l".\ RT E R LY FOR TH E CLE)IE)\TS LIBR ARY ASSOC IAT E S

uartoNU MBER 109. J UNE. 1975

our hi story department and a member of th eCommittee of 'Man agemen t, speak on th e roadto war in 1775. He described wh at sepa ra ted th eM assachuset ts colonials from British authoritya nd the steps that led from disagreem en t toar med resistance. It was an adm ira ble intro­duct ion to th e ensu ing exhibition in th e Libraryon Lexington and Concord.

Som e of o ur most sign ifican t letters depictedthe even t, of those April da ys 200 years ago.Gen. Thomas Gage 's orders send ing th e troopsto Con cord, the reports of the British officerswh o led th em , the deposition of Capt. Parker ofth e Minute Men at Lexington, Mrs. R evere' sletter to Paul, the official printed reports of th erebels an d of Gen. Gage that were sen t toLondon, the message that wen t to all the otherco lonies, th e proclamation of martial Jaw illBoston-they were all on display in an exh ib itionth at co uld not be equaled in any other loca­ti on. Most of the items were from our GagePaper s. Explaining the sequence of even ts andthe show is an absorbing booklet , Lex ingtonand Conco rd, Rationale For I ndependence,wri tten by our assistan t curator of m anuscripts,Arle ne Phillips Kleeb, who al so arra nged theex h ibition . It was mailed to all Associat es andto many libraries.

The tou r de force of the tea was an ela boratetable bouquet of red, white, an d blue Rowerson top of a Revolutionary \VaT dr-um , withr ibbon streame rs falling over it and edged byfour blue cand les. At the other end of th eMain Hall were souven ir tricorn ha ts, threeBritish flags, and one of th e original chests inwh ich Gen. Gage filed h is yearly corresponde nce.

Through out the week of our party, WWJ-TVga ve two minutes during its news broad castseach ni gh t 1.0 a visit to th e Library, with RogerScha tz interviewing staff and showing some ofth e ex hibition pi eces. WUOM broad cast an in-

The

Lectures Again!-\..'lJOLPH G. ADAMS Memorial Lecturesreinsti tu ted this fall for Associates an dof the Librar y. Dr. Adams, first direc­the Library, di ed in 1951, and th e fol-

.., )ear our Associates slatted a ser ies ofkctures n am ed in his honor. When the

collected for th at purpose were exhausted.Library con tin ued a fall program that OCC3 ­

y featured music and drama along withXow through the generosity of a steadfast

of Dr. Adams who wishes to remainymous, th e Library is en abled to revive the

lectureshi p ann ually with sufficient fundsattract the mo st distinguished scholarlykers.

It is particularly appropriate in this first yearthe Bicentennial to inaugurate the new

tcies of Adams lectures with the appearance01 Dr. John R. Alden , j amcs Biddle Duke Pro­,""""r of H istory at Duke University. Dr. Aldenearned hi s doctorate a t th e Un ivers ity of Mi chi ­gaIl after research a t this Library, and he kn ewDr. Adams well. H e taught at Bowling GreenState Un iversity and th e Universit y of Nebraskabefore going to Duke. H e has also written sev­era l books, on Sou the rn Indian affairs, on theAmeri can R evolution, on the colonial Sou th ,an d bi ographical stud ies of Gen. Thomas Gage,Gen . Charles Lee, and Gov. R obert Dinwiddie.Dr. Alden won th e Beveridge Prize of th eAm erican H isto rical Associa tion and has held aG uggenheim Fellowship. H e will speak here on.." Tha t Kind of a Revol ut ion \\Tas It?"

Mean wh ile, we express OUT apprecia ti on tothe modest donor who ma kes th is program JlOfrsiblc an d pennane n t.

Founder's DayIT WAS A splendid program and a great crowd.Associa tes and friends met in the lounge of theLaw yers Clu b an d heard Prof. John Shy, of

THE CLEMENTS LIBRARY ASSOCIATESof The University of Michigan

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

(Ap poin ted by the Regents of the University)

Mrs. Noyes L. Avery, .Jr., Grand RapidsCarl W. Bonbright, FlintEdward W. Bowen, Bay CityRober! P. Briggs, Elk Rapids, CHAIRMAN

C. E. Frazer Clark, .Jr., Bloomfield HillsEly Corning, FlintThomas N. Cross, A nn Arbor\Villiam C. Finkenstaedt, DetroitHarlan H. Hatcher, Ann ArborDavid W . Kendall, Detroit.James M . Klancnik, Chicago.James S. Schoff, New YorkRoy M . Tolleson, .Jr., DetroitMrs. David F. Upton, St. JosephLee D. van Antwerp, Northbrook, Ill.Howard. H. Peckham, Director of the

Library,sEcRETARY

terview with Mrs. Kleeb, and there were news­paper feature stories as well. We felt our Bi­centennial commemoration opened with a bang.The exhibition is still in place.

Board of GovernorsTHE ASSOCIATES BOARD of Governors met atnoon on April 18 and heard an encouraging re­port on membership contributions, plans fornext fall's gathering, and discussed the avail­ability of certain manuscript collections. Thesecretary showed a number of books to theBoard, 'which authorized purchase of six titles.They are described in other columns. A bequestfrom James Shearer II of Chicago of $17,000doubled the fund he had established earlier,interest on which is used for acquisitions.

Committee of ManagementTHE GOVERNING BODY of the Library met at

night on April 18 and discussed a decli •Lihrary budget, means of obtaining supplerses­tary acquisition Iunds, participation in extions elsewhere, progress in Bicentennialsearch and publishing, and redecorating n~The dynamics of the Library were appareoL

OrchardsWILLIAM PRINCE and his sao, William R.ot",""".were the proprietors of the Linnaen B'oc..,;ir;;IGarden and Nurseries at Flushing, New Ywhich covered over thirty acres by 1828. Blesi'dol'"being the most prominent commercial groof fruit trees in the country at that time.elder Prince distinguished himself by introdac­ing over 100 species of Australian plants intoUnited States, and by writing a numberimportant works on horticulture. In one ofworks, The Pomological Munual; or, A Trea tiseon Fruits (New York, 1831), he collaboratedwith his son in describing varieties of apricoo,pears, and peaches suitable for cultivation in theUnited States. This book, one of the mossimportant early American works on horticul­ture, was purchased for the Library by the:Associates.

Indian TreatyIN 1753, just two years before the outbreak -'ofthe French and Indian War, Sir WilliamPepperreU and other commissioners, acting 00.

behalf of Gov. William Shirley of Massachu­setts, negotiated a treaty with the Penobscot andNorridgewock trihes of Indians, who lived inwhat is now the state of Maine. They discussedtopics of practical concern to the Indians, suchas the price of beaver and rum; while the Britishrepresentatives complained that the Norridge.wocks had failed to fulfill a condition of anearlier treaty to return the captive children ofEnglish settlers. The children, in fact, werebeing held by French allies of the Indians. R un­ning throughout the treaty is a thread of corn­plaint against the French. The Indians wereurged not to trust them, particularly their Jesuitmissionaries who were attempting, accordingto the Massachusetts negotiators, to sow seedsof jealousy and misunderstanding between theEnglish and French. The British, on the otherhand, were said to have treated the Indianshonorably, and to have their best interests atheart. The proceedings of the treaty, en titledA Conference Held at St. George's in the Countyof York (Boston, 1753) was selected by the Asso­ciates for addition to our collections.

in Brazil_\ French expedition headed by

_le",,_ settled on the island of Maragnan..'""''"'''' of Brazil, in defiance of the papal~cation of 1493 which awarded that

new world to the Portuguese. Severalmiss ion ar ies. including Father Claude

• accompanied the French colony.1615 the Portuguese forced a completeof the French, the members of the

had already produced books and15 giving a first-hand account of theL One of these, d'Abbeville's Histoire

.\ fission des Peres Capucins (Paris, 1614)seceru gift to the Library of the Associates.iEnpor tan t source book for material on the

Tupi Indians, the edition that we receivedded in only two other copies.

it)' ReportsOTI:£NTH CENTURY IMPRINTS relating to the

ired States are hard to come by, and when aice one was available recently the Clements

Ibeary Associates purchased it. Their new ac-. ilion, elegantly bound in morocco, encloses

sobering account by George Fox and otherQuakers of The Secret Workes of a Cruel people.\ fade Manifest (London, 1659) . Made up 01reports and letters from persecuted Quakers in~ew England, it is an indictment of the govern­men t in Boston for their harsh treatment.

