According to Burden (230) this is the earliest map to show the correct north-south orientation of Lake Champlain and to represent Prince Edward Island accurately. It is considered one of the most important maps of the region of the early 17th century. It is interesting to note the different languages used: the cartouche is Latin, most place names are French and the cardinal points in the margin, Dutch.
This map contains elements from previous maps; most specifically, the cartouche is copied from De Vaugondy's 1755 map of Canada. The map is hand coloured with the colours showing the British and French possessions of the area covered. The atlas this map is from was published between 1776 and 1784. Sources consulted do not specify which printing this map is from although as the 1st state it was earlier, rather than later in this period.
This map shows the Atlantic Provinces and the Province of Quebec as defined by the Royal Proclamation of 1763. Rivers, bays and settlements are named; some topographic features are shown by hachuring.
The atlas this map is from is a typical example of a lot of atlas publications in the 19th century. Plates were used and reused by publishers over the course of many years and were transferred from one publisher to another with no, or very minor, changes. When a map is detached from its' atlas it becomes difficult to verify which atlas a map is from. Only by comparing it to known versions can conclusions be drawn. In this example, Greenleaf reissued an 1836 atlas of the same name by David Burr and at least 4 known versions were produced.
Detailed map of the region from Newfoundland to the Saint Lawrence and Nova Scotia highlighting the fishing banks. The coastlines and mountains are shown by hachuring.
The 1836 publication of this atlas was the 1st edition. Virtually identical maps, with the exception of the publication information, appear in subsequent editions and atlases by Mitchell and others. The publication statement and the color palette definitively tie this to the 1836 publication.
Different sources have different publication dates for this atlas. The Library of Congress uses information from the supplementary index to date it to 1843. This is a fine steel engraving typical of Archer's work.
While Cary's maps of this area are almost indistinguishable from one another, the size of the map and the date indicate this was most likely published in "A New Elementary Atlas". The 1813 version of this map appears to be quite rare.
There are several interesting notes on the founding of the various English settlements covered by the map. The accompanying magazine article points out that the purpose of the map is illustrate the "just" claims of Great Britain and the "encroachments" of the French.
The map includes numerous notations giving the reader some historical and environmental context. Examples of these are: "The climate of this land is a great deal more temperate than Hudsons Bay" for an area in western Ontario north of the Lake of the Woods and "Christian Sea discovered by Jn Monk in 1619" on Baffin Bay.
