PREFACE.
Hitherto there has been no attempt to write a History of Portland. Slight sketches of the history of the city have, indeed, been written, but nothing that answers to the importance of the subject has here- tofore been undertaken. For conception and execution of the present work the city is indebted to D. Mason & Co., a firm of enter- prising publishers of Syracuse, New York. Learning that no general history of Portland had yet appeared, these publishers offered to undertake the work and to collect the materials for it. Aware, how- ever, that it was necessary that these materials should be subjected to local editorial supervision, they requested me to perform that duty. Though my own daily employments were very exacting, I consented to do so. The result is now submitted to the public.
My own work therefore has been that of editor rather than author. Some parts of the book I have written, and all of it, except portions of the biographical matter, I have revised with as much diligence as possible. Yet I cannot hope that the book is free from errors. Much has been handed down from memory, and inaccuracies therefore are unavoidable.
Acknowledgments are due chiefly to O. F. Vedder, H. S. Lyman and C. H. Carey for the matter of this volume. All these have worked diligently in collection and preparation of the materials. The bio- graphical matter has been contributed by many hands, and Mr. Vedder has bestowed much labor upon it. The special work of Mr. Carey is the important and exhaustive chapter on "Bench and Bar". Mr.
