"North America Drawn from the Latest and Best Authorities", Kitchin, Thomas

East and West Florida underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. The two regions were established in 1763 by the British colonial government out of land taken from France and Spain after the French and Indian War. Reasoning the newly acquired territory too large to govern, the British divided it into two new colonies separated by the Apalachicola River. West Florida was based in Pensacola, and the colony included the part of formerly Spanish Florida west of the Apalachicola, plus the parts of French Louisiana taken by the British. Its northern boundary shifted several times over the years. East Florida has as its capital St. Augustine, which had been the capital of Spanish Florida. Both remained loyal to the British crown during the Revolutionary War, and served as havens for Tories fleeing the Thirteen Colonies. In 1781 Spain invaded West Florida and captured Pensacola, leading Britain to cede both to Spain following the war. The ill defined boundaries led to a series of border disputes between Spain and the nascent United States known as the West Florida Controversy. Disagreements with the Spanish government led settlers along the gulf coast to declare the area the independent Republic of West Florida in 1810. The area was soon annexed by the United States, claiming the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The remainder of West Florida and all of East Florida were purchased by the United States in 1819 under the terms of the Adams–Onís Treaty. Florida Territory was formed as a result.

This great map shows good detail in the east with Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia extending to the Mississippi River. The gulf coast is comprised of East and West Florida, with West Florida extending to the Mississippi. There are numerous early frontier settlements, forts, Buffalo Meadows, and Indian nations located. In the Pacific Northwest, the Straits of Juan de Fuca open up to a huge, but undefined, Western Sea. The River of the West conjecturally flows from Pikes Lake in the Intermountain West. New Albion and the Snowy Mountains are prominently shown, but the western region is mostly blank. The Missouri River is partly delineated with "the head of this River unknown." New Mexico is a large area that includes Texas with several Indian pueblos located. The Colorado River is unnamed and extends into today's Colorado. Central Canada has a bizarre set of lakes and river systems as is commonly seen in this period. The map was drawn by Kitchin and engraved by G. Terry. Imprint below neatline "Engraved for Jno. Harrisoin No. 115 Newgate Street, Sept. 29th 1787."

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Condition: A

Full margins and dark, early impression on a full sheet with original margins. Short split at centerfold in lower margin.