Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/478

 468 Notes and News The Norrcena Society has published (London and New York, 1906) a quarto volume of 176 pages bearing the title The Flatey Book and Recently Discovered Vatican Manuscripts concerning America as early as the Tenth Century. According to the title-page this contains " docu- ments now published for the first time which establish beyond contro- versy the claim that North America was settled by Norsemen five hun- dred years before the time of Columbus." Professor William MacDonald is engaged in the preparation of an annotated edition of the English statutes relating to America, extending to 1783. On September 28 there was unveiled in the Reformed Church, Delfs- haven, Holland, a bronze tablet presented by the Congregational Club of Boston in commemoration of the sailing of the first Pilgrim company in the Speedwell. The presentation address was by William E. Griffis, that of acceptance by Chairman Van Bentveld. Dr. Griffis's address has been published by J. M. Bredee, Rotterdam. Eight new "Old South Leaflets" (Nos. 166-173) have been pub- lished during the past summer in connection with the Old South lectures on " Early days in the old colonies ". The leaflets bear the following titles: "The Invention of Ships", by Sir Walter Raleigh; Captain John Smith's Account of the Settlement of Jamestown; De Vries's Account of New Netherland in 1640; The New England Confederation, 1643; Relation of Lord Baltimore's Plantation in Maryland, 1634; William Penn's Description of Pennsylvania, 1683; The Fundamental Constitu- tions of Carolina, 1669; and " The Rights of the Colonists ", by Samuel Adams, 1772. Letter-books of Charles Thomson, extending from before his election as secretary of the First Continental Congress to near the close of his life, have been discovered in private possession in Oregon, and are being prepared for publication by Professor F. G. Young of the state univer- sity. One volume of the original manuscript journals of the Continental Congress has for many years been missing from the series of volumes forming the records of the Continental Congress. It is not known when or how it disappeared, if indeed it formed a part of that series when de- posited in the Department of State. It is possible that it is now in pos- session of some library or collector who is ignorant of its nature. In the hope that this missing volume may be located and restored the Librarian of Congress has sent a circular to libraries and collectors, describing the probable appearance of the volume and giving a facsimile of the page of the journals in Charles Thomson's writing. The descrip- tion is as follows: " The writing should be that of Charles Thomson. It should begin with the entries for March 19, 1778, and end with the entries of May i, 1778. It may be bound in thin boards, of a bluish color, and if any label is on the front it should be merely ' No. I.' The