DEPARTMENT OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH. II9 



completer knowledge of their contents for American history, and that, the 

 logical first step being the preparation of Mr. Leland's general Guide to the 

 Materials for American History in the Archives of Paris, the second should 

 properly be, for the region of the Mississippi Valley, the making of a com- 

 prehensive and detailed calendar of individual documents. 



Acting on the basis of a report prepared by Mr. Leland, the committee 

 prepared a scheme, which was adopted at the annual meeting of the Associa- 

 tion in December, 1908. Efforts were then begun to secure the subscriptions 

 needful for carrying out the work. In October, the necessary sum was re- 

 ported to be all subscribed, the subscribers being the Departments of Archives 

 and History in Mississippi and Alabama, the Howard Memorial Library in 

 New Orleans, the Missouri Historical Society, the Kansas State Historical 

 Society, the State Historical Society of Iowa, the Illinois State Historical 

 Library, the Chicago Historical Society, the Indiana Historical Society, the 

 Wisconsin State Historical Society, and the Michigan Pioneer and Historical 

 Society. Work was at once begun in Paris upon the enterprise, which will 

 be under the general charge of Mr. Leland, who is obviously in a peculiarly 

 good position for managing it. His supervision will constitute this Depart- 

 ment's contribution to the undertaking. It is very gratifying that the second 

 stage in archive-exploitation, that of calendaring, should in the case of this 

 important body of material have followed so closely upon the first ; and, in 

 view of the activity of the Western historical societies and workers, one can 

 not but feel sure that large results will flow from the eventual publication of 

 the calendar. 



Mr. Leland has also devoted a small part of his time in Europe, when offi- 

 cial journeys made it possible, to study of archive-systems and buildings, 

 and a large part of his time in America to his new duties as secretary of the 

 American Historical Association. Miss Davenport spent a part of her time 

 in the spring in the preparation for that society of a descriptive list of the 

 materials for English diplomatic history in the modern period, a contribu- 

 tion to the bibliographical work on modern English history which the society 

 is planning to carry out, with English aid. 



As in previous years, searches and copies have been made by the Depart- 

 ment, or under its supervision, for organizations such as the Illinois State 

 Historical Library and various historical societies, and for many individuals. 

 Letters of inquiry as to historical papers in Washington and other matters 

 have been answered with great freedom. The Director has, as a matter of 

 course, done what he could in small miscellaneous ways to further the in- 

 terests in Washington of the American Historical Association and of Ameri- 

 can historical scholars. 



