citizens, to undertake the translation, which resulted in the publication in 1812-15 of five large 4to vols., containing as nearly as possible a literal translation of Alcedo, and with many valuable additions, chiefly from the works of Morse, Molina, Humboldt, Depons, Azara, and official sources. To many of the leading articles much matter has been added, including statistics in the preface to the first volume; a statistical review of English trade is given; Alcedo's glossary of provincial terms has been revised and enlarged; various improvements have been made in the arrangement and treatment; many inaccuracies have been corrected; and the whole has been supplemented with a valuable collection of maps in a separate volume.
With the object of avoiding the endless repetition of authors in connection with the various articles of the Diccionario, Alcedo wrote two separate volumes, containing bibliographical sketches of all the works consulted, to which he gave the title of Biblioteca Americana, ó Catálogo Histórico de todos los autores que han escrito sobre materias de América en varies idiomas, con una noticia de sus vidas, MS., fol., 2 vols. This work was never published, and but few copies of the original are extant. One of these, sent to Mexico in 1854 by William H. Prescott, is now in my possession. Another manuscript work of Alcedo, whose title is given in the foregoing work, is Historia del Reyno de Tierra Firme y Ciudad de Panamá, desde el año de 1519, MS., with cuts, 4to. I find no mention of this work elsewhere.
In common with other religious provinces of New Spain, the Franciscan province of Zacatecas had its special chronicler. The labors of its friars were chiefly confined to that portion of New Spain in which are included the modern states of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, New Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Durango, and the north-eastern part of Jalisco, and were closely identified with the conquest and settlement of these regions. All this is related in the Chronica de la Provincia de N. S. P. San Francisco de Zacatecas, Mex. 1737, 4to, by Friar José Arlegui, with special attention to the founding of convents and the lives and sufferings of its members, including descriptions of miracles. Arlegui, who was a native of Biscay and provincial of this province in 1725-8, had in 1736 been appointed chronicler of the province. In 1819 the continuation of the history was determined upon, and Antonio Galvez was commissioned for this purpose. He brought the history of the province down to 1828 in the form of a list of provincials, on whose character and rule he dwells, interspersing brief accounts of outside political and ecclesiastical history. This addition with the title of Memorias para la continuacion de la Cronica de la muy religiosa provincia de N. S. P. San Francisco de las Zacatecas, acopiado por Fr. Antonio Galvez, año de 1827, was added to a new edition of the former work published in 1851, the paging running continuously throughout.
Among my rarest provincial histories is that of religious labors in Oajaca by Father Francisco de Burgoa, identified with the district by birth and by life-long work in its missionary field. He had joined the Dominican order there in 1620, and succeeded twice in reaching the chair of provincial, besides representing the provincia at Rome in 1656. He also acted for the inquisition, and lived latterly as guardian of Huaxolotitlan and other convents dying at an advanced age in 1681. Several writings of his were published,
