110 REPORTS ON INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



London archives." Professor Paxson, who was able to give but three 

 months to the work, returned in September; Dr. Paullin is still at work. 

 Their monthly reports indicate systematic and effective labor. Professor 

 Paxson made an examination, as thorough as time permitted or the nature 

 of a preliminary guide required, of the various series of Foreign Office 

 papers from 1783 to 1837, preserved at the Public Record Office, and of the 

 papers of the Board of Trade and Privy Council. Dr. Paullin has meantime 

 examined the Admiralty and War Office papers, for the same period, the 

 records of the Custom-House, Treasury, Audit Office, Home Office, Prize 

 Courts, and General Post Office, in so far as these relate to the United States. 

 The examination of the manuscript collections in the British Museum for the 

 period since 1783 has been conducted by the two agents jointly. At the con- 

 clusion of the year reported upon, Dr. Paullin had begun work upon the 

 Colonial Office papers, which, with the Foreign Office and Admiralty series, 

 constitute the chief mass of American material. 



These departmental papers in the Public Record Office are freely open to 

 public examination down to 1837 (to 1850 in the case of War Office papers). 

 Most of the great European governments set a more recent date, and indeed 

 by special permission several American students have had the opportunity to 

 proceed as far as 1848 in the British Foreign Office papers. It has been 

 hoped that our agents might have permission thus to extend their search and 

 listing. The American Ambassador, Mr. Reid, acting under instructions from 

 the Department of State, interested himself actively in supporting their request ; 

 but the desired favor could not be obtained in 1910. 



In June the Director of the Department visited the archives of the Domin- 

 ion of Canada at Ottawa and the provincial archives at Toronto and Quebec. 

 His object was, by preliminary inspection, to determine the possibility or 

 difficulties of constructing a "Guide to the materials for United States his- 

 tory in Canadian archives, national, departmental, and provincial." Doubts 

 had arisen out of the rapidity with which new materials had of late been 

 flowing into the Dominion archives from the ministerial departments and else- 

 where, but these doubts were resolved by examination, and the way seems 

 open for the preparation of the desired guide. The project has been received 

 with cordial favor by the archivist of the Dominion, Dr. Arthur G. Doughty, 

 C. M. G., and by the minister of agriculture, Hon. Sydney Fisher, of whose 

 department the archives form a part. Hearty good will toward the enter- 

 prise was expressed at the time of the Director's visit by the acting governor- 

 general, Mr. Justice Desire Girouard ; the prime minister, Sir Wilfrid Lau- 

 rier; the secretary of state, Hon. Charles Murphy, and the minister of militia, 

 Sir Frederick Borden. Since then a beginning in the preparation of the pro- 

 posed guide has been made by Mr. David W. Parker, a Canadian well versed 

 in United States history, and who for the greater part of the last two years 

 has been engaged in the work of the Department in Washington. 



