Used by Coues
Here the
records of Jefferson's search suddenly cease.
Neither the federal
government nor the American Philosophical
Society having decided to publish them, these
precious manuscripts
slumbered untouched for nearly
seventy-five years in the library vault of
the Society,
practically unknown to historical scholars outside of that
institution.
In 1892, Dr. Elliott Coues,
eminent as a scientist and
traveller, as well as an editor of American
historical sources,
was engaged in preparing the new edition of Biddle, to
which
frequent reference has already been made. Most if not all of
his matter was before him in galley proofs, when he learned
for the
first time of the existence of the original manuscripts in
Philadelphia.
Armed with a letter from the explorer's son,
Jefferson Kearny Clark, of
St. Louis, Coues requested the loan
of the note-books from their
custodian. This was granted by
the Society (vote of December 16), and the
manuscripts were
accordingly sent to him at Washington. Concluding that it
was too late to block out the work afresh and discard Biddle's
text,
he compromised by enriching his notes with many citations
from the originals—unfortunately
freely modernized, as
was his custom with all the Western manuscripts
which he
edited; and from them he also compiled a new chapter in the
Biddle style, which he inserted into the body of the book, as
though
a part of the Biddle text. His modified excerpts but
served to whet the
appetites of students of American history,
and thus led to the project for
their eventual publication in
extenso and with literal
accuracy.
