The following work is not confined to the contest between Great-Britain and the United States of America, but includes all the other parts of the war which originated from that contest. In the beginning of the first letter, the reader is acquainted with the reasons that produced an historacal account of the first settlers in the Thirteen Colonies, and of their successors, down to the close of 1771. The insertion of what followed to the commencement of hostilities, was necessary for the connecting of the two periods. The form of letters, instead of chapters, is not altogether imaginary, as the author, from his arrival in America in 1770, maintained a correspondence with gentlemen in London, Rotterdam and Paris, answering in general to the prefixed dates. He apprehended, that by keeping to such form, and making the narrative agree with the moment to which it related, and by introducing the various insertions necessary for the authenticating of facts, a present ideal existence of past events might be produced in the mind, similar to what is felt when a well executed historical painting is examined. The better to secure this point, several parts are written in the present tense. If the author has failed in the execution, it is hoped that the candid reader will admit of the good intention as an apology. He has kept, as far as he could, to a chronological order. This has necessarily interrupted the narrative of particular parts; which, though a disappointment to some, may prevent the tediousness that might otherwise have been felt by persons of a different taste. It may at least serve to prevent or correct the too frequent mistakes of ascribing prior events, partly or wholly to subsequent facts. The author regrets his not having given every European letter the immediate resemblance of being written to him by a correspondent. He flatters himself, that he has in some measure compensated for that and other defects, by the general contents of every letter in each volume, prefixed to the same; by a copious index to the whole at the end of the last; and by a set of maps, about which neither care nor expence has been spared to render them valuable. Struck with the importance of the scenes that were opening upon the world, in the beginning of 1776, he formed an early design of compiling their history, which he made known to the late commander in chief of the American army; and meeting with the desired encouragement from him, he applied himself to the procuring of the best materials, whether oral, written, or printed. Oral communications were minuted down while fresh in the memory; the written were directed immediately to himself in many instances, in others only imparted: the productions of the European press could not be received with any regularity or certainty during the war, but were improved as they could be obtained.