Carte de Maidenland ou de la Virginie de…

Scarce c.18th French edition map by Vice Admiral The Hon. John Byron, RN (1723-1786) of Hawkins’s Maidenland, discovered by Sr. Richard Hawkins in 1574 and Falkland Sound, so called by Captn. John Strong of the Farewell from London who sailed through it in 1689.

Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins (c.1562-1622) was an English seaman, explorer and privateer, the son of Admiral Sir John Hawkins. Raised in a maritime family, he was familiar with seafaring from an early age and sailed in 1582 with his uncle, William Hawkins, to the West Indies. He later served in prominent naval campaigns: in 1585 he captained a galliot in Sir Francis Drake’s expedition to the Spanish Main, in 1588 he commanded a Queen’s ship against the Spanish Armada, and in 1590 he joined his father’s expedition to the Portuguese coast.  In 1593 Hawkins acquired the galleon Dainty and set out for the West Indies, the Spanish Main and the South Seas. Although he later described the voyage as one of discovery, his intentions were closely aligned with English privateering efforts against Spanish overseas possessions. After touching at the coast of Brazil, the Dainty was driven by storm toward the South Atlantic. In February 1594 Hawkins sighted land east of the Strait of Magellan, which he named “Hawkins’ Maiden Land” in honour of Queen Elizabeth I; this territory is now identified as the Falkland Islands.  He subsequently passed through the Strait of Magellan and reached the Pacific coast of South America, including Valparaíso, continuing his campaign in Spanish waters..

From Hawkesworth, Relation des voyages entrepris par ordre de sa Majeste Britannique, actuellement regnante:

References:
Beddie, M. Bibliography of Captain James Cook, RN,FRS, Circumnavigator. Sydney 1970: 659.
Sabin, J. A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time. New York. (1936) 1967 : 30940, 16249, 16261, 37955, 25141.

Collections:
Bibliotheque Nationale de France: 12148/bpt6k5493702m
National Library Australia: Bib ID: 1680211
State Library New South Wales: MMS ID 991013134339702626
State Library Victoria: RARELTF ; 910.41 H31R
State Library South Australia: 910.4 H395 b
State Library Queensland: OCLC: 8681264