[Quebec]. Plan de Quebec [...] Renvois de Quebec dans le Can - Lot 185

[Quebec]. Plan de Quebec [...] Renvois de Quebec dans le Canada. [Paris, 1765]. 11.3 x 8.1 (gr.) (sheet 22.7 x 17 cm). Glued by the corners on strong paper. Rare, highly detailed miniature map of Quebec City, produced following the city's conquest at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759). This finely engraved map depicts Quebec City and its immediate surroundings as they appeared during the Seven Years' War (or French and Indian War). The map shows the elaborate fortifications that surrounded the city, while cross-references identify 24 major buildings and sites, including churches, government buildings and military infrastructure. Although the map is modest in size, the quality of the engraving and the detail of the presentation offer a surprisingly comprehensive overview. While the city was considered to have a defensively impenetrable position, a daring operation launched by British general James Wolfe succeeded in capturing the city in September 1759. Some of the action of the siege is illustrated on the map, including the firing of British ships into the river. As indicated in the inscription to the right of the "Renvois", the city, along with all of French North America, was officially ceded to the British by the Treaty of Paris (1763).