Notes and Comments

NOTES AND COMMENTS The International Committee of Historical Sciences, which is the interim committeeof the quinquennialCongress of Historical Sciences, met thisyearat The Hague,fromJuly 4 to 7. The progress of thework of its several commissions,and plans for the congressat Warsaw in 1933, will be duly reported in the Bulletin. A development,however, whichdemandsmention in this REwEw becauseof its specialinterest to workers in Canadian history, is the recognitionaccordedby the International Committee to colonialhistory as a distinct field of scholarship. As recentlyas last Septemberthere met at Paris the first International Congress of ColonialHistory of whichMarshalLyautey wasthehonorary president,M. Alfred Martineau, late governor-general of the French Indies, the president,and Professor A. P. Newton the vice-president. At that meetingit was held desirablethat there shouldbe a permanent bodyfor the organization of colonialhistory,and planswe/:elaid for preparinga bibliographyof workspublishedsince1900in any country, relating to colonialhistory prior to the closeof the nineteenthcentury. Already the bibliographythen plannedis completedand is off the press (PremierCongr•s internationald'histoire colon(ale, Paris, 1931. B•bliographie d'histoirecoloniale,1900-1950. Publike par les soinsde MM. Alfred Martineau, professeurau Coll•gede France, Roussier,archiviste du minist•redes colonies, Tramond,professeur h I'llcole de Guerre Navale,d•l•gu•s par le Congr•s. Paris:Soci•t• de l'histoiredescolonies fran•aises. 1932). This volume is not only a bibliography but also an accountof the work which hasbeendoneand of the equipment existing for the study of colonialhistory in eachcountry. Application to the International Committee resultedin recognition of the new colonial history organizationas one of its external commissions ,autonomous but federally attached to the committee. The new commissionorganized itself as such at The Hague, electing M. Martineau as president, ProfessorNewton as vice-president, and M. Roussier as secretary. It proposesto operate as a commissionof countries,with national committeeson colonial history in each country concerned. At two fruitful sessionsat The Hague the commission delimitedthe scope of colonialhistoryandlaid plansfor establishing the bibliography of the subject on a permanent basis with quinquennial supplements. (R. G. Trotter) A handsome, fire-proofbuildingfor the New Brunswickmuseumhas just beenerectedin Saint Johnmainly throughcontributions from the province,thecity of SaintJohn,andprivateindividuals. The dominion governmentalsoalloweda sum to be usedin connectionwith the relief of unemployment. The openingof the museumwill commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the province, asa distinctgovernment. Thoughtheofficialopeningawaitsthe coming of 1934,the museumwill beat the serviceof the public in the nearfuture. There isa rich collectionof exhibitsto be displayed,mostof whichhave 342 NOTES AND COMMENTS 343 been for years under the care of the Natural History Society. These relateto the followingperiods, viz., Eskimo,Indian, French,and British colonial. The marine,military, and natural historyof the provinceis richly represented,and there is a fine collection of books and historical documents. The museumis continually receivinggifts, which are duly acknowledgedin the press. The recent donation by Dr. J. Clarence Webster, of Shediac,N.B., of his extensivepictorial collectionof Canadiana ,addsto the importanceof the museum,andgivesit rank assecond in importance to the Public Archives of Ottawa. The educational work of the natural historymuseum,soably conductedby Dr. William MacIntosh , director of the new museum, has benefited all parts of the province,and will be continuedon a largerscale. The museumhasthe .goodwill of thepeople oftheprovince, andtheirsupport in thefuture m assured. The following interesting comment appeared in a review (History, January, 1932) of the well-known books on the causesof the Great War by Professors S. B. Fay and B. E. Schmitt: "It has happenedbefore,but there can seldomhave been a clearer case,and it must be a little disturbingto a too ingenuousfaith in history. Here we have two mature historians,the American Professors S. B. Fay and B. E. Schmitt, of approximately the same rank and standing and of the samenationality. They have eachdevotedmany yearsof labour to a quitelimitedsubject,ashistorygoes, the causes andoutbreak of the World War. They both confinethemselvesvery largely to the strictly diplomatic side. On that side this is probably the best documented episodein history--does not Schmitt number the tale of relevant documents at over 35,000?--not to speak of the array of published autobiographiesand diaries,and the interviewsand questionnaires by which theseauthorshave securedspecialinformation from the many surviving protagonists. They have written on an approximatelysimilar scale, and it...