"Seth Luelling," near the bottom of page 282 of volume III should be
Henderson Luelling.
In the twelfth line of page 284 of the same volume the word "clearer"
in brackets should be omitted, as the author intended by the word
"lighter" to refer to the specific gravity of the water.
In the seventeenth line of page 289 of the same volume the words
"blue" and "mountain" should not begin with capital letters.
Mr. H. S. Lyman requests the insertion of the following note referring
to the recently published "Complete History of Oregon":
_To the Editor_--
As my attention has been called to some points deemed
erroneous in the History of Oregon, I would ask space in the
OREGON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY to say to subscribers or
purchasers of the work that I would esteem it a favor that
any matter deemed inaccurate or erroneous be communicated to
me.
Errors in a publication are usually of the following
character: Typographical, merely; slips of the proofreader;
mistakes of transcription; misapprehension of the writer; or
of differences in authorities. Besides this there is the
wide field of differences in opinions, or conclusions--many
being unable to distinguish between a fact and what is
properly but their own personal inference from facts, or
supposed facts. Still further, different persons will
estimate differently the value of events, and give varying
proportions to the elements constituting the whole.
Typographical errors, or mere blunders of haste, should not,
certainly, be expected in a standard work; yet are almost
invariably found, particularly in the first edition; and,
indeed, seldom or never disappear entirely; almost every
teacher, or student, including myself, having noticed, or
reported such even in standard text-books. By reference to
the preface of my history it will be seen that the work was
undertaken with full understanding that a complete, or
critical, history of Oregon could not yet be written; but it
was thought worth while now to lay the basis of an
investigation and ask the patronage of the public. I would,
therefore, feel it a most friendly courtesy if any
supposedly erroneous matter, whether mere slips, or
differences of information or opinion--in the great number
of details that it has been attempted to furnish--would be
reported to me. I am confident that the work has been begun
on a sufficiently broad basis to bear much further
elaboration. Any mistakes reported, together with such as
may be found by myself, will, if they seem sufficiently
numerous and formidable, be collated and published as a page
of errata, and the corrected list be furnished each
subscriber or purchaser, so far as these may be known.
I hope that this may prove a useful line of inquiry, and
place the readers somewhat on their own mettle, and thus
furnish me matter for notice in a second edition, if this
should be produced. Such investigation and criticism would
also establish more firmly in public confidence such data as
do not prove open to question.