CIRCULAR LETTER 



OF 



THE LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY 



OF NEW-YORK, 



ON THE SUBJECT OF 



A STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE STATE OP NEW-YORK. 



New- York, February 15, 1815. 



Sir, 



The Literary and Philosophical Society of New-York, (which 

 was incorporated at the last Session of the Legislature, and which was 

 instituted to cultivate the most useful branches of knowledge, to stimu- 

 late into activity the literature and talents of the community, and to 

 obtain a mass of information, which may have a tendency to elevate 

 the literary character, and subserve the best interests of our country,) 

 are desirous of collecting materials for a statistical account of the 

 United States, and more particularly of the State of New-York. 

 With this view, they respectfully solicit your prompt and pointed at- 

 tention to the following subjects, or to such of them as you are 

 conversant with, or as may fall within the range of your obser- 

 vation. 



1. The name, (and its origin,) of the town or county in which you 

 reside ; its situation, extent, and number of acres ; the history of its 

 settlement ; the number, general character, and condition of the first 

 settlers, and from what part of the world ; the circumstances and 

 causes of the settlement; the time of their arrival ; the encouragement 

 and authority under which they came ; by what means the lands were 



