56 
Vatican Archives 
the departments or individuals directly concerned, and but a small proportion 
is retained in these archives. 
The great bulk of the material properly belonging to the department is 
extant, and to be found in the 4000 volumes of the archives, which have, of 
late, been made more complete by additions from various private libraries 
recently acquired by the papacy. 26 There are still, however, gaps, often im¬ 
portant, and masses of material in other collections which would supply some 
of these; all of which will be more particularly described in connection with 
the several nunziature and collections. There is also to be found here much 
that would not logically be expected. The papal diplomatic system was elastic, 
and not only were extraordinary missions numerous, but agents were fre¬ 
quently employed who possessed no special diplomatic rank. Much of the 
correspondence with sovereigns and individuals, moreover, which might be 
looked for in the special collections that follow, is included here. In many 
cases, also, the registers kept by the nuncios contain not only their letters to 
Rome, but also to each other, and to correspondents within the country in 
which they resided. The collectors-general, also, where that office survived, 
as in Portugal, corresponded with the secretary of state. On the other hand 
certain letters, even of the nuncios, were handed over directly to the congre¬ 
gations involved. Many are to be found in the Propaganda, and many doubt¬ 
less in the Holy Office and elsewhere. 27 Many letters to nuncios, moreover, 
are found registered as bulls or briefs. 
Nearly all ciphered documents are found deciphered in the archives. Where 
ciphers are found unaccompanied by plain versions, they are generally dupli¬ 
cate dispatches, of which a translation can be, or should be, found elsewhere. 
The amount of material existing in cipher alone must be nearly negligible. 
This collection is the most important at Rome for the study of the political 
history of the modern age; probably for the sixteenth and seventeenth cen¬ 
turies it is the most important in existence. Its special contributions for. 
American history are discussed in the pages that follow, but while these are 
comparatively small, it must not be overlooked, that for the broader study of 
influences affecting our history, its value can be realized only by use. For the 
vast world-conflict which so constantly affected the development of America, 
and particularly for the naval contest for the control of the Atlantic, of com¬ 
merce, and of colonies, it is to a great extent unique and possibly unequalled. 
Quite apart from research for special monographs, no student of American 
history could find a few months’ reading in the nunziature of Spain and 
Portugal amiss. For the general study of the administrative methods of the 
papacy, its value is unexpectedly great, as so much general business passed 
through the hands of the nuncios. On the other hand papal diplomacy was 
to a certain extent reticent, and a negative could never be proved by the use 
of this correspondence. Certain papal policies were so well defined as to need 
no insistence, and much was doubtless communicated verbally. In so great 
a mass of material, however, while details may be lost, large facts can scarcely 
escape expression. 
For American history this is virgin material. Historians have been actively 
at work since the opening of the archives, but the field is so extensive that 
comparatively little could have been accomplished had their efforts been united 
26 De Pretis, indice 134 . 
27 Barberini 6335 , register of letters of the Holy Office, 1626, contains many letters 
to nuncios. 
