One of the more remarkable combinations of fact and fiction in the mapping of the Pacific Northwest. Its source was an account published in 1708 of what purported to be a newly discovered account of a voyage in 1640 by the Spanish Admiral, Bartholomew de Fonte. Thereafter, the account was changed and elaborated upon, most notably by this series of maps which appeared in Diderot's Encyclopedia. In its concept it promoted the hopes of a Northwest Passage and depicts the existence of the 'Mer de l'Ouest' or the Sea of the West.

References: Pedley #454, Hayes #34.

Condition: A

This fine example has a crisp impression on fine hand-laid paper with watermark and wide margins.