New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-24
HISTORICAL AUTOGRAPHS.
DIR. SPRAGUE'S RARE COLLECTION
FOUR CENTURIES OF AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN

gar early had a rich field before thcm There were
not more than three or four, of whom two-thc l"'e
Rev. Dr. william b. Spraguc, and Mr. TEN oil "a
Yannah-vcrc the most fortunate, in the historical
value of the stores which they am9Sscd. The former
commencing his labOrS about the year $50, con-
tinned them with zeal which increased with Their
returns for period of 10 wears. He has left behind
him collection containing from 10000 TO 100000
letters docdmentS other manuscripts OF the emil
nent men and women of America and Europe during
the past four centuries Few collections made by
individuals have been more extensive or mPor'aht'
in this country there is none which embraces 80
many rare Illustrations Of our own history for the
past century and half.
In 1890 family archives were numerous ana VAL
uable. The conservative spirit Inherited from the
Colonial times was still strong enough to preserve
the correspondence and other manuScHpt recoiGS "i
previous generations bat on the other hahd' tltS
were generally left unread stored away IN luhiD''-
rooms and in MANY instances were readily give"
away when the gift found to he iaVor' ~
SpraRue's acquaintance with many noteu lanln''H'
and the respect in which he was held by Them eha-
HE'D him to collect from their archives and to save
colate. and arrange in historical sequence a great
deal of material which would either have been lost
ar derived of its true value by being scattered
HIS service has consisted not only IN The collection
of the stores but also in their later arrangement
Ont Of them have grown a number of complete sets
of letters and documents, representing d'Stlh't
events in orr early history; and it.wou'd no" ne
ouite impossible to replace some of thciu, II these
were lost
There is TOO great an accumulation Of treasures to
be described in detail; but few OF them must he
mentioned in historical order. First, there Is
complete set of letters written by the Commissioners
of the Colonies. who met at Albany. III the year
l754 to frame the first plan Of Union inns Is
uuioue-yet it is followed by another equally so:
complete set Of manuscripts, representing the Men,
bers of the Colonial Congress Of 1863, which met
ri Ncyt-York and took measures OF protection against
.he Stamp Act. Then come two complete SETS OF
letters written by the signcTs OF the Declaration 81
ndrbendence one of which. in three massive folio
Volumes has the biography of each SigncT " 1n,&ld
sheets and Az immense quantity Of rare ILLUSTRATIVE
portraits and autographs Another volume contains
LETTERS from every major and brigadergenera COM
rnissioncd IN the Continental Congress, 100 I'D
number Il il the only collection Of the
kind ever made and is of great historical interest.
Fwcnty-threc of the letters addressed to WASH
ingtou on army business and several ORIGINAL dHcu-
ments concerning the treason OF Arnold lamohs
them q letter from Major Andre. signed John An
derson') are INCLUDED in the volume. Two other
peyfcct collections complete this treasury Of historic
scrpts of all the members of the convention which
framed the Constitution of the Uaited States in
17sS. The other in three folio volumes, embraces
every officer of the United States GoyrTnmcut-in-
Guiding Presidents. VIce-PresidentS, Mcmbcrs OF th'
Cabinet Judges of the Supreme Court, and Foreign
MIuistrrs-irom the beginning of Wa>hington'S adj
ministrat0n to the end Of that OF john Quincy
Adams.
These seven complete collections, in II folio vol
umes ought properly to belong - The United States
or, failing an appreciation OF their value by the
Library Committee of Congress, q the state vi New
York. in the latter case however stipulation
should be made tlat none of the manuscripts are 10
be cut out and sent to borrowers whose names are
not even registered. The volumes belong together,
and should be kept together: the loss OF one would
damage the whole collection far more than its scpa-
rate value. Indeed, all the American letters and
documents so laboriously accumulated by d..
Srrague should be acquired either b. the National
Government or the state. Among other things they
include "A choice selection from Washiugon's corr
spandcnce NJ which is Il rcmaIkqble letter from
Gen. Burgoync and very charming one from
Francis H1ik.nson. Three relics which cane from
the Washington family, have 10 historical lmpor-
lance vet they are priceless Tie first is scrap Of
paper with a sum in division, few arithmctcal
memoranda and the name George W. in a stli
childish hand. 1t is a record of Na-hingtons treIh
year Tie next is a problem IN surveying with
a neat grpund-plan ard calculation, made
at the age Of D. The third is the report OF sur
Ney' enSI"N> Il III ,t "o'' ., eH "'' ~ T.,
Snip ana s'LAr" E'"'Ie 7" NM ',.' = 80
NeyoIS Cl'rA ''' ~ u''c' ~" no -',' 49,
1,,,-s ~ ltoi,r l,r,.o,e Noon Of
o., l, t ll ,,t - tho - ho,.isL b,,l
IN, ,,,.,,.,I ,,r,,.i;,,.s Hessla ths co,urIato
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