lity in the execution of the work already published by him, just mentioned, and as he has all the materials either under his own direction, (being register of the Land-office,) or near at hand to him, the public may expect to be amply gratified with his performance. Should, however, the gentleman just mentioned,* not have undertaken the work, or having undertaken it should have since relinquished it, the author of this volume would think himself authorised to pursue his original intentions.
It might not perhaps be improper in this place to suggest to the legislature of the state, or at least to those members of it who may be competent judges of the utility and importance of a faithful history of their native country, that the written memorials of the state, whence only that history can be extracted, being comprized in a few MS. volumes of which no duplicates exist, even should they fortunately escape an accidental destruction by fire, yet are constantly acted upon by the mouldering hand of time. The curious inquirer, who would wish to know something of the causes and origin of many of our political as well as civil institutions, may soon be told, that these reliques of the doings of our ancestors have been considered as useless rubbish, and no longer exist. Might it not, therefore, be suggested, that as the finances of the state are, as we are told, in a very prosperous situation, and the public have much money to spare, some judicious compiler should be employed to arrange and publish such documents remaining on our provincial or state records as would in any way be necessary to form materials for a faithful compilation of our history? A plan of this kind has already been executed with respect to the aggregate history of the several states of the Union, by
* Mr. Kilty, the gentleman here alluded to, died since this work has been in the printer's hands.