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Detailed map of part of the Cordon of Defence between the River Commewijne and Cottica

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Detailed map of part of the Cordon of Defence between the River Commewijne and Cottica

Wollant, Johann Friedrich Ferdinand

Title Leupe: ""Kaart van 't cordon van defensie getrocken om de colonie van Suriname, alsmeede de situatie van 't terrain op een half uur gaans regts en links van de lijn taens in 't werk sijnde onder de ordres van Zijne Excellentie d'Heere Jan Nepveu, Gouverneur General enz." Met twee afzonderlijke plans”.

After 1750 the Marrons, former enslaved people who had fled from the plantations and formed new communities in the Surinamese interior, became increasingly formidable opponents against the plantation owners and the colonial government. Following their unification under the leadership of the famous Boni, whose name they later adopted for themselves as a group, in 1771 a full-scale war broke out, which is now known as the (first) Boni War. Hence Governor Jan Nepveu decided to erect an almost 100-kilometre-long Cordon of Defence or Cordon Path between 1774 and 1778 to protect the eastern plantation areas and the adjacent coastal strip. This map shows part of the newly designed line of the Defence Cordon between the Cottica and the Commewijne. It is indicated in red and runs right next to the coloured and detailed depications of plantations, settlements and forests. On the map at the lower right a simplified version of this line is drawn and on the plans and views on the upper right numerous posts used on this Cordon are shown.

North is below.

Scale of 1 : 34.540.

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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)