The survey was made by three of Samuel Holland's finest deputies; James Grant, Thomas Wheeler and Charles Blaskowitz who were based with him in Portsmouth NH between 1770 and 1774. This survey was probably completed around the end of 1773. It was almost certainly amongst the material Samuel Holland brought back to London in December 1775 as part of an agreement between the Lords of the Board of Trade and the British Admiralty and was undoubtedly used by J.F.W. Des Barres as the basis for the chart he subsequently engraved around 1776 for inclusion in the Atlantic Neptune collection. The main variation between the two charts being that Des Barres, in his version, extended the coastline south from Norman's Woe down to Marblehead. At the extreme north end of the coastline Des Barres ignores 'Little (River) Rocks' and only mentions 'Great Boars Head'. There is no title on the Des Barres' chart but it is generally listed as the 'Coast of New Hampshire and Massachusetts from Great Boars Head to Marblehead Harbor'.
Perhaps the most notable feature of this survey, apart from it's beautiful draftsmanship are the references to the long-standing border dispute between Massachusetts and New Hampshire just above Salisbury'. Although the dispute was resolved in favor of New Hampshire in 1741 (some 32 years previous), by way of Royal decree the survey team are at pains to include the 'former jurisdiction line between the two provinces'
Other details on the survey include; roads, houses/buildings marked in red, inlets, marsh/wetlands, rivers, tributaries, relief shown by colored hatching, town and village names, bridges, wharfs, sandbanks, harbors, sunken rocks, shoals dry at low water. A scale of six miles and a scale of 30,000 feet are also provided.
It was normal practice for this survey team to note the location of the homes of 'significant' Loyalist officers and local dignitaries on their surveys but on this work the team only indicate one: That of 'Col Low's' at Gloucester. The Low in question would appear to be John Low (also known as John Jr) who was a Lt Colonel in the Sixth Essex Regiment of Massachusetts militia.
On a point of style Blaskowitz breaks the natural edge of the Survey in the top left corner as he follows the (now, South Hampton) road out toward the edge of the paper. This is a stylistic trait of several of J.F.W. Des Barres' charts published for the Atlantic Neptune.
On a point of accuracy the survey team provide a fix of Latitude observed at 'Squam Harbor with Birds' (Cape Ann) of 42°32'2". Modern day satellites offer a fix of 42°65'23".
A further important detail of this chart is that it is marked as having been drawn (drafted) by Charles Blaskowitz. It is also labelled as 'No.3'. Examination of the survey A110 - 'A Plan of Piscataqua Harbor..the town of Portsmouth..', Labelled as No.2 is not that that survey is attributed to James Grant solely, but that it was 'drawn' by 'Wheeler' with no mention of Blaskowitz even though the two surveys are clearly by the same hand.
On the assumption that the survey was completed as part of the survey team's drive south from Portsmouth round the coast toward Boston and ultimately New York, it is fair to assume that the team would keep the same attribution of duties such that Grant and Wheeler would lead the surveying and Blaskowitz would be the draftsmanship. On virtually all of the 30 odd existing 'surveys' involving Charles Blaskowitz, either as the draftsman or the surveyor a 'flowering lily' appears as decoration on the compass rose. Co-incidence or the individual 'mark' of possibly the greatest of all British surveyors employed by the British during the Revolutionary war?
A little known fact about messers Holland, Grant, Wheeler and Blaskowitz is that all four were followers and member of the Masonic tradition and likely attended lodge meetings wherever they traveled in the course of their work. Masonic and Craft lodges of the day would utilize both private houses and town meeting houses to gather. Once again, it may be no coincidence that the 'team' are careful to record on the survey all of the meeting houses on the road through the area south toward Boston. | 
Ref: A104
Ref: A105
Ref: A108
