AMERICAN ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA, 1861-1865 (New York).

BISHOP, ALBERT WEBB.  Loyalty on the frontier, or sketches of union men of the southwest (St. Louis, 1863).

CENTRAL SUPERINTENDENCY RECORDS.  The Central Superintendency, embracing much of the territory included in the old St. Louis Superintendency, was established in 1851 under an act of congress, approved February 27 of that year.[977] Its headquarters were at St. Louis from the date of its founding to 1859,[978] at St. Joseph from that time to July, 1865,[979] at Atchison, from July, 1865 to 1869,[980] and at Lawrence, from 1869 to 1878.

In February of 1878, J.H.  Hammond, who was then in charge of the superintendency, reported upon its records to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs.[981] He spoke of the existence of “eight cases containing Books, Records, Papers,” and he enclosed with his report schedules of the contents of certain boxes labelled A,B,C,D,E,F,H,L.  Of Box A, the schedule appertaining gave this information:  “Old Records, Files, Memoranda, etc., Miscellaneous Papers accumulated prior to 1869, when Enoch Hoag became Sup’tCent.Sup’tcy.”  More particularly, Box A contained “One Bundle Old Treaties of various years, three (bundles) of Agency Accounts,” and, for the period of 1830-1833, it contained “One Bundle Ancient Maps,” and one of “Old Bills and Papers.”

The collection as a whole, undoubtedly sent into the United States Indian Office as Hammond reported upon it, has long since been irretrievably broken up and its parts distributed.  Knowing this the

[Footnote 977:  9 United States Statutes at Large, p. 586, sec. 2; Indian Office Letter Book, no. 44, p. 259.]

[Footnote 978:  Greenwood to Robinson, November 21, 1859, Ibid., no. 62, p. 272.]

[Footnote 979:  Dole to Murphy, June 23, 1865, Ibid., no. 77, p. 341.]

[Footnote 980:  Parker to Hoag, May 26, 1869, Ibid., no. 90, p. 202.]

[Footnote 981:  Dr. William Nicholson, who succeeded Enoch Hoag as superintendent, was ordered to deliver the records to Hammond [Hoyt to Nicholson, telegram, January 15, 1878, Office of Indian Affairs, Correspondence of the Civilization Division].  Hammond forwarded the records to Washington, D.C., February 11, 1878.]

investigator is fain to deplore the advent of “efficiency” methods into the government service.  Such efficiency, when interpreted by the ordinary clerk, has ever meant confusion where once was order and a dislocation that can never be made good.  From the break-up, in the instance under consideration, the following books have been recovered: 

  Letter Book, July 25, 1853 to May 10, 1861.
        " November 1, 1859 to February 5, 1863.
        " February, 1863.
        " “Letters to Commissioner of Indian Affairs,” May 23, 1855
               to October 31, 1859.
        " “Letters to Commissioner,” “Records,”