"The indexes in the volumes of archives in the office of the secretary, which were written about 1840, were evidently made with a different ink from that used for engrossing, and faded so badly that the important words had to be rewritten. "In the office of the State Treasurer the records to about 1867 are very black and distinct, but the ink used during a few years following has faded. "The records of births, marriages and deaths, in the registration volumes in the secretary's office, furnish an excellent illustration of the different qualities of the inks now used. These records are original returns made by the city and town clerks, and from 1842 to 1889 show instances of the use of inks which are now almost illegible. Here again the fault cannot be attributed to the paper, for endorsements made in the secretary's office upon the most faded returns at the time of their receipt are as black as when made. "The volumes of copies of the old records of Lexington, made in 1853, have faded until they are quite indistinct. "Some of the old inks, though retaining their black color have, from the presence of acid in the ink or paper, eaten through the paper as thoroughly as if the writing had been done with a sharp instrument. In part of one old volume of court records, the ink, while not injuring the paper or becoming illegible upon the face of the leaves, has gradually become legible upon the reverse, while the heavy paper has been impervious to the other inks used. * * * * * * To ascertain what kind of inks were in use by the town clerks, I examined the registration volumes before referred to, and, as before stated, found many poor inks in use. In a few cases blue inks were used, and in two violet, which is, as a rule, if not always, a fugitive color. A number of the returns in these volumes of as recent date as 1875 were almost illegible, and three made in 1888 were nearly as indistinct. "The more I looked into the subject, the more I became convinced that the whole subject of ink was one upon which the persons using it were comparatively ignorant. Consultation with experts satisfied me that good inks were being injured by improper treatment; that the custom of mixing inks and of adding water to them was unsafe; and that among the inks reported as in use upon the records there were many manufactured for commercial uses which should not be used upon records, and which the manufacturers would say were not intended for record inks. I therefore sent to the manufacturers of the inks reported as in use by the recording officers, and to some others, the following letter and inquiries: