Archivio Segreto 37 
and special missions ; but this distinction seems hardly supported by the facts. 49 
The word secret really has little significance in this connection, as the acts 
of the consistories are such as publish themselves at once to the world. Their 
proceedings are, in fact, as was noted in the introduction, almost purely for¬ 
mal. It is not that the material contained in the consistorial acts or journals 
is not important, but it is such as has for the most part been digested into 
history. Those acts remain the final source for ecclesiastical chronology, and 
the allocutions of the popes are valuable as pronouncements of papal policy. 
The range of these latter is wide. The only mention found in the papal ar¬ 
chives of the Huguenot settlement in Florida was in a speech of Pius IV. to the 
Swiss ambassadors in 1565. 50 
The formal appointment of bishops was, of course, preceded by preliminary 
processes and investigations into life and morals, while before the erection 
of new dioceses, reports were necessarily made as to the need for, and ability 
to support, such an officer. The records of these preliminary steps are less 
important in the case of Spanish America than might be expected, owing to 
the fact that the king’s nomination and his recommendation of diocesan 
charges were practically final, any preliminary negotiations being with the 
nuncio at Madrid. 51 Moreover Sixtus V., in his general reorganization of 
administration, erected a consistorial congregation, charged with relieving 
the consistory of all but the last step of the various processes systematized 
by the Council of Trent, in the case of all episcopal appointments out of Italy; 
while the congregation for the examination of bishops did a similar duty in 
the case of Italian dioceses/ 2 and the Propaganda came to perform the same 
duty for America. 
The consistorial archives in general may be divided into two classes. First 
are the acta or journals, of which there are several varieties. Those kept by 
or for the vice-chancellor have perhaps the most official character, but are 
most brief. A second set was kept by or for the camerlingo. These latter 
always give the amount of tax involved in each appointment, which is some¬ 
times omitted in the first set, and relate in extenso many of the speeches of 
the Pope and of ambassadors, which are there simply mentioned. Finally, 
many cardinals kept private records of consistorial proceedings, often, ap¬ 
parently, copying the records of the chancellor, but adding notes of their 
own. 53 While these are not strictly archives they serve to supplement them. 
Secondly, there are the processi or records of preliminary canonical proceed¬ 
ings and investigations into life and morals, the praeconia or descriptions of 
dioceses drawn up for circulation among the cardinals before the consistorial 
meeting, and various other documents belonging to the preparatory stages. 
The American material in these sets occurs regularly, and several extracts 
have been published. Dr. Ehses has given several documents on the founding 
Hinojosa, Los Despachos, p. xvii. Nearly every account of the distinctions between 
consistories varies. An early seventeenth century MS. in Archivio Consistoriale, Misc. 
50, ff. 1-6, states that the secret consistories are for nominations, semi-public for beati¬ 
fications and appointments except of cardinals, and public, for that purpose, and recep¬ 
tions of ambassadors and others. 
/Archivio Consistoriale, Misc. 11. Oration of June 8, 1565. 
51 See pp. 59-60. 
82 Korzeniowski, Excerpta, p. 4. 
83 For instance that of Cardinal Santa Severina, which is often found in MSS., and 
of which part is published: P. Tacchi Venturi, Diario Concistoriale di Ginlio Antonio 
Santori, Cardinale di S. Severina, 1570-1576 (Rome, 1903, pp. 235). 
