Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. From the start the work has been conscientiously performed, without bias or prejudice, with the exercise of great caution against drawing hasty conclusions, and with patient toil and research, that the history might have the one merit, even if it possessed no other, of a strict fidelity to truth. In the belief that it will be found to possess this qualification, without which it would be valueless, this volume is now presented to a dis criminating but. Generous public.