The papers of the railroad commissioner are relatively few in number. Besides his incoming and outgoing correspondence the commissioner's records include the oaths of office taken by him and his clerks and deeds and contracts between railroad companies and suppliers of equipment.

The largest quantity and variety of records concern the many internal improvement companies that operated in the state: toll bridge, canal, and river navigation companies, as well as railroad, steamboat, telephone and telegraph, and turnpike companies. As before, the types of records found depend upon the activities of each company. For most companies, however, the emphasis is on records concerning financial matters or construction and maintenance.

Once a company had been incorporated by the General Assembly it opened its books for stock subscriptions, held a meeting of the stockholders, and elected officers. After the Board of Public Works purchased shares of its stock, the company was required to report to the board on how the money was spent. The records generated by these procedures include minutes of the meetings of stockholders and of company officers, lists of stockholders, certificates signed by the president and treasurer of the company attesting to the amount of money privately invested, and various financial statements.

The construction and maintenance of internal improvements created a wide range of records. Usually a state engineer surveyed the route of the improvement, recorded the survey in field-note books, drew up a map from his notes, and occasionally made plans and drawings of bridges, canal locks, toll houses, and the like. Specifications for construction work were published by the superintendent of the project, and bids were submitted to him by prospective contractors. Those selected signed contracts and security bonds for the faithful performance of their duties. The superintendent sent letters and reports to the board, as well as accounts of the construction expenses and supporting receipts or vouchers.

After the improvement was completed, toll stations were built and returns of the tolls collected were sent to the board. The construction supervisor was replaced by a superintendent who was responsible for repairs and for an accounting of maintenance expenses. Occasionally travelers disputed this official's abilities as a manager, and a lively series of complaints and rebuttals were sent to the board.

Associated with the company papers described above, but not physically located with them, are a large number of field notes, maps, plans, and drawings. The field notes that are filed separately from the company papers are those that do not pertain to particular companies, but instead concern projects of the board or proposed routes for improvements that never went beyond the planning stage. Most of the maps, plans, and drawings long have been separated from the company papers because of their size. Together, these records constitute an important pictorial and cartographic image of Virginia transportation during the first half of the nineteenth century.

The records of the Board of Public Works are a unique source of information for historians, whether their interest is in social history, economics, biography, commerce, engineering, or cartography. This inventory should help them in their research and present new opportunities for investigation.

JOHN S. SALMON