HISTORICAL KKSliARCII IN SOUTH AFRICA. l8l 



US some clue to tlie social life of the people. Picking up a 

 private memorandum book, which was meant for no other eyes 

 but the owner, we see him as the love-sick swain who leaves his 

 P'atherland to seek his future in the Indies. He fills his booklet 

 on this and that page with love phrases in Latin. Another 

 pocket-book contains addresses of relatives and friends in Hol- 

 land, a number of medical recipes, advice on several subjects, 

 and extracts of some startling incident from the European 

 papers. 



Ah ! here is a large sheet of primitive-looking black court 

 plaster fastened to one of the leaves of this book. Enough ! This 

 little glimpse into the musty remains of the past is suf^cient to 

 reveal to us living individuals, imbued with the same passions 

 and emotions, the same virtues and vices, the same lovable and 

 irritating qualities as may be observed in those about us. By 

 far the most historically valuable of these personal papers is the 

 diary of Adam Tas of 1705, published a few years back. This 

 document has shed much light on a controversial episode in the 

 history of South Africa, and is one of those which should cer- 

 tainly not be overlooked by the earnest student. 



Having been satisfied that w^e are fully equipped with the 

 material, we look to the next important factor in connection with 

 our historical research, the investigator. He is one of the most 

 important factors in the compilation of our history. Without 

 him, we would be like a man who, wishing to build himself a 

 house, has all the necessary material for the same, but has not 

 the slightest conception how to handle a trowel or hammer. The 

 researcher must be one with an unprejudiced mind, a fair sense 

 of proportion of things, able to sift and analyse his material. 

 He must take up his work for the love of it and be possessed 

 with, may I say, an unlimited amount of patience and a strong 

 constitution for work. The pleasures of the researcher into the 

 records are only known to those who have had the privilege of 

 delving into the many volumes to be found in any archives. He 

 certainly has his hopes and deep disappointments in carrying out 

 his work, but, more often than not, his most minute success in 

 tracing any train of inquiry is compensation enough for the 

 more frequent disappointments. Sometimes it happens that one 

 who would like to carry out research work is unable to do so 

 as he lives hundreds of miles away from the centre in which the 

 records are kept. In South Africa we have had three indefatig- 

 able workers in our Archives — Moodie. Theal, and Leibbrandt — 

 who have published the results of their investigations in " The 

 Records," " Records of Cape Colony," " Important Historical 

 Documents," and " Precis of Certain Sections of the Archives." 

 These are all an aid to such a person. The Dominion Archivist 

 and Keeper of the Records, in his report on the Canadian 

 Archives for 1904, said: "The true history of men, of their 

 motives, and of their influence on the progress of this greati 

 country, which is now beginning to take its proper place, can be; 



