Peculiarities of search for documents of foreign archival Revelation

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Annotation / Аннотация
Archivists search for documents on foreign archival Revelation (rossika), which is stored in distant foreign countries, as well as sources of information on the whereabouts of these documents.
Поиск архивистами документов части зарубежной архивной Россики, которая хранит-ся в дальнем зарубежье, а также источников сведений о местонахождении этих до-кументов.

Keywords / Ключевые слова
Foreign archival Revelation, Pre-Soviet Revelation, Post-revolutionary Sovetika, All-Russia Research Institute of Documentation and archives: computer database Revelation, British, American, Slovenian, Croatian, Spanish Revelation, Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, Bahmetev archive. Зарубежная архивная Россика, досоветская Россика, послереволюционная Советика, ВНИИДАД: компьютерная база Россики, английская, американская, словенская, хорватская, испанская Россика, Гуверовский институт войны, революции и мира, Бахметевский архив.


To specially intended for an information exchange with Russia materials on foreign archival Revela-tion adjoin inquiry and other editions, which were made and prepared by our foreign colleagues un-der their initiative. In frameworks of interlibrary and other exchange of the literature or acquiring by Russian archival and-or library establishments have appeared these materials at the disposal of the Russian archivists.

First of all it is necessary to mention extensive two-volume directory about location of the British and Irish Russian-language archives, made by M.Hartly on not only state, but also numerous mu-nicipal archives, libraries materials, and also archives of political parties, other private structures and private archives. The first volume of the directory is devoted to the British, and second (smaller on volume) – to Irish Russian-language archives.

The important quantity of documents of the Russian origin was revealed in London archives. So, in the State archive of Great Britain (Public Record Office), in fund “Royal correspondence” there is a diplomatic correspondence between the British and Russian monarchs for 1683 – 1779, and in fund “Ministers for Foreign Affairs of England” - correspondence of Russian ambassadors in England with heads of Foreign office for 1707 – 1780.

Extensive collected works of the Russian origin (since XVI century) disposes Department of manu-scripts of the British library (British Library). Correspondence of English monarchs and statesmen with the Russian tsars and imperators Ivan IV, Boris Godunov, Alexey Mihajlovich, Peter I, Ekaterina II, Alexander I, Nikolay I, and also with statesmen and diplomats – A.D.Menshikov, P.A.Stroganov, S.R.Vorontsovym, K.R.nesselrode, K.A.Potstso di Borgo, and others is of great value. Special attention is necessary to turn the Great value on funds of E.R. Dashkova, H.A.Liven and D.H.Liven, G.V.Zhomini and A.G.Zhomini, A.I.Herzen.

Among the documents of the Russian origin stored in Department of manuscripts of the British li-brary of political and economic sciences (British Library of Political and Economic Science), it would be desirable to allocate P.S.Melgunov's extensive fund (225 boxes), P.A.Kropotkin, L.B.Krasin, M.M.Litvinov's letters, and also materials of the national-labour union for 1935 – 1961

In the Library of School of Slavonic and East Europe researches (School of Slavonic and East Euro-pean Studies Library) there are funds of A.S. Musin-Pushkin, admiral P.V.Chichagov, A.A.Blok, A.V.Amfiteatrov, the English-Russian literary society, Party of national freedom (its Parisian de-mocratic group, documents for 1921 – 1922), Russian student's Christian movement abroad (docu-ments for 1929 – 1930), Council of Russian private railways, etc.
In Department of sound recordings of the Imperial museum of war (Imperial War Museum) are stored audio materials of V.I.Lenin's speeches for 1919-1920, L.D.Trotsky for 1920 and I.V.Stalin for 1941 and 1945.

Among documents of Corporation of London Records Office is a great value the materials, concern-ing visits to London by Alexander I (1814), Alexander II (1874), to N.S.Khruschev and N.A.Bulganin (1956), A.N.Kosygin (1967).
In collected manuscripts of Library of the Lambeth Palace Library there is a correspondence and other materials, concerning relations of Anglican Church with Russian right-nice church for XIX – XX centuries

Among documents of Society of Friends Library represented the great interest materials about “du-hobory” for XIX – нач. XX centuries.
Library of the United Grand Lodge of England Library consists documents of the known Masonic figure of XVIII century I.P.Yelagin (known in England as John Yelagin) and the Petersburg Box of the Perfect Union (70th years of XVIII century).
The considerable file of the documentation about the Russian-British economic relations is in Rothschild Archives: debt checks of the Russian loans 1822 and 1825 – 1844, correspondence with the Russian government, firms, banks and frequent persons on questions on loans, actions and bonds for 1823 – 1914, etc.

In the Cambridge University Library there is C.Darvin's correspondence with brothers А.О. and V.O. Kovalevsky, E. Rezerford with P.L. Kapitsa, sir E.H.Minns with known Russian and Soviet historians, archeologists, critics and numismatists. In the fund of G.J. Palmerstone of Southampton University Library there are correspondence with Nikolay I, count K.R.Nesselrode, prince A.M.Gorchakov, count M.S.Vorontsovym, F.I.Brunnov, prince H.A.Liven, princess D.H.Liven, etc. In A.U. Wellington’s fund there are documents about Russian-English and Russian-Turkish rela-tions in first half XIX century.

