PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 



A little more than ten years have now elapsed since the pul:)licatioii of mj 

 Natural, Civil and Statistical History of Vermont. In that work I endeavored 

 to collect and present as concisely and clearly as I was able, and, at the same 

 time, as fully as the state of knowledge and my prescribed limits would permit — 



I. An account of the Natural History of the State, embracing its physical 

 geography, zoology, botany and mineralogy. 



n. The Civil History of the State, comprehending the settlement of the ter- 

 ritory, the organization of the government, and the progress of legislation and 

 improvement, together with a full account of the controversy with New York, 

 the negotiations with the British in Canada, and of our various political, literary 

 and religious institutions. 



in. A Historical and Statistical Gazetteer, embracing a full account of ail tlie 

 counties, towns, streams, &c., in the State, arranged in alphabetical order. 



Since the publication of that work, rail roads and the magnetic telegraph have 

 been introduced into th(_^ State, and very considerable changes have taken place. 

 A Geological Survey of the State has been commenced, but was discontinued,without 

 any full publication of the results ; in consequence of whicli, the greater part of 

 the discoveries made and the facts elicited, have been lost to the State and tlu" 

 world ; while a very small additional appropriation in 1847, would have secured 

 to the State a Final Report on the Geology of Vermont, which would have been 

 not only creditable to the State Geologist, but an honor and treasure to the State. 

 But notwithstanding the loss, which has been occasioned, by this penny wise and 

 pound foolish policy of the legislature, oar general knowledge of the geology, and 

 of the mineralogical productions of the State, has been greatly enlarged by the 

 information elicited and made public during the continuance of the survey. 



During the last ten years, I have spent a large portion of my time in collecting 

 and preserving facts in relation to the natural and civil history of the State, 

 thinking that the time might possibly come, when I should be warranted in the 

 publication of a new and improved edition of the whole work. But the new 

 materials having largely accumulated, and the number of copies of tlie original 

 work, on hand, being sucli as to afford no encouragement for a speedy republica- 

 tion of the entire work, I concluded to select some of the principal items into the 

 form of an Appendix, which might be bound with the remaining copies of the 

 original work, and also be bound separately for those who already have the origi- 

 nal work and desire the Appendix. 



The matter of the Appendix will Ijc Ibuud, to belong almost entirely, to the de- 

 partment of Natural History. This is not owing to any lack of materials for 

 making additions to the other parts, but because those materials could not be so 

 conveniently used in their separate condition. Additions to a work of this nature 



