﻿INTRODUCTION. 
  Xvil 
  

  

  which 
  they 
  were 
  originally 
  detailed. 
  To 
  these 
  highly 
  

   respectable 
  and 
  authentic 
  sources 
  of 
  information 
  with 
  

   respect 
  to 
  our 
  early 
  history, 
  it 
  gives 
  me 
  pleasure 
  to 
  ac- 
  

   knowledge 
  my 
  indebtedness. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  manuscript 
  correspondence 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Mr. 
  

   William 
  Dunbar 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  Forest/' 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  ena- 
  

   bled 
  to 
  glean 
  some 
  interesting 
  facts, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  repre- 
  

   sentatives 
  of 
  his 
  family 
  I 
  have 
  to 
  express 
  my 
  thanks 
  

   for 
  the 
  opportunity 
  afforded 
  me 
  of 
  consulting 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  Spanish 
  archives 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  have 
  

   also, 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent, 
  been 
  consulted, 
  and, 
  had 
  time 
  

   permitted, 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  profitably 
  explored. 
  I 
  

   have 
  to 
  regret, 
  notwithstanding, 
  that 
  this 
  sketch 
  is 
  not 
  

   more 
  complete; 
  the 
  more 
  so, 
  as 
  there 
  is 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  

   that 
  some 
  authentic 
  and 
  interesting 
  documents 
  are 
  pre- 
  

   served 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  made 
  public, 
  which, 
  if 
  

   accessible, 
  would 
  no 
  doubt 
  serve 
  to 
  fill 
  up 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   chasms 
  and 
  otherwise 
  explain 
  and 
  illustrate 
  our 
  early 
  

   history. 
  These 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  pleased 
  to 
  avail 
  

   myself 
  of. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  landed 
  proprietors 
  of 
  

   the 
  State, 
  the 
  chapter 
  on 
  Land 
  Titles 
  was 
  considered 
  as 
  

   germain 
  to 
  the 
  subject, 
  and 
  entitled 
  to 
  the 
  short 
  space 
  

   which 
  it 
  occupies. 
  

  

  An 
  attempt 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  

   agriculture 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  derived 
  mainly 
  from 
  the 
  ac- 
  

   counts 
  received 
  from 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  older 
  inhabitants, 
  

   with 
  whom 
  I 
  have 
  conferred, 
  aided 
  by 
  my 
  own 
  recollec- 
  

   tions. 
  In 
  the 
  details 
  given 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  agricultural 
  

   productions, 
  the 
  mode 
  of 
  cultivation, 
  and 
  the 
  machinery 
  

   for 
  preparing 
  these, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  similarly 
  aided. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  said 
  in 
  this 
  connection, 
  universal 
  

   concurrence 
  is 
  not 
  expected. 
  

  

  On 
  matters 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  such 
  diversity 
  both 
  in 
  

  

  