Upon the full organization of the State government the city of Albany became the capital, and the Colonial and Provincial records — other than those relating to the municipality of the metropolis — which had formerly been kept in new-york, were removed thither. The pressing concerns of a new and impoverished Commonwealth for a long time prevented much thought being given to those silent and fading memorials which recorded the events of the earlier days of the State. Yet, there were many who looked upon historical inquiry in its true light, as an incentive to progress and an aid to patriotism. They felt that too little was known of the olden times of new-york, and that especially the half century during which it was a distant dependency of Holland was the dark period in its history.