This first tract by George Fox, the leadingQuaker, typifies the general tone of thunderingcondemnation of the New Englander rulers.This collection indeed demonstrates the state­ment that in an age of pamphlet writers theQuakers besides being the most prolific were alsooften the most virulent, and often the mostimpressive.

Maple Sugar Stockl\JAPLE SUGAR is a peculiarly American product.Early reports of its common use by the Indiansbegin in 1634 in a Jesuit Relation where FatherLe Jeune mentions "sweet juice." Later descrip­tions call it Indian, Canadian, or Americansugar, and the syrup "Maplewarer" or "syrrup."

l.:b.,,- \.,,-<1.i.,,% ""~'(.\.'~"5, ~".,.~~ ,,\. "",,\.~ ,\,\:\,

ground corn. The syrup was reduced to sugarby putting hot stones into the troughs in whichit was gathered, and by freezing. The cakes werecarried by the Indians in birch bark baskets,called "sugar baskets." Observers saw no reasonwhy the white settlers could not use it too,

especially since there were no sugar cane plan­tations in this country. Furthermore, many con­sidered the native product as good as the WestIndian cane sugar, and even to excel it in medi­cinal value.

Eventually, production of maple sugar becamea quasi-commercial enterprise. In 1792 farmersin New York and Pennsylvania were finding- ita profitable business during the sap runningseason in the spring. In 1809 a writer notedthat perhaps two thirds of the families in Ver­mont made and sold maple sugar. Gradually,the syrup supplanted the sugar in popularity,and as today accounted for most of the output.

Capitalists too were interested in the profita­ble possibilities as shown in a scarce pamphletrecently purchased by the Clements LibraryAssociates. In this Constitution (Philadelphia,1793) the "Society for Promoting the Manu­facture of Sugar from the Sugar Maple-Tree"outlines the corporate structure. An accompany­ing stock certificate with a list of dividends paidby the treasurer indicates that at least for a timethere were returns on the investment.

What to StudyTHROUGH THE GENEROSITY of the Associates, theLibrary has acquired a rare and interesting edu­cational guide. William Godwin's Letter ofAdvice to a Young American: on the Course ofStudies It Might Be Most Advantageous ForH im to Pursue (London: 1818) is known in onlyfour other copies in this country. Written foran unidentified American, the Letter of Advicesheds considerable light on the intellectualpriorities of its author, a noted radical philoso­pher and political writer who is perhaps equallywell known on account of his wife and daughter.Godwin married the famous (or notorious!)feminist author Mary Wollstonecraft in 1797,shortly before her death in childbirth; theirdaughter Mar-y was the author of Frankensteinand the wife of the poet Shelley.

The recommendations in it may come as a bitof a surprise. Urging a classical education, heavyin emphasis on Greek and Latin literature andhistory, Godwin advised the Young American

",I:> \)~ 'l~~'j mooera\e "n hI' attention to newbooks. In all the world I think there is scarcelyany tl"ling more despicable, than the man thatconfines his reading to the publications of theday." Extensive reading in fine old authors,English history, and metaphysics, Godwinargued, would also aid in forming characters

of elevated morality. Neither practical subjec tsnor American au thors (Jonathan Edward s is th eon ly exception) have any place in th e recom­m endations, and polit ical works do not a ppe ar .Interestingl y, Godwin infor med the America nyouth that it was a wea l virtue of th e m edi evalperiod th at it had placed women on a pedesta lto be adored; "Love is n ever love in its bestspir it: ' he wrote, " bu t among unequals."

