<p>Prompted by the interest which has arisen since the publication of former editions of this comedy, the author takes occasion to state that "The Merchant Prince of Cornville" was written between the years 1875 and 1879. It was circulated and read in manuscript copies until 1895, when, at the request of many persons, it was placed in the hands of the printers for publication in book form, from whom printed proofs were received in July, of that y...