Peter Force, who served two terms as mayor of Washington (1836-1848) and was an active supporter of John Quincy Adams in the 1824 presidential campaign, is best known as a collector and editor of historical and statistical information. Inspired by his father's participation in the Revolutionary War, Force dedicated many years of his life to collecting material about Revolutionary and colonial history. Between 1836 and 1846 he published four volumes entitled "Tracts and Other Papers, Relating Principally to the Origin, Settlement, and Progress of the Colonies in North America," a compilation of reprints of rare pamphlets pertaining to colonial history. This particular volume, the third in the series, focuses on Virginia. Documents from 1610 to 1688 range over an eclectic mix of topics, including lists of official proclamations and laws, names of ships and men sent to colonize Virginia, descriptions of local birds and wildlife, and tips on how to increase the number of mulberry trees and breed silkworms. This collection provides readers with a unique and fascinating glimpse of life in that colony.