Island H opping on Maps (Part II)

I N THE LAST issue of The QuaTto, it was reportedhow we had sought and obtained five eighteenth­cen tur-y maps of th e W est Indies showin g landownership. Since other sorts of documents didnot surv ive the climate there, th e maps areparticularly important. They can be used toshow mi gration patterns and sett leme n t changesby tracin g family nam es.

T hi s spr ing we adde d two more m ap s showingplan tations: George King's 1798 survey ofTort ola with 104 n am es; and R ober t Bak er 'sm agnificent 1749 survey of Antigu a. The lattermeasures over 3!4 x 4~ ft. an d includes about400 names. The rel at ionship of th ere mapsshowing in ter-island family land tran sfer s willmake a fine study.

T o complete our co llection of British landsur veys in the West Indies, we would like to ac­quire Daniel Patterson's 1780 plan of Gran ad a,Samuel Baker's 17.>4 map of Antigu a, andWill iam Mayo's 1756 map of Barbad oes.

The South m Peace and War

Interest from th e Sch off Fund has recen tlyenabled th e Library to purchase two superbni ne tee n th-century di ar ies.

Corydon B. Fuller, driven by a com pulsionto travel and to sec first-hand what th e Southwas like, closed hi s store in Mishawaka, Indian a,in the spring of 1857. Signing up as a salesma nof maps and atlases for .J. H. Colton & Co" heembarked in April on a Mississippi River steam ­boat. bound for Arkansas. He stayed for a yearand a half, traveling from door to door, ge t­ting to know intimatel y a rural slave socie tywhich at first am used him, but which he grad u­ally came to despi se. H e recorded daily even tsand im pressions in th e two-volume di ary, pa int­in g particularly vivi d character ske tches of th eplanters, schoo l teachers. and sto re keepers wh ower e potential customers.

The N athaniel B. W ehh dai r y, five volursescovering th e period from March , 1862 to ~ .

vember, 1864, is th e best Civil War journalhave ever obtained . The au thor, a ninetees­yea r-o ld stude n t with insat iable cur iosity an dfirm comma nd of descriptive prose. joined .Firs t Mai ne Caval ry at its formation. He partici­p ated in Banks' campaign in th e Shenand ­Va lley and all ac tions of th e main body of !beArmy of th e Potomac until capture d on JUDe'17, 1863. As a cava lryman, he en joyed greaterfre edom of m ovement than th e average soldier.an d he took full advan tage of it. Besides por­traying camp life and military action, he madea continual effort to talk with local people.especially wi th Negroes, to describe them andrecord th eir thoughts. Conver sations are oftenfully quot ed in th e first person. Over 100 page>cover hi s imprisonment a t Libby an d Belle IslePri son s.

The descriptive and analytical qual it y of bothdi ari es mak e them valuable hi stori cal sources forsocia l conditions in th e Civ il \ VaT South andworthy addit ions to th e Sch off Collection.

Director H ou ored

AT ITS COMM E NCEMENT last month, Olivet Col­lege con ferred the honorary degree of doctorof letter s on the Library director, Howard H.Peckham. He attended th e college his first twoyears and has rem ained ac tively interested in itsdcvelopruent.

Mr. Peckh am has attended two meetings re­cen t ly on behalf of th e Library. One was aga thering of scholars interested in Loyalists ofthe American R evolution , a sub ject on whichwe have a good deal of prin ted an d man uscr ip tma te r ia l. T he Bicentennial is st imu lat ing re­searc h in this area. The other meeting was of agrou p of rare book librarians, held a t th e Uni­ver sity of Texas, to discuss problem s of apprais­in g materi als and of encouraging acce ss to them.This gr oup met at the Clem ents Library in1973-

Douglas Marshall, Curator of Maps andNewspapers, a ttended th e an n ua l meeting ofth e R en ai ssance Society in California. becauseth e th em e of th e program was th e effect onEurope of th e discoveries to the \Vest and East.The sessions were som ewhat related to th eth em e of our di scovery con fere nce of lastNovember , and the significance of our programwas mentioned more than once.