Suriname, Marowijne, Javanenskreek, Wanaba Kreek, Cotticakreek...... Stedman, 1798, Vue du Camp de la Java-Crique/Vue du Campement de Jerusalem

Double engraving on a single sheet featuring two views of places in the interior of Suriname:

The two military camps depicted in this engraving by John Gabriel Stedman were located in the northeast of Suriname, in the inhospitable jungle region south of the Atlantic coast. Because these were temporary, eighteenth-century army camps in the jungle, no direct contemporary cities or villages arose at these exact spots. Today, the locations are still largely densely forested jungle terrain, but they can be accurately traced by the rivers and creeks (which have retained their historical names):

1. Vue du Camp de la Java-Crique (Camp at the Javanenskreek) Historical location: This camp was situated on the Java Creek (Javanenskreek), a small tributary just south of the strategic Wanacreep (Wanaba Creek / Wane Creek). Stedman and Colonel Fourgeoud's troops passed through here during their patrols between the Cottica River and the Marowijne River. Contemporary location: This area is currently located in the Marowijne district. The creek is located in the jungle southwest of the modern-day border town of Albina and southeast of the Maroon village of Moengo.

2. View of the Jerusalem Camp (Jerusalem Camp)
Historical location: This was an important military post of the colonial army on the Cormoetibo Creek (now spelled Cotticakreek or Kormotibo Creek) in the Upper Cottica region. The camp was strategically situated on the route used to attack Maroon villages (such as those of the Aluku/Boni Maroons).
Contemporary location: This location lies in the deep interior of the Sipaliwini district (near the border with the Marowijne district). Geographically, this place is situated south of present-day Moengo and west of the Marowijne River basin.

The engraving was made by Tardieu (signed) and published in 1798 in a French edition of J.G. Stedman's famous book on Suriname.

John Gabriel Stedman (Dendermonde, 1744 – Devonshire, March 5, 1797) was a Scottish-Dutch officer in the Scottish Brigade of the Dutch army. He helped suppress a slave revolt in Suriname. He fell in love with a slave woman and attempted to buy her freedom. He wrote the influential book *Reize naar Surinamen en door de binnenste onderdelen van Guiana* about his experiences. In it, he openly expressed concern for the rights of the slaves, particularly regarding the question of whether they should be treated as human beings. His description of a story about the murder of a mulatto girl transformed over the course of history into a legend about the slave woman Alida.

Good-very good condition. Never folded, wide margins.

Image 19x14cm, sheet 29x21cm