1853 Andrews Map of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Basin

A rare, beautiful and gigantic map of the St. Lawrence Basin issued in 1852 for Israel de Wolf Andrew's report for the Treasury Department. Depicts the Basin of the St. Lawrence River from the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia westward to include the Great Lakes and then further west to include the Mississippi River. Offers superb detail of the American and Canadian railway network, both extant and proposed, at a critical juncture in U.S. history. More importantly focuses on the canals and waterways between the Atlantic and the Mississippi as a crucial artery of trade with the interior of the U.S. Andrews writes of this map:

An attentive consideration of this new and excellent map is respectfully solicited. It presents many points of interest, exhibiting, as it does, at one view, the mighty St. Lawrence, the chain of 'fresh-water Mediterraneans,' of which it is the outlet, and which are indeed a geographical wonder, as also their position and relation t the States of the West, and the vast and fertile valley of the Mississippi, with the various outlets to the sea, of this valuable section of North America.

This map is also notable for its attention to cities, states and county divisions. An inset in the lower right quadrant shows trade routes across the Atlantic between the U.S. and Europe.