Accordingly, at a meeting of that Society on the 10th of April, 1838, a committee was appointed to solicit from the Legislature an annual grant, out of the income of the United States' Deposit Fund, to defray the expenses of procuring materials in Europe for the illustration of the history of the State. In pursuance of this action, a memorial was presented to the Legislature in behalf of the Historical Society ; but owing to the lateness of the period of the session, it was not judged expedient to press the application

at that time. In the following December the Society again appointed a committee to present the subject at Albany, with a view of procuring an adequate appropriation for the purpose of obtaining copies of all the documents in the public offices of Holland

:

GENERAL INTRODUCTION. xi

and England relating to the Colonial history of New -York. On the 8th of January, 1839, Mr. John L. Stephens, from this committee, accordingly reported the draft of the following memorial, which was adopted by the Society and ordered to be attested

and delivered to the committee to be by them presented to the Legislature.

"TO THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF NEW-YORK.

" The Memorial of the New- York Historical Society respectfully represents " That, by the charter received from your honorable body, your memorialists were entrusted with the performance of certain duties, and particularly were bound to collect and preserve documents, papers and evidences, and generally all materials relating to or in any way affecting the history of this State; that, in the prosecution of this object, they have collected, and now hold in safe keeping, many interesting and important documents and papers, which, but for your memorialists, would have been destroyed or lost. "And your memorialists represent that they have been advised by those who from official station had unusual opportunities and facilities for making researches, and have learned from other sources on which they can rely, that there are now in the archives and public offices of Holland and England many documents, letters, correspondences and papers, relating to and bearing upon and directly connected with the events and prominent persons of our Colonial history and of our War of Revolution; which said documents, letters, correspondences and papers contain matters in relation to the views and purposes of those governments in the treatnientof their Colony; the reports, opinions and advices of their Governors, Military Commanders, and other officers then resident here ; the population, resources and general condition of the country, and the character, temper and feeling of the people; all of which were studiously concealed from the colonists, and to a great extent are still unknown in this country.