5/2/46 Widence PREFATORY NOTE. THE Prefatory Note to the third volume of the SEWALL PAPERS speaks of other papers in the possession of the Society, containing Sewall's correspondence, with miscellaneous matter, the whole or a part of which might be published. The Society concluded to publish the whole of the Letter-Book in two volumes, the first of which now appears. The printing of other unpublished letters of Sewall in the second volume may depend upon their value, number, and accessibility, in respect to which the editors desire information. A general index will be printed at the end of the second volume. The editors have followed the order of the Letter-Book without chronological rearrangement of the matter, and their editorial labors have been made comparatively light by frequent reference to the full and learned notes to the Diary. Since the publication of Sewall's Diary, the estimate of its value has steadily appreciated. Many things which at first appeared trivial have thrown light into the dark recesses of colonial history; and such will doubtless prove the case with the Letters. Their absolute value as a contribution to American history can be more fully determined when presented in their entirety; and until that time the editors reserve expression of the opinions they have formed during their labors. Notes not marked "Eds." appear in the margin of the manuscript volume. BOSTON, May 13, 1886. 610898 |