Editors' Note

Editors' Note This is the last number ofHume Studies that we shall be editing. This journal was founded by John Davis in 1975 with the support of the Philosophy Department of the University of Western Ontario. The Department provided secretarial and financial support. Other financial support for a number of years was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. During the years ofour editorship, the Philosophy Department of the University ofToronto also provided secretarial support. The Hume Society was founded after the journal had become established, and, although the Societydidnotchoose tomake the editor ofHume Studies a member ofits Executive Committee, there was, from the perspective of the editors at least, a continuing good working relationship between the Society and the journal. It was the feeling ofthe Hume Society, however, that they wished to have greater control over the journal. In the Spring of 1992 the Society made it known to the Philosophy Department at Western Ontario that either control ofHume Studies would be transferred from the Department to the Hume Society or the Hume Society would establish its own, competingjournal. Itis evident that two competing specialistjournals would be in the interests of no one. In addition, with the restraints on funding of post-secondaryeducationin Canadabyboth the Federal andProvincial governments, it was becoming increasingly difficultfor the University of Western Ontario to continue its support. Given the clear determination of the Hume Society to establish its own journal if control of Hume Studies was not transferred to it, the Department somewhat reluctantly agreed to the transfer. Thefirst decision ofthe Hume Society upon taking control ofHume Studies was to relieve us ofthe editorship ofthejournal, and to relieve John Davis of the position of Book Review Editor. New editors have been appointed, and the next number ofthe journal will be their first. We hope that Hume Studies will continue to flourish, and provide a forum for scholarship and debate about all aspects ofHume's work. The task of editor can never be entirely happy, but on the whole we have enjoyed our work. We are sorry tobeleavingthejournal rather sooner than we had originally agreed. We are sorry, too, to see an important Canadian contribution to Hume scholarship coming to an end. We would like to express our appreciation to all those who have made this work possible. This includes the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council ofCanada, the Philosophy Departments ofthe UniversityofWestern Ontario and the UniversityofToronto, but above all the many people with whom we have worked—those who contributed papers, accepted and unaccepted, those on the Editorial Board, those who refereed articles for us, and those who provided the secretarial and other backup services that are needed if anything like a journal is to be kept going smoothly. We would like to thank in particular John Davis for his continuing support, and Kit Sommerville who has provided invaluable work in transforming manuscripts into copy ready for printing. We know, with Hume, that "Most of the inventions of men are subject to change. They depend upon humour and caprice." The opportunity we have had through editing Hume Studies to serve the community of philosophy in general and Hume scholarship in particular has come to an end. Thanks to the community in general for the opportunity and thanks specifically to all who have supported us in this work. Fred Wilson Robert Muehlmann vi ...