Papers of Worth

Because governments will not pay collectors' prices, documents of great historical value gravitate into private hands. Last week in the Manhattan home of Abraham Wolf Rosenbach was put on public view what was hailed as the rarest collection of U. S. historical manuscripts. Indefinitely huge were the prices of the 50 pieces exhibited under glass and on yellow silk brocade like jewels in a show case. Dr. Rosenbach said he would "sell the lot for $8,000,000." A uniformed guard, armed with a .38 calibre revolver, was on hand to prevent visitors getting any of them for nothing.

The collection begins with a manuscript account (1508) of Columbus' voyages written by a Spanish priest who had the story direct from the discoverer. A letter dated Jan. 12, 1512 from Diego Columbus, Christopher's son, at Santo Domingo to the Archbishop of Toledo was exhibited as the first letter from the new world to the old. Orders signed by Cortez in Mexico City and Pizarro (who could hardly write his name) were also on view.

In the lobby of the Library of Congress is to be seen the original Declaration of Independence. Dr. Rosenbach exhibited in a red leather case the only known official copy of this document. Properly certified, it was sent in 1777 to Frederick the Great of Prussia through Benjamin

Franklin in Paris to secure his recognition of the revolting colonies in America.

There was a complete set of autographs of the signers of the Declaration including the neat little squiggle of Georgia's Button Gwinnett which last sold for $51,000. Rarer than the Gwinnett signature, however, is that of South Carolina's Thomas Lynch.

The Revolutionary War is covered by a wealth of documents written by Generals Washington, Greene, Gates, Putnam and Warren, Commander John Paul Jones, Traitor Arnold, Spy Andre. Also exhibited was the first printed copy of the U. S. Constitution belonging to President Washington and corrected in his handwriting.

Of Lincoln material there are his own copy of his debates with Douglas, the manuscript of his speech on the origin of the Republican Party, the first draft of the Proclamation of Emancipation, and the manuscript of his last message to Congress (Dec. 6, 1864). Of great value is Robert Edward Lee's resignation from the U. S. Army exquisitely written on lined copy paper. Of less value ($1,000) is his farewell message (famed General Order No. 10) to the Army of Northern Virginia upon its surrender at Appomattox. He signed more than a dozen copies of this order, to be read to all his divisions. Also included in the collection is the message scrawled on a notebook leaf by General Grant to be telegraphed to Secretary of War Stanton, announcing the Confederate surrender.

The collection closes with a note (March 7, 1921) in which President Harding asked Vice President Coolidge to sit in at his Cabinet meetings.

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