believed that no leaves are wanting. Prince, the annalist, who had the manuscript in 1738, describes it as containing 338 pages, its present number. Besides, the transcript from the complete copy, now supplied to us, ends here with the word "Finis."

Of the text, less is shown to have been wanting in the beginning of the Society's printed volume than had been supposed. Only about one half of a page was gone, but the imperfections throughout chapters one and two were serious, and in the latter was a large chasm of two pages of the volume. Many of the conjectural readings of the editors are found to have been erroneous, though the sense is often preserved. Mr. Harris, the editor of the second edition, by consulting the early narratives used by Hubbard, was sometimes fortunate in supplying blank passages; and in the last chapter in the volume, where the author speaks of the Dutch Plantation, and professedly quotes "the words of D.D., some time an inhabitant there," from "A Brief Relation of New York," published in the year 1670, being the well-known work of Daniel Denton, Mr. Harris was able from this book to supply the greater part of the passages wanting in the first edition of the History.

We are now furnished with a transcript of the first part of the manuscript, including the title-page and Preface, as far as page 12 of the printed volume, and covering the chasm on that page in the late edition. Also a passage covering the deficiency indicated by the italics on page 13; and a copy entire of the last chapter in the book.

We have reprinted chapters one and two, that is to say, to page 14 inclusive of the printed volume; also the last four leaves of the volume, being pages 669–676. These concluding pages, with the exception of the very

+ 1978 SLIVER / HUTCHINSON NS FROM OE!

last leaf, were, with the words editorially supplied by
Mr. Harris, substantially correct; but their appearance
was so disfigured by brackets and other marks of refer-
ence, necessarily inserted by the diligent and accom-
plished editor, that it was thought best to reprint them
entire. The notes of Mr. Harris, retained on the re-
printed leaves, bear his usual initial, "H." Some of his
references attached to the earlier notes, at the end of
the volume, do not indicate the correct pages of the
restored text. On page 677, "page 8" should now
read page 5;
page 9" should be page 6; "page 10"
should be page 9. On page 678, "page 13, note a”
should be pages 12 and 13.

66

The Table of Contents of the late edition, indicating that the first part of the volume was "imperfect," we have allowed to stand. Each page of the newly printed sheets bears the date, at foot, of 1878, in brackets.

A valuable part of the History which was wanting, and is now supplied, is the Preface, by far too interesting to be lost. A brief manuscript found among the Belknap Papers, reported upon to the Society in March, 1858, entitled "Preface to Hubbard's History," was printed in the Proceedings under that date; but, on comparing it with the transcript now received, it is found to consist of but a few extracts from the genuine Preface, which comprises more than eight pages of printed matter.

We are indebted to our associate, Dr. Fitch Edward Oliver, of Boston, for the opportunity of perfecting the Society's edition of Hubbard's History of New England. At a meeting of the Society on the 10th of January, 1878, Dr. Oliver communicated the materials for this purpose, stating that he had received them from + Peter O. Hutchinson, Esq., of Sidmouth, Devonshire, England, a great-grandson of Governor Hutchinson and

N

1875

PR.

of Lieutenant-Governor Andrew Oliver, who is the owner of a perfect transcript of the work, made from the manuscript in the Society's possession by Judge Peter Oliver, of Massachusetts, probably while it was in Governor Hutchinson's keeping, and in a perfect condition ; its subsequent mutilation having been caused, it is believed, by the wanton attack upon the Governor's house in 1765, when his papers and other valuable property were thrown into the street. The present owner inherited the copy from Judge Oliver, the brother of Lieutenant-Governor Andrew Oliver.

Besides this ancient manuscript of Hubbard's History in the Society's possession, which, we may add, is not in Hubbard's hand, but is a transcript by more than one hand,* occasionally corrected by him, the Society has an old parchment-covered volume of what appears to be the rough draft of the History, or a considerable. portion of it, in the author's own hand; beginning with "The first planting of the Massachusetts, 1623."

On page 91 of the original edition of the History, third line from the bottom, the editors inserted in brackets the word "profession." The later editor discarded that, and inserted" præ se ferens," which the present appearance of the manuscript would seem literally to warrant. In Judge Oliver's copy, the word inserted is "profference," probably thought to be the word intended, and which may have been the word Hubbard originally

wrote.

On page 383, line 9, the blank should be filled by the words "of minds."

It may not be amiss to correct here an error on page

*From pages 9-62, the manuscript is in two hands; thence to the end, at page 338, it is in one, and yet a different, and, it may be added, a very beautiful hand. Hubbard's original manuscript, from which the Society's copy was made, is not extant.

231, in the 13th and 14th lines. In the first edition, the date "Feb. 3, 1634," is given, and that is the true reading of the MS. In the second edition, the editor alters the year to "1624," saying that the former date is occasioned by a slip of the pen. This is an error. The date first inserted was probably a marginal note, on a paper used by the author, erroneously introduced into the text, and is the true date of the meeting of the Council for New England, at which the agreement relating to the surrender of the grand charter was drawn up. Harris's note on page 705, reciting that under this conjectural date, in the presence of King James, the division of the territory took place, must be set aside. The true date of this early division, only recently ascertained by the fortunate recovery of a missing portion of the Records of the Council for New England, is Sunday the 29th of June, 1623.*

con

Again, on pages 48 and 49, Hubbard gives the " ditions" or agreements entered into between the Pilgrims and the Merchant Adventurers, copied evidently from Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation; but in article five some words have been omitted, and the paragraph is incomplete. The whole of that article is here supplied from page 46 of Bradford:"5. That at the end of the seven years, the capital and profits, viz. the houses, lands, goods and chattels, be equally divided betwixt the adventurers and planters; which done, every man shall be free from other of them of any debt or debtriment concerning this adventure."

18.5

1848

BOSTON, February, 1878.

CHARLES DEANE,

For the Committee.

..See Proceedings of the Antiquarian Society for April, 1867, p. 115; also, for October, 1875, p. 51.