1744 Rade Du Darien et les Isles voismes

This interesting map of the Gulf of Darien is by one of the most important map makers of the 18th century, Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. The map features the Gulf of Darien which occupies the southernmost extension of the Caribbean Sea. Within the Gulf is a smaller one, the Gulf of Uraba. The area contains the island named New Caledonia, called l’Isle d’Or by Bellin on the map, by Scotts who attempted to colonize in the late 17th century, when five ships carrying approximately 500 people left Scotland for the New World. The expeditions eventually founded two colonies opposite the island and managed to establish sovereignty, but they had already been abandoned by 1700. This map depicts the main colony, the city named New Edimbourg, and its defenses. Born in 1703 in Paris, Bellin was already making his way in his profession at the age of 18 when he was appointed chief cartographer to the French navy. He was a member of the intellectual elite of France who called themselves the Philosophes. Bef