War Office
Dear Hill
18 Queen Anne's Gate, SW
25th January 1895:
Colonel Everett has shown me your note to him of yesterday's date inclosing letter from Sir Robert Meade and Messrs Cassell & Co., which I return herewith, relative to checking the lines of frontier to be shown on the Colonial sheets of Cassell's Universal Atlas.
Whilst fully concurring with Sir R. Meade in thinking it desirable that English map makers should show these frontiers with general accuracy, I fail to see the necessity of their appealing to the Foreign Office for assistance when there are so many sources from which they can obtain accurate information open to them. I am also inclined to think that compliance with Messrs Cassell's request might lead to inconvenience in the future. Assistance to one firm would place it in a semi-official stamp on the maps so treated, and give them a character which would put them on a higher level than those of other firms.
This could hardly fail to produce jealousy, and possibly an appeal from other map makers for similar treatment which it might be difficult for the Foreign Office to refuse. Moreover, it might not be an easy matter to prevent them from making use of the information afforded them for advertising purposes, such as placing a note on their maps to the effect that the frontier has been officially checked, etc.; and I cannot help thinking that some such note might possibly prove prejudicial to our interests, if, for instance, such maps were selected, say by chartered companies, for use in negotiating new frontiers.