Bforty-seventh year of the Impependence of the United States of America, E IT REMEMBERED, That on the seventeenth day of August, in the JONATHAN SEYMOUR, of the said District, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to wit: In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entitled “An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the time therein mentioned." And also to an act, entitled "an Act, supplementary to an Act. entitled an Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." JAMES DILL, Clerk of the Southern District of New-York. ΤΟ MARIA EDGEWORTH, AS A SLIGHT EXPRESSION OF THE WRITER'S SENSE OF HER EMINENT SERVICES IN THE Great Cause OF HUMAN VIRTUE AND IMPROVEMENT, THIS HUMBLE TALE IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 753633 THE writer of this tale has made an humble effort to add something to the scanty stock of native American literature. Any attempt to conciliate favour by apologies would be unavailing and absurd. In this free country, no person is under any obligation to write; and the public (unfortunately) is under no obligation to read. It is certainly desirable to possess some sketches of the character and manners of our own country, and if this has been done with any degree of success, it would be wrong to doubt that it will find a reception sufficiently favourable. The original design of the author was, if possible, even more limited and less ambitious than what has been accomplished. It was simply to produce a very short and |