Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-08
of Thatcher incunabula, consisting of COL

of Thacher incunabula. consisting Of col
lections made by John Boyd Thacher of
Albany. n. Y, for many years an tnoe-
fatigable collector of autographs. Column
biana, French revolutionary literature
and of incunabula. Through the gener-
osity Of Mrs. Thacher, this entire col
lection, including 92s volumes of Euro
pean incunabula. representing over 800
presses, has been placed in the Library
for exhibit and study under suitable regu-
lations, so long as it shall be in the GUS
tody of the Library
One of the most important accesS1ons
Of the year has been the volumes OF
Madison papers heretofore owned by the
Chicago Historical Society. the title to
which has now passed to the United
States Historical investigators have
long been embarrassed by the circum-
stance that. while the great bulk of the
Madison papers was here. an important
part of them was i'll Chicago, so that
satisfactory study was possible only by
a resort to both places.
The group of papers thus added con-
stitutes eleven volumes, averaging lH]
foltos each. Many of the. folios contain
two or more of Madisons microscopic
drafts of his letters. Added to the Mad
ison papers already in the Library. the
whole collection is now brought up to
ninety-one volumes, making it one of the
most comprehensive in the possession OF
the government.
Hardly less gratifying than its action
with reference to the Madison manu-
scripts, says the librarian, was the trans
fer by the Chicago Historical Society OF
the papers of James X. Polk, Which 1t
had acquired in 1901. These constitute
twenty-four volumes of Folks diary and
miscellaneous collection of about 43O
letters to and from him. In 1908 this
Library acquired the main Polk collec
ton. estimated at 1880 documents. and
one volume of the diary.
Gifts to the Library.
During the year the manuscript col
lections have benefited by several notable
gifts.
From the heirs of Mrs. Anna Parker
Pruyn of Albany, N. Y, the Library re-
ceived the papers of William Eustis of
Massachusetts,, consisting Of letters ex-
tending over a period of nearly fifty
years, from 1I1J-1S23
For the Stevenson papers, consisting
of the correspondence of Andrew Steven
son. representative in Congress from ISL
| to 1884. and Speaker of the House from
| 1927 to 1884, and minister at the court
of St. James from 1884 to 1871. and OF
| John w. Stevenson. representative in
Congress from Kentucky from 1857 tc
| 1861, delegate to the Philadelphia union
convention of 1866, and Governor of Ken
lucky from 1867 to 1871, the Library is
indebted to Mrs Mary w. Stevenson Col
ston of Cincinnati.
The Burton Harrison collection has
been added to by gifts from Francis
B. Harrison. consisting of letters OF
Thomas Jefferson. Henry Clay and Alex
ander Porter, senator from Louisiana
and notes of conversation with James
Madison 1S27D, by Jesse BurtoM II harrison
correspondence of Burton n. Harrison
| relative to the defense of jefferson Davis
| 1S66-67, and letters showing the dispo-
Sition made of the specie in the Confed.
crate treasury after the surrender in 1865
The Margaret Bayard Smith papers, a
gift from Mrs Harold Dillingham; of Hon.
olulu. Mrs. Baldwin Wood and the Misses
Alice and Henrietta Smith of San Fran.
cisco were among the accessions for the
year.
| Through the interest of Judge j. Law.
| renee Campbell, Richard X. Campbell anG
Henry r. Campbell. grandsons of tn,
late Richard X. Cralle, the Library is IL
possession of a body of some eight,
papers left by Mr.. Cralle, pertaining t.
the history of the war of 1872. the Next
| can war, and the efforts to nominate Cal
houn for the presidency.
William Short Papers.
Through purchase the William Shor
papers We're acquired. William Short oc
cupied important diplomatic position,
from 1855 to 1895. He preserved nearl,
all the letters he received, and the pres
copies or rough drafts Of his replies, an,
the total humber of documents acquire,
by the Library is upward of 1900.
An important undertaking of this Ii
brary is the copying of manuscript ma
terial in the English archives relative +
| the American colonies.
The chief of the document division re