Excerpt from The Barrington-Bernard Correspondence: And Illustrative Matter, 1760-1770, Drawn From the "Papers of Sir Francis Bernard" (Sometime Governor of Massachusetts-Bay)

The letters printed in this volume are drawn from the collection of original documents and transcripts which Jared Sparks brought together in the course of his extended editorial career. For years he was Professor of American History in Harvard University and, for some time, was its President. In 1866, after his death, his papers were deposited in the Library of the University and later were given to it by his son, William Sparks. President Sparks made several journeys to England and was shown every courtesy by the descendants of Lord Shelburne and other prominent men of the Revolutionary era and by the government itself. He had volumes of transcripts made for him, and every now and then purchased original manuscripts. Among the latter are thirteen volumes, separately bound, and entitled "The Papers of Sir Francis Bernard, Governor of New Jersey, and afterward Governor of Massachusetts." Of these thirteen volumes, eight comprise Bernard's original "Letter Books." The other five volumes are filled with letters received by him from his superiors and others in England, and also official papers, as commissions. Running through the whole set is a series of letters from Bernard to his wife's cousin-german, Lord Barrington, and the latter's replies. Their interest consists in the fact that they are friendly and confidential epistles and not official letters, although they were written by two of the most highly placed government officers in England and in America.

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