Brooks: Diplomacy and the Borderlands 217

numerous works by himself and by other cartographers and writ-
er. At one time he employed thirty persons in his establishment.
 Melish was far-sighted and ambitious in his undertakings, and
was anxious to see rapid progress in the mapping of the country.
He strongly advocated the publication of maps of the various
states by their governments, rather than by individuals, who would
have lees resources.' There seems to be no evidence, however, that
he drew up his 1816 and 1818 maps at the behest of the federal
government to support its boundary pretensions, as Onis charged.
 Melish acknowledged his indebtedness to several notable authori-
ties for his information' Among them were Lewis and Clark,
William Darby's Map of the State of Louisiana (New York, 1816),
Lewis Bringier's map of upper Louisiana (1816), and Daniel
Sturgis' MS map of Georgia. For the British possessions he de-
pended chiefly on Aaron Arrowsmith's work, and for the Spanish,
upon Alexandre de Humboldt's Carte g6nrole du royaume de la
Nouvelle Epagne (Paris, 1809), drawing supplementary details
from Zebulon Pike's Map of the Internal Provinces of New Spain
(Philadelphia, 1810). The Pacific Coast was worked out from
Captain George Vancouver's Chart Showing Part of the Coast of
N.W. America (London, 1798), and from the Bemerkungen auf
einer Beise um die Welt of George H. von Langsdortf (Frankfurt,
1812; Voyages and Travels in Various Parts of the World, Lon-
don, 1813-1814).
 The Louisiana Purchase, by means of colored shading, was given
great extent, not only to the Rio Grande in the Southwest, but also
to its "natural boundaries," west to the Pacific, and south on that
coast as far as San Franciseo. In the Library of Congrems there is
a copy which is made up of sheets from two different versions of
the map, one of which Colonel Martin lists tentatively as the first
 M.h, Gogrsph W a Deswrtilo (1818 ed.), pp. 182-186.
 O~a to Piurro, uly 68118, A.H.N., EsL, 568.
 'Melii, GograpMoal Desripos (1818 ed.), pp. 11-14. See alo his
Prosa a of a Bi. Shg t Map of the Unte BStets sad Coistlgue British
a nd BfusPoassn.... (4 p-ag, Phladelphi*a 181), a copy of whieh
was pnreted to me by Mr. Newma P. Meoirr, of the Natioal Arhiv,
and his OrspMdt ItdMWgenso, Ioludif a Propt of te Map and
DaN of s te U.ted Btotes, and Undera BSchool Atlsu ad Geography,
wihh o for The r Uu, and a Catalogm of GeaogMrapU Works (28
M Philadelpha, 1818). My atttion was directed to a eop of the latter
t lbary of the Historical Society of Ppnsylania by Mr. Juli P.
Boyd, librarian.