HISTORICAL RESEARCJI IN SOUTH AFRICA. 183 



ihe more serious students, more than 35 ])er cent, of the total 

 number of visitors make use of the office for historical purposes, 

 and the variety of subjects researched show that good work is 

 being done. Many students since 191 2 have made constant use 

 of the documents for examination purposes, and several pro- 

 fessors of the various Universities are carrying out particular 

 investigations. The late Dr. Theal has, in the last years of his 

 life, continued his researches amongst the Cape Records, and 

 for the whole of this year l^rofessor George Cory, of Grahams- 

 town, has had the opportunity of working daily in the Archives 

 to gather material for his " Rise of Soutli Africa." 



But there is another means of aiding us in our historical 

 research: the systematic printing and publishing of iX)rtions of 

 our records. This enables the genuine and enthusiastic student, 

 who is unable to come to Cape Town to read for himself the 

 actual text, and thus he will be able to draw his information 

 from first-hand evidence. Theal's " Records of Cape Colony " 

 and his " Belangryke Historische Dokum.enten " are the class of 

 work I refer to. They are invaluable to the student, but this is 

 a class of work which entails a great deal of expenditure, and 

 .should be undertaken by the Government of a country. Happily 

 for the South African historical student of the present and 

 future, there now exists an Archives Commission ai>pointed by 

 the Government about a year ago for the Cape Archives. The 

 various branches of historical learning are well represented in 

 its personnel. This body will issue, from time to time, a series 

 of documents containing the actual text of the more important 

 portions of the early records. There is still another medium b)r 

 which the text of the Archives can be made available, and that 

 is by their publication by a Society. In this respect we are again 

 fortunate, for, at about the same time as the Cape Archives Com- 

 mission came into being, *' The Van Riebeeck Society " for the 

 publication of South African Historical Documents was con- 

 stituted. The object of this Society is to print, or re-print, rare 

 and valuable books, pamphlets and documents relating to the 

 history of South Africa. Its headquarters are in Cape Town, 

 and its first publication contains two important reports in the 

 Archives dealing with Cape affairs in the years 17 17 and 1743. 

 Such a Society deserves the warmest support not only of the 

 historical student, but of the reading public as well. The 

 various Societies in Great Britain, on the Continent, and in 

 America, which undertake the publication of historical documents 

 to elucidate their country's history are well known. The 

 " Commissie Van Advies voor's Ryks Geschiedkundige Publi- 

 catie " in Holland has produced many very interesting and 

 valuable volumes. In the United States of America there is a 

 " Department of Historical Research of the Carnegie Institution 

 of Washington." The main purpose of this Department is to 

 provide the present and future writers of monographs and 

 general histories with information on periods or on special sub- 



