1851 Black Map of Canada

A fine example of Adam and Charles Black's 1851 map of Quebec (Canada east or Lower Canada) and New Brunswick. Following the St. Lawrence River Valley from Montreal eastward to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this map covers what is today Montreal, Quebec, and New Brunswick. An inset map near the bottom margin of the map details Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island and Prince edward Island.

Canadian provinces and territories were under British and French control from the 16th century, until France gave up its claims in the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Canada would remain a collection of British colonies until its confederation in 1867, when the British Province of Canada was divided into Quebec and Ontario and the British colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia incorporated as Canadian provinces. With the signing of the 1854 Treaty of Reciprocity between the United States and Canada, this area experienced a period of sustained growth and prosperity. The increased international trade that flowed into Quebec via the Hudson Valley inspired popular interest in the region. Montreal, Three Rivers, and St. Francis in particular benefited from the cross-border trade.

Throughout, the map identifies various cities, towns, rivers and an assortment of additional topographical details. Map is hand colored in pink, green and yellow pastels to define boundaries. The map is engraved by S. Hall and issued as plate no. XLVI in the 1851 edition of Black's General Atlas.