VENICE. 1 2 3 4 
ARCHIVIO DI STATO. 
The state archives at Venice form the most important, and, except those at 
Naples, the most extensive, collection belonging to the Italian government. 
They have been, however, more used by scholars than those elsewhere and 
offer perhaps less new material. They are preserved in the monastery of 
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, formerly belonging to the Minor Conven¬ 
tuals, and are more conveniently arranged than the other government col¬ 
lections. Permission to use them is obtained from the director, on presentation 
of credentials. The hours are from 9.30 to 12, and from 1 to 3.30, with ex¬ 
ception of the usual government holidays. 
The archives are arranged in sections corresponding to the several branches 
of the Venetian government, and inventories, on the whole satisfactory though 
somewhat old-fashioned, exist for the several sections. In Venice more than 
elsewhere the name of a department of government tells little of its duties, 
and some knowledge of their several functions is necessary. The most useful 
guides are those by Armand Baschet, Les Archives de Venise * and Rawdon 
Brown’s L’Archivio di Venezia? There are two government publications 
which contain accounts of the material in the archives, but without sufficient 
explanatory matter: II R. Archivio Generate di Venezia (Venice, 1873) / and 
Statistica degli Archivii della Regione Veneta (1881). 5 
The only series which seemed of possible interest to the American historian 
are the following, the items actually found being noted with the general de¬ 
scription of each series. 
LETTERE DUCALI. 
These are listed in indice 214 . Those to 1595 are contained in 31 buste, in 
which the only letters of possible interest are 19 to the orator in Spain, 1586 
to 1588. There follow filze numbered from 32 to 71 and containing letters 
extending to 1797. The contents of these latter are not listed, and they were 
not examined, as the letters of this whole series seem to be chiefly formal in 
character, like those of the popes to princes. 
DELIBERAZIONI SECRETE DEL SENATO. 
This series contains official copies of the letters and despatches regularly 
addressed to the ambassadors and other representatives of the state. They 
begin in 1401 and extend to 1630. The volumes are large, with heavy wooden 
covers, and are of parchment. Each volume is indexed, and this is followed 
by lists of the letters sent to each country. Ten volumes, numbered R 34 - 
R 43 , and extending from 1489 to 1510, were examined, and nothing perti¬ 
nent found; though the sudden demonstration of affection for Portugal after 
the voyage of Vasco da Gama is of interest. 
1 P. J. Blok, Verslag von Onderzoekingen naar Archivalia in Italie K pp. 6-21; Rawdon 
Brown and others, Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts relating to English Af¬ 
fairs existing in the Archives and Collections of Venice and in other Libraries of 
Northern Italy [Public Record Office] (London, 1865-1904, 11 vols.) 
2 Paris, 1870, pp. 708. 
3 Venice and Turin, 1865, pp. 326. 
4 This is of little use. 
8 This serves as the only general inventory to the archives. 
237 
