That shall resound in endless cadences
Of harmony or discord evermore.”
But it is a difficult task to review the work of those writers who, by virtue of their greater familiarity with this subject, are more competent to express opinions; and the only justification for the proposed paper lies in the fact that the writer desires to bring together, in as few periods as possible, materials which others have furnished, together with such reports of investigations as have been made by eminent men of science, bearing upon this topic. It may also be suggested that many facts will be added heretofore unpublished, the same having been obtained by means of direct correspondence with various geologists and historians whose names command no little weight in character, original investigation and scientific attainments in Europe and America. It is hoped therefore that these personal labors will not be a recasting of simply old material, but a contribution of new facts and inferences not before given to the public. As the patronage afforded to such a paper would probably be too scanty to make it attractive to publishers, it may be added that it is contemplated to put these results beyond the reach of ordinary dangers, by embodying them in a publication privately printed.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
- Silently corrected typographical errors.
- Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed.