Clive A. Burden LTD. Rare Maps, Antique Atlases, Books and Decorative Prints

The Mapping of North America

Mr. Philip D. Burden​
P.O. Box 863,
Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks HP6 9HD,
UNITED KINGDOM
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A fascinating collection of Spanish maps largely relating to the Americas. The upper boards bear the manuscript wording ‘Divers Maps’ indicating a possible early English ownership. At the beginning of the nineteenth century there was certainly great interest in South America from Britain. This collection has been in British hands for several decades.

Tomás López de Vargas Machuca (1730-1802) was born in Madrid and would become the most important cartographer in Spain in the eighteenth century. He was schooled at the Imperial School and then learnt drawing at the Royal Academy. In 1752 he went to Paris with Juan de la Cruz and others to study cartography and engraving for nine years under amongst others, the great Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d’Anville. Returning to Madrid his goal would be to produce a great atlas of Spain. His output was prolific and later included the help of his sons Juan and Tomás Mauricio.

This collection of maps consists of 9 maps by Tomás and a further 7 by his son Juan. Interestingly there are two by his other son Tomás Mauricio relating to the west coast of North America and Easter Island. Maps by his hand are extremely scarce. One map is by Tomás’ compatriot in Paris, Juan de la Cruz, of present day Uruguay. There is a map from the work of Pedro Gonzalez de Agueros, 1791, of Chile and an apparently rare Spanish plan of the siege of Cartagena by the British in 1741. The remaining are all manuscript maps. Below is a brief list of the maps present.

THE PEDRO FONT MANUSCRIPT
The Spanish Missions in California were begun in 1769 for the purpose of converting the Indians to Christianity. In reality it was a desire to occupy more directly Alta California, a region claimed by Spain but not populated. There were increased threats from Russian incursions southwards along the coast from the north Pacific and from the English who in 1763 had come out of the French and Indian War with renewed strength and a clear route west all the way to California. The trouble was that the coastline of California was notoriously difficult to navigate facing constant headwinds. The supply route from the Mexican coast was long and difficult.

The Visitador-General José de Gálvez (1720-87) had the idea of a land route from Sonora. The so-called Sacred Expedition left in 1769 and founded the first Mission in San Diego marked ‘C’ on the map. Further missions were in Monterey 1770, near King City 1771, San Gabriel 1771 and San Luis Obispo in 1772. San Gabriel is marked as ‘B’ on the map is now just nine miles to the east of Los Angeles and south of Pasadena. It would become renowned for its crops and winery. The tip of land and bay to the south most likely relates to Palos Verdes and Long Beach. Offshore are the islands of San Clemente and Santa Catarina [Catalina]. The string of islands in the Santa Barbara Channel is depicted, although Santa Cruz is displayed further west. Point Conception is identified to the west of Santa Barbara.

Juan Bautista de Anza (1735-c.88) was born in Mexico and became captain of the presidio at Tubac founded in 1760 just to the south of present day Tuscon, Arizona. Anza received permission from Viceroy Bucareli to open a land route from there to San Gabriel and with 34 men he crossed the Colorado Desert between 8 January and 22 March 1774. From there he travelled on to Monterey and returned to Tubac. Accompanying him in this was the Franciscan Father Francesco Tomás Hermenegildo Garcés (1738-81). In September 1775 he was sent by Bucareli with 240 people to establish a mission and presidio at San Francisco. One thousand five hundred miles later Anza’s second in command Lt. José Moraga founded the presidio on 27 July 1776. These travels opened up the Sonora-California Trail and the Mojave Trail.

Accompanying Anza on this second expedition was Father Pedro Font (d.1781) a native of Catalonia. He was chaplain and chief cartographer and made a map of the journey. Wheat states “one of the companions of [Anza] on his celebrated colonizing trek from Sonora to the California coast in 1775-76 was a notable character, Father Pedro Font, who not only kept a detailed diary but prepared several excellent maps. Of these, the one that delineates the entire journey seems especially pertinent. It was drawn at Ures, Sonora, in 1776, and is unquestionably the best early map of the California coastal region. On it are numbers corresponding to each day’s camp from San Miguel, near Ures, to San Francisco Bay, the outward journey with the colonists having consumed ninety-nine days and the return only forty-five. A series of letters refers to various important places along the route and for these the map carries a table of explanation”. Much of Font’s work including another version of this map can be found at the John Carter Brown Library.

