Canada. Siege of Louisbourg

Plan de la Ville de Louisbourg avec les ouvrages d'Attaque des Anglais pour sa reddition, ainsi que ceux des assiegés pour la deffense de la Place, cette presente année 1758. Levé et dessigné sur les lieux par le S[ieu]r Lartigue l'aîné de L'Isle Royale. [With:] Carte de L'Isle Royale en l'Amerique Septentrionale. [Isle Royale, Canada], 1758

Two manuscript maps, each 14 1/2 x 21 in.; 368 x 534 mm, on two folded sheets joined together at one edge, maps drawn in ink and red, green and brown watercolor, a compass rose in each map; some light marginal dampstains and soiling, some show-through on the verso and some spotting at the lower edges on the verso, three small mends in folds at the top margin.



.

some light marginal dampstains and soiling, some show-through on the verso and some spotting at the lower edges on the verso, three small mends in folds at the top margin.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The Siege of Louisbourg (1758) was a pivotal battle of the Seven Years' War that ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada, leading directly to the loss of Quebec in 1759 and of the remainder of French North America the following year. The British realized that  the Fortress of Louisbourg, called "the Gibraltar of North America," effectively prevented them from sailing down the St. Lawrence River to attack Quebec.  The British assault began in June with artillery bombardment and precarious landings of infantry. The French capitulated on 26 July.

The present maps were prepared by Pierre-Jérome Lartigue (1729-1772) who served as the King's Keeper of Stores until his removal from that office in 1752. The Lartigue family had settled and owned property in Isle Royale since the late 17th Century. After the capitulation they apparently moved to French Guiana. The map of the fortress shows the positions of batteries of canon and mortar within and outside the fortress, described in detail in the key. Of five British ships shown in the harbor, three are in flames which the key notes "... the result of a bomb aimed from Battery R." The Legend at the right of the second map still refers to the first, noting the various "bastions," while a table below enumerates the numbers of soldiers positioned "on the coast in the neighborhood of Louisbourg."

The map of the province of Isle Royale, apart from the placenames, offers two "remarques" on the native inhabitants of the northern peninsula: "This part of the Isle is inhabited only by some savages, it is very wooded and filled with beautiful meadows" and again "The lines otherwise called roads highlighted in red designate the beaten paths (les chemins plaqué) of the Savages by which they travel in the Isle. This is only, properly speaking, paths traced where one man can barely pass."