Transcriber's Note: Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. Italics in the footnote citations were inconsistently applied by the typesetter. Footnote 1-1 has an un-opened quote ending "a very slow current." Footnote I-219: Landnama should possibly be Landnáma. Page 357: Words are possibly missing in the sentence starting, "We have no further details". Page 788: A reversed lower case "c" has been replaced with =c=. Many index entries could not be found in the text. Many index cross-references could not be found. A complete list of the latter can be found at the end of this volume. Alphabetization errors in the index were not corrected. This volume contains extensive references to the previous four volumes of this work. They can be found at: Volume 1: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41070 Volume 2: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42808 Volume 3: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43123 Volume 4: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44104 THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT. VOLUME V. THE NATIVE RACES. VOL. V. PRIMITIVE HISTORY. SAN FRANCISCO: A. L. BANCROFT & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS. 1883. Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1882, by HUBERT H. BANCROFT. In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. _All Rights Reserved._ PREFACE TO VOLUME V. This volume concludes the Native Races of the Pacific States. During the year in which it has been going through the press, I have received letters of encouragement from the most eminent scholars of Europe and America, and flattering commendations from learned societies. None but an author can know the value of such cheering words. This, my first attempt, was made in a new field; the scope of the work was very extensive; the system and machinery by which alone it could be accomplished were untried; and the subject was not one of great popular interest. It was not, therefore, without misgivings that I sent it forth.