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The chart has no less than eleven insets of harbors and towns around the coast of the lake.These are clockwise from top left:The mouth of the River Detroit with Amherstburgh with many soundings up the river; A Sketch of a Small River ten miles to the Westward of Buffalo which includes the location of a ‘(likely much needed) Tavern’; A sketch of the mouth of the River ‘Segnan’ with notes on the ever shifting sand bank or bar; A Sketch of the mouth of the ‘Cayanoga’ River with the village of ‘Cleveland’ and several other buildings; A Survey of ‘Miamis’ Bay; A Survey of the entrance of the River Niagara which shows a current of five and three quarts miles per hour along with numerous soundings, General Porter’s house (Porter served as the Quartermaster General for the New York State Militia in 1812 and later in 1828 as the US Secretary of War) along with Fort Erie and the town of ‘Buffaloe’;A Survey of the Inner and Outer Bays of Long Point; A Survey of ‘Put In Bay’ and the Adjacent Islands with detailed soundings; A Sketch of, with detailed notes on the American Naval depot located there and the ‘Presquisle (Presque Isle) Harbour’ and the Town of Erie itself; A Survey of Mohawk Bay with detailed soundings; A Sketch of Grand River with a note that the river is ‘sometimes shut by the waves’ along with some buildings.
Many of the insets include distance scales in either; feet, yards or miles as appropriate.What stands-out above all else on this survey is the detailed depiction of the trees along the shores and the beautiful layout of the chart as a whole.The original colours are vibrant and the detail even goes so far as to record a ‘shout reported near this place’ just above the tiny island of East Sister at the Western end of the lake SSE of the entrance to the River Detroit.
The overall survey of the Great Lakes region was instigated by the British in (late) response to the war of 1812-14 between the British and Americans.The war had been fought for a number of reasons including; British interference with American shipping, the seizure of American sailors, trade restrictions with France, with whom Britain was at war in 1812, and British support of Native American land claims which were limiting European American expansion.Much of the war was fought in the Great Lakes region and indeed at the naval battle of 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six British naval vessels. This ensured American control of the lake for the rest of the war, which in turn allowed the Americans to recover Detroit and win the Battle of the Thames, which in turn enabled them to break the Indian confederation of Tecumseh. It was one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812 and one of the British navy’s worst defeats to that date. The American commander Master CommandantOliver Hazard Perry instantly became a National hero.
Henry Bayfield was seconded to work with the veteran surveyor Captain William Owens, in order to assist him in the greater survey with a view to strengthening Canadian defenses against future attack by the Americans. He took up his post in January 1816 by which time Owens had already completed initial surveys of large portions of the lower Great Lakes.On his arrival Bayfield immediately impressed Owens with his intellect and propensity to learn new skills.
By the end of the end of the 1816 season, Bayfield had mapped the American shore of Lake Ontario at the eastern end of the lake. With this project completed, he had worked on the Canadian shore of the St. Lawrence from the Thousand Islands to the Bay of Quinte in Lake Ontario. He also did a survey of the harbor of Toronto.
Just when Bayfield was preparing to head back to England in accordance with orders Owens, faced with the prospect of losing his most valuable team member, appealed to the Admiralty that Bayfield remain in Canada under appointment as an assistant surveyor.
Bayfield accepted the employment without hesitation and, as fate would have it, at the beginning of the new season in 1817 just when the whole survey team was due to come together at Fort Erie Captain Owens received orders to return to England immediately, taking all his officers except Lt. Bayfield.
Most unexpectedly at the tender age of 22yrs Henry Bayfield was left alone, excepting one assistant, Philip Edward Collins Midshipman, and an occasional volunteer in the form of Lt. Lieutenant Henry Renny of the Royal Engineers to the role of Surveyor-in-Chief of the three Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and Gulf.All of which by accounts, he took-on with characteristic calm. | 
Ref: A213
Ref: A907
