PREFACE. 



generously prepared for this work by William Oakes, Esq., of Ipswich, Mass., 

 who ranks among the first botanists in the country. The eighth chapter remains 

 to be written after a Geological Survey of the state shall have been effected. 



Part Second contains a connected Civil History of the state from the first discov- 

 ery of its territory down to the year 1842. That portion of the history, which pre- 

 cedes the admission of Vermont into the Union, being of a very peculiar and inter- 

 esting character, has been treated more fully than in any previous history of the 

 state. The materials for this portion have been principally derived from Dr. Wil- 

 liams' History, the Hon. William Slack's Vermont State Papers, and a valuable 

 series of papers recently published at Bennington, in the State Banner, under the 

 title of Historical Readings, and understood to be from the pen of the Hon. Hiland 

 Hall, one of our Representatives in Congress. Of these works he has made free 

 use, which he would here publicly acknowledge, as he has often copied their lan- 

 guage as well as their facts, and has not been particular to disfigure his pages with 

 quotation marks. 



From the admission of Vermont into the Union, only a rapid sketch of the politi- 

 cal history of the state has been given ; but to compensate for deficiencies here, he 

 has added, in separate chapters, the history of the political, the literary, and the 

 religious institutions, with a closing chapter upon the state of society. The assist- 

 ance, which he has received, in the preparation of these, will be found duly ac- 

 knowledged in the progress of the work. 



Part Third is, to a considerable extent, a reprint of the author's Gazetteer, pub- 

 lished in 1824. Many additions and corrections have, however, been introduced, 

 toffether with the most important statistics collected at the last census, and the his- 

 tory of the towns has, in most cases, been brought down to the year 1841. 



The Map has been prepared with much care, and will, it is believed, be found 

 more correct than any map of the state hitherto published. It is engraved upon 

 steel, and that, and all the otiier engravings have been executed expressly for this 

 work, by Mr. J. H. Hills, of Burlington, and in a manner, which we think 

 highly creditable to him as an artist. 



From the beginning of his undertaking, the author has endeavored to keep two 

 objects constantly in view ;— first, to embrace in his work every thing of special 

 importance relative to the Natural and Civil History of the state ; and, secondly, to 

 publish it in so condensed and cheap a form as to place it within the reach of all the 

 families in the state. In his endeavor to eflTect these objects he has spared neither 

 labor, nor expense ; nor has he had any special regard to a pecuniary recompense 

 from the sale of his book, as will appear from the fact that he has added more than 

 150 pages to the amount required in order to fulfil the conditions of his prospectus, 

 the whole number of pages being 656, and the number promised only 500. 



His work, such as it is, he now submits to his fellow citizens. If it shall answer 

 the purposes for which he has designed it, the author will expect his highest re- 

 ward in the reflection that he has not added to the number of useless books. 



Burlington, Oct. 3, 1842. 



