Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-21
yALUAsLE PUBLICATION.
the Cesssiai Records % North Caro-
lina-An Important Wesk.

| in the archives Of foreign libraries. Tnis
| publication IL the fruition OF I0ng-cher-
| jsbed hope, and Its horcughness certainly
| leaves nothing 10 be desired. The publ-
| cation will be in Dine volumes, each con
| tanning from 1000 TO 1,400 pages, OF
| which four are already In type and
| printed-oHe bound and the other
| three In the hands Of the binders. The
| style Of the work Is clear aud comprehen-
| siye. the history being 10y periods, aud the
| nrinting and binding are. pronounced by
| experts TO be artistic. Such admirable taste
| in binding has not heretofore been shown
| by any state Printer, 80 that, within and
| without, The work IL more than satisfactory.
| As the entire publication Is a perfect r. pro-
| ductiOn Of the originals. the utmost Gaze
| ba. TO be paid to the photography, ana -
result the labor OF proof-reading alone was
| the seyercst ever known here. All the
matter Is read thrice, and the printers re-
| ouired special training to enable them to
master 50 many difficulties.
TIE HISTORY OF TIE WORK.
These Colonial Records, which are said
! bv experts TO he the most comprehensive OF
ary vet published by any state In the Union,
| are published under the supervision OF the
trustees Of the public libraries, by order OF
the General Assembly, and were entirely
collected by William l.. saunders, Secretary
| OF State. This gentleman is ripe scholar,
devoted to this particular branch OF the his
tory Of bis State. and by special training. as
| well as natural inclination, Is specially fitted
to prepare work 30 extensive in scope and
| recurring so much labor as well as erudtiOn.
| The records and documents consist almost
| entirely OF transcripts OF records, Nc, in
| tie offices OF the Secretary OF State,
| at Raleigh, and OF those in the
| British Public Record Office at London.
| The extreme incompleteness OF the records
| In the Secretary -of-State's office - scarcely
| credible. Only few court records, some
| Immigrants, an! some unimportant papers
| are TO be found there and though the Col
| ony had Governors as far back as 1864, yet
| the records Of proceedings OF Governor
| and Council 60 back no further than liz;
| and though there were certain legislatures
as far back as 1865. yet the records OF As
scmbly 60 back only to l7jf. The trustees
| OF the libraries, therefore, had recourse to
the record Office in London, and nearly all
| the vast mass OF information In the records
was there secured.
! TUE FIRST USE or TIE LONDON RECORDS.
The historian, George Chalmers, appears
| TO have made the first search in London for
| information concerning this State, and in
| I1SO he published a volume, Political An.
| nails OF the Present United Colonies"
| This became a standard work with later
| historians OF the State, but was IN many
| RESPECTS inaccurate, and Chalmers was such
| a bitter LOyalist as to render his conclu-
| sions in most cases utterly unreliable. Ac-
| cess to the records was, at little later date,
4 L.. In. 70 ian
| for many years they were not available
without special permission. This restriction
has only recently been removed.
THE FIRST REQUEST ny THE LEGISLATURE.
The want OF proper history Of the
| Commonwealth earlier life became impe-
ratiye, and the Incompetence 0f the
| records was more and more felt. In 1927
John Scott, member for the borough OF
Hillsboro' in the House OF Commons, Of
| 'crtd resolutions requesting TIE Governor
TO make respectful application to the
| British Government for liberty to procure
| ior the Use Of the state, from the Office Of
| Tie Board 81 Trade and Plantations, in
| London, copies Of papers and documents
| relating 10 the States colonial histOry-the
application to be made through the Ameri-
| can Minister at London. Governor Burton
wrote TO Minister Albert Gallatin, and the
latter forwarded him list Of the papers on
file. Nothing was done until 1913. how
ever, when the Legislature ordered the list
OF documents published. In lSl1thc Lcgis-
lature authorized the Governor to procure
from London such documents rs were
worthy Of preservation, 10 he placed in the
state archives. In 1865 the Governor ap'
pointed an agent to procure these d0cll-
ments, and To visit London for that pur-
pose. Hon. David l.. Swain was appointed
To do this work. In 1851 The Legislature
renewed and continued the Governors au-
thority in the matter. just - Mr.. Swain
was ready to begin the work the relations
between this country and Great Britain
became so unfricndy that James c. Dob
bin. at that time Secretary Of the Navy, adj
y-ed him'tlat il was an inauspicious time
to ask fayors OF British otticia :. 80 the
effort failed, and the matter was dropped.
In 1859 Rev. DR.. +. l.. Hawks and Hon. ID.
l.. Swain were authorized to edit and pub
lish two volumes Of the States documentary
history. In 1861 the principal records il
the Office OF the Secretary u state were or
lcrcd published, but the war prevented.
THE FINAL SUCCESS.
In 1881 Theodore +. Davidson. now NJ
iornev.Generil, moved in the senate a resO-
luton directing the Governor, the Secreti-
rs Of State, aud the Superintendent Oi Pub
lie Instruction, who compose the Board OF
Trustees Of the Public Libraries er oGiciO,
10 publish the records and documents here.
In 1883 the Trustee, reported that the re-
cords here were 80 extremely meagrc that
hey hid decided to publish nothing until
the Legislature had been appealed to for
authority and aid 10 procure the docu-
I IL, a L.. fa
complete. At the session OF 1883 the de-
red authority was given.
AZ INr0RTANT AID SECURED.
With matters now IN a shape to permit
thorough work. the Trustees took m ad-
mlrable step by securing the services Of Mr..
". Noel Saiusbury, Of the British Record
Office. lie was warmly recommended by
he historian Bancroft, and the re,ulrof his
lahoJs Ina, fully justified all the confidence
felt ia bis ability. He was given n'truc-
lions to do the work with such absolute
tLoroughncss that there would never be
IN her need or desire for it to De done over
ac,m. 1t Is now an assured fact thu, the
state has accurate copies Of all papers re-
atins TO her colonial history.
YEARS or LABOR.
such is the history OF a remarkable pub
lication, and the end has justified the
means. The burden Of the work here was
placed by the trustees upon the secretary
of state. Colonel saunders, and for seven
years hc has devoted himself to Il. without
pccuuiary reward. but only actuated by the
pure>I love for and pride in his state.
Governor Jarvis and j. {. scarborough,
superintendent Of Public Instruction, who
were Colonel SAUNDERS cO-irusiees at the
time Of the inception Of the great work,
gayc always their heariicst cooperation.
and their successors, Governor scales ana
Major =. VI. Finger, have continued % rem
der most invaluable assistance aud encou-
REGIMENT. Many distinguished citizens OF
this end other states have given valuable
aid. Mr.. Peter u. Hale. state Printer, has
given The benefit OF culture and long eX-
p,ri.noe to the reading. makeup. and
hindinL If this great WorN. il Is pub
l,hed ty the state, and only 80 copies
will bee issued. 1t will be distributed
anon libraries over all the world.
TIVE sC0PE ~ the WonE.
Volume 1. begins in 1862 and end, with
1872. The first permanent White settle
ment ~ the State was made east Of tht
ChoWan river, probably a. early as loo,
and in 1853 a grant was made 10 Roger
Green on the Roanoke river and The south
Il. ff