DEPARTMENT OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH. Ill 



volumes due to the labors of Professor Andrews and the volume supple- 

 mentary to them, already published, prepared by him and by Miss Davenport. 

 Since, however, the work of preparing this volume could be taken up at once, 

 without impediment from official changes of classification, Dr. Charles O. 

 Paullin and Prof. Frederic L. Paxson went to London in June 1910 upon a 

 mission the history of which was partly related in the last annual report. 

 Toward the close of the period included in that report the manuscript of 

 Professor Paxson's section of the book, embracing the Foreign Office, Privy 

 Council Office, and Board of Trade papers, from 1783 to 1837, arrived at 

 the office of the Department, his labors having necessarily ended in Septem- 

 ber 1910. Dr. Paullin, to whom the Admiralty, War Office, and Colonial 

 Office papers had been assigned (manuscripts in the British Museum having 

 been dealt with jointly), continued in London until January 1911. His 

 manuscript was received in INIarch. Both sections of the proposed volume 

 are now ready for press. ]\Ieanwhile, however, an opportunity of extending 

 them has arisen in such a manner as to make necessary a considerable delay 

 in publication. 



In February 1910 application was made to the British Government, 

 through the kind offices of the American Secretary of State and of the 

 American Ambassador in London, for such official permissions as would 

 allow Dr. Paullin and Professor Paxson to extend the scope of their re- 

 searches beyond the year 1837. The departmental papers in the Public 

 Record Office, it may be explained, are freely open to public examination 

 down to 1837 (to 1850 in the case of War Office papers), though by special 

 permission several American students have had the opportunity to proceed 

 as far as 1848 in the Foreign Office papers. The eft'ort to secure the permis- 

 sion in the general form required by the Department's purposes was kindly 

 supported by Mr. Reid, American Ambassador, Mr. Bryce. British Ambassa- 

 dor in Washington, and others. In November consent to carry the exami- 

 nation of the Colonial Office papers down from 1837 to i860 was accorded, 

 and Dr. Paullin remained in London long enough to complete this part of 

 the work upon the same scale as the remainder. Shortly after his return 

 permission was received to extend the work, under proper official restrictions, 

 to the same advanced date in the Foreign Office and Admiralty papers. 

 Similar permission was presently received in the case of the Privy Council 

 Office. 



In view of these new openings, it seemed best to try to complete the work 

 for the whole period from 1783 to i860 before publishing the data already 

 acquired. The Department was able at once to avail itself of the aid in London 

 of Prof. Charles E. Fryer, of McGill University, a gentleman well versed in 

 the English and American history of the period involved, who could for six 

 weeks devote himself to the newly opened series, under instructions intended 

 to secure uniformity of product with that of Dr. Paullin and Professor Pax- 

 son's labors. The mass of papers to be examined proved unexpectedly large ; 



