Old Map of Saint Lucia by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, 1758

Saint Lucia on the Eve of the Seven Years’ War

Bellin’s map appeared in 1758, while European powers were competing for control of the Caribbean and its strategically important sea routes. Saint Lucia occupied a valuable position among the Windward Islands, between Martinique and Saint Vincent. Its sheltered bays, fertile land and proximity to other French and British possessions made it important to both nations.

Map Details

Original title: Carte de l’Isle de Sainte Lucie
Cartographer: Jacques-Nicolas Bellin
Published: Paris, 1758
Original publication: Histoire générale des voyages
Region shown: Saint Lucia, Windward Islands, Caribbean
Orientation: East is shown at the top
Printing method: Copperplate engraving

The map was produced for the influential Histoire générale des voyages, a major French collection of travel accounts edited by Abbé Prévost. Its purpose is stated within the cartouche: Pour servir à l’Histoire Générale des Voyages. Bellin’s maps enabled European readers to follow descriptions of distant countries, islands and voyages with a geographical image before them.

A Landscape Drawn in Profile

Rather than using modern contour lines, Bellin represented Saint Lucia’s relief through clusters of individually engraved hills and mountains. The island is divided into La Basse Terre and La Cabes Terre, names reflecting the French geographical understanding of the island at the time.

Numerous rivers descend from the mountainous interior towards the coast. Wooded and cultivated areas are distinguished with tiny engraved trees and other symbols, giving the map a remarkably textured appearance despite its relatively small original size.

The coastline carries an abundance of French place names. Among those visible are Vieux Fort, Gros Islet, Soufrière, Anse des Pitons, Cul de Sac and Le Carenage. Small anchor symbols identify recognised places of shelter for ships, while rocks, sandy banks and exposed headlands warn of potential navigational dangers.

From Le Carenage to Castries

One particularly interesting name is Le Carenage, shown on the north-western coast. A carenage was a sheltered harbour where wooden ships could be careened for cleaning and repairs. The name was later transferred to the settlement that became Saint Lucia’s capital and was renamed Castries in 1785. Saint Lucia’s government records specifically confirm that both the 1758 and 1763 maps marked Le Carenage.

The survival of so many French place names is part of the island’s distinctive history. Castries, Soufrière, Gros Islet and Vieux Fort remain familiar names today, connecting the modern country directly with the landscape recorded by Bellin.

Bellin and French Naval Cartography

Jacques-Nicolas Bellin was one of the foremost French mapmakers of the eighteenth century. As an engineer and hydrographer attached to the French naval chart office, he compiled maps from navigational reports, earlier surveys and accounts supplied by mariners.

His Saint Lucia map combines practical coastal information with the decorative character expected by readers of a prestigious travel collection. The elaborate cartouche, crowned with flowers and curling ornament, contrasts beautifully with the close engraving of the island below.

Published during a period of rivalry between France and Britain, the map predates the British occupation of Saint Lucia in 1762 and its restoration to France under the Treaty of Paris in 1763. It therefore captures the island at an especially significant point in its colonial history.