from the originals, the parts in the latter, marked in brackets, being omitted in these copies. The necessity of giving to the public these omitted parts was manifest, as they are explanatory of the whole, showing the spirit, tone, and objects of the writer. Nor, having become parts of the public archives of the nation, would the omission to use them have been warranted.
As to other sources of information, with the exception of such as are of general notoriety, in the instances in which they are referred to, the precise references are stated.
While acknowledging my obligations to the careful compiler of the "American State Papers," a repertory, the completion of which, it is to be hoped, Congress will not permit to be delayed, I would also make pardonable mention of private kindnesses bestowed, in the contribution of materials, by many persons. Among these I have the pleasure of alluding to Governor Swain of North Carolina; the Hon. Henry D. Gilpin, Attorney-General of the United States; President Van Buren; and to my friends, the Hon. R. I. Ingersoll of Connecticut, and the recently deceased, able and lamented statesman, William L. Marcy, Secretary of State, by whom no service was declined.
But, most especially, would I pay grateful homage to the Hon. Horace Binney. The advice and assistance of this accomplished scholar, this distinguished lawyer, this sagacious counsellor, this eminent and excellent gentleman, have been freely accorded to me, with a most delicate, ever present interest, through a series of years, at a time of life when most men, who have done less for the world, feel that their task is ended—a life, as beautiful in its calm setting, as it has been brilliant and useful in its earlier hours.