'Port Royal in South Carolina : taken from surveys deposited at the Plantation Office' by Captain Joseph Frederick Wallet des Barres is an exeptional rare and sought after chart which was published in London in 1777.
 
The predominant industry in South Carolina during this period centered around rice cultivation, particularly in the Low Country coastal region. The 1777 chart of the Port Royal area vividly portrays this region, characterized by numerous rice plantations that heavily depended on imported African slaves for labor until the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War. By the 1770s, rice had become a pivotal export, constituting over 50 percent of the colony's total exports. The prosperity of the rice export industry played a crucial role in the emergence of a local planter class, who, over time, gained significant influence. These colonists, fueled by the success of the rice trade, eventually united with counterparts along the eastern seaboard to challenge British dominance in the unfolding events leading up to the American Revolution.
 
Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres (1721-1824) was a Canadian cartographer born in Switzerland. His academic journey led him to study under the renowned mathematician Daniel Bernoulli at the University of Basel before relocating to Britain, where he underwent training at the Royal Military College, Woolwich. Engaging in military service during the 1756 hostilities with France, Des Barres drew the attention of General James Wolfe, who admired his charting skills. Collaborating with the future explorer James Cook, he contributed to a monumental chart of the St. Lawrence River. Des Barres gained lasting recognition for the Atlantic Neptune, a remarkable multi-volume collection of sea charts and coastal views. Overseen by Des Barres in Nova Scotia after the Seven Years’ War, these works, created with the assistance of up to twenty engravers and assistants, played a crucial role for the Royal Navy in the American Revolution. Post-Revolution, Des Barres served as lieutenant governor of Cape Breton Island (1784-1787) and later as governor of Prince Edward Island (1804-1812). Living to the remarkable age of 102, he was laid to rest in Halifax after his funeral at St. George's Round Church in 1824.
 
This chart is in excellent condition.