John Van Ness Yates, then Secretary of State, submitted a Report to the Legislature, detailing the steps he had taken in

^ GENERAL INTRODUCTION.

carrying their resolution into effect, and containing an interesting and elaborate character of the public records in his synopsis of the several divisions and the specific custody. To this Keport was appended a general Catalogue, I., of the Dutch Colonial of the English Colonial Records and III., of the State Records and Kecords ; II., ; ;

from this statement it appeared that there were at that time in the Secretary's oflSce,

papers. altogether, 661 books, 324 maps, and 900 bundles of

But though the Report of Mr. Secretary Yates and the translations made by Mr. Van der Kemp had undoubtedly served to enlighten the public mind as to the historical value and importance of the archives of the State, there was still great misapprehension in regard to their actual extent and character. Apparently unheeded,

and allowed to moulder in neglect, a very large proportion of these records yet

remained in bundles, which were deposited in boxes or hidden in almost inaccessible corners in the old State Hall, without any proper arrangement or means for their

convenient examination. It is not surprising, under these circumstances, that while,

on the one hand, the public archives were known to be defective in many important respects, on the other hand the State should have been supposed to be less rich in historical records than it really was ; and that the attention of those whose minds had long been given to the subject should have been earnestly directed towards the best means of securing and increasing the literary property of the people by adding to it those materials for the illustration of their history which were preserved in the