La Jamaique Dressee su les derniers Plans Pars Jefferys

Jamaica during the American Revolution.

This incredibly detailed map of the island of Jamaica was published in Paris by Georges-Louis St. Rouge in 1778, copied largely from a 1775 map by the English cartographer Thomas Jeffreys. At the time the map was issued, the Caribbean was a hotbed of imperial warfare as a result of the ongoing American Revolutionary War and the island (occupied by the English) was under constant threat from foreign navies, slave revolts, and disease.

The vast economic wealth of Jamaica was centered around the processing and export of sugarcane on massive slave plantations, necessitating a ready military garrison subject to the constant scrutiny of European rivals looking to take advantage of any signs of weakness. Many aspects of the map reflect these contemporary realities, such as the scattered distribution of barracks buildings, the evident emphasis on coastal details, and the inset maps featuring the island’s major ports of Bluefields, Kingston, and Port Royal.

Topography is depicted in hachure, reflecting the rugged terrain expertly utilized by escaped slaves known as Maroons. These Black refugees created their own, largely self-sufficient, communities in the mountainous regions that were inaccessible to local troops. The annotation in the upper left, translated as “The Negro-towns are Distinguished by a Stroke under the Name” references these remote, nominally independent villages that were first established at the conclusion of the First Maroon War (1728–1739). Nanny Town, led by the Ashanti former slave Queen Nanny, is apparently the only remaining settlement that qualifies for the distinction, and it’s identified as abandoned. Trelawny Town, Crawford’s Town, and Accompong Town were all also former Maroon communities.

Sources: Mount Vernon; All Things Liberty;