1.
Thirteen (13) bound volumes, all alike, forming the most conspicuous
part of the collection, and known since Biddle's time as "the
red books." These are journals and notebooks of Lewis and of Clark,
respectively, all in the handwriting of one or the other of the explorers.
Eleven (11) of these are a part of the Biddle deposit; one (1) was
deposited by Mr. Jefferson; one (1) is an unrecorded deposit. All are
in remarkably good order, clean and sound inside and out; form oblong;
back along short diameter, and as the pages were written on both sides,
up and down, across the same diameter, the books open to and from the
reader, not right and left; covers smooth bright red morocco, gilt-tooled
edges, marbled inside, fastened at the fore end with brass clasps (now
gone from eight of the volumes, intact on five of them)[2]
; size of covers
8 ⅛ × 5 ⅛ inches (very nearly same size and shape as the leaves of the
printed Philadelphia edition of 1814); paper about one quarter inch
smaller each way than cover, or 7 ⅞ × 4 ⅞, rather thin, rough and tough,
white (now with a slight brownish tinge), unruled; gathering supposed
to be 76 folios or 152 pages in each book, exclusive of a pair of flyleaves
marbled one side like inside of cover; but the number of leaves varies a
little, and in several cases some leaves have been intentionally torn out
—nowhere breaking the text, but to write something else on, or for
another purpose. These books, as a whole, are written almost entirely
full. Lewis's hand is particularly fine, fair and even; Clark's is larger,
stronger and less regular; both are so good, and the pages are so perfectly
preserved, that there is perhaps not a word, possibly not a letter,
in the whole of these manuscripts not now distinctly legible. Seven (7)
of these thirteen books are by Lewis alone; six (6) are by Clark alone.
Eleven (11) are "journals"—i.e., narratives of the progress of the
Expedition day by day, entered under consecutive dates. Two (2) are
"Notebooks"—i.e., miscellaneous entries, of various dates or none, of
astronomical, geographical, ethnological, zoölogical, botanical, etc., items.
In my arrangement these thirteen books become Codices D, E, F, G,
H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P (see further on). With them belong more
or less intimately certain parcels of loose sheets (see on).
2.
One (1) bound volume, the "brown" book, standing alone.
This is almost exactly the size, shape, etc., of the foregoing, but quite
unlike them in appearance. It is bound in rough brown leather, sides and
edges alike, not marbled inside; it is thicker than any of the other volumes,
the paper being heavier and coarser; the leaves are 137, pages 274. This
is mainly a journal, and mainly in Clark's hand, but with some entries by
Lewis, and some by another hand. It includes the whole of the wintering
of the expedition at Fort Mandan, and various other matters. For
contents see beyond, Codex C, which this volume now forms.3.
Four (4) bound volumes, which may be called the "marble" books,
from the style of their covers. Form oblong, like that of all the foregoing;
size of covers 6 ¾ × 4 inches, leaves 6 ½ × 3 ¾; paper rough, whitish,
unruled; covers pasteboard, overlaid with marbled paper, back and corners
of thin, smooth, brown leather. All in good order but one, which
is worn and shabby; all written full, and perfectly legible throughout.
The gathering of these four books is supposed to be 92 leaves or 184
pages; in one I find but 164 pages, though without any break in the
text that I can discover. Two of these books are Clark's journals, from
the starting of the Expedition to October 3, 1804; the other two are
notebooks, chiefly natural history notes, by both Lewis and Clark. The
four now form my Codices A, B and Q, R (see beyond).
4.
Several parcels of loose sheets of manuscript, some in Lewis'
hand, some in Clark's. Most of these papers are of the same size, shape
and quality as the leaves of the red books, having been, in fact, taken
from some of the latter, as may be seen by fitting the torn ends to the
stubs remaining in the volumes. Those parcels which thus obviously
belong to certain of the red books, or with the red books as a set, I have
arranged as Codices Fa, Fb, Fc, Fd, Fe, La, Lb. One of the parcels
is a different fragment, imperfect, once part of a notebook, not found,
like the small marble books; this is now Codex Ia. Two of the parcels
belong with the small marble books, and thus become Codices Aa,
Ba. Two remaining parcels, not directly connected with any of the
bound volumes, are now Codices S, T. These manuscripts were all
loose; as arranged they make twelve (12) parcels and as many codices,
for the particular description of which see beyond.
The above are all the books and papers in my hands which are
actual manuscripts of Lewis or of Clark. They are accompanied by
Mr. Biddle's letter of deposit, and several memoranda concerning them,
in Biddle's or another hand.
