Mention has already been made in the Bulletin of the unusual collection of material which has been coming to the Society in the form of anniversary publications which are being put out by various companies. One such publication of special interest was the history of a Belgian company, La Société Cockerill, noted particularly for the manufacture of locomotives and other machinery.

From time to time articles have appeared in the Bulletin indicating the wealth of manuscript material on the textile industry which has been brought together at Baker Library. Not long ago there was discovered, tucked away in a fine collection on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a very small but unique group of manuscripts on the early history of the textile industry. In 1927 the Maryland Historical Society deposited with Baker Library material relating to the building of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, known as the Stabler Collection.

Somewhat over a year ago the Society received, through the kindness of Mr. Charles P. Howland, Director of Research, Council of Foreign Relations, New York City, a fine collection of Mexican manuscripts. The material falls into two distinct groups—113 volumes, the records of Alfred and Andres Lefebvre, who were engaged in both retail and wholesale trade in Mexico City, and 27 volumes, the records of the Hacienda de San Bartolomé del Monte, Provincia de Tlaxcala, Mexico, which was owned by Don Manuel Fernandez del Castillo y de Mier. This article will concern the records of Alfred and Andres Lefebvre, which cover the years 1863–1900.

Baker Library, with the assistance of the Business Historical Society, has brought together the first systematic collection of business manuscripts. Many libraries and historical societies have accumulated a few business manuscripts incidentally, but their chief interest, thus far, has been biographical source material or source material for political history. This is the first time business history has constituted the object in view.