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               THE ONTARIO ARCHIVES: SCOPE OF ITS
                           OPERATIONS

        (Paper read at the twenty-seventh annual meeting of
           the American Historical Association, held at
               Buffalo, N. Y., December 27-30, 1911)

                               BY

                        ALEXANDER FRASER

             LL. D., LITT. D., F. S. A., SCOT. EDIN.


Reprinted from the Annual Report of the American Historical Association
                     for 1911, pages 353-362

                           WASHINGTON
                              1913




                      THE ONTARIO ARCHIVES.

           By ALEXANDER FRASER, Provincial Archivist.


The line of demarcation between the Canadian or Dominion archives and
the Ontario or other provincial archives is somewhat similar to that
between the Federal and State archives in the United States. It consists
with the scope of the jurisdiction of the Dominion or major
commonwealth, and the narrower or minor jurisdiction of the Province.
This constitutes a clearly defined boundary within which both work
without conflict or overlapping of interests. Our public charter is an
imperial statute entitled the British North America act, and to-day,
when there are nine fully constituted, autonomous Provinces within the
Dominion of Canada, it is interesting to recall that when the British
North America act became law in 1867 the subtitle set forth that it was
"An act for the union of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and the
government thereof; and for purposes connected therewith."

This act provides for the government of Ontario a lieutenant-governor,
who represents the Crown;