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OF

PENNSYLVANIA,

FROM THE

DISCOVERY OF THE DELAWARE.

BY

SAMUEL HAZARD,

EDITOR OF "THE REGISTER OF PENNSYLVANIA," AND "THE UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL AND

STATISTICAL REGISTER,"

MEMBER OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA,

AND CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND OF THE

AMERICAN STATISTICAL ASSOCIATION OF BOSTON.

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850, by

SAMUEL HAZARD,

in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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PREFACE.

THE appearance of the present volume has been delayed much longer than was anticipated when the prospectus was issued. Judging from the incidental allusions, in the works already published, to events prior to the arrival of William Penn, the author was impressed with the belief that few materials existed in relation to the early settlements on the River Delaware, and felt a desire that, if others did exist, they should be discovered, in order to render more complete our history from the period of the first European attempts at settlement and civilization. It was astonishing to find how little was known of these attempts, even by many persons well acquainted with our subsequent history; while, by a large portion of our citizens, the fact of settlements having been made many years previously to the appearance of Penn, will be, perhaps, at this day, learned with surprise. With a strong desire to supply the defect, the author was induced to undertake the task of exploring this comparatively untrodden field. Happily, through the liberality and care of the Legislature of New York, (whose early history was intimately blended with our own,) the means of gratifying this desire were placed within his reach. Many of the original Dutch documents have been preserved, and, at of that body, translated by a gentleman from Holland, fully competent to the task in all respects, except in a perfect knowledge of our language. The result of his labour is nearly thirty volumes, bound, and furnished with an ample index: these, with many other records in the Secretary's office at Albany, were, during a protracted visit there, diligently examined, and extracts made from them of such portions as suited the purpose; generally in the language of the record. In them will be found an almost unbroken series of events, from the first connection of the settlements of the Dutch on the Delaware with those on the Hudson, illustrating at the same time the history of both. Further additions having been made, under the patronage of the same legislature, through the researches of Mr. Brodhead, their agent in Europe, which have been referred to on page 42,—to these, also, the author had free access: a portion of them, however, being from Holland, and in the Dutch language, was, on that account, not available, with the exception of some extracts which he caused to be translated. They are understood to contain important matter connected with our history, and it is believed that Mr. O'Callaghan (whose late excellent work on New Nether

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