The First Mapping of America: The General Survey of British North America(Tauris Historical Geography Series)

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.

Table of Contents:
Contents PART I Chapter 1: Introduction Maps, Knowledge & Power in the Age of the Enlightenment PART II The Antecedents and Genesis of the General Survey Introduction Chapter 2: The Civilian and Military Antecedents of the General Survey 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 Chapter 3: The Genesis of the General Survey The Role & Status of the Board of Trade; The Grenville Ministry & 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 Practiced by the General Survey of British North America Chapter 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 & Geographical Information acquired by the British in 1764 PART III Mapping ‘Infant Colonies’: The Commencement of the General Survey Chapter 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; Holland’s General Map & Account of the Island of St. John; Holland’s Account of the Natural Attributes of the Island of St. John’s; Holland’s Survey Received; The Decision About St. John; The Survey of Cape Breton Island; Whitehall’s ‘Temporary’ Settlement Freeze in Cape Breton Surveying Operations in Cape Breton Island; Holland’s Reports and General Map of Cape Breton; Holland Quietly Supports Nova Scotian Activism; Whitehall Continues the Settlement Freeze; The Survey Begins in Québec; Holland’s Own ‘Murray Map’; Mapping the Gaspésie; Charting Lower St. Lawrence Surveying Newfoundland’s Dependencies The Magdalen Islands; Anticosti Island; Labrador; Conclusions Chapter 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, 1765-1766; De Brahm’s First Mission; De Brahm’s Survey of Mosquito Inlet; The Second Coastal Reconnaissance Mission, Spring of 1765; Mapping the St. John’s River & the Search for a Trans-Peninsular Navigable Passage; The Gathering Storm; De Brahm Excluded PART IV ‘Closing the Net’: The General Survey during the Administration of the Earl of Hillsborough Introduction Chapter 7: The Northern District Charting New England The Coastal Surveys from Cape Ann to the Kennebec River; Whitehall’s New Forestry Agenda Chapter 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, 1768-1771: Growing Pains; 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 & The Gulf Stream; Bernard Romans Continues the Gulf Survey; West Florida The Downfall of the Earl of Hillsborough PART V The General Survey under the Administration of the Earl of Dartmouth Introduction Lord Dartmouth becomes Secretary of State for the Colonies; Power an

About the Author :
Alexander Johnson is an international authority on historical cartography. He has been a Senior Consultant in Cartography to Christie's in London and was formerly head of the map department at one of the world's leading antiquarian book dealers in New York.

Review :
`In The First Mapping of America, Alexander Johnson tells a fascinating story of the General Survey of British North America and the groundbreaking maps it produced between the end of the Seven Years War in 1764 and the beginning of the American Revolution in 1775. Writing in an accessible and elegant style that will appeal to both scholars and map enthusiasts alike, Johnson lavishly illustrates his book with maps that have rarely been seen. His detailed research adds significantly to our knowledge of how these important surveys laid the groundwork for the explosive growth and dominance of British cartography in the nineteenth century.’ – David Rumsey, Founder, David Rumsey Map Collection, `The First Mapping of America demonstrates how the General Survey is of importance far beyond the fields of colonial American and cartographic history. Skilfully weaving together multiple and complex threads – administrative, political, technical, and biographical – the author demonstrates how the General Survey, as the intended basis for long-term administrative and political decisions, was regarded as being central to the ups and increasing downs of British government policy in North America after 1765. The book sheds new light on the workings of British government and colonial administration in the mid- to late eighteenth century and has much of significance for constitutional and cultural historians and historians of science. Whether in the palaces, offices and taverns of London, or in the forests and swamps and off the coasts of North America, it is replete with stories of human interest that are clearly and elegantly recounted.’ – Peter Barber, Emeritus Curator of Maps, British Library and author of The Map Book,- `In The First Mapping of America, Alexander Johnson makes the true story behind many of the foundational maps of the United States and Canada come alive for the first time after 250 years. A captivating “must read”, it is a drama of scientific discovery under extraordinary circumstances, and of personal ambition, rivalry, and political intrigue on the eve of the American Revolution.’ – Daniel Crouch, Daniel Crouch Rare Books