MEMBERS DECEASED.

Members who have died, or of whose death information has been received, since the last volume of Collections was issued, July 10, 1902, arranged in the order of their election, and with date of death.

[The Resident Membership of Worthington Chauncey Ford, Esq., was terminated, Oct. 10, 1902, by his removal from Massachusetts, and that of Arthur Blake Ellis, LL.B., was terminated, Dec. 11, 1902, by the same cause.]

PREFACE.

TH

HIS volume completes the selection from the hitherto unpublished letters and documents of the Revolutionary period contained in the Trumbull Papers. In offering these papers to the Massachusetts Historical Society David Trumbull, the Governor's third son, wrote for himself and the other heirs: "My father, the late Governor Trumbull, collected with care the most important official papers which passed through his hands during the very interesting period of the Revolution, with the intention that they should be preserved and deposited in some public library as materials for future historians." There is some reason for thinking that the Governor's views extended even further than this, and that at one time he meditated preparing a History of America himself, or at least had planned such a work, to be executed by another hand. In a letter to Trumbull, whom he had visited at Hartford, the French minister Luzerne wrote, immediately after his arrival in Philadelphia: "J'ai lû avec un grand intérêt le plan d'histoire de l'Amérique que vous avez bien voulu me communiquer. Ceux qui aiment la saine politique, et ceux qui aiment les lettres doivent également faire des voeux pour son exécution, et en mon particulier je désire bien vivement que votre

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Exellence veuille s'en occuper." It seems probable that the copies of letters received or written by Trumbull were made and grouped in his Letter Books under his direction for such a purpose, which was afterward relinquished.

Besides this, it is well known that Governor Trumbull had in his possession for a long time the manuscript of Winthrop's History of New England, and that he copied a considerable part of it himself. This copy is now in the possession of the Historical Society. Two letters referring to it, which have not been printed before, are in the Trumbull Papers, and are inserted here for the interesting light which they throw on the Governor's character and historical tastes.

JONATHAN TRUMBULL TO JAMES BOWDOIN.

LEBANON, 29th March, 1784.

SIR,I have in my possession two vols of his Excellency John Winthrop, Esq', the first and truly worthy Governor of Massachusetts, his historical diary of the first beginnings of that commonwealth, Mar. 30th, 1630, to Decem., 1644, written in an old hand, now difficult to read. There are many curious things in it. Enclosed is a specimen sent for your observations, to be returned when you have done with it. If the whole were printed, it would be both useful and entertaining to the public. Should the Society of Arts think proper to publish it by subscription, I doubt not it would meet with sutable encouragment. I have the greatest part of it transcribed fit for the press. It contains 532 pags in quarto.

I have received no letter from my son John, nor any information concerning him, since he sailed. Is there no late arrival from London? Is there any to sail thither from Boston soon?

I wish for the last catalogue of Cambridge College.

I am with great esteem & regard, Sir,

Your most obedient, hble. servant.

Honble JAMES BOWDOIN, Esq'.

JONTH TRUMbull.

P. S. Enclosed the subscription.

MR LITTLE, Please buy for me A Hebrew Gramar wrote by the Professor of the Oriental Languages at Cambridge. Two papers best

ink powder.

Indorsed: 30th March, 1784. To Honble J. Bowdoin, Esq', de Winthrop's Diary. Sent Mr Little.

JAMES BOWDOIN TO JONATHAN TRUMBull.

To his Excellency Jonathan Trumbull, Esq', Governor of the State of Connecticutt, at Lebanon. By favour of Mr Little.

BOSTON, April 9, 1784.

SIR, Your favour of ye 29th ult° I received by Mr Little, with the extract-specimen from Gov' Winthrop's historical diary. I read part of it to several gentlemen, one of whom at his request having had the loan, has read ye whole of it.

Judging of ye history by this specimen, he thinks there are many things in it too minute for publication, but that if ye material & most curious parts of it were judiciously selected they might make an entertaining volume. If you should be of that mind, will you give me leave to recommend it to your Excellency, in case you can attend to it, to make such a selection; or if not, to procure some judicious gentlemen to undertake it. When prepared, proposals for printing it by subscription might be published. In this way it would appear to ye best advantage, and might meet with encouragement.

As soon as I received your letter, I sent to M' Russel, the owner of ye vessel in which your son went passenger to England, and he informs me he has not had any intelligence concerning her since she sailed, but expects to hear of her arrival by ye next vessels from thence. Capt. Calahan will sail for London in about a week, and another vessel some time after.

Agreably to your desire I inclose y last printed catalogue of those educated at Harvard College, and am, with great regard, Sir,

Y' Excy's most ob', hble. servt.

JAMES BOWDOIN.

His Excy [torn] TRUMBULL.

James Bowdoin was one of the founders of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, of which he was President from its organization in 1780 until his death in 1790. Governor Trumbull was one of the Fellows. It