100 re;ports of investigations and proje;cts. 



are chiefly in towns in northern Mexico, former capitals or sees, on which 

 portions of the present area of the United States once depended, either in 

 civil or in religious administration. The missions of both gentlemen have 

 been favored by the kind offices of the Secretary of State and of our diplo- 

 matic representatives in the respective countries; that of Mr. Leland also 

 by those of His Excellency the French Ambassador in Washington; that 

 of Mr. Bolton by those of His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons and His Excel- 

 lency the Apostolic Delegate in Washington. In the spring, as a portion 

 of his preparation for his mission, Mr. Leland visited the Canadian Archives 

 at Ottawa, whose work has for many years had close relations with certain 

 Parisian archives, and in which he received valuable aid and suggestions from 

 the distinguished archivist, Dr. Arthur G. Doughty. 



On his way to the City of Mexico Professor Bolton made brief preliminary 

 visits to archives in Matamoros, Reynosa, Camargo, and Oueretaro. At 

 the Federal city he has examined in the Archivo General about 5,000 volumes 

 of manuscripts and taken adequate notes on those that contain material for 

 the history of the United States. He has also examined all the pertinent 

 material in the Museo Nacional, and has made a beginning at the War De- 

 partment. Mr. Leland's work since he arrived in Paris has been in the 

 Bibliotheque Nationale, and in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign 

 Affairs. Both gentlemen send monthly reports of progress to the director 

 of the Department. 



The listing of transcripts of documents in foreign archives, which can 

 be consulted in the United States, has made little progress during the year, 

 chiefly owing to the absence of Mr. Leland and his preparations for his 

 present expedition. Those from Cuban archives are mentioned in print in 

 Mr. Perez's Guide. Though little remained to be done in order to com- 

 plete the list of those from Spanish archives, originally intended to accom- 

 pany Mr. Shepherd's volume, it was not deemed best to delay its publication 

 by waiting for this supplementary material. 



Although the trustees of the Carnegie Institution of Washington deemed 

 it inexpedient to continue, by authorizing subsequent annual issues, the 

 volume entitled "Writings on American history, 1903," prepared under the 

 directorship of Professor McLaughlin, it was agreed that the present Di- 

 rector might take the needful time to secure, if possible, by other means 

 the continuance of this useful bibliographical instrument. With a great 

 deal of labor and difficulty, he has succeeded in organizing a group of his- 

 torical societies and of interested individuals, who guarantee for five years 

 a sum sufficient, it is believed, to maintain the enterprise. The lapse of time 

 makes it requisite to leave the product of the years 1904 and 1905 uncata- 

 logued for the present. A volume for 1906 is now in active preparation. 



Textual Publication of Documents. — The collection of letters of delegates 

 to the Old Congress has been advanced by the search, nearly completed, for 



