University of Virginia Library

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(Water Witch)
Preface

It was a bold attempt to lay the scene of a work like this, on the coast of America. We have had
our Buccaneer on the water, and our witches on the land, but we believe this is the first time
occasion on which the rule has been reversed. After an experience that has now lasted more than twenty
years, the result has shown that the public prefers the original order of things. In other words, the book
has proved a comparative failure.

The facts of this country are all so recent, and so familiar, that every innovation on them, by
means of the imagination, is coldly received, if it be not absolutely frowned upon. Perhaps it would have
been safer to have written a work of this character without a reference to any particular locality. The few
local allusions that are introduced are not essential to the plot, and might have been dispensed with, without
lessening the interest of the tale.

Nevertheless, this is probably the most imaginative book ever written by the author. Its fault is in blend-
ing too much of the real with the purely ideal. Half way measures will not do, in matters if this sort, and it is
always safer to preserve the identity of a book by a fixed and determinate character, than to make the
effort to steer between the true and the false.

Several liberties have been taken with the usage of the colony, with a view to give zest to the de-
scriptions. If the Dutch of the country ever resorted to the common practice of Holland in giving such names
as the "Rust in Lust", to their villas , it has not only passed out of sight, but out of mind. In the other coun-
try, as one moves along the canals, he sees names of this general character, painted on different objects, every
mile that he advances, and admires the contentment, which is satisfied with a summer house, a pipe,
a canal, a meadow that is almost under water, and in deed, with a country that is what seamen term
awash. But nothing of this sort was ever seen here. The fine natural scenery forbad it, and a villa on
the banks of the Hudson was a residence that possessed in itself advantages to set at naught such small
contrivances of luxury.

Some persons may object to the manner in which we have sketched the conduct and characters
of Cornbury. We believe, however, that the truth is not exceeded in any thing said of this individual, who
would seem to have had neither dignity, self-respect or principles. The fact that he remained in this coun-
try, a prisoner for debt, is historical, his creditors most probably hoping to extort from Anne farther con-
cessions in behalf of this worthless relative.

As for the Patron of Kinderhook, the genus seems about to expire among us. Not only are we
to have no more patrons, but the decre has gone forth from the virtuous and infallible voters
that there are to be no more estates.

The collected wisdom of the State has decided that it is true policy to prevent the affluent from investing their

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money in land! The curse of mediocrity weighs upon us and its blunders can be repaired only through
the hard lesson of experience.

This book was written in Italy and first printed (in English) in Germany. To the last
circumstance is probably owing the great number of typographical errors that are to be found
in it. The American compositor, however, quite likely conceiving that he had a right to correct
the blunders of a foreigner, has taken the law into his own hands, and exercised a sovereign pow-
er over the labour of our hands. That our good old-fashioned mode of spelling should receive
the modern improvements was perhaps unavoidable, but surely we never spelt "coamings" ( of
a hatch) "combing"; "rollock"; "oar-lock" or "row-lock"; and made the many other similar long shore
blunders that are to be found in the original editions of this book.

Care has been had to do ourselves justice in these particulars, and we think that this
work is more improved, in all these respects, in the present edition, than any other work that
has passed through our hands.