Honor to Whom Honor is Due." Origin of Steam Navigation. A View of Collect Pond and its Vicinity

New York: John Hutchings, 1846. unbound. very good(+). Map. Lithograph. 14 1/2" x 18".<br/><br/> Fascinating map of the section in lower Manhattan from Lispenard Street and Broadway, down to Warren and Centre Streets, where the Alms House was. The focus of the map is Collect Pond, centered at the intersection of Centre and Leonard Streets. Besides the map to the left are letters to John Hutchings certifying that a steam boat was seen on Collect Pond in 1796. To the right are remarks and a description of the boat in question, supposedly having been constructed by a John Fitch, a description of whom can be seen in the upper left corner below an illustration of a steam boat. Another illustration can be seen in the upper right corner, and another small illustration is right below the map of the pond. The intention of the map is to claim that John Fitch debuted a steam ship 6 years before Robert Fulton, the individual credited with the creation of the first commercially available steamboat, hence the title "Honor to Whom Honor is Due."<br/><br/>