PREFACE.

The following Paper was in part prepared to be read before the Historical Association of Newburgh, and a small portion of it was actually read before that body last spring; since which the residue has been written, and, at request, permitted publication. The nature and general scope of the Paper will more particularly appear from the Introduction. It was undertaken partly out of curiosity, and partly for amusement, to learn what things, interesting of the kind, could be found located in the County, worth recording. Since began, it has increased in size on our hands, and we now find it, both in contents and magnitude, a very different article from what it was originally intended to be, and so disposed to grow up and expand-perhaps not in real interest, yet in other ways-that we hasten to get rid of it, and give it another paternity, lest it become too varied in contents and too cumbersome in detail, to manage with convenience to ourselves or justice to the subjects treated of. We confess the subject, has failed in fruitfulness and disappointed our expectations, especially in local tradition. There are, perhaps, many in the county worthy of rescue from oblivion; but we cannot afford to spend the time and money necessary to visit the individuals in possession of them, scattered as they are in every town. We take to ourselves no special credit for the hasty and fugitive contents, prepared at leisure moments in our office, in the course of a few months, costing no great expenditure of time or talent. That it is defective, barren, and devoid of interest to the old and well-informed citizen, and could have been far better executed by hundreds in our County, had they deemed the same worthy of their leisure moments, we are fully assured. Such, we trust, may hereafter adventure upon the enquiry, and if the present Paper shall lay a foundation in any way, for a future effort, on an enlarged plan, we shall be gratified and receive our reward. At present we are contented to commit our bantling to the public alms-house of the people, where, if it be not cherished with greater indulgence than it has received from its author, its destiny is already determined. What the judgment may be, we will not anticipate farther than to state that many great and capacious minds may say the contents are worthless, and our time misspent. If this be all we are prepared for it, and may survive the shock, under the mental satisfaction that we have done something, small indeed, connected with the objects of the Association, added ten fold to our stock of information, respecting the numerous localities of the county, and saved time for the purpose, redeemed from idle gossip along street, about the News, Texas, Oregon, James K. Polk, the Mexican and Tariff wars.-To all disposed to find fault, (their name is legion,) we say, be not so intent on our errors and defective execution, as to be forgetful of your own. We claim the most lenient judgment, for it is one hundred to one, we may never again be guilty of perpetrating an act like this.