In department of manuscripts of National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh in fund of a family of counts of Minto there are copies of letters of Pavel I of the year 1799, in fund of baron C.Stewart de Rotsi is a copy of the letter of Alexander I for 1821, in fund of A.F. Primrose, 5th count Roseberry are copies of telegrams of Alexander III for 1893, and in fund of a family Robertson-McDonald are letters to members of a family Robertson from princess E.R. Dashkova and prince P.M. Dashkov.
The microfilmed documents include contracts between England and Russia for 1742-1762 are stored in the Scottish state archive (Scottish Record Office) in Edinburgh.

In 2006 - 2009 the Sector of use of Department of archival science of VNIIDAD realized researches on a translation from English catalogue of documents of Bahmetevsky archive of Russian and the East Europe history and culture at the Colombian university (USA). The Bahmetevsky archive was been founded in 1951 by the initiative of the former ambassador of Provisional government in Washington, the professor of Engineering school of Colombian university B.A. Bahmetyev for stor-age of documents from Russia and the Eastern Europe. 1917 he was appeared abroad after revolu-tion and Civil war in the next years. The Bahmetevsky archive became quickly the second for vol-ume (after archive of Guverovsky institute about which we will tell further) storehouse of the Rus-sian and East Europe documents outside of Russia and the former Soviet Union. The history of Bahmetevsky archive and structure of its documents were considered in A.V. Popov, O.V.Budnitsky, V.V. Krylov's articles. But systematical translations of the guidebook to its funds into Russian ire carried out by A.S.Lovtsov for the first time.

It is necessary to mark out B.A.Bahmetev's fund (documents for 1914-1951, about 34000 units). The most part of the fund concerns to the period of 1917-1922, in a great extent it is the materials de-voted to Humanitarian fund and friendship of Bahmetev with are well-known americans. Thematic folders contain the documents concerning to period of Civil wars, devoted to the Parisian peace con-ference, Humanitarian fund and the Soviet Russia the beginnings of 1920th. Printing materials in-clude brochures, magazines and newspaper’s cuttings. Also there are gathered reports of various de-partment Russian embassies and mission with 1917 prior to the beginning of 1920th. Besides in fund there is the portrait of Bahmetev written by oil by artist Nicolas Beker.

Other major polythematical directory on archive is the guidebook to archive of Guverovsky institute of war, revolution and the world. Collected Rossika in Guverovsky institute on volume more than in Bahmetevsky archive, but more "motley" and unequal-valuable concerning documents stored in it. Some years ago the employee of our sector, known archivist M.P.Djachkova visited during her pri-vate trip to the USA this archive and took the unpacked pages of the guidebook devoted to docu-ments of Rossika from its workers. Besides directories for site definition catalogues of exhibitions of archival documents, especially such exhibition which subjects are connected with Russia or natives of it have considerable value also.

In this connection the great value has, for example, the catalogue of a joint Russian-Bulgarian exhi-bition “White emigration in Bulgaria” passing in Sofia in 1996.
Other major sources of information about Rossika are the collections of documents published abroad. As an example of the publication of many sources such some can serve editions, carried out in recent (rather) time in the former Yugoslavia.

Another sources of information about documents of foreign archival Rossika are books of the his-torical maintenance, having research character, or relatives on the level and the maintenance. For example we take from the same Yugoslavian editions: 1948 – Yugoslavia and Kominform: fifty years later / research of Ranko Petkovicha, etc. – Belgrad: Foreign policy: Office bulletin ORU: Ar-chive of Yugoslavia, etc. publishing house. – 1998. – 337 with. (In the Serbian language). In re-search the Yugoslavian documents on Kominforme and, accordingly, the USSR as "inspire-lem" creations of Kominforma should be used was, certainly, ВКП () – party correcting in the USSR (as from-vestno, in 1948 it was called VKP (instead of the CPSU, as since 1952).

When we speak about search of documents of foreign archival Rossika or information about them we underline that substantially (behind an exception unless mentioned above the materials directly sent by our foreign colleagues) this work based on drawing up of the bibliography of russian and foreign editions. In the last decade of XX century, and the next years (and in some cases even till now) our largest scientific libraries not be increased with properly foreign historical, archival and other literature. Therefore on funds of these libraries of hope not so it is a lot of, as it would be de-sirable. Having learnt about many new editions from the Internet, by personal contacts to foreign colleagues or otherwise, very often interesting archivists and historians from the point of view of Rossika of the edition it is almost impossible really (in visu as experts speak) to look.

In these conditions process of drawing up of the bibliography and its publication without any doubt cannot avoid the separate annoying errors testifying not about any "negligence" of composers and publicators of the bibliography, and about those, we repeat, rather considerable difficulties which they face in the activity. It will negatively affect and the search of data on documents of foreign ar-chival Rossika and, especially, documents. But, as always it was known, the one who does nothing is not mistaken only. To It, finishing article, all of us hope that the general lifting of economy, sci-ences and the cultures, observed in our country within several years, will positively affect and a condition of archival business in general, and on scope and quality of one of many aspects of work of our archival branch – to search and input in a scientific turn of documents behind archival Ros-sika.