PREFACE. 



A CRITICAL friend told me I must write a preface, 

 and when he saw that mj despair became a serious 

 matter, suggested that it might properly consist of a 

 few words with reference to the supplementary title of 

 the book. 



Following Campanius, who, in his " History of N"ew 

 Sweden," mentions a stream, I presume to be in this 

 neighborhood, as Poaetquissings Creek, I have followed 

 his spelling of the name. It is not euphonious, I admit, 

 yet quite pronounceable, and therefore has been freely 

 mentioned. But so occupied have I been with the 

 features of the stream itself, that not until recently, 

 when the book was completed, did it occur to me to 

 either determine the meaning of the word or how near 

 to the Indian pronunciation the spelling adopted by 

 Campanius might be. 



I have learned both facts, and should certainly deem 

 the result disastrous were I necessitated to frequently 

 struggle over the proper pronunciation. 



My learned friend. Dr. Daniel G. Brinton, informs 



