A STUDY IN LEGAL ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDS SHARON ...

Letters in the first volume begin November 24,1882, and continue until
May 3,1898. The volume itself is in fragile condition, having neither front nor
back cover. However, it has received conservation treatment through
encasernent in protective mylar film. Nearly seven hundred pages of letters
pertain to "transmittal of papers, payment of fees, payment of money into court,
yearly revenues of the court, court sittings, procedural advice to clerks in
Brandon and Portage la Prairie, appointment of Commissioners in B.R.,
purchase of office supplies, sale of niles of the court."" A number of the letters
in this volume are actually reports to the attorney-general regarding business
conducted through the prothonotary's office. The statement on page eight, for
example, highlights an increase in activity and points out that the "revenue from
writs and jury cases alone in 1882 [was] over three times as large as that of
1881 ." Another staternent draws comparisons among the years 1889, 1890,
1891, and 1892. A supplies order, written from "The Prothonotary's Otfice" in
1894, requests, among other things, " 1 Doz. Quik [?] Pens, 1 Doz. extra pen
holders, 1 Quire [?] Blot Papemng The last few pages of the volume are letters
of a personal nature, concerning business that Prothonotary Walker handled for
family and friends.
The third letter book (1 899-1 909), although beyond the time frame of
Equity, illustrates certain points concerning preservation issues. Some of the
letters in this and the other volumes are almost indecipherable because letters
or whole words are missing. Incorrect application of the letterpress method