Stereotyped  on  the  page  with  the  type,  ready

•

g  to  the  position  of  many  places,  only  a  partit


INTRODUCTORY. 5

ICr. Barber,  whom  we  liave  thus  introduced  to  the  reader,
deserves  so  to  be. He  is  a  i^ain,  unobtrasiTO  old  £;eiitleman9
who  began  life  with  only  xLe  solid  edncation  Conneotiont  gives
all  her  sons— bom  at  the  close  of  the  administration  of  George
Washington,  in  the  century  that  is  past— with  no  especial  pride,
except  in  being  a  descendant  of  the  Pilgrims,  of  wh<mi  he  is  a
genuine,  honest,  and  most  unmistakable  ofbhoot. His  life  has
been  one  of  untiring  and  usefhl  industry,  chiefly  passed  in  com*-
piling  books,*  every  page  of  which  has  been  created  with  a  view
to  benefit  the  public. No  man  living  in  the  Union  has  taken  so
many  views  of  places  in  it  as  he,  in  making  drawings  for  this
and  his  various  State  workp. His  books  have  gratified  CU  classes;
the  lecumed  and  unlearned,  tae  old  and  young. A  personal  aneo-
dote  is  proper  here. On  a  time,  in  the  years  now  gone,  we  were
mttled  over  the  paying-stones  of  Broadway  in  an  omnibus,  and
holding  the  first  bound  volume  of  a  State  worl^  the  result  of  the
joint  labor  of  Hr. Barber  and  ourself. An  elderly  gentleman,  in
neat,  and,  as  we  thought,  somewhat  humble  attire,  leaned  over
to  look  at  our  book:  then  putting  an  inquiry,  which  we  a&«
swered,  he  rejoined:  "I  have  Mr. Barber's  Connecticut  and  Mas-
sachusetts, and  I  shall  want  that."  A  moment  later,  the  vehicle
stopped,  and  our  questioner 'left  us. ''Do  you  know  who  that
old  gentleman  is  that  spoke  to  youP"  asked  a  fellow-passehger,
also  a  stranger. "No  sir."    ''That,"  added  he,  "is  Cliaiicellor

It  is  now  thirty  years  since  Mr. Barber  published  his  first  State
work,  that  on  Connecticut. It  was  the  model  on  which  others
were  formed,  and  a  surprise  to  the  public,  for  its  plan  was
original  and  quaint. The  venerable  JVoata  Webster,  a  towns-
man of  Mr. Barber,  was  especially  gratified. 