Sounding between the defences at the mouth of the Suriname River

Title Leupe: Plan van de peyling der rivier Suriname, tusschen de redout Purmerend en Leyden, tusschen Leyden en het fort Nieuw Amsterdam van de Commewyne, en van Nieuw Amsterdam tot de redout Purmerend van de rivier Suriname.

This map by Johan Christoph Heneman shows the soundings in the mouths of the Suriname and Commewijne at low tide. Heneman drew three lines from the Nieuw Amsterdam fort to the Purmerend redoubt on the westbank of the Suriname River and the Leyden redoubts on the eastbank of it. Among other things, the soundings were important for defence. The series of drafts on ‘plans of obstruction’ made after 1780 (see VEL2020-2027), for instance, feature designs of cannonboats or 'canoniere' which moved by sails or oars to hinder hostile vessels. The shallow hull of the boats were an advantage over most other ships when tide was low. In addition, plans were made for obstructions using floating trunks equipped with spikes which would be placed in the river using ankers. This plan equally required soundings.

North is lower left.

Scale-bar of 100 chains of 66 Rhineland feet: = [approximately 1 : 8,600].