February 28, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



319 



ratus and technique developed by the staff 

 of the laboratory. 



Department of Historical Research 

 Naturally a department devoted to his- 

 torical research is chiefly concerned with 

 the preparation of publications, and these 

 latter for the department in question may 

 be classified under the head of reports, aids 

 and guides concerning materials relating 

 to American history and under the head of 

 textual publications of documents. Under 

 the first head attention may be called to 

 Professor Marion D. Learned 's "Guide to 

 the Manuscript Material relating to Amer- 

 ican History in German State Archives," 

 No. 150 of the publications of the institu- 

 tion, which has appeared during the year. 

 Two other volumes, namely, publication 

 No. 90A, "Guide to the Materials for 

 American History, to 1783, in the Public 

 Record Office of Great Britain," and pub- 

 lication No. 163, "Guide to the Materials 

 for the History of the United States in the 

 Principal Archives of Mexico," of the 

 institution are now in press. No. 90A has 

 been somewhat delayed by reason of a re- 

 classification to which large sections of the 

 British Public Record Office were sub- 

 jected after this work had been started by 

 Professor Andrews. Another work in 

 press by the department is Mr. David W. 

 Parker's "Guide to the Materials for 

 United States History in Canadian Ar- 

 chives," publication No. 172 of the insti- 

 tution. 



Further progress is reported in respect 

 to the work in charge of Mr. W. G. Leland, 

 of the departmental staff, on materials for 

 American history in the archives of Paris. 

 Search has been made also in several other 

 European cities for sources of American 

 history. The director of the department 

 spent the past summer in Europe and took 

 occasion while there to devote special atten- 



tion to the materials derivable from the 

 five French-speaking cantons of Switzer- 

 land. Assistance has been rendered to the 

 department during the year by several col- 

 laborators who have been called by the 

 director to his aid in the preparation of 

 the proposed atlas of historical geography 

 of the United States, to which reference 

 has been made in preceding repoi'ts. 



Dr. Burnett, of the departmental staff, 

 has been engaged chiefly upon the series of 

 "Letters of Delegates to the Continental 

 Congress," while Miss Davenport, also of 

 the permanent staff, has been occupied 

 nearly continuously in the collection of 

 "European Treaties having a bearing on 

 United States History." These documents 

 promise to furnish much material hitherto 

 inaccessible to students of American his- 

 tory. 



Department of Marine Biology 

 The independent transportation facili- 

 ties furnished by the staunch new vessel 

 Anton Dohrn, and the repairs and im- 

 provements to the laboratory completed a 

 year ago, have proved highly advantageous 

 to the department of marine biology. By 

 means of the Anton Dohrn the entire Gulf 

 and West Indian region becomes open to 

 investigation by the department. The di- 

 rector records with appreciation a gift to 

 his fleet by Hon. John B. Henderson, of 

 Washington, D. C, of a 23-foot, 6 horse- 

 power launch, which has already proved a 

 very useful adjunct in the diversified work 

 of the department, since many different 

 investigations are carried on simultane- 

 ously by different individuals at the labo- 

 ratory headquarters. 



During February and March of the cur- 

 rent year the director established a tem- 

 porary laboratory at Montego Bay, Ja- 

 maica, a region which sustains important 

 biological relations to the vicinity of the 



