198 REPORTS ON INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



portion of the Jahresberichte der Geschichtswissenschaft, published by the 

 Historical Society of Berlin. 



In accordance with the practice established during Mr. McLaughlin's 

 tenure of this office, several persons competent in historical investigation 

 have been aided to come to Washington for that purpose by grants from the 

 appropriation made toward that end. They were: Mr. J. S. Fox, assistant 

 in the University of Michigan, studying certain aspects of the organization 

 of colonial legislatures ; Mr. J. P. Bretz, assistant in the University of Chi- 

 cago, studying the extension of the United States postal system into the 

 West; Mr. J. K. Lacock, studying the history of the Whisky Insurrection; 

 Mr. C. S. Larzelere, studying the internal boundaries of the United States; 

 Mr. J. L. Conger, of the University of Wisconsin, making researches into 

 the history of nullification in South Carolina; Prof. E. C. Barker, of the 

 University of Texas, who came to examine papers relating to Texas history 

 preserved in the Washington archives, and Dean W. H. Isely, of Fairmount 

 College, making similar inquiries into the history of the strife in Kansas in 

 1854-1859. Our practice has been to require that each such grantee shall at 

 his departure deposit in our office, for our benefit and that of future inquirers, 

 a more detailed account than has hitherto existed of the contents of that por- 

 tion of the Government archives which he has especially examined. I believe 

 that, under these arrangements, such grants are useful, and I hope that they 

 may be continued. 



While the Library of Congress must always be our main reliance for books, 

 and while we are given the most liberal opportunities there, yet since we are 

 at twenty minutes' distance the department can not do its work properly 

 without having immediately at hand a certain supply of books, chiefly books 

 of reference and books respecting archives. With the permission of the 

 President, parts of the unexpended portions of the appropriations of 1905 

 were used in gathering together a small working library of this sort. 



By permission of the Trustees, the director spent the spring in Europe, 

 sailing from New York for Naples on March 24, and returning to Boston, 

 from Liverpool, on July 10. The trip had two objects. The first was to 

 inspect several of those establishments or organizations in western Europe 

 whose work most closely resembles that which this department hopes to do, 

 to examine their material equipment and converse with those in charge, in 

 order to derive out of their experience suggestions for the future conduct of 

 our operations. Great kindness, interest, and willingness to assist were 

 everywhere manifested. It would be difficult to summarize observations of 

 quarters, equipment, methods, and plans, extending over a period of three 

 months. I am confident, however, that much has been gained, especially in 

 the way of enlargement of views and the making of profitable acquaintance, 

 that will have definite outcome in the work of succeeding years. 