In our example the Upper California coastal region is missing unless that included the omitted key. Wheat goes on to say that the Rio Gila is correctly shown and that although not many place-names are given the Pimeria Alta country is labelled ‘Papagueria’. “This notable map exists in several copies, and has been reproduced frequently. The term ‘Sierra Nebada’ although appearing before is on Font’s map utilised for the mountain range which bears the name to this day for the first time” (Wheat). Lower left is the note stating that the map was drawn and made in Ures by Pedro Font.

It was Font who on arrival at San Francisco Bay mapped it, drew the islands and recorded elevations and apparently selected the site for the San Francisco presidio. His day by day diary was published in 1913 and a more complete version in 1930. By many measures it was a remarkable journey. The paper bears the watermark of D. & C. Blauw a Dutch firm that unfortunately produced paper in wide use in Europe over a long period of time therefore providing us with no additional information.

Cumming, Hillier, Quinn & Williams (1974) pp. 226-30, 247-9; Lowery (1912) 583; Wagner (1937) pp. 171, 181 nos. 655-8; Wheat (1957) I pp. 90-1.

LIST OF CONTENTS
1 – T López. 1778. Carta Reducida del Golfo de Guinea. 350 x 390 mm. Liter 180.
2 – [Ignacio?] Martorell. No date. Plano dla Ciudadd Los Reyes O Lima Capital dl Reino d Peru. 345 x 465 mm. A beautiful MANUSCRIPT plan of the city of Lima in full colour. An Ignacio Martorell was the architect for the Cathedral spire at the time.
3 – T López. 1792. Carta de Navegar de Las Islas del Rey o de Las Perlas … Panama. 320 x 390 mm. Early outline colour. Kapp Panama no. 90; Liter 290.
4 – Sebastian de Eslava y Pedro de Mur. 1741. Relacion del Sitio de cartagena de yndias. 265 x 370 mm., with small hole lower centre and light water stain. This is either separately published or from a very rare work. Beautifully engraved, it marks the three month failed siege of Cartagena by Admiral Vernon.
5 – Anon. nd. Plano del Puerto de Ndos (Nombre de Dios) situado en la Costa de Tierre firme (Panama). 280 x 465 mm., wash coloured sea. A detailed MANUSCRIPT of the harbour of Nombre de Dios utilised by the Spanish for its shipments.
6 – T López. 1794. Carta Nueva, General y de Navegar de las Islas Marianas la Isla de Guan. 300 x 405 mm., light water stain to the bottom. An inset lower left features Guam. NOT IN LITER.
7 – J López. 1782. Carta Nautica que Comprehende Los Desembocaderos (Turcs & Cacos). 385 x 400 mm., light water stain to lower margin. A fine engraved map centred on the Turks and Caicos Islands and displaying part of the Bahamas, Hispaniola and Cuba. Liter 47; Sellers & Van Ee 1742.
8 – T López. 1777. Isla Santa Catalina (Florianopolis, Brazil). 385 x 420 mm. Liter 335.
9 – Juan de la Cruz. nd. Mapa Geografico de la Provincias, y Costas de Buenos Ayres. 225 x 300 mm., an unidentified map centred on modern day Uruguay and southern Brazil.
10 – T López. 1777. Rio Grande de San Pedro (Rio Grande, in south Brazil). 320 x 410 mm. Liter 320.
11 – Fr. Pedro Font. 1776. Mapa Corespondiente al Diario que Formó el P. F. Pedro Font del viaje que hizo a Monter[e]y y Puerto de S. Fran[cis]co. 375 x 475 mm., unfortunately lacking the upper left eighth of this MANUSCRIPT map. It has clearly torn along the old folds. This remarkable manuscript displays the west coast of North America from 29 to 39 and the development of the Spanish missions. For further details see above.
12 – T Mauricio López. 1796. Carta Reducida que comprende las costas septentrionales de la California. 390 x 335 mm. This superb map depicts the whole west coast of North America from latitude 36 degrees north showing San Francisco up to modern day Alaska. The map records the voyage of Ignacio de Artega to Alaska in response to the threat posed by Captain James Cook’s voyage to the same region. It is the most northerly point that any Spanish voyage made along this coast. Hayes (1999) p. 40; Liter 73; Lowery (1912) 709; Wagner (1937) 834.
