We are influenced by no other motive than that of elevating the character and promoting the prosperity of a community to which we are bound by every tie that is deemed precious and sacred among men. And let it not be said that the exigencies of the times and the pressure of a foreign war render it inexpedient to apply the public bounty to this object. The State is rich in funds, rich in creditand rich in resources; and she ought to be rich in liberality and public spirit. Genuine greatness never appears in a more resplendent light, or in a more sublime attitude, than in that buoyancy of character which rises superior to danger and difficulty in that ;

magnanimity of soul which cultivates the arts and sciences amidst the horrors of war; and in that comprehension of mind which cherishes all the cardinal interests of a country, without being distracted or diverted by the most appalling considerations. " We, therefore, most respectfully solicit the favorable notice of the Legislature, and we confidently hope that the result will be auspicious to the interests of literature and to the honor of our country. "New- York, January, 1814."

Tills memorial of the Historical Society was received with great favor by the Legislature, which, with a liberality that has always belonged to the State of New- York, passed two acts on the 13th and the 15th of April, 1814, recognizing, in the most gratifying manner, the claims of the Institution to the regard of the representatives of the peojile. Public attention was now drawn more distinctly to the condition of the archives of the State. They were found to be in great disorder, and the necessity of some arrangement and classification of them was conceded. The Dutch records,