PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 363 



I am officially informed that similar arrangements to those in 

 Adelaide have been made with the public libraries in Perth and 

 Sydney, with the permission of their Excellencies the Governors 

 of Western Australia and New South Wales. 



The following resolution was adopted by the General Council 

 of the Association, at the meeting in January, 1913. 



' ' It having been reported to this Association that the South 

 and Western Australian and New South Wales Governments 

 have, with the consent of the Secretary of State, and with 

 the concurrence of His Excellency the Governor, sanctioned 

 the transfer of duplicate despatches up to the year 1855 from 

 Government House to the Public Library, for the use of ac- 

 credited students of history under appropriate regulations), it 

 is recommended that the transfer of similar archives be 

 effected in the other Australian States and the Dominion of 

 New Zealand. 



[Copy.] 

 Dominions Circular. 



Downing-street, 



2nd December, 1909. 



SiK, 



With reference to Mr. Lyttelton's despatch of 4th October, 

 1905, enclosing copy of a circular despatch of 21st September, 

 1905, I have the honour to inform you that the regulations in 

 regard to access to Colonial Office records in the Public Record 

 Office have recently been revised. 



2. I have now decided that the public may have unfettered 

 access to such records, with the exception of certain special records, 

 down to the year 1837, instead of the year 1802, as heretofore; 

 and that records of a date subsequent to 1837 may be made acces- 

 sible to individuals who have obtained i/ie special permission of the 

 Secretary of State, on condition that no minutes or official 

 memoranda are to be copied, and that copies of all documents, 

 which it is desired to retain, are to be submitted for examination 

 before removal. The permission of the Secretary of State will 

 not be given by any means as a matter of course, but will depend 

 on the standing of the applicant and the subject-matter of the 

 inquiry. 



3. I have not thought it necessary to fix a definite date beyond 

 which permits should not be granted to search records subsequent 

 to 1837; but in ordinary cases such permits would not be granted 

 for correspondence later than 1860, though in very special cases 

 this limit might be slightly extended. 



