The Bibliography of legal Records, State Papers, and Departmental Records in official custody is a subject which presents considerable difficulties to the modern investigator. It has been frequently stated that the “Science of Archives” as cultivated on the Continent is practically unknown in this country, and whatever qualifications this statement may require it is certain that the history of the national Archives has not been exhaustively treated in any printed work of reference. In fact our knowledge of the subject is to a great extent based upon official tradition which is only fitfully preserved in a multitude of casual inventories and disconnected precedents. The study of official documents has not yet reached a literary method of expression, and it is far behind the scientific development of the Continental “Archivwesen,” whilst such publications as exist deal almost exclusively with the Public Records of the mediaeval period.

But apart from this science of Archives, the Bibliography of official documents includes a large number of Indexes, Calendars and Texts of various forms and varying merit, whilst certain works of research, based upon original Records and embodying their contents to an appreciable extent, are deserving of at least as much attention as the historical memoir which can rank as a text.