AMONGST the numerous works which have dealt, at different times, with the history of the Public Records and with the description of their nature or uses, it is scarcely surprising that the great majority are due to the professional zeal of native archivists. We should also be prepared to find that, with several important exceptions, these works have been produced by private and not by official enterprise. The bibliography of this class of antiquarian literature is, indeed, extensive, and includes, besides the elementary essays of 16th and 17th century official antiquaries, several valuable works produced during the Victorian period. Moreover, during the last thirty years, these unofficial printed books may be supplemented by numerous articles and other periodical essays which are not exclusively published in antiquarian journals.

At the same time none of these published books or articles will be found to deal in a comprehensive manner with the several aspects of the national Archives which concern the historical student. The practical Guide to the official sources does not indulge in any disquisitions upon their formulas or scripts. Similarly the hand-book of Palaeography is not concerned with the historical aspect of these documents, nor does the essay in Diplomatic deal with the principles of their classification. Doubtless the next few years will witness a great activity in these directions, and quite recently several instructive essays have appeared of which the present writer has unfortunately been unable to avail himself fully.