184 HISTORICAL RESEARCH IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



jects not sufficiently covered by other agencies. This assistance 

 may be of two main classes. That is, either with books which 

 guide the enquirer to the location or assist him in the use of 

 bodies of historical sources, or books which themselves present 

 in proper scientific form the full text of important historical 

 materials. The publications of this Department fall into two 

 classes — the one that of reports, aids and guides ; the other that 

 of textual publications of documents. The activities of the 

 American Historical Association are too well known to those 

 who take an interest in the development of historical research 

 in other countries to require further comment. 



There yet remains another means to aid us in our historical 

 enquiries, the investigation of the Archives of European 

 countries, the State Archives at the Hague, the Public Record 

 Office in London, the National Archives in Paris and in Lisbon, 

 t'he Vatican Library in Rome, and the Imperial Library in Berlin. 

 All these sources will bear investigation to help us throw light 

 on our own history. The late Dr. Theal during his lifetime 

 made exhaustive searches in some of these. But a systematic 

 search by several investigators will no doubt bring to light much 

 new history. Many countries have sent out historical investi- 

 gators for the purpose of collecting manuscript materials relating 

 to their history in the Archives of Foreign Lands, for instance, 

 Plolland, United States, and Canada. I would like to mention, 

 in passing, the great want felt of some historical journal or 

 magazine, to which the result of an investigator's work could be 

 contributed from time to time. This would also be of great 

 assistance to those whose duty it is to teach history. It would 

 be a means of forming a bond of sympathy between teacher and 

 investigator, and it would organise the efforts of those who are 

 assiduously working in the interest of the study of history. The 

 English Historical Association and its journal History must be 

 of the utmost importance to the serious English Historical 

 Student. Could not a similar journal be published here? To my 

 mind it is a matter worth consideration. Speaking from per- 

 sonal experience and that of those who have made use of our 

 Archives, there is no medium by which the results of one's find- 

 ings could be made known in the form of an essay or short 

 monograph. 



In conclusion, may I plead for a deeper and more systematic 

 research into the early History of South Africa. The spade of 

 the investigator has already turned over the first layer of 

 material in the large field of documentary evidence which lies 

 hidden in our Archives. The early (Hggers have proved to us 

 the mass of wealth which we possess. There still remains a great 

 deal of delving to be done, as well as the work of sifting and 

 analysing the raw material to supply the historical student with 

 the pure and unadulterated substance which will enable him to 

 understand and write our history in its many phases. That the 

 material is there has been shown above ; that there have been 



