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Plan for rebuilding Fort Nassau

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Plan for rebuilding Fort Nassau

de Veije, François Samuel

Title Leupe: Project teekeningen behoorende tot het te etabliseeren gouvernement in de Colonie de Berbice.

During the evacuation of Fort Nassau and Nieuw-Amsterdam on 8th March 1763 due to the advance of Cuffy’s slave army, the Dutch burned the fort down to prevent its occupation. After the war was won, need arose for new defences.

In line with his instructions, François Samuel de Veije had drawn his first version of a design for the new fortifications intended to replace the ruined Fort Nassau on site in 1764, together with his project plans for a main fort on the confluence of the Berbice and the Canje as well as various secondary posts (Nationaal Archief number 4.OBPV 1.38).

Once he returned to the Republic he was repeatedly asked to adapt or further elaborate on his plans and to give various explanations which meant that he was not able to complete his duties for the Society of Berbice until sometime in the year 1767.

This map shows the second stage of De Veije’s plans for the fortifications at Fort Nassau which was never realized.

This plan concerns specifically the new government building, which was to be realized inside the new fort. For the entire fort, see VEL1643A.

Scale-bar of 60 Rhineland feet = [approximately 1 : 120].

Please contact Nationaal Archief for reuse and copyrights.

Sources and literature

Heijer, H. den, Grote Atlas van de West-Indische Compagnie = Comprehensive Atlas of the Dutch West India Company, II, de nieuwe WIC 1674-1791 = the new WIC 1674-1791 (2012)

Bosman, Lex, Nieuw Amsterdam in Berbice (Guyana). De planning en bouw van een koloniale stad, 1764-1800 (1994)