Description

This illustrated map, from the Rochambeau Collection of the Library of Congress, presents a striking panorama of the City of Quebec during its last years as the capital of New France, the French colony of Canada. Drawn in 1755 by Royal Geographer Georges-Louis Le Rouge, the map identifies ten key sites throughout the city. Located on the St. Lawrence River, Quebec was an administrative, military, and commercial hub, as well as a religious center that was home to a cathedral, bishop’s palace, seminary, and Jesuit mission. Originally established in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Quebec became the capital of New France in 1663. In the Battle of Quebec (June-September 1759), one of the culminating struggles of the Seven Years’ War (1754-63), the French, under the Marquis de Montcalm, were forced to surrender the city to an invading British force led by General James Wolfe. Four years later, France ceded most of its Canadian possessions in North America to Great Britain.