PREFACE. On the 29th of December 1831, some of the citi zens of Virginia formed themselves into a society by the name of “ The Virginia Historical and Philoso phical Society.” The general assembly of the state, by an act of the 10th of March 1834,* incorporated the society, and by a resolution of the 6th of Febru ary 1835, directed to be presented to it, a copy of the large map of Virginia, and such books and papers be longing to the library fund as the joint committee on the library might designate.! A leading object of the society was to collect and preserve books and papers, both in print and manu script, relating to the history of America, and espe cially of Virginia;—to make its library a repository of every thing of the kind as far as practicable. It was also contemplated to publish from time to time, the most valuable of its collections, so as to dissemi nate information of the matter thus acquired, and
