A Character of the Province of Maryland: Described in four distinct parts; also a small Treatise on the Wild and Naked Indians (or Susquehanokes) of Maryland, their customs, manners, absurdities, and religion; together with a collection of historical letters.Alsop, George
History
A Character of the Province of Maryland: Described in four distinct parts; also a small Treatise on the Wild and Naked Indians (or Susquehanokes) of Maryland, their customs, manners, absurdities, and religion; together with a collection of historical letters.
Alsop, George
Maryland -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Susquehanna Indians
I have received this year three Letters from you, one by Capt. _Conway_
Commander of the _Wheat-Sheaf_, the others by a _Bristol_ Ship. Having
no more at present to trouble you with, but expecting your promise, I
remain as ever,
_Your dutiful Son_,
G. A.
_Mary-Land_, _April_ 9. _Anno_
I desire my hearty love may be remembered to my Brother, and the rest
of my Kinred.
FINIS.
{109}
NOTES.
_Note_ 1, _page_ 15.
After having resolved to reprint Alsop’s early account of Maryland,
as an addition to my _Bibliotheca Americana_, I immediately fell in
with a difficulty which I had not counted on. After much inquiry and
investigation, I could find no copy to print from among all my earnest
book collecting acquaintances. At length some one informed me that
Mr. Bancroft the historian had a copy in his library. I immediately
took the liberty of calling on him and making known my wants, he
generously offered to let me have the use of it for the purpose stated,
I carried the book home, had it carefully copied, but unfortunately
during the process I discovered the text was imperfect as well as
deficient in both portrait and map. Like Sisyphus I had to begin
anew, and do nearly all my labor over; I sent to London to learn if
the functionaries in the British Museum would permit a tracing of the
portrait and map to be made from their copy, the answer returned was,
that they would or could not permit this, but I might perfect my text
if I so choosed by copying from theirs. Here I was once more at sea
without compass, rudder, or chart: I made known my condition to an
eminent and judicious collector of old American literature in the city
of New York, he very frankly informed me that he could aid me in my
difficulty by letting me have the use of a copy, which would relieve
me from my present dilemma. I was greatly rejoiced at this discovery
as well as by the generosity of the owner. The following day the
book was put into my possession, and so by the aid of it was enabled
to complete the text. Here another difficulty burst into view, this
copy had no portrait. That being the only defect in perfecting a copy
of Alsop’s book, I now resolved to proceed and publish it without a
portrait, but perhaps fortunately, making known this resolve to some
of the knowing ones in book gathering, they remonstrated against this
course, adding that it would ruin the book in the estimation of all
who would buy such a rarity. I was inclined to listen favorably to
this protest, and therefore had to commence a new effort to obtain a
portrait. I then laid about me again to try and procure a copy that
had one: I knew that not more than three or four collectors in the
country who were likely to have such an heir-loom. To one living at a
considerable distance from New York I took the liberty of addressing
a letter on the subject, wherein I made known my difficulties. To my
great gratification this courteous and confiding gentleman not only
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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