PRELimNARY REiVIAEKS. 



ai'e, necessarily, fragmentary ; and to be used advantageously, they must be in" 

 corporated by i-e-^vi-iting the whole. But as this could not be done without re- 

 printing the whole, I have selected, for the Appendix, such materials as I thought 

 would be most interesting and useful in their separate state ; and these, for the 

 most part, relate to Natural History. 



Since the publication of my work in 1842, much light has been thrown upon 

 the early history of our State by the antiquarian researches of Henry Stevens, 

 Esq., and facts have been developed, which remove the mystery from certain 

 transactions in our revolutionary struggles. But the introduction of these mat- 

 ters into the Appendix would require a repetition of much of the history of that 

 period, to make it intelligible, and, consequently, more room than can be spared 

 for it. 



The history of our legislation during the last ten years, if fully written, would 

 furnish an interesting and instructive chapter ; but that, too, is excluded for the 

 want of room. Perhaps the most important acts of legislation within tlie time, 

 are those which relate to schools and the sale of alcoholic liquors. But, these 

 several acts have not yet been fully tested by experience. The general school 

 law of 1845, appeared to have been drawn with much care, and to promise an 

 efficient provision for the advancement of primary education in the State, and it 

 is to be regretted that it had not been more fully tested, before it was mutilated 

 by repeals and additional enactments ; and was violated liy the body which enac- 

 ted it, by their neglect to appoint a State Superintendent of Schools. But in 

 spite of all obstacles, I am happy in believing that the cause of education is 

 advancing, and that one of the most efficient causes of this advancement in our 

 large ^iLlages, is the establishment of Union Schools. These schools furnish to 

 the children of the poor the same advantages which are enjoyed l;iy those of the 

 rich, for pursuing the higher branches of study, and thus affi^rd a universal stim- 

 ulus in all the classes in the several schools, which form the union. 



To almost every article in the Gazetteer, alterations and additions might be 

 made, but, for the reasons already stated, it was deemed inexpedient. If life 

 and health should be spared for a few years longer, it would affi^rd me much sat- 

 isfaction to re-write the whole work, and, by incorporating in it the additional 

 material, make it more worthy of the approval and patronage of my fellow citi- 

 zens, but, as the great expense would preclude me from the possibility of being 

 able to publish a new edition, that satisfaction is not likely to be realized. 



Z. THOJIPSON. 



Burlington, April 9, 1853. 



