Map of the Berbice River

Title Leupe: Accurate plan van de staat en loop van Rio Berbice, leggende in de geoctroyeerde Colonie de Berbice, opgenomen en geteekent door Jan Daniel Knapp.

This enormous general map of almost three and a half meters wide shows the situation on the Berbice River as it was just over five years after the Osterlin map (VEL1565).

In the interim period the land reclamation process, in the interest of developing new plantations, had rapidly progressed, especially along the upper reaches of both rivers. -Knapp had been sent out in 1735 and he stayed in Berbice until at least 1744.

There he later also became a member of the Police Council and was involved in the renewal of Fort Nassau; see also his ground plans under number VEL1661A and B.

On the mouth of the Berbice River opposite Crab Island, towards the top of his main map, one can see a planned new first-alert post, in the same place where five years later the small fort Sint Andries was to be erected.

A slightly more elaborate version of the maps by Knapp reproduced here and combined to fill one sheet was printed in 1742 by the Amsterdam engraver and publisher Hendrik de Leth

North is upper right.

Scale-bars of 2000 Rhineland rods = [approximately 1 : 60,500].