ttle of the Massachusetts Historical Society; to Hon. Charles M.
Hough, judge of the United States Circuit Court in New York; to Miss
C.C. Helm of his office; to the late Miss Josephine Murphy, custodian
of the Suffolk Files; to Miss Mabel L. Webber, secretary and librarian
of the South Carolina Historical Society; to Mr. Victor H. Paltsits of
the New York Public Library; to Rev. Richard W. Goulding, librarian to
the Duke of Portland; and to the authorities of the Public Record
Office, the Privy Council Office, the British Museum, and the Bodleian
Library. Special thanks are due to the officials of three libraries in
which the work of annotation was mostly done--the Library of Congress,
that of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and that of Bowdoin
College. On a few nautical points the editor had the advice of his old
friend the late Captain Charles Cate of North Edgecomb, Maine. And
especially he has to thank the chairman of the Committee on
Publication, Mrs. Charles E. Rieman, for her interest in the work and
for the exemplary patience with which she has borne the delays in its
completion.

It is perhaps needless to say that the spelling of the originals has
been carefully preserved; it is hoped that it would not be thought to
be that of the editor. The punctuation of the originals has not been
deemed equally sacred. In general, it has been reproduced, but where
small alterations would make the sense clear to the modern reader but
could not change it, or where that same effect would be produced by
introducing punctuation-marks, which writers nearly illiterate often
omitted entirely, it has seemed the part of good sense to make
reading-matter readable. Also, names of vessels have been uniformly
italicized even when not underscored in the original manuscripts.
Dates previous to 1752 are old-style dates unless, as in the case of
Dutch or French documents, new style is indicated.

J. FRANKLIN JAMESON.

Washington, October 19, 1923.

CONTENTS

PAGE
PROVIDENCE ISLAND

1. Commission from the Providence Island Company to
Governor Nathaniel Butler as Vice-Admiral. Apr.
23, 1638 1

2. Governor Nathaniel Butler, "Diary of My Present
Employment". Feb.-Mar., 1639 3

_LA GARCE_

3. Articles of Copartnership in New Netherland Privat