The Portland daily press., 1862-07-12
Map of Maine-Natural Seaport-IntercoIo-
NAL Railway.

Messrs. J. Chace, Jr, & Co., have added to
the attractions of our counting-room that in
dispensable requisite for every intelligent bust
ness man In our State, a copy of their splendid
new map of Maine, recently issued. As our
motto is pro bono publico, we devote a brief
paragraph to this important work.
We presume many of our readers did not
expect, when this Company issued their pro-
spectus, in 1850, in relation to this work, to
see the plan carried out so completely as this
splendid map shows ii TO have been. But
those who knew the experience and ability of
the parties engaged in the undertaking, were
not at all incredulous on this point. We have
been exceedingly fortunate, as State, in Sc
curing the services of so competent chorog-
rapher as Mr.. Chace, who has been unremitt-
ing in his purpose to supply us with the most
valuable map ever published of any State
Such is the testimony of Gov. Washburn, in
his last annual message, of the land agent in
his report for 1861, and the unanimous verdict
Of all classes, so far as the map has been dis
tributed.
This is as ii should be. The task has been
an herculenean one, and the work richly de-
serves all the encemiums il has received. New
York, Boston, and New Hampshire Journals
speak of it in the highest terms of praise. The
London American, and various correspondents
of American papers, in their accounts Of the
great international exhibition in London, now
in progress, mention the splendid map of
Maine, by J. Chace, Jr., & Co. of Portland,
as one of the contributions to the American
department, that excites the admiration of ev-
cry Englishman, and possibly their cupidity,
as they see the large area of rich territory in
such close proximity to their North American
Provinces
We trust, however, the day is far distant
when the cupidity of our British cousins will
be so much excited, as to lead them to seek,
by any Improper means, our annexation to
the Queens dominions. We cannot, however.
wonder, when they study the geographical po-
sition of their territory and our own, as shown
by this beautiful map suspended in thier Exhi-
bition, covering an area larger than all the rest
of New England, and observe the relative To-
cation of cities, harbors, rivers, railways, &c,
in our State and the adjacent Provinces, that
the idea of future annexation and consolida-
ton should suggest itself, and the wish find ut
terance that the 'natural seaport" with all its
conceded advantages of water and land com
munications, might, by some cunning diploma
cy, become their own. The inter-eolonial rail-
way from Halifax to Quebec, as commercial
and military line of communication the con-
struction of which is now SO largely engross-
ing the attention, and taxing the energies of
the Provinces and the Home Government,
would not then be necessity, as they now
deem 1t to be. 1t would save the expenditure
of many millions of dollars, the interest on
which the most sanguine advocates for the Co
lonial railway aforesaid, do not expect would
be paid except by heavy tax ON the capital
and industrial resources of the respective
Provinces.
The map of the United States, including the
Canadas and Provinces, which occupies a cor
ner of this great map, is most valuable addi-
ton to 1t at the present time. By it we have