Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-05-08

:
VIZ HAVE had occasion more than once
to notice the extraordinary negligence with
which papers Of great Importance, fouhd in
places occupied by our armies, have been
dispersed and destroyed. The library Of
the rebel General Dick Taylor, containing
the papers and, correspondence of PFesi.
dent Taylor, was scattered to the Winds
Jefferson DaVis's library and papers, 4 We
believe, were forwarded to Washington,
after the abstraction of documents enough
to supply the, Western press with a series
of entertaining publications for half year.
AtOharleston and Elsewhere in South Car.
oliua the same neglect of the materials Of
history has been observed. A correspond.
ent, writing to one of our contemporaries.
after getting access to the Charleston court
House, has the assurance to say:-
II entered the building, and, in rapid
but discriminating rummage through the
several rooms, had brains enough to se.
cure small though choice collection of
historical literary and autographic curios.
tiles, such as will be, the future envy of
many maniac in such matters. Letters
of revolutionary date from General Marion.
Charles CoteswoFth Pinckney, Henry Laus
rens, John Rutle0ge, t., SC; documents
bearing the names OF De Saussure, Raveuel.
Drayton, Legare, Hayne, Bsrnwell, Porch.
er Miles, SC, &c. Circulars, secretly is
sued in the time of publication, aud, mi
TG6iLe dietu, the official report of the Multi.
iers' Convention of 1882 itself; ancient
legal papers, dating back as far as 1883,
one of which is a deed of 625 acres on Port
Roysl Island, executed nearly century
ago. These literary and legal documents
nterary carpeted the floors OF the old
Court House."
1t is hardly necessary to point out to
our readers that in public collections of
this sort and in the private correspond cence
of leaders at the SoutbS the future histo.
risn will search eagerly for the secret his
tory of this rebellion; and tits uphappily
but too certain that he will find in the re.
cords mauYa hiatus which need not have
existed, but for the negligence of our au-
thorities.
| We are glad to see that one Of the first
steps of General Halleck upon taking COM
maud in Richmond was to establish a
Bureau ofPubliO Archives, of which Col.
R. D. Cults is ArchiVe.keeper.
I ''ssehivo bsree.i rodras 4sEs. at snpe to
be opened and fitted up 10 de United
States customs building, where win be
collected and arranged all captured pa.
persr books, maps and public documents,
which will be taken. charge of by Colonel
Cuts and competent force Of clerks.
"In contamination of the undertaking,
all officers and men IN the service of the
United States,ell citizens, and all persons
heretofore in the service of the 90 called
Confederate States having in their pos!
session such documents are required to i'm.
diately deposit them in the arChive rooms.
All such articles belonging to officers of the
alleged confederate government, who have
fed this Jurisdiction and these lines, are
held to be now the public property of the
United States."
General Halleck. will receive the thanks
Of every lover of historical research for
this timely interpositiou on behalf of
treasures, which a thousand busy hands
were collecting and Dispensing through the
North, not for the purpose of investiga.
ton, butas mere curiosities.