THE MUSEO NACIONAL. 
(THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.) 
The Museo Nacional is located in the Palacio Nacional, and is reached 
through the main north entrance. It is under the general jurisdiction of the 
Federal Secretariat of Public Instruction and Fine Arts. The Library (Bib- 
lioteca), where the manuscripts are kept, is open from 9: 30 to 12: 30 in the 
forenoon and from 3: 30 to 6 in the afternoon. Consultation of the books 
and manuscripts is free to the public, but to copy manuscripts special permis- 
sion, requested in writing and specifying the document desired, must be ob- 
tained from the Director. As yet there is no catalogue of the manuscripts, but 
a card index is being formed. There is, besides, a typewritten inventory of the 
Biblioteca, made in 1906, which gives the general titles of the manuscript col- 
lections, without specifying their contents. 
The principal groups of manuscripts of value for the history of the United 
States are indicated below. These collections are not kept altogether distinct 
in the shelving. 
PAPELES DE LANCASTER-JONES (THE LANCASTER-JONES COLLECTION). 
These manuscripts were secured about 1905 from the estate of the late Lic. 
Alfonso Lancaster-Jones, formerly Mexican representative in England. A 
considerable portion of the documents clearly came from the archive of the 
Franciscan College of San Fernando, of the city of Mexico. 
1. “DOCUMENTOS RELATIVOS A LAS MISIONES DE CALIFORNIAS.” 
(Two series, one of four volumes, small folio, and one of two volumes, 
octavo. It will be seen below that the range of materials in these vol- 
umes is much broader than the title indicates. The small folio series 
contains mainly original documents; those of the other series are mainly 
copies. The octavo series has a table of contents, the other has not.) 
SMALL FoLio SERIES. 
The documents are here listed for convenience in chronological order, in- 
stead of that in which they occur in the volumes. 
Aig. 7) Vol. I. 
Californias. 
Francisco Palou to Joseph Garcia, guardian of the College of San Fer- 
nando. Hospicio of Santa Cruz de Tepic, Oct. 12, 1767. 2 ff. 
(Discusses mission affairs of Sonora and Xalisco. Asks for missionaries 
for California.) 
Missionaries of the College of San Fernando, to the guardian and dis- 
cretorio, asking that they be sent to California instead of to 
Sonora. Hospicio of Santa Cruz de Tepic, Oct. 12, 1767. 1 f. 
(Signed by friars Juan Moran, Miguel Campa, Juan Sancho, Andrés Villa- 
umbrales, Antonio Martinez, Juan Ramos de Lora, Joseph Antonio 
Murguia, Juan Crespi, Juan Ygnacio Caston, Fernando Parron, Fran- 
cisco Gémez, Fermin Francisco de Lasuen.) 
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