1807 A New Map of Upper and Lower Canada

By: John Cary Date: 1807 (dated) London Dimensions: 18.25 x 20.5 inches (46.4 x 52 cm) A fascinating map of Canada, the Great Lakes Region and Northwest Territory from Lake Winnepeg to the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. This is the first state of the map, published just after the turn of the 19th century when the English began to focus efforts on Canada and the United States eye their new country west of the Appalachians with the intention of undertaking their first major westward expansion. Geo-political Boundaries The map centers on the Great Lakes, which are bisected between Canada and the United States by a distinct boundary on the map that is quite ambiguous when on the water. Interestingly, this border places Royal Island in Canada and Isle Philippeaux in both countries. This would change as Royal Island would become part of the United States and Isle Philippeaux would disappear from the map as the last phantom island of the French cartographer Jacques Nicolas Bellin whom first