Owing to our repeated absence, the book has not appeared 

 in that "due proportion" desirable in all its parts. Could we 

 have always been at hand to shape the copy as it was called 

 for, wc believe the book would have appeared in a somewhat 

 improved form, and some slight errors, in dates, have been 

 detected, in time to correct them.* 



We Vv-ould, therefore, in view of all this, claim the indul- 

 gence of the reader for any imperfection he may notice. — ■ 

 That we have been sometimes too rapid in recital, and again 

 too prolix in detail, we knov/. This, however, we could not 

 avoid in order to connect detailed facts and events, as we had 

 not all the materials before us when we comm.enccd the com- 

 pilation, consequently could not know when to be concise, 

 and when to enlarge. Situated as we were, "to strike a new, 

 dark and devious path, without a guide to follow," was the 

 only course left us. With these facts before him, the good na- 

 tured critic, it is believed, will excuse the Compiler. 



The acknowledgments of the compiler are due, for facts fur- 

 ,iished, to the following gentlemen: Hon. Charles M'Clure, 

 Secretary of the Commonwealth ; H. K. Strong, State Libra- 

 rian ; Col. R. M. Crain, of the Land Otiice ; G. W. Harris, of 

 Harrisburg ; Messrs. John Thome, T. H. Burrowes, H. A. Car- 

 penter, E. C. Rcigart, R. Conyngham, Joseph Konigmacher, 

 A. Dubree, Gardner Furness, H. F. Slaymaker, John Slayma- 

 ker, George Dificnbach, Samuel Bowman, Abraham Mylin, 

 Christian Herr, Henry Flickinger, John Strohm and others. 



We arc particularly indebted to Mr. John Beck and George 

 Ford, Esq. for the free use of their MSS. Prof S. S. Halde- 

 man, furnished chapter XIII ; J.J. Libhart, of Marietta, the list 

 of birds, and the drawings by a self-taught artist, Mr. C. S. Gctz, 

 proprietor of the Lancaster Museum. 



Lancaster, Dec. 1843. 



•OoiiiiECTioNS.— P. 122, 4th line of the note, read 1712— p. 257, 4th 

 line from lioltom, reail, as early as 1G31 — p. 2C4, 4tli line h-om tlic top, read, 

 Lowe— p. 2yC, 12lh line, read, in 1785— p. 308, 9th lii)e,rcad 1742— p. 310, 

 1st line, read 1744 — p. 3)G, read, Charles — p. 323, 5th line, read sciences — 

 p. 442, 13ih line, read, one hunflred and sixteen. 



