French || in that part of the World || With || Particular Accounts of their Religion, Manners, Customs, Laws, and || Forms of Government; their Several Battles and Treaties with the European Nations; their Wars with the other Indians; and a true Account of the prefent State of our Trade with them. || In which are fhewn, || The great Advantage of their Trade and Alliance to the British || Nation, and the Intrigues and Attempts of the French to engage || them from us; a Subject nearly concerning all our American || Plantations, and highly meriting the Attention of the British || Nation at this Juncture. || By the Honourable CADWALLADER COLDEN, Esq; One of his Majesty's Counsel, and Surveyor-General || of NEW-YORK. || To which are added, Accounts of the several other Nations of Indians in North-America, their Numbers, Strength, &c. and the Treaties which have been lately made with them. | IN Two VOLUMES | The THIRD EDITION || LONDON: || Printed for LOCKYER DAVIS, at Lord Bacon's Head, in Fleet-ftreet; J. Wren, in Salisburycourt; and J. WARD in Cornhill, oppofite the Royal Exchange. || MDCCLV. Title. Verfo blank. iii-viii. Dedication "To the Honourable General Oglethorpe." ix-xii. The Preface to the First Part. The The Contents, 4 pp., without folios.-Map. (1)-(20). The Introduction. 21-93. The History. 94-96. Part II. The Preface. 97-213. The History &c. 214. Title, "Papers relating," &c. 215-258. Text. 259-260. A Vocabulary. Sigs. A-M. Volume II. Title. Verso blank. 1-44. The Treaty, &c. 45. A treaty held at the town, &c. Verso blank. 46-116. Text. 117. Title. "A Treaty between his Excellency the Honourable George Clin ton. 118-161. Text. 162. Blank. 163. Title. "A Collection of Charters," &c. 164-251. Text. Sigs. B-M. This edition is fo abfolute a reprint of that of 1747 that what is faid of one will apply to the other; the division of the contents in the two volume edition being apparently the only change. This catalogue of the various contents of the the volume shows that the edition of 1747 contains much more than the New York edition. Befides the new Introduction, written by Colden, and his fecond Part, with its preface, which he tranfmitted to Collinfon, it contains alfo the pamphlet fuggested by Colden. The treaties with the Five Nations which follow may have been fent by Colden, as Collinfon in one of his letters notes the arrival of a treaty just in season to print. But the series of papers relating to Pennfylvania were certainly never fuggefted by the author. Franklin on receiving a copy denounced it in a letter to Colden. He mentions this conduct of Ofborne, "which," fays he, "I think was not fair, but 'tis a common trick of bookfellers." (Letter to Colden, October, 1747.) If we proceed now to examine the volume in detail we are met by a series of changes, abridgments and extenfions that require explanation. The long title, with its geographical blunder, putting the Five Nations in Canada, is of course not Colden's. He certainly would not fo have yielded to French claims as to bring the Canada border fo near Albany. A letter of Collinfon's in the Colden papers fays, that Dr. Mitchell, a friend of Dr. Colden's, "affifted in drawing up the title page." page. The author himself, in a letter to Collinfon, fuggefted altering the title page fo as to read: "Wherein is fhown how advantageous the Friendship of thefe Nations is to the Settlement and Trade of the Brittish fubjects all over North America, and what pains the French have taken to withdraw their affection from the English. A matter which may deserve attention at a Time when a Treaty of Peace and Commerce may be expected between Great Brittain and France." He adds: "This I propose for the benefit of the Printer, for otherwife I dislike promifing Title pages. Colden's dedication to Governor Burnet was merited and happy, but it is utterly impoffible to fuppofe that he would addrefs to General Oglethorpe, interested folely in the moft remote of the British colonies on the coaft, the fame language, with trifling changes. What fenfe is there in the member of the Council of New York complimenting Oglethorpe on his applying his thoughts to Indian affairs, and telling him "not only the prefent generation will enjoy the benefit of your care, but our latest Pofterity bless your Memory for that Happiness the Foundation of which was laid under your Care &c."? The few changes of "your Excellency" to "your Judgment," "Excellency's Administration" to "endeav ors," ors," "the Governor of New York" to "every Governor in America, your own" to "one," do not prevent the abfurdity of the whole Dedication as addreffed to Oglethorpe. The real Dedication ends with expreffions of gratitude, which are omitted. As to this new dedication, the Colden papers give further revelations. "The dedication," fays Collinson, in a letter of August 3d, 1747, "was made without my leave or confent, which makes me uneafie. I was out of Town and Mr. Ofbourn was in haft to publish, and so it happened, or else the pfon I fhould have chofen would have been Lord Lonfdale." Colden himself feems to have propofed no change in this part, and anticipated none. The changes in the title and dedication are therefore certainly not by Colden. There are alfo alterations in the Preface, Introduction and first Part, of which fome note is here given. A manuscript book in a fubftantial pigfkin cover, preferved in the New York Hiftorical Library, contains the fecond Part from about the middle of the fourth chapter to the end, together with the Preface to the Second Part and the revifed Introduction. These papers coincide with those in the edition of 1747; but there is no reference to alterations in the Preface or |