4 I i:n BBS OF JOHN ANDREWS.
papers relating to the affairs of Mr. William Barrel], formerly
- i merchant in thai city. These papers consisted eliieily of
letters addressed to Mr. Barrell, by members of his family, shortly previous to, ami about the period of, the breaking-out of the war of the Revolution; and of two letter-books of Mr. Barrell himself, and of Stephen Collins, his administrator, extending from May 3, 1771, to July 30, 1783. When or why they were left here, 1 have no means of ascertaining; but it was probably, in the first instance, merely to keep them together in a place of security, where afterwards they re- mained undisturbed, because forgotten.
Captain Gibson handed over these documents to Mr. J. Francis Fisher, of Philadelphia, a Corresponding Member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, who at once recognized the propriety of their being placed among the archives of that body. And it is at his suggestion that the preparation for publication of a selection of the most suitable parts of their contents has been undertaken by me; while the whole collection, as it came to his hands, is presented by him to the Society .
The only connected and really interesting series of letters, among those now before me, consists of communications ad- dressed to Mr. Barrell by his brother-in-law, Mr. John An- drews of Boston: and such portion of this correspondence as does n. it seem to turn entirely on family matters or details of business 1 have here set forth. I may be mistaken; but, in my humble judgment, the pages now printed will be found to possess a piquancy of style, a freedom of expression, and a discrimination in the narration of such particulars of local history that a Bostonian residing away from Boston would naturally be glad to procure, yet could not expect to find in the public journals of the day, that will amply repay the perusal of the historical student. The form in which they • are here presented by me (somewhat in that of a journal) recommended itself not only by its conveniency, but by the
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