106 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



quite scattered in their location, are also extant and furnish a very 

 necessary atmosphere of fact and comment for the more central and 

 official documents. Owing to the very volume of this material, even 

 so far as collected at the Archives in Ottawa, and more so as scattered 

 in various Canadian centres, it is possible for only a very limited 

 number of students to consult it. To do so requires at once a strong 

 personal interest, a special historical training, the necessary leisure, 

 and last, but far from least, the requisite means, to enable one at all 

 adequately to consult the documentary and other evidence necessary 

 to satisfactory results. The successful student must spend not merely 

 weeks but months, or even years, according to the nature and extent 

 of his researches, first in locating and afterwards in examining, com- 

 paring and transcribing the materials necessary for accurate first- 

 hand work. Needless to say, it is still more difficult for those beyond 

 the limits of Canada, whether in other parts of the British Empire, in 

 the United States, or other foreign countries, to avail themselves of 

 the varied treasures of our Archives. If, therefore, our Canadian 

 history is to be known in authentic form, not only to our own people, 

 but to the outside world, whose interest in Canada is steadily rising, 

 it requires the facilities for direct knowledge to be greatly increased. 

 It is necessary to put in available form the chief documents relating 

 to the various phases of the country's history. 



In order that these documents may be of the greatest service 

 it is desirable that, in addition to being arranged chronologically, they 

 shall be classified according to the chief interests which were developed 

 in the country. They should, for instance, enable us to trace the orig- 

 inal settlement of the country with the sources of its population, the 

 condition of their arrival, and the terms of their settlement, the origin 

 and growth of the various political institutions, local and general, 

 the foundation and extension of trade relations both domestic and 

 foreign, the opening of the means of transport and communication, 

 the first establishment and future growth of the instruments of ex- 

 change, and the public finances, etc. This arrangement according 

 to the chief national interests, is also the most suitable and effective 

 for cross-reference, as in tracing the influences of these factors on each 

 other. In fact as many combinations as are desired may be readily 

 effected without confusion. 



While, of course, only the documents of primary importance, or 

 containing the fullest and most typical treatment of any special events, 

 can be presented in full, reference to many secondary documents and 

 a few of the more important extracts from them will be furnished in 

 the foot-notes; thus enabling the documents to serve as guides to 



