This map of the west is from the fifth volume of Alain Manesson Mallet’s ‘Description de L’Univers’. ‘Mallet was born the son of Philippe Mallet in 1630. His father was an ingénieur ordinaire to Louis XIV, and a professor of mathematics around 1645. Allain at first carried muskets to the regiment of guards of Louis XIV and then became an engineer like his father. Later becoming a sergeant-major of artillery he travelled extensively in Spain and Portugal, supervising the fortifications there. On his return to France he was named master of mathematics. In 1671 he published the Travaux de Mars, a book on military fortifications. He followed in 1683 with the work concerned here, the Description de L’Univers, which was a five-volume geographical text covering all aspects of the subject. It was heavily illustrated with nearly 700 prints and maps’ (Burden).

‘This is one of the more ornate maps in the Mallet, the title adorned by two natives and the sea bearing two ships engaging one another. Cartographically the toponyms are the same as those found on numerous maps before it, no new information having been discovered for this region in some time. There is, however, a slightly unusual depiction for the northern shore of the island of California’ (Burden). Burden (2007) 569; McLaughlin & Mayo (1995) no. 87; Pastoureau (1984) pp. 309-11, Mallet IA no. 653.