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PREFACE.

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S it would give us the greatest concern, that any part of that Public, to whom we owe fuch long-continued and infinite obligations, should attribute the lateness of our publication, either to an unthankful remiffness on our fide, or to a prefumptuous confidence on their favour, we think it neceffary at this time to say a few words upon the subject.

Our first confiderable failure in point of time, proceeded from unavoidable misfortune; from long and dangerous illness; a fort of interruption, which a course of years must be expected naturally to produce. Whoever will at all confider the nature of an annual work, of great diver

fity, attention and labour, in which the bufinefs of the coming year is constantly preffing upon the prefent, will eafily conceive the difficulty of fpeedily recovering any confiderable portion of loft time, even fuppofing things ftill to continue in their ufual and ordinary course. But in the instance we mention, the occafional delay was immediately fucceeded by an unexpected and extraordinary acceffion of bufinefs; which has fince continually increased, until it has arrived at a magnitude before unknown. Thus the original difficulty was not only rendered infurmountable, but the evil itself became of neceffity greater.

If the Annual Regifter were entirely a compilation, we should have much to anfwer for any failure in point of time. But the nature of the hiftorical part, does not admit of fuch precifion. It muft, in that refpect, as in all others, be governed by the importance and magnitude of its ob

jects.

jects. While the state of public affairs continues to render it the principal and most interesting part of our work, we shall run no race against time in its execution. We owe too much to the Public, to make them fo bad a return for their favour; we owe too much to ourselves, to forfeit the high reputation in which the work now ftands abroad as well as at home. trust that the readers of our present History, will equally acquit us of remiffness in the execution, and of an undue prefumption on their favour in the delay.

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