back Events in East Florida An ‘accurate general map’ by Joseph Purcell West Florida: Durnford, Romans and the quest for a general map The use of maps in West Florida Bernard Romans completes the first general map of West Florida The role played by Elias Durnford Part VI: The General Survey and the Militarisation of Civilian Cartography 11. A Call to Arms Military mapping in the pre-war period General Gage’s cartographic crisis The Siege of Boston Enter the maps of the General Survey The ‘war room’ and the map printing revolution The continued role of the General Survey’s maps during the American Revolution ‘The Guides and Pioneers’: the human legacy of the Northern Survey during the Revolution The Southern District Part VII: Conclusion and Legacy 12. Conclusion The civilian legacy of the General Survey Base maps for the new republic ‘Loyal she remains’: mapping Britain’s remaining North American provinces New horizons Notes Bibliography Index