Map for a planned fortress on Crab Island
Osterlin, Philippus Marcus
Title Leupe: _Prospect tot versterck
en bedekking van de monden der rivieren Berbice en Canje, leggende het geprojecteerde fort op 't Crabben Eyland, benevens een redoute of blokhuys op 't Oosterhoeck._
In 1735, the land surveyor and engineer Philippus Marcus Osterlin had presented a proposal for a large fort on Crab Island, slightly downstream of where the two rivers converge. The accompanying project map of this proposal is shown here.
The plan was rejected as the island was considered too low and muddy to carry out the projected plans without huge extra expenses and the fort batteries would not be able to completely cover the two channels along the island, which meant that on a strong flood tide enemy ships would probably be able to sail by fast and relatively easily make their way up the river.
Osterlin drew a redoubt on the east bank (left on the map) of the Berbice River in a possible reply to this critique.
North is lower left.
Origin: missive from 20 August 1735.
Scale-bar of 700 Rhineland rods = [approximately 1 : 9,410].
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