Patrick Rivers Of The United States

HUTCHINS, Thomas (1730-1789): A New Map of the Western parts of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and North Carolina; Comprehending the River Ohio, and all the Rivers, which fall into it; Part of the River Mississippi, the Whole of the Illinois River, Lake Erie; Part of the Lakes Huron, Michigan &c. And all the Country bordering on these Lakes and Rivers. By Thos. Hutchins, Captain in the 60 Regiment of Foot,

London: Engraved by T. Hutchins, 1778. Copper-engraved map by T. Cheevers, with period outline colour, on four joined sheets, overall measuring 36 x 44 inches, a little browning at the joints, but overall a fine copy. Discrete stamp of "Depot de la Marine" at lower right. Docketed on verso: "N° 128. de la boite/ n° 29."/ "Virginie, Pennsylvanie/ &c./ Par Thos. Hutchins./ 1778. (En Anglais). [Together with:] HUTCHINS, Thomas. A Topographical Description of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and North Carolina, comprehending the Rivers Ohio, Kenhawa, Sioto, Cherokee, Wabash, Illinois, Missisippi, &c. The climate, soil and produce, whether animal, vegetable, or mineral; The mountains, creeks, roads, distances, latitudes &c and of every Part, laid down in the annexed map. And an appendix, containing Mr. Patrick Kennedy's journal up the Illinois River, and the correct list of the different nations and Tribes of Indians, with the number of fighting men, &c.. London: printed for the author, and sold by J. Almon, 1778. Octavo (8 9/16 x 5 inches). Two copper-engraved folding maps, 1 copper-engraved folding table. (Blank margins of first four and last two text leaves expertly restored, neat repair to fold of engraved table). Expertly bound to style in half 18th-century diced russia over contemporary marbled-paper covered boards, the flat spine divided into six compartments by double gilt fillets, black morocco lettering-piece in the second. A highly important work, when considered together, the first true general map of the American Midwest, and the first meaningful large-scale depiction of the Transappalachian Country. This great map extends from Western New York in the northeast, Cape Fear in the southeast, the Wisconsin River in the northwest, to the Arkansas River in the southwest. Here found with the first edition, second issue, of the separately issued descriptive text, which, in its own right, is one of the most important early geographical descriptions of the West Thomas Hutchins was a seminal figure in the surveying and mapping of the United States. He began his career as a topographical engineer for the British Army during the French and Indian War. From 1758 to 1777 he served in the newly acquired Ohio Valley. He designed the fortifications at Fort Pitt in 1763. In the following year, he accompanied Bouquet on his expedition against the western Indians. The result was his Map of the country on the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, published in Philadelphia in 1765. Hutchins was a member of the exploring party sent down the Ohio Valley in 1766 to investigate the territory recently acquired from France, and on this occasion conducted "the first accurate map, or more properly, hydrographic survey" of the Ohio River (Brown). Hutchins was stationed at Fort Chartres on the Illinois bank of the Mississippi from 1768 to 1770. Hutchins subsequently went to England, where he compiled this great map from his exhaustive personal surveys, and information gathered from many sources. The depiction of the Ohio immediately below Fort Pitt, for example, seems to be based on a manuscript by John Montresor. Brown notes that its publication in 1778 represented "the culmination of a long career as an engineer and mapmaker in the wilderness of North America." Hutchins returned to America in 1781, and was appointed by Congress "Geographer to the United States." In 1783, he was a member of the commission that surveyed the Mason-Dixon Line, and in 1785, was appointed by Congress to the commission that surveyed the New York-Massachusetts boundary. Under the Ordinance of 1785, he was placed in charge of the surveying of the public lands in the Northwest Territory. He died in 1789, shortly after completing the survey of the "Seven Ranges" in Ohio. Hutchins is frequently credited with establishing the excellent system under which all of the public lands of the United States were subsequently surveyed and divided into townships, ranges and sections. Hutchins's 1778 map was the foundation document for the mapping of the Ohio Valley in the late eighteenth century. The depiction of the Transappalachian region on Thomas Jefferson's famous map in his Notes on Virginia (1787), for example, was taken directly from Hutchins. The map shows the western claims of Virginia and North Carolina based upon their 17th century royal charters. It is filled with exhaustive data throughout, with a fascinating series of notes or "legends" interspersed among the geographical details. An "Illinois Country" is shown between the Illinois and Wabash rivers. Among its other important details, Hutchins's map is one of the only printed maps of the period to show the proposed new colony of Vandalia (here "Indiana"), which was projected to occupy a large portion of the present state of West Virginia. The map was issued with accompanying text but the two are now rarely found together as here. The text is important for its 'Topographical Description' of the areas covered by Hutchins' map, as well as for including details of whose work Hutchins consulted during the drawing up of the map and the text (Captain Brehm for observations 'respecting the lakes', and Lewis Evans for his description of the 'several branches of the Ohio, and Allegany rivers'). The text also includes a valuable engraved 'Table of Distances, between Fort Pitt, and the Mouth of the River Ohio' and two other rare early maps: 'A Plan of the Rapids, in the River Ohio' and 'A Plan of the several Villages in the Illinois Country, with Part of the River Mississippi'. Map: Guthorn, British Maps of the American Revolution, 65/11; Streeter Sale 3, 1300: "by far the best map of the west printed to that time;" Cumming, British Maps of Colonial America, p. 36: "The best [colonial] map of the region south of the Great Lakes"; Brown, Early Maps of the Ohio Valley, plate 51. Text: Howes, U.S.iana,H846; Sabin, A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, 34054; Vail, Voice of the Old Frontier, 655.

[SW: 03910.jpg]

Details

Ruth Patrick: Rivers of the United States, Part A: The Mississippi : River and Tributaries North of St. Louis (Rivers of the United States) ISBN: Paperback
New

1 Brand New, Perfect Condition

Details

Patrick, Ruth: Rivers of the United States, The Eastern and Southeastern States (Volume III) 1996 N2 Wiley
0471303461

Hardcover Very Good+ Edition: First Edition; First Printing Hardcover. 8vo. Wiley. 1996. 848 pgs. Volume III of the Rivers of the United States Series. No DJ as issued/Pictoral boards. No ownership marks present. Text is clean and free of marks, binding tight and solid, boards clean with no wear present. N2 ; Rivers of the United States; 1.72 x 9.5 x 6.44 Inches; 848 pages

Details

Ruth Patrick: Rivers of the United States, The Mississippi River : Set of Parts A and B (Rivers of the United States) ISBN: Hardcover
New

1 Brand New, Perfect Condition

Details