Southack, who lived in Boston after 1685, is recognized as America's first chartmaker. His extensive experience as a navigator and privateer in America's waters enabled him to produce several charts of the New England coast. This one provided detailed navigational aids for the northeast coast from Long Island to Cape Breton Island. Besides an inset of Boston Harbor, it also included insets of New York Harbor, Casco Bay, and Halifax Harbor. Another version of this chart appeared in various editions of The English Pilot, The Fourth Book, the standard 18th century guide to English navigation. Circa 1735.