Veduta of the City of Macao (Veduta della Città di Macao) Year: 1796 Call Number: MAP-1796-01 This image has rarely been publicly displayed in any library and is rarely seen in collections. This is a typical veduta from Voyages Made in the Years 1788 and 1789, from China to the North West Coast of America, published in 1796 by the British navigator and fur trader John Meares. This picture depicts the scene in the Nam Van area of Macao. There are military fortresses built on the mountains on the left and right sides of the picture. The Fortress of São Tiago da Barra and Bom Parto Fortress played an extremely important military role in defending the Nam Van area and protecting the Inner Harbour waterway. In the middle of the image is the prosperous scene of the Nam Van area in Macao. The well-arranged coastal houses and ships show the prosperous development of Macao’s foreign trade at that time. The Nam Van area was a gathering place for many wealthy merchants engaged in ocean trade. Meares was the first businessman to bring Chinese craftsmen to Nootka Island in the Northwest Territories of North America, via Macao, to build ships and settlements. This was the first ship built by non-locals in the Northwest Territories of North America. The settlement on Nootka Island later became the catalyst for the signing of the Nootka Conventions in 1790 between Britain and Spain, which demarcated the North American border. 69 12
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