Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-12-01
Vermont Historical Society Collections.

oau be taken at our Office trse ofP0'fags.
Vermont Historical Society Collections
VOLUME Il.
The second volume Of the Collections OF me
Vermont Historical Society before US, IN
banisome volume Of $50 pages. uniform in pa
paper, print and binding with Volume l issued
in 1870. from the press of J. & J. N. Poland,
Montpelier. The two volumes give US q docu-
nentsry and chronological political history OF
the State from its fret organization in conyen-
tons to is admission az E State Of the American
Union. That portion of the history Of our stste'
AZ most Yermonters do rot need to be told, wss
altogether unique among the States forming the
original Confederation. 1t was period Of great
trial and danger to our infant Commonwealth
and tested, az they have never been since, the
ststesmanship, resources, snd patriotism Of her
leading men. The first volume Of the Collections
gsye the proceedings of the different conventions
Of the people Of the Nes Hampshire Grants, be
fore the establishment of State Government
The second volume tskes up the rec5rd with
the famous Hsldimand negotiation, and continues
itthrough the time of the existence Of Vermont as
8 sovereign and independent commonwealth
The volume opens with paper by EK-Gov
HilAnd Hall, yinlicsting the first volume which
was chiefly edited by him, from the attack OF
the n. !. Historical Magazine The editor OF
that magazine, Mr. Dawson, claimed to have
discovered errors and f.lsehoods in the Socety's
publication Of the records Of the early conventions,
30 gross as to justify him in charging the com
mittee Of publication with intentional fraud
This charge, born Of Mr.. DAwson's hatred OF
Vermoniers and Vermont historians, which has
grown with his downfalls in bis various COLI
sions sith the facts Of our early history and the
Vermont recorders Of the same, till It wholly
disaualhes him as a critic or narrator Of any
thing relating to our State, is most fully met by
Gov. Hall Mr. Dawson's specifications Of error
fourteen in number, are taken up one by one,
and dginde under examination, to one or two
csses in which the name of some unknoWn mem
her Of convention is misspelt By 4 letter or
two, or Get down as representing the wrong
town, doubtless errors Of some early copyisp
and to the omission Of the words " sliss Yer
mont - from the first title o. the State. This Is
given 10 Slade's State papers as " New Connec-
ticut, alias Vermont" The editor Of the first
volume Of the Collections, in giving Vermont's
Declaration of Independence, in which the
new name Of the State is first announced,
omitted the words " alias Vermont
and in note told chy he did 60 Gov.
Hall now most clearly and convincingly
sustains the omission. He shows that
the name frs, given to the State was " New
Connecticut" without any dlids whatever, and
that it vas 50 announced in the original Declara-
ton. His reply to Mr.. Dawson is as dignihed
as it is conclusive, and must close the discussion,
so far as 1t relates to facts through it OF course
cannot be expected to improve the temper of
The Historical Magazine.
The " Haldimsnd Papers" with an intro
duction and notes Of contemporAneous history,
come next and occupy more than 300 pages.
These are printed from manuscript copies, (pro-
cured by B. H. Hall, Eco. of Troy, n. " Of
copies made by the late Jared Sparks, from the
papers of Lord Dorchester. in London, verified
By the " Stevens papers - in manuscript in
the Secretary of States Office at Montpelier.
1t is believed that this series Of papers is sub
stAntiSlly complete 1t certainly gives the be
ginning Of the famous negotiation for an ar
mstioe with Great Britain, which has been go
sharply criticized, the most important steps in
il, and the conclusion of it, and is Of the utmost
importance to Al understanding Of the peculiar
condition of the State snd purposes Of its lead
ing men at that most critical period Of its
history, Of which. we have in these documents,
for the frst time, full and satisfactory view.
Following these sre "0pinions Of the HAldimsnd
Negotiations and numerous documents and
papers, connected by explanatory notes, con- /
corning the action Of Vermont as an independ- /.
emit sovereignty from 1873 to 1871. These in
clude extract, from the oil journals Of the /
Governor and Council, which have never been /
primitive trust the day is coming when they .
will be-and many things altogether new, at
least to the present generation.
Some important documents relating to the /
settlement Of the controversy with New York,
and the New York boundary line on the East,
complete the volume, leaving the documentary
history Of Vermonts admission to the Union,
for Volume Ill
This second volume has been edited by Hon.
z P Walton, of Montpelier, who had much to
do with the preparation of Volume l., and who
h,, given to this months OF gratuitOus labor, for
which be is entitled to the thanks of the Society
and of the public His rule has been TO print
from the original documents, wherever they
could be obtained, and to print all originals
literally. In printing from copies of dOcu-
ments, he has corrected obvious s1i unmistAks-
bic errors Of the copyist, when necessary in or
der to an Undertaking of the true sense Of the
document From such examination as we hsye
been able to give for the purposes Of this hasiy
review, the editorial work appears to have been
done with good Judgment. and with more care
Than could have been reasonably expected under
the circumstances. It would be a most desirs-
bic thing, if the Sooety had the means to en-
gage, and psy for, assistance enough on its pub
catiOns. 10 make thea equal to the best in liter
sry and typographical excellence but that is
not tie case, and it is most fortunate that the !
Society has members, like Gov Hall and Mr..
Walton, able and willing to gipe the time and
sbOr demanded in the compilation, editing and |
printing Of these volume, {
We may note point Of questionable proprieiy
N the proo'-re,iiug, in the very general (though
not universally omission Of capitals from the words
Governor, General, Sir, &C.. when forming part |
Of title. Throughout, the editori. pages as well
~ 10 many Of the documents To have been
the proof resder should have made
' Mr." wherever it oc,urs. begin with q ,
little m; but to our taste the page. would have
looked much better, if all the honorary pre61es
to the names had been made to commence with ,
capitals, I. i' customary in good modern
printing.
We suppose that this volume is furnished to ,
members Of the Historical Society, on the name
terms - the first volume, and to new member.
on the payuent Of three dollars 1, .ss;,; |