XXIII. Napoleon's Concordat with Pope Pius VII, 1801, by Prof. XXIV. The German Imperial Court, by O. G. Villard.... XXV. Dismemberment of the Turkish Empire: An Historical Sketch, by Prof. E. K. Alden...... XXVI. Colonies of North America and the Genesis of the Common- wealths of the United States, by Dr. J. M. Toner....... XXVII. Classification of Colonial Governments, by Prof. H. L. L-REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. WASHINGTON, D. C., DECEMBER 26, 27, 1895. H. Doc. 291– -1 1 REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. By HERBERT B. ADAMS, Ph. D., Secretary. The American Historical Association has passed its first decade. Its eleventh annual meeting was held in Washington, D. C., December 26, 27, 1895, at the Columbian University, with headquarters at the Arlington. The short space of time between Christmas, which fell on Wednesday, and the end of the week necessitated the compression of the public exercises within the limit of two days. The programme was so full that it was found expedient to hold the Friday morning session in two sections, one devoted to American colonial history and the other to American political history. A short afternoon session, from 4 to 5, was held in the banqueting hall of the Arlington, Dr. J. L. M. Curry presiding. This session was specially devoted to European history. The two evening sessions, Thursday and Friday, attracted the largest audiences, although the section meetings were well attended. The usual number of members were registered. On the opening night, the Hon. George F. Hoar, president of the Association, gave an eloquent and patriotic address in defense of representative government. He deprecated the growing tendency among some historical writers of imputing wrong motives to the acts of men in public life and of blackening the character of the dead. He maintained that the conduct of public affairs is growing better, purer, and wiser from generation to generation. The motives by which our public men are governed in the administration of national, State, and local affairs are honest and upright. No man can put a noble pride in a base history. He said he was willing to compare our representative government at its worst with any monarchic government at its best, when the authority of the monarchy is really felt. Senator Hoar paid a high tribute to the character of the men who legislate for our country, and said that his remarks were based on an intimate acquaintance with the majority of them during the last thirty years. There has been a steady increase in the number of men who come to Congress to work wholly for the best interests of their country. Senator Hoar's address occupied about an hour. He was followed by Prof. Edward G. Bourne, of Yale University, who gave an appreciative account of the critical methods of Leopold von Ranke, who had such a profound influence upon modern students of history. Mr. Bourne explained the ori gin of the historical seminary, now so common in German and American universities. Ranke's habit was to draw all his information from original sources. He was well versed in classical, medieval, and early modern writings, but was entirely unacquainted with the results of higher biblical criticism. Although he wrote about the Hebrews in his Universal History, his knowledge of the Old Testament and of Semitic institutions was that of a former generation. Gen. James Grant Wilson, president of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, read the last paper of the opening session, on "Arent Van Curler and his journal of 1634." It is published in the following proceedings. The second day's session was opened promptly at 10 o'clock, Senator Hoar presiding until Dr. James Schouler was called to the chair. The colonial section, although held in a smaller room, seemed for a time to be more popular than the politica section, which, however, under the guidance of Gen. Joh Eaton, soon recovered the lost balance. The two lecture hall were in such close proximity that members could easily pas from one to the other. This bicameral method has never befor been tried by the Historical Association, but it proved an expe ditious way of disposing of a long programme, which woul otherwise have required an extra day in Washington. In this connection it is impossible to give even abstracts o all the numerous contributions to the various section meeting Some were read by title only. Others were greatly abridge in reading. Most of them are printed in the proceedings of tl Association. Among the noteworthy papers were two by Talcott Wi iams, of the Philadelphia Press. The first was upon th subject of "Raleigh's colony and its present remains." M Williams and his wife had just come from a visit to the origin site of the first English colony planted in the New Worl |