13 – T Mauricio López. 1797. Carta de la Isla de Pascuas. 205 x 345 mm., in early wash colour. A very rare Spanish map of Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean. Liter 288.
14 – Anon. nd. Plano y Prespecriva de la Concha de Llumeries. 480 x 345 mm., in fine early wash colour. This MANUSCRIPT map depicts Viodo and El Monte on the north coast of Spain NW of Gijon.
15 – Anon. nd. Concha de Llumeres. 515 x 450 mm., in fine early wash colour. A further more detailed MANUSCRIPT of the same region as the previous item on the north coast of Spain.
16 – T López. 1780. Mapa de la Isla de Menorca. 375 x 405 mm., early outline colour. A fine rare map of Menorca. Liter 254.
17 – J López. 1780. Carta de la Isla de San Christoval. 375 x 405 mm., early outline colour. A fine rare map of St. Christopher in which the author notes that earlier maps utilised various names and parish boundaries. Hence this map does not display the latter. Liter 332; Sellers & Van Ee (1981) 1992; Tooley ‘Printed Maps of St. Kitts’ no. 48.
18 – T López. 1780. Carta de la Isla de la Jamayca. 365 x 405 mm., early outline colour. A fine rare map of Jamaica. Derived from the survey of Patrick Browne 1755. Kapp ‘Jamaica’ 113; Liter 200; Sellers & Van Ee (1981) 1934.
19 – J López. 1780. Carta de la Isla de la Antigua. 385 x 385 mm., early outline colour. A fine rare map of Antigua. Messrs Codrington and Lucas are singled out as owning six and three mills respectively. The cartographic history of the island is described. Liter 27; Sellers & Van Ee (1981) 2005; Tooley ‘Antigua’ no. 41.
20 – J López. 1780. Carta de la Isla de la Barbada. 355 x 395 mm., early outline colour. A fine rare map of Barbados. A lengthy description cites Emanuel Bowen as the source. Campbell ‘Barbados’ no. 39; Liter 50; Sellers & Van Ee (1981) 2094.
21 – J López. 1781. Carta de la Isla de la Martinica. 375 x 405 mm., early outline colour. A fine rare map of Martinique. A note describes the history of the island and the maps which have been produced of it. Liter 240; Sellers & Van Ee (1981) 2065.
22 – Anon. c.1780. (Peru & Bolivia from Lima to Paz). 470 x 680 mm., a fine pen and ink MANUSCRIPT with wash colour to the jungle inland depicting the route from Lima to Paz via Cuzco. The routed depicts two figures with walking sticks and one with a donkey to carry supplies! Offshore are 2 full sailed vessels and a compass rose. A manuscript title ‘De America Meridional’ is on the verso.
23 – T López. 1793. Plano de la Ciudad, Plaza y Fuerzas de Melilla. 340 x 550 mm., although actually two plates joined as one, in early outline colour with wash to the coastlines. The larger map to the right bears the sea named in reverse letters. Liter 253 but only the smaller left portion, the main map is UNRECORDED IN LITER.
24 – T López. 1778. Mapa de la Isla de Iviza. 380 x 680 mm., in early outline colour with light stain lower centre. A rare map of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands. Liter 187.
25 – Pedro Gonzalez de Agueros. 1791. Mapa de la Provincia y Archipielago de Chiloe. From the ‘Descripcion Historial de la Provincia Archipelago de Chiloe’ published in Madrid, 1791. A fine example with only a centrefold, not with the numerous folds as issued in the book. Not in Hill, Sabin (1868) 27822, Palau (1948-77) 104963.
26 – J López. 1787. Mapa geografico de la Provincia de Cartagena. 655 x 415 mm., early outline colour. With some light water stain to the side margins. A fine two sheet map of the region of Cartagena. Kapp ‘Columbia’ 110; Liter 78.
27 – J López. 1785. Carta Maritima del Reyno de Tierra Firme u Castilla de Oro. 370 x 785 mm., in early outline colour, with some to lower right corner confined to the margin and small tear upper right. A fine two sheet map of Panama. Kapp ‘Central America’ 87; Liter 354.

Liter, Carmen (2002); Liter (2007); Sellers & Van Ee (1981).
LÓPEZ, Tomás

(Divers Maps)

Madrid, c.1797
Folio (480 x 320 mm.), paper boards with cloth spine, split. With 27 variously sized maps of Spanish interest 6 of which are MANUSCIPT. One or two with minor damage or water stain, otherwise a superb collection of rare or unique maps.
Stock number: 7155

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