﻿XVI 
  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  and 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  pestilence, 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  perpetual 
  

   and 
  distracting 
  anxiety, 
  the 
  writer 
  feels 
  that 
  the 
  duty 
  

   which 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  untowardly 
  postponed, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  end 
  

   so 
  hurriedly 
  executed, 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  imperfectly 
  dis- 
  

   charged, 
  and 
  trusts 
  that 
  these 
  considerations 
  will 
  be 
  re- 
  

   garded 
  as 
  constituting 
  some 
  claim 
  to 
  indulgence, 
  for 
  the 
  

   many 
  imperfections 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  charged 
  against 
  this 
  

   Report. 
  

  

  Whilst 
  captious 
  and 
  ill-natured 
  criticism 
  is 
  ever 
  to 
  be 
  

   deprecated, 
  a 
  fair 
  and 
  proper 
  correction 
  of 
  error 
  is 
  as 
  

   much 
  to 
  be 
  desired 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  an 
  essay 
  of 
  this 
  character, 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  object 
  is 
  to 
  impart 
  useful 
  knowledge, 
  is 
  

   rather 
  to 
  be 
  invited. 
  

  

  Errore 
  have 
  doubtless 
  occurred 
  in 
  treating 
  of 
  the 
  

   multifarious 
  topics 
  which 
  are 
  embraced 
  in 
  this 
  Report; 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  that 
  the 
  greatest 
  accuracy 
  may 
  be 
  at- 
  

   tained, 
  the 
  writer 
  will 
  be 
  gratified 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  pointed 
  

   out, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  corrected 
  and 
  avoided 
  in 
  

   future. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  this 
  Report, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that, 
  with 
  

   the 
  sanction 
  of 
  approved 
  precedents, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  that 
  a 
  short 
  preliminary 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  

   and 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  not 
  hitherto 
  separately 
  

   written, 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  out 
  of 
  place. 
  

  

  In 
  compiling 
  and 
  abridging 
  this 
  from 
  other 
  writers, 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  a 
  somewhat 
  difficult 
  task 
  to 
  condetise 
  it 
  within 
  

   the 
  required 
  limits, 
  except 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  much 
  of 
  

   the 
  interest 
  that 
  would 
  attach 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  detailed 
  

   account. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  works 
  of 
  Martin, 
  Stoddard, 
  and 
  Gayarre, 
  and 
  

   to 
  the 
  Journal 
  of 
  Ellicott, 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Commis- 
  

   sioner 
  for 
  receiving 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  I 
  am 
  in- 
  

   debted 
  for 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  given, 
  

   and 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  unfrequently 
  adopted 
  the 
  language 
  in 
  

  

  