Volume 1

EDITOR S PREFACE. XXVli
in my notes ; they are very numerous, as I have availed
myself of practically the whole of the literature which bears
immediately upon the subject in hand. But I am more
particularly and personally indebted to many friends and
correspondents, both in Canada and in the United States,
who have shown me those ofificial favors without which it
would have been impossible to take up the work, or have
cheered and encouraged my labor with evidences of their
interest in its success. I have specially to thank Mr.
Charles C. James, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of
the Province of Ontario, for many friendly attentions rendered,
both in
person and by correspondence, throughout
the progress of the work, in the course of which he favored
me repeatedly with valued suggestions and criticisms, and
was kind enough to supervise the transcription of the
Thompson map. Great courtesies were also shown me by
Mr. Archibald Blue, Director of the Bureau of Mines ; by
Mr. Aubrey White, Assistant Commissioner of Crown
Lands ; Mr. George B. Kirkpatrick, Director of Surveys,
Crown Lands Department, in whose ofifice the Thompson
MSS. are preserved ; and by the Members of the
Cabinet of the Legislature of Ontario, which voted to place
these records at my disposition, namely : Hon. Sir Oliver
Mowat, Premier and Attorney General (now Minister of
Justice for Canada); Hon. Arthur S. Hardy, Commissioner
of Crown Lands (now Premier of Ontario); Hon.
John Dryden, Minister of Agriculture; Hon. George W.
Ross, Minister of Education ; Hon. William Harty, Commissioner
of Public Works ; Hon. Richard Harcourt, Provincial
Treasurer; Hon. John M. Gibson, Provincial
Secretary (now Commissioner of Crown Lands) ; and Mr.
S. T. Bastedo, Private Secretary of the Premier. The tracing
of the Thompson map was carefully executed by Mr.
Charles J. Murphy of Unwin, Foster, Murphy, and Esten,
Draughtsmen, Toronto. The original MSS. of Gabriel
Franch^re were shown me by Mr. James Bain, Jr., of the
Public Library of Toronto.