Work of the Division of Manuscripts bit of lace work. The damage thus done is in some cases irreparable, and forcibly illustrates the risks and dangers attending the care and preservation of manuscripts in semitropical or tropical climates where a rainy season and heat favor the development of these destructive pests. The nature of this collection of Spanish documents may be seen from the following selected list, taken from the labels of the bundles, of which there were 372 in all: 1. Correspondence with British authorities. 2. Councils of war, royal regulations and orders, etc. 3. Documents of the delivery of East Florida to the United States. 4. Embargo and revolution of 1795. 5. Indian presents. 6. Louisiana, Pensacola, Apalache, and Indians. 7. Memorials and concessions. 8. Negro titles, runaways, etc. 9. Oaths of allegiance. 10. Plans of fortifications and public buildings. II. Proclamations, edicts, etc. 12. Secret correspondence of Captain-General, and a large quantity of the correspondence of the Captain General with the home government, the Viceroy of Mexico, and his subordinate officers. Mention should also be made of a copy of a "Historia de las Islas Marianas desde llegada de los Españoles hasta hoy, 15 Mayo, 1870," written by Filipa María de la Corte y Ruano Calderon. This was received from Commander George L. Dyer, U. S. Navy, commander of Guam. In the last year the Division has repaired and mounted, preparatory for binding, 9.444 separate pieces, involving great care and minute attention to actual and possible injuries. The size, weight, and probable use of a document determine what repair or guards shall be given to it, quite as much as actual injuries through rust, damp, or past handling. The use of paper (much employed about 1830-1840), which in time becomes so brittle as to forbid so much as lifting a sheet, imposes upon the Library more time and expense than are demanded by the strong, handmade papers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. An entire volume of the early commercial correspondence of George Washington, containing 150 large folio leaves, was found to be breaking, and each page was covered with crêpeline to save it from further damage. In addition to the repairs of manuscripts there have been mounted for binding 1,627 songs, Northern and Confederate-a collection of local and personal interGood progress has been made in mounting the Papers of the Continental Congress, and an additional volume has been prepared from certain unarranged documents, being the oaths of allegiance taken by the civil officers of the Continental Congress—an invaluable guide for judging the handwriting of the papers emanating from that body. The credentials of the delegates to the Congress are also being mounted. The Belcher-Waldron letters (principally drafts) are ready for binding. In each case the task of the repairer was exacting, but the final form of the papers fully justifies the time and labor expended upon them. est. DIVISION OF MANUSCRIPTS: The publications of the Division in the past year were confined to the issue of the Journals of the Continental Publications Congress for 1775, in two volumes, and two calendars. The auction price obtained for the former editions of the Journals (the originals, 1774-1789, bringing from $30 to $68, the Folwell edition, from $16 to $30, and the reprint from $8 to $14); the increasing rarity of sets (hardly a dozen sets being recorded in the sales of the last twenty years), and the notorious incompleteness and inaccuracy of these earlier editions, pointed to the necessity for a new, Vernon-Wager papers full, and collated text, based upon the original records. The matter was explained in my report for 1904 (p. 69), and the issue of three volumes has proved the opportunity for a public service. The size of the edition was limited to one that could be covered by the general allotment for printing for the Library, and the distribution made was intended to place the volumes where they would be most accessible for students and investigators. After sending a copy to each Senator and Representative and to each of the leading public and institutional libraries in the United States, and a lesser number abroad, a part of the edition was placed for sale with the Superintendent of Public Documents in order that he might supply those who could make use of the work and whose claims for a free copy could not be met by the Library. More than 150 sets have already been disposed of through that agency. Calendar of The Calendar of the Vernon-Wager papers, prepared by Mr. John C. Fitzpatrick, was issued during the last year. This describes an important collection relating to British naval operations in the West Indies, and containing documents and letters from 1654 to 1753, with some papers relating to the expulsion of the Acadians and to military matters in Canada and Virginia. Obtained by Peter Force from the library of George Chalmers, whose services in preserving historical material on colonial administration in America always call for praise, these papers are now for the first time made available for historical purposes. The volume contains facsimile reproductions of two letters of Admiral Charles Wager and Vice Admiral Edward Vernon, and of Wager's plan for an attack on Manila, 1739. Chronological list of Monroe papers There was also issued a Chronological List of the Papers of James Monroe, prepared by Mr. Wilmer Ross Leech. The larger part of these papers was transferred from the Department of State; but the list includes also such other Monroe manuscripts as are to be found in the various collections in the Library of Congress. It supplements the alphabetical calendar issued by the Department of State, by enabling the student to consult readily the documents covering a certain year or a period of time. The journal kept by Monroe during the negotiations for the purchase of Louisiana in 1803 was reproduced in facsimile for this volume as the document of highest interest at this particular time. The calendar of the Benjamin Franklin collection has been completed and is now in the hands of the printer. The listing of the Andrew Jackson papers is progressing as rapidly as can be expected, but much remains to be done. Brief calendars have also been prepared of the Edward Preble, the John M. Clayton, and the Franklin Pierce collections. Some progress has been made toward such a calendar of the John Fitch, the Caleb B. Smith, and the naval papers (including two volumes of letters of John Paul Jones) in the Papers of the Continental Congress. A calendar is well in hand of the correspondence between General Washington and the Continental Congress. This will cover one of the most interesting as well as valuable correspondences of the Revolution, including, as it does, many inclosures, letters, documents, petitions, and resolutions of the Congress. The number of main entries in this calendar made to June 30, 1905, is 3,200, which cover the letters from Washington and their inclosures, and part of the replies. The total number of entries required will be about 5,000, and the work will probably be completed in the current year. Calendars in preparation CALENDARS: Method of com As some change has been made in the extent or scope of the calendars prepared in this Division, the present pilation offers a fitting opportunity to explain the methods. The Division has issued two most elaborate calendars of mate CALENDARS: pilation rial in its possession, that of the Washington papers, 1901, and that of John Paul Jones, 1903. The Jones calendar contained 883 entries and occupied the labor of an expert two full years to complete, allowance being made for interruptions. The Washington list demanded nearly the same amount of time and labor. The cost of calendaring was thus excessive, and if applied generally would frequently exceed the value of the collection treated. Nor has experience shown the advantage of such minute descriptions of documents, the entry in the calendar sometimes containing more words than the document itself. The investigator can never be satisfied with any summary of contents, but must refer to the original letter, and nothing short of a full publication can meet his needs. In place of a full calendar a partial one is now made, in which only the leading names and subjects are noted. The names of the writer and of the person to whom written, the place and time of writing, and a brief reference to the matter or contents of the paper-these entries are sufficient to serve as a general guide to the nature of the collection. The time saved is of importance, a few months sufficing for the preparation of such a partial calendar, and three or four collections can be made available within the same time as was required formerly by one collection. In the arrangement of collections the progress has been as follows: The Andrew Johnson, Salmon P. Chase, and Neil Jamieson collections have been arranged chronologically, and, in proper manila jackets, are open to investigators. The Crittenden and McArthur papers are ready for this arrangement, and the new Van Buren papers are almost ready for handling. As the letters are received, as a rule, folded or in the original coverings, they must be first opened and pressed before they can be arranged. The usual number of inclosures, of undated letters and papers, of news |