Section II, 1881. [ S5 ] Teans. Eoy. Soc. Canada. 



V. — The Analytical Study of Canadian History. 



By John Lesperance. 



(Read May 26, 1887.) 



The study of Canadian history does not date beyond thirty years, and it is a remarkable 

 instance of the law of parallels that research brought material to light, and that material 

 gave new impulse to research. Garneau had few original elements to work on, but the 

 moment his volumes appeared, discoveries were made simultaneously in the archives of 

 the capitals of Europe, and these documents gave ample scope to half-a-dozen successors 

 of Grarneau. Much has thus been done within the past quarter of a century, but much 

 more remains to be accomplished ; and I conceive it to be one of the main duties of the 

 Eoyal Society of Canada to see that a certain portion, at least, of this progress should be 

 achieved under its auspices. In furtherance of this object, I beg to call the attention of 

 my colleagues of the Section of English Literature to the following points : — 



I. 



It is now well understood that the fullest documentary evidence bearing on the 

 history of Canada exists in several of the principal libraries of Europe. Those of Paris and 

 London are, of course, preeminent ; but even in St. Petersburgh, important papers relating 

 to New France have been found, rescued from the spoils of the French Eevolution, and in 

 Rome, the Vatican library has thrown open treasures connected with the Jesuit missions, 

 the foimdation of the see of Quebec, and the Sulpitian establishment of Ville Marie, which 

 had lain hidden until lately. The new scientific system of classification and tabiilation, 

 applied in these great libraries, renders the consultation of manuscripts comparatively 

 easy, while the liberal spirit of modern governments, recognising the imperative need of 

 historic truth, without fear or favour, offers every facility to the student for reading, anno- 

 tating or copying. All things considered, it may be said that there is, perhaps, no nation 

 so happily situated as we are in respect of the abundance of authentic documentary 

 material, extending fully over the two centuries and a half of our history. 



Stimulated by this fact, the work of collation has been carried on quite briskly in 

 Canada itself, with the double object of securing duplicates of the most precious European 

 papers, and of careiully preserving such manuscripts as are known to exist in immense 

 quantities throughout the different provinces of the Dominion. The Federal Department 

 of Archives, at Ottawa, under the zealous . and intelligent direction of Mr. Brymner, 

 deserves to be mentioned in the first place, while a fit pendant thereto is to be found in 

 the files of the Department of State, under Colonel Audet. I am happy to know that our 



