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VATICAN

Register of Bulls, which contains the Bulls sent out by the Dataria between 1389 and 1823; (iii) the Briefs of the Dataria, a name which is not quite exact. These Briefs, as distinguished from those mentioned above (a, 4), were issued in answer to petitions, (f) Consistorial Archive. — Such of the archival materials as are found in the secret archives (the other portions are in the archives of the Consistorial Congregation in the library) consist of the "Acta Camerarii" (1489-1600), "Acta Cancellarii" (1517- 64), "Acta Miscellanea" (1409-1692), and "Acta Consistorialia" (1592-1668; 1746-49).

(g) Ai-chive of the Secretariate of State. — Despite the great gaps to be found in this section, this archive possesses the greatest importance for the political and ecclesiastico-civil history of modern times. It in- cludes the following subdivisions: (i) Nunciatures and Legations — Germania (1515-1809), — Francia (1517- 1809),— Spagna (1563-1796),— Polonia (1567-1783), — Portogallo (1535-1809),— InghilteiTa (1565-1689; 1702-04);—Genova (1572-84; 1593-1604),— Venezia (1532-34; 1561, 1562, 1566-1798),— NapoU (1570- 1809),— Colonia (1575-1799),— Monaco di Baviera (178-1808), — Paci, that is negotiations for various treaties (1628-1715),- Svizzera (1532-1803),— Fi- renze (1.572-1809),— Savoia (1586-1796),— A vignone (1564-1789),— Fiandra (1553-1796; to which section also belong five bundles of letters embracing the years 1800-09 and 1814 and 1815),— Malta (1572-1792),— Bologna (1.553-1791),— Ferrara (1597-1740),— Ro- magna (1597-1740),— Urbino (1664-1740),— Diverei, that is copies of letters and other things, all of which refer to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. From this list one may see both the richness and the great importance of this division, (ii) Letters of Cardinals. — This contains the coiTespondence between the Secretariate of State and the various cardinals for the period from 1523 to 1803. Here are thus contained both the minutes of the letters dispatched and the originals of letters received from the cardinals. There are, besides, in this collection numerous letters from princes, legates, bishops, etc. (iii) Letters of bishops and prelates. — The letters of the bishops and prelates contain not only ecclesiastico-political but also purely political information, so that they possess a high value for profane history. The original letters and the minutes of the answers dispatched extend from 1515 to 1797. (iv) Letters of princes and titled persons. — Many distinguished personages (in- cluding bishops and prelates) are found among the writers of this collection of letters, which contains a large series of volumes with answers. The division extends over the years 1513-1815, and has been as yet little availed of. (v) Letters of private individ- uals. — Most of the documents of this collection ema- nate from the pens of those who, while in communi- cation with the Curia, do not belong to the above- named categories. To a great ex'tent the writers are private people. There are, however, some letters from bishops, prelates, and nobles, which should have been included elsewhere. The letters extend from 1519 to 1803. (vi) Letters of military men. — Here are collected all the documents connected with the his- tory of the Curial wars between 1572 and 1713. (vii) Varia Miscellanea (not to be confounded with other Vatican Miscellanea). — Besides numerous vol- umes containing tr.anscripts of Acts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there are here collected all those documents which could not well be included in the other divisions: instructions, travelling expe- riences, concordats, tractates of all kinds, diaries of conclaves, etc. The whole collection is of great importance.

(h) Various Collections. — The "Varia Miscellanea" have absorbed I lie Hiblioleca Ceva as well as the chief portion of the Hiblioleca Ciampini. The Biblioteca Spada, in so far as it is yet in the archives, was

embodied in the nunciature of France. The fol- lowing, however, remain independent collections: (i) Biblioteca Pio, manuscripts of Cardinal Pio Carlo di Savoia, purchased by Benedict XIV in 1753. They should consist of 428 volumes, but many are missing, (ii) Biblioteca Carpegna, the Ubrary of manuscripts of Cardinal Gaspare Carpegna, which originally consisted of 229 volumes. The scientific interest of these volumes is not very great, (iii) BibUoteca Bolognetti, consisting mainly of copies of documents of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This belonged to the Bolognetti-Cenci family, which assigned it to the Vatican archives in 1810. (iv) Biblioteca Ronconi, a small collection of twenty manuscripts, which belonged to a former official of the archives, (v) Papers of Cardinal Gararnpi, the 251 bundles of Acts belonging to the effects of Cardinal Garampi and containing partly originals and partly copies of documents pertaining to his diplomatic activity in Poland and Germany, (vi) Manuscripts of G. B. Gonfalonieri, eighty-nine volumes which belonged to the former custodians of the Archive of Sant'.4ngelo, and, while relating mainly to Spain and Portugal, have also some importance for the nuncia- ture of Cologne, (vii) "Registro Dandini", the dip- lomatic correspondence of Cardinal Dandini for the years 1541-59 in six volumes, (viii) "De caritate S. Sedis ApostoUcsB erga Gallos", forty-two volumes and eighteen bundles detaiUng the help given by the Holy See to the French emigiants during the Revolution.

(ix) Buon Governo, a huge archive of the old Con- gregation del Buon Governo, which was entrusted with the economic administration of the Papal States from 1592. The archive was transferred to the Vati- can in 1870, fills si.xteen rooms, and has a special custodian, (x) "Awisi", a series of 124 volumes, extending over the period 1605-1707 and composed of the manuscript journals and newspapers of the seventeenth century, (xi) Farnesiane papers, twenty- bundles of documents which disappeared in some unknown manner from the Neapohtan Carte Far- nesiane, and were purchased and placed in this archive by Leo XIII in 1890. They do not contain any poUtically important papers, (xii) Borghese Ar- chive. — The huge Borghese Archive may be termed "an integral portion of the Segretaria di Stato during the pontificates of Clement VIII, Leo XI, and Paul V". Leo XIII acquired this great archive in 1892. With the aid of the inventoriesof the Vatican Archives and the Vatican Library some guidance as to the 2000 volumes may be obtained, (xiii) "BoUee Bandi". — In addition to the two other series of this kind which stand in the "Varia Miscellanea" there is this third, which extends from 1525 to 1854. The printing on the title pages possesses a high value for the history of culture, (xiv) " Varia Diplomata" includes all the archives of orders and monasteries to be found in the Secret Archives. Some are of exceptional interest and prime importance. As many of the archives are not yet arranged, they are not yet generally accessible.

(2) Statistics. — The estimate of 60,000 volumes, cassettes, and bundles of Acts, contained in the ar- chives, does not include such huge collections as that of the Buon Governo and other smaller collections. The following list, giving the number of volumes arranged according to the collections, conveys an idea of the extent of the archives: —

Volumes of Vatican Registers 2048

Transcripts 968

Briefs 7654

Tridentinum 154

Diversa GermanioB 34

Volumes of Avignon Registers 394

Introitus et Exitus CamerEe 608

Obligal ioiies et Soliil iones 100

Collect orix (Camera; 509