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Description

One of the Progenitors of the Anti-Gallican Map.

Rare original hand-color example of John Huske's map of the British colonies in North America, an important antecedent of the famous Anti-Gallican Map, which provided important details about French forts on the colonial frontier that was integral to the latter map. This is one of the great 1755 anti-French maps that helped drum up domestic support for the British cause in the French & Indian War.

The map covers the British colonies in North America west to between 100 and 95 degrees W longitude. The Province of New York stretches west to include all of the Upper Midwest and much of modern-day Canada, as well. Likewise, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia all extend west of the Mississippi River. Interestingly, South Carolina is shown as consisting of two sections, a "North Part of South Carolina" and a "South Part of South Carolina", sandwiching Georgia in between. This is a very unusual configuration.

Huske's was one of a barrage of maps of eastern North America that were issued in 1755 as the French & Indian War got underway in the colonies. These maps followed two main cartographic models; the one laid out by the French mapmaker D'Anville; and later, the model elaborated by John Mitchell in his A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America... These two models are readily differentiated by looking at Lake Superior; in D'Anville-type maps, Lake Superior is thin and pointy (as here), in the Mitchell-type maps, it is far more bulbous. 

Huske's map follows the D'Anville paradigm but makes important changes to the French mapmaker's cartography with the intention of advancing British claims against "French encroachments". To this end, Huske expands the claimed territory of the British provinces and lists a plethora of menacing French frontier forts. These forts, in their characteristic dotted-line boxes, would be repurposed in the Anti-Gallican Map.

For some time, it was assumed that the Anti-Gallican Map pre-dated the Huske and that the latter was a derivative of the former. Careful analysis shows this not to be the case. Most importantly, Huske's map was first issued on September 9th, 1755 (See Public Advertiser ad from that day), whereas the Anti-Gallican was issued first in late December. In essence, the Anti-Gallican Map was a combination of the Huske polemical fort mappings with the Mitchell model.

In the Atlantic, the map includes the following notes:

NB. The Hereditary and Conquered Country of the Iroquois, or Five United Nations of Indians, residing in His Majestys Province of New York, which has been Ceded and Confirmed by them, in many Treaties and a deed of Sale in 1701; and by France in the Treaties of Utrecht and Aix la Chapelle to the Crown of Great Britain,extends to the Eastward on the South side of St Lawrence River, to the Western bounds of New Eng land and on the North side of that River to the Utawawas River and Lake Abitibis. From Lake Abitibis South west to the North East end of Lake Michigan, & from thence thro that lake to the River Illinois, from thence down that River to the Mifsifipi. From the Confluence of the Rivers Illinois and Milsifipi its Western Boundary is the Course of the Milsifipi, River as far South as Georgia.

This is a vast Country extending about 1200 Miles in Length from North to South, and from seven to 800 Miles in Breadth

All the Coloured part of this Map, with the Encroachments of the French thereon that are not Coloured, delineates the Rights and possessions of Great Britain, and the various Colours distinguishes his Majesty's several Provinces as their respective Governments at present exercise their Jurisdictions; But the Limits of the Massachusets Province with New York, Connecticut with New York, New York with New Jersey and Pennsylvania with Maryland are not yet finally determined, owing to some Ambiguity in the description of the Territory of several Grants and to the tedious and expensive with. The uncoloured progress such disputes are always attended part of this Map to the Northward of the Gulf & River of St. Lawrence is all the Territories France has any just right to in N America to the Northward of 29 Degrees of Nth Latitude. And the rest of the uncoloured part, to the Southward of South Carolina, is all that belongs to Spain according to Stipulation between Gr. Britain and Spain in 1738.

The present map was intended to be included in John Huske's The present state of North America, &c., but was not included in most copies of the book and was apparently primarily available separately. It also appears In William Douglass's A summary, historical & political, of the first planting . . . & present state of the British settlements in North-America, published in London in 1760. The last example of these books to include the map to appear at auction were in 1973 for the Huske pamphlet and 1952 for the Douglass book.

Condition Description
Original hand-color in full. Folding, as issued.