States committed to demands which must receive satisfaction because the adversary could not afford to bid defiance. The attainment of national ends by the ways of peace, without the suffering and horror of war, is the ideal of enlightened statesmanship. Seward obtained the credit of such a triumph. But if this paper presents a reasonable interpretation of the situa tion in which Mexico and Maximilian, France and Napoleon, Europe and Bismarck, the United States and Seward found themselves from 1864 to 1866, the withdrawal of French support from the Mexican Empire of Maximilian had been determined mainly by influences over which the United States could exert only slight and indirect control. Persistent refusals to admit that Juarez had ceased to be the legal representative of the Mexican National Government certainly gave courage to the republicans and made them feel that their cause could not be hopeless. They were enabled by the arms, clandestinely supplied to them after 1865, to equip their troops for the final contest with Maximilian. But circumstances relating chiefly to Mexico herself, and to Napoleon's position in France and in Europe, had already determined the abandonment of an intervention which had been unsuccessful burdensome, and dangerous.

XV.-REPORT OF THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES COMMISSION.

WILLIAM MACDONALD, Chairman.

HERBERT L. OSGOOD.

JOHN MARTIN VINCENT.

CHARLES M. ANDREWS.

EDWIN ERLE SPARKS.

REPORT OF THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES COMMISSION.

DECEMBER 30, 1902.

To the Council of the American Historical Association:

The Public Archives Commission respectfully submit herewith a partial report on the archives of Oregon, prepared by Prof. F. G. Young, of the University of Oregon, and a further report prepared by Mr. Eugene C. Barker, of the University of Texas, on the Bexar archives, this last being a reprint, with additions and corrections, of an article prepared by the late Prof. Lester G. Bugbee, a former member of the commission, and published in the Quarterly of the Texas Historical Society.

There are in preparation reports on the State and county records of California by Prof. Kendric C. Babcock, of the University of California; on the records of Illinois by Prof. Francis W. Shepardson, of the University of Chicago; on the county records of North Carolina by Prof. John S. Bassett, of Trinity College; and on the county records of Maryland by Rev. Charles William Sommerville, of Baltimore. Plans are also under consideration for the preparation of a comprehensive report on the Spanish records of the Southwest.

The report by Prof. H. L. Osgood on the archives of New York has been followed up by efforts in two directions. In the first place, it was thought that the time was favorable for the printing of at least a part of the Minutes of the Common Council of the city of New York. Therefore, with the cooperation of the New York Historical Society, the proposition was submitted to Mayor Low. It met with his approval. An appropriation of $7,000 has been made for the purpose. A committee, consisting of members of the New York Historical Society, has been appointed, and under a resolution of the board of aldermen has already undertaken the work of editing these records. The minutes which have been selected for publication are those of the period between 1675 and 1776,

and they will fill about seven volumes in print. The publication of these records will be made a feature of the approaching celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the bestowment of municipal rights on the city of New York.

A representation has also been made to the mayor setting forth the need of better care of the city's records.. The organization of a municipal record office was recommended, in which should be deposited the records of extinct jurisdictions and those which are not needed in the transaction of current official business. On this recommendation definite action has not yet been taken.

In the second place, the report revealed such neglect and loss of local records in the sections where the inquiry was made as to make it seem almost a necessity that some steps should be taken to remedy this evil. The only method through which the State, as a whole, can be reached and a genuine reform effected, is that of supervision through a State record commissioner. The admirable results which have been attained by the record commissioner of Massachusetts suggested the adoption of a similar policy in New York. In order to bring the subject properly before the authorities concerned, the cooperation of the New York Historical Society was again sought. A committee of that society was appointed, which entered into communication with all the historical and patriotic societies of the State, for the purpose of securing their assent to the presentation of a joint memorial to the governor and legislature on the care of local records and the necessity for the creation of a State record commission. The cooperation of these societies was without difficulty obtained. A memorial was drawn, which has already been signed by the proper officers of all the societies referred to, and it will be submitted to the governor and the legislature at the opening of the session in January. The following is a copy of the memorial:

To His Excellency the Governor and the

Senate and Assembly of the State of New York:

Your memorialists respectfully represent, that the law of the State of New York intrusts the custody of the public records of counties, villages, cities, and towns to the clerks of those respective jurisdictions, to county supervisors, to surrogates, registers of deeds, and to heads of departments in the large municipalities. The law also requires that when the term of office of any supervisor or town clerk shall expire, or when such officer shall resign, he shall, when required, deliver upon oath to his successor