Exploration--Joseph Melchor de Acosta, Antonio Donato Paredes, et al.

providing detailed instructions to seafarers travelling from the port of Havana in Cuba to the mouth of the Mississippi and back, in both summer and winter; the description of each journey including a summary of the route to be taken, and advice about the tides and how to determine one's position by the colour and texture of the sands; one section advises ships passing by the Chandeleur Islands during the foggy months of February to April to fire a cannon and wait for a guiding response from the Isla Real; another refers to the increased volume of water in the mouth of the Mississippi during the summer months; 10 pages in all, folio, written in a single hand, the authors' names added on last page, 'Picador' watermark [cf. Heawood 3467-3471], stitched together, housed in green cloth folder, [c.1780s], minor spotting and creasing

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"...llegando a estar por 15 a 20 brazas de agua fondo arena menuda...se governará al SSO llevando la precaucion de no disminuir agua en demanda de la Baliza, y haviendo navegado 7 leguas se tirará un Cañonazo de la parte de tierra y se esperará la respuesta con la atencion y silencio correspondiente, y si pasada una ampolleta no respondiere, se tirará otro, y asi se continuará hasta oir el cañonazo que será de la Isla Real, marcando el parage acia donde se oyó y formando acia el la derrota..."

The inclusion of two French names in the list of authors ("Leconte Augrand and Jean Baptiste du Sel [?]") might suggest that this manuscript dates from c. 1780, during both countries' involvement in the American Revolution. One other map by Antonio Donato Paredes, of Pensacola Bay in Florida, dates from 1782, shortly after the recapture of Pensacola from the British by the Spanish during the American Revolution; it is held by the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress.