114 REPORTS OF INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



PLANS FOR 1909. 



No entirely new plans for the coming year are proposed. The program 

 laid out in my first annual report provides an ample series of projects, and ex- 

 perience shows how much longer it takes to execute plans properly than to 

 frame them. Continuance of undertakings now in progress is clearly indi- 

 cated as the expedient and sufficient program for 1909. 



Reports, Aids, and Guides. — In June, as soon as he is able to do so, Mr. 

 Andrews will repair to London, to finish on the spot the rewriting of his 

 "Guide to the materials for the history of the United States to 1783" in the 

 Public Record Office. He has furnished me with a detailed statement of 

 what remains to be done. It will occupy three months. After his return to 

 Baltimore he will put the volume into its final shape as soon as is practicable. 



Mr. Bolton will arrange his Mexican material for publication as rapidly as 

 possible after his return to his academic duties at Austin. When opportuni- 

 ties for brief absence occur, he will visit and examine those remaining archives 

 of northern Mexico, near Texas, which have not yet been included in his 

 work, and will incorporate the results of these supplementary searches into 

 his book. 



Mr. Leland, after several months of work in Paris, came to the conclusion 

 that the nature of the manuscript material for American history to be found 

 there admitted of two forms of inventory — one which could be completed far 

 within the limits of his time in Paris (14 months), the other and much more 

 useful form one which could not possibly be completed without the expendi- 

 ture of some 5 months more. This is owing to the fact that, while some parts 

 of the material lie in continuous masses of related matter, resulting from con- 

 tinuous administrative procedure and admitting of succinct description, much 

 the largest part consists of single papers scattered through masses of other 

 matter, and not to be dealt with in a manner at all useful to the reader save 

 by outright listing. Moreover, nothing short of listing in these parts can en- 

 able the book to take account, as it can and should, of the documents in 

 French archives which have been printed or of which copies exist in the 

 United States. The difference between the two forms of inventory is approx- 

 imately represented by the difference between Mr. Shepherd's Guide to the 

 chief Spanish Archives and Mr. Andrews's Guide to the British. There can 

 be no question that the latter is to be preferred, unless, as in the Spanish case, 

 the enlargement would, on account of peculiar conditions, lead to several 

 years' delay. Accordingly it has been determined that Mr. Leland, returning 

 to Washington early in December and remaining here till June, occupied with 

 other work that ought not to be postponed and with the editing of the Paris- 

 ian material thus far accumulated, should go again to Paris in June for four 

 months to finish his work in accordance with the larger plan now assigned 

 to it. 



