Much of the material on which this work is based is to be found in the archives of the American Government, which date back to 1774, when the first Continental Congress assembled.

The earliest sets have been published complete up to 1777, under the title of "American Archives," and will be hereafter designated by this name.

These early volumes contain an immense amount of material, because in them are to be found memoranda of private individuals and many of the public papers of the various colonial and State governments, as well as those of the Confederation.

The documents from 1789 on--no longer containing any papers of the separate States--have also been gathered and printed under the heading of "American State Papers"; by which term they will be hereafter referred to.
The mass of public papers coming in between these two series, and covering the period extending from 1776 to 1789, have never been published, and in great part have either never been examined or else have been examined in the most cursory manner.

The original documents are all in the Department of State at Washington, and for convenience will be referred to as "State Department MSS." They are bound in two or three hundred large volumes; exactly how many I cannot say, because, though they are numbered, yet several of the numbers themselves contain from two or three to ten or fifteen volumes apiece.
The volumes to which reference will most often be made are the following: * * * * * No.15.Letters of Huntington.
No.16.Letters of the Presidents of Congress.
No.18.