Pot-Pourri

REVIEWS 287 Thisworkisanintroductionfor 'thestudentto thevarioustypesof publicationsissued bybothParliament andthedepartments andagencies of thefederal government...'The bookconsists of eighteenchaptersand the subjects covered includeCanadianparliamentary government, federal-provincial relations ,parliamentary proceedings, Houseof Commonsand Senatepapers, parliamentarydebates, bills,acts,commissions of inquiryand taskforces,policy papers,statistics, and more. There is a convenientlistingof periodicals issued bythefederalgovernment.Includedisa listof depository librariesand booksellers authorizedto sellgovernmentpublications, with addresses and telephonenumbers.The indextothebookisdetailedandclearwithaccess by personal name,titleof publication, andsubject. Canadian Official Publications ismorethananindexof titles.Eachchapterisa concise bibliographical essay, providingvaluable informationon thedevelopmentandfunctionof thedepartment, agency, or government functionunder review, andincludes relevanthistorical andpublished material. Professor Bishopprovidesan exactdefinitionof terms:the constitution, bills,acts,whitepapers,greenpapers,administrative tribunals(theirorigins, theminister towhomtheyreport,andalisting of these bodies), divisions, and taskforces. Thebackground materialisconcise but,atthesame time,filledwith information invaluablefor reference purposes.The chapter on federalprovincialrelations ,for example,tracesthe originsand developmentof the federal-provincial conference system inCanada,fromthefirstInterprovincial Conferenceof 1864 , through the Dominion-Provincial conferences, to the recentfederal-provincial conferences. Datesandlocations of themeetings are given, the agendassummarized,and proceedings, working papers, and reportsare listed.Notesat theendof eachchaptercitefurther references on thesubject andprovidefullbibliographic descriptions of thepublications coveredin thebibliographical essay. The book is well written and reflectseffectivelyProfessorBishop'swide learning. Theconsolidated information inthiscompact volume ispresented in aclarityof language thatwillbeapprciated byanyone whorequires assistance throughthelabyrinthof government publications. Canadian Official Publications willbeusedextensively bystudents, researchers, librarians, civilservants, and booksellers. GRACE HEGGIE York University POT-POURRI Histoiredesautochtones du Nord canadien.KEITH CROWE.Ville LaSalle, Hurtubise H•aH,1979.Pp. 266, illus.A translation of A History oftheOriginal Peoples of Northern Canada publishedin 1974.Whatcanthereviewersaywhentheauthor writes thatthework'laisse beaucoup hd/•sirer' atthebeginning andrefersto'ce 288 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW livred6cousu' attheend?In fact,heistooapologetic. Thisisasweeping survey ofthehistory of theindigenous peopleofnorthernCanadafromtheirarrival inNorthAmericatothepresent day.It istext-bookish anddirected primarilyat thehigh-school student. The shortethnographic section isnecessarily sketchy, buttheaccount ofthepost-contact historyisreasonably balanced. The bookisa usefulintroduction tothesubject. FurTrade Canoe Routes ofCanada / ThenandNow.ERICW.MORSE. Toronto,Universityof TorontoPress,•979. PP. •24, illus.$5.00.The popularityof this delightfulbookisattested tobythenumberof timesthatit hasbeenreprinted. With a sense of historytheauthorprovides abriefintroduction tothelifeand work of the voyageur,and with an intimate knowledgeof geographyhe describes the routesthat they tookto the fur-bearingareas.Many of these canoerouteshavebeenalteredbythe handof man,but Morsealsoseeks to introduce thepresent-day voyageur tothejoysoftravelling them.Hisdescriptionsare detailedand conveythe author'senthusiasm withoutbeingoverly romantic.He ispreparedtotelluswhenthescenery alongacertainsection of a route ismonotonous. This is a reprint of the second edition,andhavingit availablein paperback will makeit moreconvenient for thosewhowantto follow the author's directions and test the white water for themselves. TheHistory ofFortLangley, 1827-96. MARY K.CULLEN. Ranch Homes ofthe Alberta Foothills. L.G.THOMAS. CanadianHistoric Sites,Occasional Papersin Archaeology andHistoryno 20.Ottawa,NationalHistoricSites andParksBranch, •979.PP.•46,illus.$6.50.The firstof these twopapers isacompetent narrative historyof FortLangleyon theFraserRiverfrom I827, whenit wasfounded, until its abandonment in •896. The fort wasestablished on the mistaken assumption thattheFraserRiverwouldprovetobeasatisfactory supplyroute. Throughoutitshistory FortLangley served avarietyofeconomic functions as wellasbeingthesiteof theinauguration of thecolonyof BritishColumbiain •858. While the documentarysources havebeen diligentlycanvassed, it is unfortunate thatthiswork,whichwassubmitted in •972,hastakensolongto producesincea greatdealof recentliteratureon the fur tradeonthe Pacific slopeisignored. The second ofthese pieces ismuchslighter and,although thetitleisageneral one,thepaperismainlyanaccount of 'Cottonwoods,' theranchhouse inwhich theauthorwasbornandgrewup.AswithThe History ofFort Langley, thetextof thispaperisenhanced bysome fineillustrations. TheFirstContingent: theNorth-West Mounted Police, 1873-74. PHILIPGOLDRING. Whisky, Horses and Death: the Cypress HillsMassacre anditsSequel. PHILIP GOLDRING. The'Dawson DailyNews': Journalism in theKlondike. EDWARD V.BUSVI. Canadian HistoricSites,Occasional Papers in Archaeology and Historyno 2•. Ottawa, REVIEWS 289 NationalHistoricSites andParksBranch,•979.PP.•3•,illus.$6.5o.Of thetwo pieces byGoldring thesecond isbetter. The first,onthefirstcontingent ofthe North-West MountedPolice, suffersfromthelonglapseof timebetween the submission of themanuscript anditspublication. The groundthathecovers has,inthemeantime, become prettyfamiliar,andevenwhenhedoes takeissue withotherwritersonthesubject hisarguments arerelegated toanappendix. The paperontheCypress Hillsmassacre isabetterpiece ofanalysis thathasnot beensuperseded byrecentwork.The thirdpaperinthisvolume, onjournalism in the Klondike, is a useful excursioninto the acrimoniousworld of Dawson politics andnewspapers. Gubbins' NewBrunswick Journals 1811and1831.Editedby I-XOWnl•) TWM•,Wl•I•E¾. Fredericton, NewBrunswick HeritagePublications, •98o.Pp.xxviii,9:•,illus. AsaseniorBritishofficerserving in NewBrunswick, oneofJoseph Gubbins' duties wastoinspect themilitiaforces. Thisbookincludes his journaloftwoof hisannualtoursof inspection thattookhimtomostpartsof thecolony. Gubbinswasa reasonably perceptive observer of thecountryandthepeopleat a time when there are few first-hand accounts of the area. The text has been modernizedby the editor and it is well annotated,at leastwith respectto individuals referredtobyGubbins. TheCanadian MilitaryExperience 1867-1967: a Bibliography. o.A. cooI4:E. Hull, Ministerof Supplyand Services, x979.PP.x...