Prior to 1820, Maine constituted a district of the State of Massachusetts. Settlement was concentrated along the coast and major rivers in the southern half of the region. By 1799, when this map appeared in print, Acadians and French Canadians had formed communities along the St. John River; they had received land grants on both sides of the river from the government of New Brunswick. Though the map seems to show the boundary line as defined by the Treaty of Paris of 1783 with precision, much of the area north of the St. John River would be deemed British territory following the Northeastern Boundary Dispute.

The map appeared in John Payne's New and Complete System of Universal Geography, published in New York City by John Low in 1799.

It is very similar to MMN item 9165, published four years earlier, though changes in labeling suggest that it is not an exact copy.