WHO CREATED THE
‘PISCATWAY RIVER’ MAP?

The wide distribution of the ca 1670 map, “Piscatway River in New England by IS” by the CFA has sparked interest among historians and others about various aspects of the map. Since the Humphrey Chadbourne house was identified as lying close to its position on the map, other buildings and sites on the map are being investigated and discussed.

Many questions have been raised about the origin of the map. The beauty of the map begs an identification of its creator. The name of the person who drew the map will likely never be known, for it is suggested that the map’s creator, whose initials lie in its shield, did not actually draw it – it was an artist who was hired by him. What then is the name of the person with those initials?

First, it must be stated that the initials are not “I.S.” but J.S. That is immediately clear when one studies the dedication poem on the map. The first letters of each line of the poem spell out the person to whom the map is dedicated: James Duke of York. It is then clear that the “J” in James is exactly the same as the first initial of the cartographer. Because of the complex political career of the likely cartographer, the dedication poem presents a problem, which will be raised here briefly, but covered thoroughly in more scholarly works in progress by others. The name of the cartographer is asserted to be a person known as Colonel John Scott of Long Island. The primary evidence for this choice follows:
John Scott was born about 1632 and came to Massachusetts in 1643 as a bonds boy with his mother, a poor bankrupt miller’s wife. In 1654 he appears in Southampton, Long Island, and is jailed by the Dutch on suspicion of activities against the Dutch government in New Amsterdam (later New York). For the next thirty-six years the record contains numerous entries about John Scott’s involvement in illegal real estate deals and services for many lower and middle level government officials in attempts to gain favor or appointment by the king or others. These activities usually brought bad results, from which he was able to recover again and again. It is apparent that, though the record says little about his activities as a map-maker, he did devote considerable effort to that profession, for he traveled many times for other purposes, and never failed to engage in his profession as he did.

In August of 1668 a royal warrant, countersigned by the Duke of Arlington, conferred upon John Scott the post of royal geographer. As soon as he was settled in his new post-probably even before-he had begun an attempt to justify his appointment by the execution of a great work on the "Coasts and Islands of America."

"In my youth," Scott begins his narrative, "I was a great lover of Geographie and History in Generall, but aboute the Eighteenth yeare of my age I tooke up a resolution to make America the scene of the greatest actions of my life, and there to sett myselfe a worke (if possible) to finde out the Latitudes, the Longitudes, and to know the oridginall discovery with the situations of all places both on the Continent and in the islands; as also the names of Persons and of what Nations they were who have possessed them, and what fortune each Nation hath had, and (as neare as I could) the fortune of the severall governors successively, and of the respective Collonies, the most remarkable distempers and diseases, the Commodityes abounding and advantages of trade, what places were more or less Tenable of Nature, and what were made strong by fortifications, in what manner, and to what degree; Moreover how these colonies have prospered or declined in Trade, increased or decreased in number of Inhabitants from Europe, and the proper causes thereof; Together with the strength of the severall Indian Nations, their customes, Governments, and Commodities, and what advantages may be made of them in point of Warr or by Trade. I labour'd likewise to discover the Rocks, Sandes Shelves, and Soundings about every Island, and in the Entrance of all Ports, Havens, Rivers, and Creeks, as well on the Terra firma as the Islands, my scope at first being only for my owne particular sattisfaction, but now I am not out of hope these things may be both of some reputacion to myselfe, and a generall advantage to the English Nation, by which especially I shall have my end and reckon these eighteene yeares past, by running through all manner of dangers (at seve'll times) to make Collections and Observations, have been spent to good purpose for my Country, and thereby put mee in possession.of the greatest fellicity that can befall a man in this life."

"I had once a purpose," he continues, "to have given you a large discription of all America," but considering the Spanish Indies had been fully treated, he decided to confine his book to "new accounts from observations of my owne (or such living Testimonies as I could credit) Touching those places which have not been sufficiently sett forth by any man before me; Purposely omitting that part of the Spanish Indies that I have noe knowledge of . . . . I chose rather to content myselfe with what (in great part) I know, what my owne eyes have seen, and much of what my feet have trodden, and my sences brought under an exact inquiry, confineing my selfe with the River amazon on the South . . . from whence in my Mappes and History I pass Northward to Newfound Land.

