Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-07
Work Issued by the Carnegie
Institution.
INTEREST TO STUDENTS
LOCATION OF DOCUMENTS IN
GOVERNMENT ARCHIVES.
Paper No. ID Proves a Volume OF
Large Acknowledgement to Be
Continued-Results.

The results of the first attempt that has
ever been made to bring within the covers
of single volume a description of the his
torical materials to be found in the ar
chieves of the government has just been
given in q publication issued by the Car
negie Institution. 1t is modestly termed
No IA of the papers of the bureau OF his
torical research. of which Mr.. Andrew q.
Mclaughlin is the head, but as 1t makes
large octave, almost a quarto, OF 10 pages
1t might seem that the word paper is
hardly an adequate description Of the work
The field that it covers Is original In the
sense that no effort has been previously
made on the present scale, or IN fact on
ANYTHING approaching it, to give informa-
ton in regard to the sources OF historical
information In what are termed the ar
cbIves of the government. Lists have been
published of some of the manuscript col
iections and publications have been mace
relating to certain classes of materials
which constitute about all that has been
undertaken. .
The purpose of the work at first was TO
secure informa ton as to the location or
important historical materials and TO de-
scribe how they were preserved ana ar
ranged and to give some aceouh. ot 'n tha
nature that would be of service TO the
historical student. The original scope was
much enlarged, so that the results OF the
work are described by Mr.. Mclaughlin 10
be a general survey or the Ha.errd hot Al thav
archives, a guide so to speak. or what they
contain and where they are TO De Iouhu
Only in cases, 1t is stated where ma ma lns
are of special interest historically, was
there auy effort to give anything ap-
nroaching detailed information, as In some
instances it was found to be Impossible 70
get details. 1t Is the intention OF lne
bureau of historical research 10 CONTINUE u
,l,A III
nosed to make from time to time reports On
the portions that have peculiar interest 10
historical investigators.
Other Records Studied.
Instead of combining the investgatlon
to merely historical materials 1t was
found necessary to include what are
termed administrative records. A survey
of all the branches, bureaus and d1vls-
ions of the federal government mas peen
made by Mr. Van Tyne and Mr. Leland
who conducted the work. The volume IN
cludes more than a mere description Oh
the records and collections In the possess
sion of the government in this city. A
brief Introductory sketch precedes the
account given of each of the various
offices mentioned, and included In the
latter besides the executive departments,
are both houses of Congress, the Whlte
House. the Supreme Court, the Library OF
Congress- &c. Mention is made OF printed
histories statistics that are In exist
ence of the office in question and their
photographic feature is carried out to the
extent of including references to maya
zine and other articles that contain In
formation Following this introduction
comes in regular order an account OF the
materials to be found in the files.
Some notion of the immensely of the
task may be obtained from the enumera-
ton given of the various branches by
which the work of the government Is car
rfa c a
twenty distinct departments, commissions
or other governmental organizations, which
are in turn divided into considerably more
than one hundred bureaus or offices; many
of these are still further divided into d.
visions or branches. Attention Is called
10 the mere mass of the records or the
government which, of course, includes
everything whether II pertains to the ad-
illustrative work or is purely historical
in character.
In some cases the two classes are blended
and naturally what is at one time only
the record OF current business becomes in
the lapse of time or from the course or
circumstances of vital historic consequence.
In reference, however, to the entire mass
of the public records without regard to
their character its bulk has now reached
such proportions as to be. in the language
of the investigators. appalling In a single
office of the Treasury Department, Tor
example Il is stated. the records cover
over ten miles of shelving; the volumes or
the diplomatic and consula ar correspondence
in the State Depar tment are to be num-
bered by the thousands; few years ago
the adjutant general reported that In addl-
ton to several tons Of confederate records
already described there were over ten tons
of books and papers. the character OF
which had not, as yet been ascertalned
Comprehensiveness as Guide.
AS guide to this bewildering mass and
as a means of giving Information where to
look for information, this work has a COM
prehnsiveness that will be appreciated.
While as stated, a detached list Is not
given of everything that is to be found in
the records of the government, yet much
information Is supplied that will give d.
rectness to researches that may be made
for data which is supposed to be found
in the public offices.
In addition TO an excellent index, the
volume contains a list of the books and
printed matter relating 10 the various
branches of the government and the his
torical materials which they contain This
photography is of special value.
AS the District of Columbia is not part
~ the federal government, rather is
not so recognized an examination of the
materials TO be found in the District build
ing was not made in this connection. There
is at the present time, and there has been
in the past, the direct supervision or led
eral authority in several directions In the
MANAGEMENT OF the District, and the rec
ordS OF such supervision are, or course
found in one or more OF the public offices
and are duly noted in this work.
In State Department.
For instance it is recorded that in the
State Department, among papers relating
to territories, some pertaining TO the