LXXXII THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



labours of many persons, not members, who have contributed useful 

 papers upon historical subjects. Throughout the Dominion there are 

 several historical societies of note that have done, and are doing, much 

 to prepare and publish materials for our coming historians; but special 

 mention should be made of the Champlain Society, which is yearly 

 bringing out, under competent and careful editorship, the texts which lie 

 at the foundation of all our early history. 



Dr. Kingsford to whom reference has already been made was a 

 diligent student in his day of our Dominion Archives. But it is sixteen 

 years since he laid down his pen, and the Archives of to-day have un- 

 dergone a wonderful development since then. Copyists have been 

 ])usily employed in England and France reproducing official records 

 bearing on the history of Canada, and not official records only, in the 

 strict sense, but large collections of papers in private hands, as for ex- 

 ample the Selkirk and Lansdowne papers, to mention only two prin- 

 cipal fonds, to use the convenient French term. Diligent search has 

 been made meantime throughout Canada for documents and records, 

 printed or written, of value. Originals have been obtained where 

 possible; in other cases copies have been taken. 



Thus, from many difïerent quarters, have our Archives been en- 

 riched; and any one who should to-day undertake a history of Canada 

 somewhat on the scale of Kingsford 's, would find far ampler facilities 

 and resources at his command than did that industrious writer. 



And here, it is satisfactory to be able to note that students from 

 our universities have been repairing to the Archives during the long 

 vacation to do research work, and prepare theses for advanced degrees. 

 Most, if not all, of these young men are honour students in the depart- 

 ment of history, and as a rule have chosen their subjects with the ap- 

 proval, or at the suggestion, of their own professors. The Archives are 

 thus brought into close touch with the Universities, an arrangement 

 that seems at once natural and desirable, from whichever side it may 

 be regarded. And now, what will the harvest be? AVe are surely 

 entitled to look for no scanty or insignificant harvest from measures so 

 well concerted. C'ullo stat seges alta solo. 



What should be the dominant note in history? I can imagine some 

 adherent of the straitest sect of modern historical Pharisees exclaiming: 

 "History wants no dominant note: all she has to do is to tell the 

 truth and go her way." AVell, I shall not revive the question already 

 touched upon as to what is historical truth; but shall simply affirm that 

 history, without being for one moment untrue to herself, may yet have 

 a dominant note, and that that should be a note of appeasement. The 

 past has been full of struggle, some effects of which are with us still. 

 History may tell us of feuds and of battles, but history should not, itself, 