"More than 1200 miles along the shore, surveying all the Islands worth notice, comprehended within that vast part of the Atlantick Ocean one hundred and six of which Islands I have been Personally upon, have Travelled most parts of New England and Virginia, and a greate part of Guiana, and other places of the Maine between the Tropick of Cancer and the forementioned grand River, and with Shipps and Barques have sayled into very many of the Rivers, Bayes, Ports, and Creeks within the two boundaries of this discription. As for those places which have not come under my survey, and the Originall of many of the Colonies, whether English, Spanish, French or Dutch, whose plantacions are settled beyond the Memory of any man that I could meet with, in such cases I took, my measures from the best authors, as Herera Ovida and Acosta .among the Spaniards, Thunis a grave Authour among the French, John Delaet among the Dutch and from many other Authours and sev'll curious manuscripts that came to my hand besides the Carts of which I ever labour to gett the best extant and besides actually to converce with good Artists that had been upon the place, and such persons I ever strove to oblidge and draw to me of what so ever Nation they were; I made it my business likewise to purchase or borrow all the historys and journalls that I could heare of whether Lattin Ittalian Spanish or Portugais French Dutch or in our Language, wherein I may say I have by reason of a generall generous conversation had luck extraordinary, and herein what paines I have taken what cost I have been att is so Notorious, that over and above the knowledge of a great number of Gentlemen which I have been oblidged too for a communication of printed books, Manuscripts, Patents, Commissions, and papers relating to those parts, the many booksellers of England and Holand will doe me Right to testifie my continuall inquisition."

John Scott’s official appointment lasted less than six months, for he fled the country to avoid prosecution for a land swindle some years earlier. In his haste, he left behind many maps. By 1678, Scott has again been resurrected in London, but involves himself in the events called “The Popish Plot”. It is an intriguing and complex story of competition between Roman Catholics and Protestants in England, with various investigations, charges of treason, hangings, etc. Near the end of the affair, Scott chooses to testify against Samuel Pepys. Pepys, a Protestant, was nevertheless a close friend of the Duke of York, who the protestants feared would gain the throne and bring Catholicism back. The attack on Pepys failed; worse, it backfired. Pepys put together a long and thorough case against Scott. He was forced, for the last time, to flee in haste, leaving behind the above quoted introduction to his intended work, plus a larger collection of maps, charts, poems, and geographical and military descriptions. These were all turned over to the Lord Mayor and eventually to The British Museum. Scott finally returned to England in 1695 but was immediately arrested. He was pardoned in 1696 and died shortly afterward.

Two hundred years later, the United States, following the guidelines of The Monroe Doctrine, took up the case of Venezuela’s border dispute with British Guiana. The primary documents used to resolve the dispute were charts and maps and descriptions created by John Scott. His credibility was finally restored.

We now return to the problem of the dedication poem to James Duke of York. Scott was at odds with the Duke of York at many times in his career. In 1664 he competed with Governor Winthrop of Connecticut in an attempt to become governor of Long Island. He led a company of 150 men against Peter Stuyvesant in support of a larger battalion led by Winthrop, forcing Stuyvesant to surrender. When England took over Long Island, neither Winthrop nor Scott won the appointment – King Charles appointed his brother, the Duke of York.

In the years prior to the Popish Plot, Scott established himself as a practicing Roman Catholic, to endear himself to the Dukes of Buckingham and Arlington and ultimately, the Duke of York. I suggest that Scott presented his map “Piscatway River in New England” with its Shakespearean like dedication to the Duke of York, plus other maps and charts, in support of his application for the royal geographer post. This helped to win favor for him but for a very short time. Thereafter, there was no adoration for the Duke from Scott, nor for Scott from the Duke.

Earlier in his career, when he sought a royal appointment as governor of New York, he called himself Colonel John Scott of Long Island. When he presented his credentials to Birmingham and Arlington to earn the appointment as royal geographer of the Americas, he signed his dedication poem to the Duke of York, “J.S. Americanus”. It was typical of his braggart nature, implying he was the one most knowledgeable of the new world.

Quotations and other facts for this article are taken from “Colonel John Scott of Long Island” by Wilbur C. Abbott, Yale University Press, 1918.