The Latin American mss. Panama, 1578-1905, are largely composed of items from the Independence period. A series of documents concern the Batallon de Pardos Libres in 1817 and 1818 and the invasion and capture of Portobello, Panama in 1819 by Sir Gregor MacGregor, an English adventurer. Three eighteenth century manuscripts deal with church construction, tobacco, and the defenses of Panama. Included is the petition of Pedro de Vaena to Felipe II, king of Spain, in 1578.

Correspondents represented in the collection are Pedro de Arichaga; Felipe V, king of Spain; Alejandro de Hore; Jose Gregorio de Osma; Herbert Henry Davis Peirce; Juan Jose Samano y Urribarri de Rebollar y Mazorra; and Melchor Torres.

Also included are a 1745 folio-sized map of the fortifications at Fort Gatun in Panama, an 18th-century elephant folio-sized map showing the port of Portobello and its surroundings, and an undated folio-sized map showing how land can be dammed to better serve agricultural purposes.

Note on Indexing Term - "Law": There is a large quantity of legal material pertaining to Latin America in these collections. Royal and viceregal decrees, both de oficio and de parte, are especially numerous.

Note on Indexing Term - "Religion": A large quantity of this material relates to religious matters.

Note on Indexing Term - "West (U.S.)" and "Americana": There are items pertaining to early settlements and colonial government in Texas, California and New Mexico, and information on Texas independence.