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DEDICATED

ΤΟ

THE MEMORY

OP

WASHINGTON.

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE subscriber announces to the public, that he intends publishing a series of works, relating to the history, literature, biography, antiquities and curiosities of the Continent of America. To be entitled

GOWANS' BIBLIOTHECA AMERICANA.

The books to form this collection, will chiefly consist of reprints from old and scarce works, difficult to be procured in this country, and often also of very rare occurrence in Europe: occasionally an original work will be introduced into the series, designed to throw light upon some obscure point of American history, or to elucidate the biography of some of the distinguished men of our land. Faithful reprints of every work published will be given to the public: nothing will be added, except in the way of notes, or introduction, which will be presented entirely distinct from the body of the work. They will be brought out in the best style, both as to the type, press work, and paper, and in such a manner as to make them well worthy a place in any gentleman's library. A part will appear about once in every six months, or oftener, if the public taste demand it; each part forming an entire work, either an original production, or a reprint of some valuable, and at the same time scarce tract. From eight to twelve parts will form a handsome octavo volume, which the publisher is well assured, will be esteemed entitled to a high rank in every collection of American history and literature.

Should reasonable encouragement be given, the whole collection may in the course of no long period of time become not less voluminous, and quite as valuable to the student in American history, as the celebrated Harleian Miscellany is now to the student and lover of British historical antiquities.

W. GOWANS, Publisher.

INTRODUCTION.

THIS work is one of the gems of American history, being the first printed description, in the English language, of the country now forming the wealthy and populous State of New York, and also the State of New Jersey; both being under one government at that time. And so great is its rarity, that until the importation of the volume from which this small edition is printed, but two copies were known to exist in the United States, one in the State Library, at Albany, and the other in the collection of Harvard University. The only sale catalogues in which this work has appeared, are those of Nassau, Warden, and Rich; and as these three catalogues are of different dates, the notices of Denton occurring in them, may all refer to the same copy, or at the most, probably, to two copies. The work is in the library of Mr. Aspinwall, American Consul in London, and also in that of the British Museum;-these are the only two accessible in England.

Mensel (x. 367,) gives "Denton's description of New York. London, 1701, 4to," and adds," Liber rarrissimus videtur, de qui nullibi quidquam, præter hanc epigraphen mancam, reperire licet." The title as given by Mensel appears in Eberling's compends of the histories of New York and New Jersey, with the prefixed, indicating that the author had never himself seen the work.

*

Hubbard and Neal in their histories seem to have had access to it; and the article on New York, as contained in the America of “John Ogilby, Esq., his Majesty's Cosmographer, Geographic Printer, and Master of the Revels," is

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