PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. — ^SECTIOX D. 6l 



That Commission, it may be stated, has done much import rat 

 work, and at a very small expense has greatly increased the 

 facilities for research, while it has also been successful in mak- 

 ing some important additions to the Archives, and is initiating" 

 a plan of search for and copying of important documents 

 which are believed to be in existence in Holland and elsewhere. 



Reviewing then, in brief, the historv of the Archives at pre- 

 sent stored under the Union Houses of Parliament, it may be 

 safely affirmed that since the appointment of the 1876 Com- 

 mission large quantities of valuable documents have been 

 rescued from oblivion and the hand of the destroyer, have 

 been carefully sorted and bound, and safely housed, and much 

 useful work has been done upon their indexing, while guides 

 to their nature have been placed in the hands of students and 

 of the general public. 



It is obvious, however, that these can only be regarded as 

 a beginning, for it has still to be confessed that authors and 

 students of history in South Africa are placed at a great dis- 

 advantage, compared with those in many other countries, in 

 the limited nature of the facilities which are at their disposal 

 when desiring to investigate public records, documents, official 

 papers, and other manuscripts which would throw light upon 

 the historical development of the country. Indeed, the Council 

 of the University has frequently hesitated to prescribe for 

 Prize Essays, or the higher Academic honours, subjects which 

 would necessitate research, because it has felt that it would be 

 unfair to ask such work under the present conditions. 



What should be aimed at in order to develop the Archives 

 and to enhance their usefulness I may be allowed briefly to 

 outline. 



This I would preface by stating that the Union Archives are 

 likely to have much more in common with other colonial 

 Archives in their aims and methods than those of the older 

 countries of Europe. Colonial systems are based upon needs 

 to which our own are closely akin. Perhaps the Canadian 

 Archives are the type which may be followed with the maxi- 

 mum advantage, they having developed from necessities which 

 in many particulars are like ours. Canadian history had rela- 

 tions with two older European countries, the Dominion was 

 an aggregation of colonies whose diversity of interest offers 

 a very close parallel to ours. Moreover, the work accom- 

 plished is an index to the value of the system employed. 



In South Africa four Colonies have entered the Union, but 

 it is obvious that there cannot be four Archives. Centralisa- 

 tion must be the ruling idea, and remembering the object for 

 which Archives exist, the centralisation should take place as 

 near as possible to the chief seats of learning where research 

 is likely to be carried on. Only thus could they become a true 

 national asset of the highest value. Otherwise, if an attempt 

 is made to establish several Archives, rivalry inconvenience 

 and inefficiency will inevitably result. 



There is much material from outside the Government depart- 

 ments and from oversea which remains to be secured, and there 



