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Copper-engraved map, comprised of the two maps named above on one sheet, plus a small inset of Gabarus Bay. Second state of three. Sheet size: 16 1/8 x 25 1/2 inches. The Gridley/Jefferys plan of the 1745 and 1758 Sieges of Louisbourg "In 1744, when war broke out yet again between France and England, the French garrison commander immediately captured the English garrison at Canso and took them prisoners to Louisbourg. Annapolis was similarly threatened. Governor Shirley of Massachusetts proposed a plan to capture Louisbourg and by 25th of April 1745, troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire arrived at Canso together with a small English Fleet. By the middle of June, with determined advances by the land forces, the capture of a French supply ship fully laden with food and munitions, and the breaching of the walls in several places, the French commander capitulated. The news was received with enthusiasm in the New England colonies. At this time a number of maps were published by a variety of sources. Correspondingly few publications appeared in British sources, and this initial siege appears to have been seen, largely as a New England venture" (Kershaw). The present map, however, is a notable exception. The treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle returned Louisbourg to the French, but rekindled conflict in 1757 brought a renewed interest in the region and Jefferys published the present map.The two related plans on the same sheet are divided by an irregular diagonal line roughly dividing the sheet into two halves. The left half is a detailed plan of the city, on a scale of roughly 17 inches to the mile, with 16 numbered and 9 lettered references; the cartouche, within an elaborate frame, includes a brief account of the British victory. The right half, comprising a plan and chart of the region on a scale of roughly 3 inches to the mile, includes soundings within the harbor and identifies the locations of the landings of the various British and New England forces, as well as their various batteries. A small inset in the lower right corner is devoted to a map of Gabarus Bay. "Detailed plan of the fort. Shows the main wall, parapets, ramparts, gun casements, ditches, guardhouses, barracks, powder magazines, a bakery, chapel, and cemetery. Also shows bridges, 'the Nunnery', the parade ground, lime kilns, a shelter for vessels, and relief." (Sellers and Van Ee). Phillips, A List of Maps of America, p. 364; Sellers and Van Ee, Maps and Charts of North America 337; Kershaw, Early Printed Maps of Canada, III:907; Stevens & Tree, "Comparative Cartography" in The Mapping of America, 27(b). Seller Inventory # 34628
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