Map of the colony of Suriname, leaf 1

Title Leupe: Kaart van de Colonie van Suriname, leggende in de Landschap Cajana op de vaste kust van Suyd Amerika; strekkende van de rivier Sinamary tot aan de rivier Canje, zynde deese twee rivieren de regtmatige Limiten tusschen de Besitting der Franschen en de Neerlandsche Colonie van Berbice enz. Verschillende mijlschalen.

Heneman arrived in Paramaribo in November 1770 as an ensign in the service of the Society of Surinam. Within a year he had produced a provisional general map of Surinam on four sheets, the rightmost one of which is depicted here, utilizing existing material and supplementary new data from such people as fellow soldiers and Hernhutters. This map shows the colony devoid of detail; for instance, the individual plantations are not noted, but the boundaries of the plantation area as a whole are delineated. His remarks about the illegality of the French military post on the eastern bank of the Marowijne are a reference to the annexation during the Seven years War (1756-1763) of the area between this river and the Sinnamary, which had formerly marked the eastern frontier of Surinam, and is indicated as such here by Heneman. The new situation was tacitly accepted in the Republic and was later formalized.

In 1772 Governor Jan Nepveu (1768-1779) sent Heneman to the Republic to present his draught map to the directors for their approval. Satisfied, they commissioned him to develop his work into a complete, detailed general map of Surinam as quickly as possible. With this commission in his pocket and in the meantime promoted to captain-lieutenant, he returned to the colony later in 1772, and for the next six years he carried out the requisite surveys and worked them out. As a result of these, he produced his influential large general map, published in printed form in 1784 by Gerard Hulst van Keulen.

North is below.

Scale-bars of 3 German miles 15 in a degree / 3 German miles or 6 hours [walking] / 5 Holland miles of 20 in a degree= [approximately 1 : 155,000].