of the period that has elapsed since the creation of the State. There are several biographies of Virginian statesmen of the era of the Revolution, written by Virginians, which reflect very high honor upon American historical scholarship; notably Kate Mason Rowland’s Life of George Mason, William Wirt Henry’s Life of Patrick Henry, and William C. Rives’s Life of James Madison. No attempt, however, previous to the present has been made to describe the purely economic condition of the Virginian people in detail. To undertake the task, although its scope was to be confined to the survey of a single century, was to assume the part of a pioneer. I shall feel fully rewarded for the labor, thought, and time expended in the present work if the only result accomplished by it shall be to direct the attention of zealous and discriminating scholars to a field marked by the most extraordinary wealth of matter, interesting in itself and of far-reaching importance in its relation to the subsequent history, not only of Virginia, but also of the United States.
In conclusion, it only remains for me to express my appreciation of the kindness of my brother, Professor James Douglas Bruce of Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, in reading and assisting me to correct my manuscript. I am also indebted to him for warm encouragement in the course of my investigations, and for unvarying interest in the progress of my work.
Virginia Historical Society Building,
Richmond, Va. Sept. 1, 1895.
