Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-12-18
The state aud The Vermont Historical
Society.

OF the third volume Oi Its collections, now
ready for the press. It passed the Senate
unanimously. but was killed by the House,
without the slightest consideration During
ton Free Press.
We regret, as much as the editor Of the
Free Press can, the failure Of the House to
concur in the Senate bill, and yet we think
it hardly fair to charge the House with
meanness. As we understand the matter
the action Of the House was mainly due to
our own representative, who is not a mean
man, Tut on the contrary very patriotic and
liberal We believe he is not at all op-
posed to the Historical Society, and that
he does not unlcrvnue its work but he
had cndeavored to get some action looking
to an enlargement Of the State House, with
special reference TO increased room for the
library, and having been repulsed in that,
he vented his chagrin on the little appro-
priation bill for the Historical Society, sar.
casiically suggesting that the State did not
want any more books because it had no
place in which to put them. This, We
think, perhaps with some misunderstanding
Of the matter, killed the Senate bill in the
House.
On another bill Of like character the
House was very liberal, having passed the
bill introduced by DR.. Caverly, of Pitts
ford, ian excellent historian Of his town.
which authorizes the Governor to procure
the printing, at the expense Of the State,
Of the journals Of the Council Of Safety
and Of the Governor aud Council, with such
other official documents as will serve to
preserve the early history of the State.
This bill provides that two hundred copies
of each volume shall be given to the His
torical Society. The Senate concurred 10
the House bill, and the Governor has as.
signed the work to the editor of the second
volume Of the Historical Society Collec-
tions, who authorizes us to say that much
Of the valuable materials gathered by that
Society will most fifty go into the work to
be published by the State. With this COM
pleter view of the action Of the House, we
are sure the Free Press will g. rise to
explain"
We cannot let this opportunity pass with
out adyerting to the extremely interesting
and valuable volumes published by the His
tor cal Society which are known to few
persons outside Of the Vermont Society,
and other like Societies with which it ex.
changes works Gentlemen in Vermont
aud elsewhere, who have examined the vol
umes, have commended them highly The
paper Of Gov Hall on tho Vermont Con.
ventions," in vol one, does exactly, so far
as the Conventions are concerned, what the
Governor and Council ordered to be done 10
IT'S, but which never was done until Gov.
Hall prepared the paper to which we have
alluded. The next important paper, by
Hon. Charles Reed, on the Campaign o.
l777 and the battles of Hubbardton and
Bennington, embraces all the important
historical documents that could be had from
American, British, and German sources.
The third most valuable paper is on YER
mont Coinage by Rev. Edmund + Slater
of the Boston Numismatic Society. Four
teen engravngs of Vermont Coins are given.
The fourth principal part in the volume is
the earliest history of Vermont, by the
most industrious, most influential, and most
accomplished and adroit actor in it-Ira
Allen, whose portrait is prefxed to volume
two. Aliens history had become so rare as
to he really sealed book to general readers,
aud its reproduction by the Society was a
priceless boon to those Of this generation
who care to know the trials and trumphs
Of their ancestors.
Interesting as the first volume is, the
second surpasses it, aud is moreover a fresh
contribution to the history of the State at
its most critical period. The Haldmand
Papers, from l779 to 1888, aud Negotia-
tons of Vermont with the Governor OF
Canada, from October, 1850, to March,
1888, were never before published and
the contemporaueous legislative and docu-
mentary history embraced also give for
the first time clear and correct under.
standing Of portion Of our history which
has often been unjustly cited to the dis
credit of the State. The remaining portion
of volume two embraces the legislative and
documentary history to the admission oil
the State into the Union in 1871.
The history Of this admission, embracing
the debates in the Vermont Convention
which adopted the Constitution of the
United States, was, with other valuable
matter, intended for volume three. AS the
Society is without adequate funds and the
State has failed to give present assistance
we suppose Of course that the printing Of
that volume will be deferred, at least until
by the annual fees Of members of the Soci-
ETY., aud sales of the published volumes,
the printing can be prudently undertaken
" The monument to the memory OF
i Thaddaus Ctovana has haap counlatod II