THE report which I have on my part made to the legislature, according to a resolution of the
last session, of the English statutes and those of Great-Britain, coming within the descriptions therein
mentioned, will appear in the following lists and selections:
    For the purpose of enabling the assembly to judge in the fullest manner as to the correctness of
those selections, I have also added lists of the statutes which had not been found applicable to the
circumstances of the people, so as to compromise the whole of the statutes, from Magna Charta to the
13th, George 3d, in the year 1773.
    In pursuance of this plan, the left hand pages* will be found to contain the chapters and the titles of
the statutes belonging to that class, with notes, stating the reasons, as to those which might otherwise
appear doubtful, but leaving without any remark, those which from the titles appeared free from doubt.
    A small variation has been made at the commencement of the year 1360, by giving only the general
heads instead of the titles, for the reasons which are stated in a note thereon; and at the commencement
of the year 1461, the heads of the statutes as they stand in Cay's abridgement, omitting those
not inserted therein; and from the year 1760, omitting entirely those statutes which had not extended
to the province.
    In the right hand pages will be found, in the first column, the chapters and the titles of those statutes
which I have considered as having found applicable to the circumstances of the people in the
province; and in order that they might be all presented to the view of the assembly, I have placed in
the second column, those chapters which appeared to me not proper to be incorporated, with the reasons
for my opinions on them.
    The third column, comprises the statutes which either in the whole or in part, I have considered in
the terms of the resolution, as proper to be introduced and incorporated into the body of the statute
law of this state.
    Separate lists are also added of the chapters and general heads of those statutes which did extend,
but are not proper to be incorporated, and of the chapters and titles of those, which are considered
proper to be incorporated; and full indexes are subjoined, by the last of which particularly, a judgement
may be formed from the subjects that are therein embraced, of the statutes reported as proper to
be incorporated with our laws.
    The report thus made, has been grounded on a careful perusal and consideration of the statutes at
large, and on an examination, as far as it was practicable, of the records of the former provincial court,
and the legislative and executive proceedings of the government before the revolution, for which I
have to acknowledge the assistance of the officers having respectively the custody of those documents.
    With respect to the criminal statutes, (which before the making of the penitentiary law of the last
session, were considered of the most importance,) the records have afforded the most conclusive evidence
as to the usage and practice under them.

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    * In pursuance of the power given by the resolution of the last session, respecting alterations in the arrangement of the matter of the report
of the statutes, it has been found advisable to depart from the mode originally adopted and herein referred to, of placing the several classes of
statutes in opposite pages and columns, and to print them under seperate divisions--the first, containing the titles of such statutes as had not
extended to the province--the second, of those which had extended, but were not proper to be incorporated--and the third, of those which
had extended and were proper to be continued.