!40 ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



We are conscious of the difficulty, if not the impropriety, attending an effort 

 to collect from an unfinished work the views of its author. In a compilation like 

 that required of Mr. Schoolcraft by the United States government, a passing com- 

 mentary may often represent only an impression suggested by the subject as 

 regarded from a particular stand-point; and while anxious to add to our summary 

 the results of his long and varied investigations, there is a risk of error in under- 

 taking to designate his deliberate and ultimate conclusions. 



We have therefore merely selected a few passages bearing upon some of the 

 chief points in the history of opinion, and its progress towards a solution of promi- 

 nent questions, without expecting to give any just idea of the nature or extent of 

 the valuable information and learned discussions comprehended in the archaeological 

 portion of his volumes. 



