Antique 18th century map of the Eastern United States and Canada, from De Fer's Atlas Curieux.

A map which illustrates the extent of French royal control over the North American Continent. Canada, also named Nouvelle France on the map, extends from north of Labrador to south of the Tropic of Cancer. The various English colonies are reduced in size, shown as all but limited to the Atlantic Coast. This is undoubtably a political statement in a map printed with blessings from the King of France. The Mississippi flows due South in this example, originating north of Lake Superior and outflowing in eastern Texas. The tributaries of the Mississippi are described and annotated, most notably the Ohio ou Bell Riviere, which starts far south of its true origins and the Oubache River. Notes on early explorations, forts, rivers and Indian Tribes abound in this marvelous work, engraved by van Loon.