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 Materials for a History of the Disruption of the Union. 57

Governments, to the Governors and Secretaries of States, to the Presidents and Secretaries of Conventions, to the presiding officers and chief clerks of Senates and Legislatures, in both North and South.

" It was acknowledged by only one person to whom it was ad- dressed Hon. Simon Cameron, Secretary of War of the United States.

" No document or paper was ever sent in response to the request.

" The University of Virginia was not negligent nor deficient in foresight or effort to secure full materials for a true history of the secession of the States and of the ensuing war."

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, ALBEMARLE Co., VA.

186 SIR:

The Faculty of this Institution, at its regular meeting on Friday, i March, 1861, adopted a series of Resolutions, by which the undersigned were appointed a permanent Committee, to procure, collect, arrange and preserve the authentic memorials, serving to illustrate the grave political dissensions which are now agitating and dividing the people of the United States. The Committee was authorized and required to communicate with persons in authority, and to request them to further the design proposed, by directing that all public documents, relative to the pending controversy published by their order, or distributed under their recommendation should be transmitted to the Library of this University, for preservation in a separate department specially assigned for their safe keeping.

In compliance with these Resolutions, we approach you with the request, that you would be pleased to extend the requisite directions in regard to all Reports, Investigations, Enactments, Proclamations and other Public Documents, relating to this subject, which may proceed from the offices of the General or Local Governments, under your immediate superintendence.

It would be inappropriate, in this application, to enlarge upon the eminent, but evident, services which such a collection of authentic memorials is calculated to render to the living and coming genera- tions; to the cause of truth and justice; to the integrity and impar- tiality of historical inquiry; to the philosophical estimation of the phenomena of political and social change, and of the process of human development. Reflections of this nature readily present themselves to the anxious and apprehensive mind, and are apt to make such an impression as may induce you, we trust, to co-operate cordially, to