not clearly known to them, they were repealed in England.*

To lay more completely before the public the importance of the Five Nations or Iroquois to the Colony of New York, as a barrier against the French and a means of controlling the Weft, Colden drew up his remarkable Hiftory of the Five Nations. Such a work was neceffary when London merchants could affert to the King that the Five Nations lay fo far from New York that French Indians lay between: and when they boldly declared before the Board of Trade that the Five Nations "were two or three hundred leagues diftant from Albany, and that they could not come to trade with the English but by going down the River St. Lawrence, and from thence through a lake, which brought them within eighteen leagues of Albany."

This was before the days when a British. Minister discovered that Cape Breton was an ifland, and a fhort hiftorical sketch of the Iroquois or Five Nations and their relations with the French of Canada on the one hand, and New York on the other, was needed to teach King and Council, Lords of Trade and other ruling powers, that the Mohawks lived

* Journal of the Legislative Council, 591.

on

on the Mohawk, within a day's journey of Albany, as well as to enlighten them on the real pofition, influence and power of that confederacy.

Years after Colden alluded to the ignorance of British statesmen, contrasting it with the extenfive information poffeffed and constantly increased by the French.

Doctor Colden drew up his work under thefe circumstances, with little opportunity for research, relying in the main on the papers of the Indian Commiffioners and the French works of de la Potherie and La Hontan. It was printed by William Bradford, in 1727, and an exact reprint is here given, following all the typographical peculiarities and ornaments of the New York first printer, in order to give collectors an opportunity of having a fac-fimile of the first local New York History written and printed in New York.

The first announcement of it is not without interest here, and I am indebted for it to George H. Moore, Efq., Librarian of the New York Hiftorical Society, whofe kindnefs has greatly facilitated an examination of the Colden papers, for which I am indebted to the Society.

The New York Gazette, No. 69, February 20th to February 27th, 1727, has: "ADVERTISEMENT.

"ADVERTISEMENT.

"There is now in the Prefs, and will shortly be Published, The Hiftory of the Five Indian Nations depending on the Province of New York, giving an Account of their Wars both with the Indians and Chriftians, from the First Settling of Canada and New-York, as alfo of their Treaties of Peace with the feveral Governments in North America.

"There is alfo a MAP of the great Lakes, Rivers and Indian Countries, fhewing the Scituation of the feveral Indian Nations, from Canada to the branches of the Milippi and the Upper Lake. Both Printed and Sold by William Bradford in New York.”

In No. 70 of the fame paper, February 27th to March 6th, 1727, it is advertised:

"Will fhortly be published-The History of the Five Indian Nations depending on the Province of New York. Printed and Sold by William Bradford, in New York."

In No. 71, March 6 to March 13, 1727: "Juft Published," etc., etc.

The work was reprinted in England in 1747 and 1750; and had these transatlantic editions reproduced that of Bradford, there would be little neceffity for now presenting fo exact a reprint: but in fact the alterations and omiffions are fo numerous, that students to whom thefe English editions are familiar have really no idea of what the work was as originally written by Colden; and the early New York edition, although cited in the laft

edition

edition of Lowndes as worth is. 6d., is really fo scarce that a few years fince not a copy was known to be in existence, and the Hon. Henry C. Murphy having fucceeded in obtaining one, long enjoyed the reputation of poffeffing a unique copy. Mr. George Brinley, of Hartford, Mr. T. H. Morrell, and quite recently Mr. William Menzies, nobleft collector of Bradford imprints, who firft began to gather the neglected iffues of the Caxton of the Middle Colonies, have fucceeded in obtaining copies. Others may appear, but they will be prizes, beyond the reach of ordinary students or even ordinary collectors.

It is unneceffary to give here a collation of this edition, as the reader has it before him.

The work at once attracted attention in England, and, according to Watts, in his Bibliotheca Britannica, was reprinted in London in 1730; but this edition, if it really existed, feems to have efcaped recent bibliographers.

The New York edition of 1727 confifted of five hundred copies, which were foon taken up, and, in 1743, Colden wrote to a friend in London that "not one copy now for several years paft can anywhere be obtained."

This friend, Mr. Peter Collinfon, took a warm interest in the work, and frequently urged Dr. Colden to continue it. To thefe

requests

requests the author at laft yielded, and prepared a fecond part, bringing the history down to the Peace of Ryfwick. The manufcript of the preface to this part, now preferved in the New York Hiftorical Society, bears date March, 1742. He at the fame time re-wrote the Introduction, and tranfmitted the manufcript by two occafions to Mr. Collinfon.

In a letter dated April 9, 1742, he says: "I now fend you the greatest part of the Indian History continued to the Peace of Refwick, which I prefume to put under your tutelage because I may truly fay, that it is owing to you that it ever had a birth, by your giving me your approbation of the First Part, and defiring it to be continued as a Work which you thought may be usefull, for I had feveral years laid afide all thoughts of it." Similar expreffions occur in a letter written the next year.

Mr. Colden fuppofed that the difficulties with France would be fettled by negotiation, as is evident by the concluding words of the Preface, which were printed as he wrote them when no longer applicable.

This Preface after reciting the struggle which led to the publication of the first Part, and the profperous trade which resulted from Governor Burnet's policy, adds: