Here is another example of a settlement carved out of what was perceived to be a fairly hostile and certainly unknown landscape. Halifax, 1750; a commercial map inviting settlement. A bit ominous is the large cannon wrapped up in the blue ensign at the top of the cartouche, protecting plucky workers building a wooden building below. What I've always liked about this map is the precision with which Halifax was laid out: a garrison, all the blocks militarily aligned – an orderliness against the wilderness.
This block of buildings and roads constitutes central Halifax still; the Grand Parade is as it is shown here. What doesn't show is that it is all built on a steep hill going down to the water, so each block becomes a terrace.
Oh well, it is caveat emptor when it comes to maps.