of it until it came before me in the galleys and could be changed but slightly afterwards. But considering all things, I do believe the history is more nearly correct than any original history you can point to before the Bancroft series was begun, and I am glad to have your favorable judgement upon it.[1]
By 1886 Mrs. Victor had completed the major portion of the writing she did for Bancroft. Even under the ideal working conditions of the Bancroft Library the production in eight years, largely from primary sources, of the histories of seven states was a real achievement, especially when it is taken into consideration that the original manuscripts of Oregon I and II and of the section on Washington were all much longer than the printed works. Some interesting comments by Mrs. Victor on Bancroft's cutting down of her manuscript on the history of Washington occur in a letter to Elwood Evans labeled confidential:
It was my wish, and judgement, that Washington should have a volume to herself. Mr. B. however, finding that his work was going to be so extensive, decided to cut it down (after it was written) and put it into the vol with Idaho and Montana. Still as the earlier hist. of Wash. is contained in that of Or. it is pretty full as it is. But I was disappointed, thinking that you, Swan, and others would be so, because Mr. B . took out of Wash. the chapter on the San Juan difficulty, and, also a chapter on the Puget Sound Agric. Association, to make room, and put them in other vols of the Northwest Coast. He also cut down to nothing, almost, the account of the Stevens and Wool war which I had written out fully. He changed my estimate of Stevens, apparently, without any good reason—about the only important change of coloring given anywhere.[2]
During the next two years Mrs. Victor was engaged in writing the political and railroad history of California. By 1888 she was growing restive because of Bancroft's promotion scheme of publishing The Chronicles of the Builders of the Commonwealth. She did not approve of a money-making project where men paid large fees to be included, especially since Bancroft did not increase her salary for writing the biographies. She complained to Deady that Bancroft had never paid her more than $100 a month yet
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