Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-22
SOURCES OF HISTORY.
What Other Governments Are Doing
and the United States Should Do.

SOURCES OF HISTORY.
and the United States Should Do.
Eugene Schuyler, whose nomination for as
sistant secretary Of state was withdrawn by the
President has an interesting letter in the New
York Euering Post upon the project of Mr.. B.
F. Stevens for publishing photo-lithographic
fac SMILES of various historical and diplomatic
documents relating to the United States in the
English and other foreign archives. Most
European governments, Mr.. Schuyler says are
more liberal than the United States, where the
documents in the possession of the state
department are guarded most jealousy,
and it is very difficult to obtain permission to
see them. Some amusing examples of these
difficulties we're given by the late Frederick
kapp, who, when writing his life of Baron
Steuben, was refused permission to consult the
papers about him in our national archives.
Most European archives have been carefully
arranged of late years in rooms which permit
OF easy access to them, with additional rooms
for the purposes of historical study; aud nearly
all OF them have also been well indexed, SO that
1t is possible for the archivist to place at once
his hands on any document. Mr.. Schuyler
speaks with regard to this positively. because
he has studied in the archives of Paris, the
Hague, Vienna, Moscow, Venice and various
former Italian capitals. At the Hague per-
haps the authorities were too lax, for he
was left alone for hours in a room filled
with documents with no one to supervise him.
Inc most comfortable place was Moscow,
where all the documents relating to foreign
affairs are preserved down to the beginning of
the present century (the later ones being in
81 Petersburg) IN building recently erected
for that purpose. More than this, European
governments have begun system Of publish
ing portions of their archives in some cases
the Older ones. which more difficult to de-
cipher and ought not to be too much handled,
and IN others those pertaining to historical
periods OF very general interests and they are
Trying TO complete the public documents in their
own possession by others relating to them in
foreign archives.
WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT HAS DONE.
The United States government, Mr.. Schuyler
says, made good beginning in this direction.
but 1t has not followed it up since the war as it
should have done. 1t purchased the papers of
Washington for $4,000, those of Monroe for
go, 900, and those of Hamilton for $40 OO0 in
ciudlng the expenses Of publication, as well as
large COLLECTIONS of papers Of Jefferson, Madi-
son. and John Adams, the last great acquisition
IN TINS nne being those papers of Franklin,
preserved in England, which have recently
been turned to very good use by historical
students. Besides this, the government
printed the proceedings of the convention
which formed the Constitution and the secret
journals OF the old Congress, at an expense of
Slo,o42; the diplomatic Correspondence of
the American Revolution" edited by Jared
Sparks, which was originally printed in
Boston in 1929 and 1880, in twelve vol
umes, at a cost of $4,000, and was sub
sequently reprinted at Washington in
1891 In six volumes; the diplomatic correspond
ence from 1888 to 1889. printed at Washington
In 1888 and 1884, in seven volumes, at cost of
over $4,000, and reprinted in 1887, in three
volumes; the diplomatic correspondence from
1883 to 1928. entitled American State Papers,
Glass l, Foreign Relations" which was pub
Hshed IN six volumes at Washington from 1882
to 1859; and the collection of American Arch
lves,' edited by the late Peter Force, of which
nine volumes were published at Washington be-
tween 1887 and lS4S, at cost of over S236. OOO
The State department possesses also a large
mass OF other papers relating to our revolu-
tionary history which are almost unknown, ow-
ing to the want of funds for indexing them,
and the restrictions on the study of historical
students; and. among a mass of other material
ali the journals, law books. &C., of the Russian
American company, which are very important
for the history of the whole Pacific coast and
ought by all means to be readily accessible.
IN VARIOUS EUROPEAN ARCHIVES
there still exists mass of matter practically,
and in many cases wholly, unknown in America,
the careful study of which would throw an en-
tirely new light on many events in our early
history. Mr.. Bancroft. in his preliminary
studies for his history made and had made
copious extracts from the papers to which he
obtained access, but many have become Access
sible and even known since that time. Henry
Adams, too, possesses copies of very many for
elgn state papers relating to American history
during the early part of the present century.
Even should these collections come into the
possession of the state department of the nation
al library they would be imperfect. Unfor-
tunately, it is not easy for students of American
history to visit European capitals with suffi-
Gent means and leisure, as well as official in
Productions to enable them to study the arch
ives thoroughly. Some of them find it diff
fcult to make a prolonged stay for such
purpose even at Washington, Boston, or Albany.
and 1t is OF importance, therefore, not only
that our government should acquire every
thing which can throw a light on the history Of
our country, but that all of this should be
printed, 50 as to be widely accessible
Papers relating to our revolutionary history
are Ill the Russian, German, Spanish, and Dutch
archives, but naturally the documents pre-
served in England are by far the most import
ant to u.s. as II Is necessary for any historian to
see both sides OF the question. Besides diplo-
matte correspondence with other governments
during the American revolution preserved at
the foreign office (and until 1888 this includes
correspondence with European governments
only there are the various documents in the
tOR6Iner
from the various offices of the crown, and those
relating to America alone, from the earliest
times down to the year 1888, fill 700 volumes
They include the military correspondence and
reports, and the relations between the colonies
and the board of trade and the other depart
ments OF the government. In addition to these
there are the papers preserved in the British
museum, in the Royal institution, in the Lans-
downe, Germaine, Dartmouth, Auckland, and
Carlisle papers-and those of other private
families whose members were more or
less concerned with American affairs, not all of
which are yet brought to light. For the twelve
years from 1772 to 1784 Mr.. Stevens, who has
for the last twenty-five years been engaged in
searching for such documents has catalogued
or triply indexed one hundred and twenty
thousand different papers, few Of which have
ever been published or consulted, and many of
which are entirely unknown. The proposal of
MIR. Stevens for making transcripts Of the doc
uments existing in the English archives was
strongly supported by Mr. Lowell when min
lister at London, by Mr.. Evarts when Secretary
of State, and by Mr.. Frelinghuysen when Sec
rotary OF State; and both in 1888 and 1884 the
matter was warmly recommended to the library
committee of the Senate. Secretary Bayard
also urged upon Congress the Importance of
purchasing MIR. Stevens papers on the Clinton
CORVALLIS controversy, but without success,
and now MIR. Stevens proposes series of pho
photographic copies of the original documents.
The Importance of utilizing Mr.. Stevens large
experience ought to insure the support of the