Fontanus - (E-Journal - McGill University)

-, -

Back cover

Vogel, Robert

English

Noel Buxton: The 'Trouble-Maker' and His Papers

Chronicle 
The past year was again an important one for McGill in terms of acquisitions. The brief 
descriptions that follow are of a selected number of the many significant items acquired by 
McGill libraries. museums, and archives during 1989. Manv of these acauisitions were made -
possible by generous gifts from private donors, alumni, professors, librarians, benefactors; 
and by special grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 
Ottawa; IMASCOL; the New York Chapter of the Friends of McGill University; and the McGill 
Associates. 
The Blackader-Lauterman Library of Architecture and Art This library acquired a rare volume 
of Archictures: recueil publie' sous la direction de Louis Sue et Andre' Mare, comprenant un dialo~ue 
de Paul Vale'ry et la presentation d'ouvrages d'architecture, peinture, sculpLre, et gravure con- 
tribuant depuis mille neuf cent quatorze a former le style frangais. Paris, Nouvelle Revue 
Franqaise, 192 1. 
Another important acquisitions was that of Fin-de-siecle Architecture. Tokyo, Kodansha Ltd., 
1985. 6 volumes folio. The extensive photographic survey by Keiichi Tahara is accompanied 
by text by Riichi Miyake and addresses, in separate volumes, the Arts and Crafts and the Garden 
City Movement, Stile Liberty and Orientalism, Art Nouveau, Modernismo, Japonisme and the 
Influence of the Secessions. 
In January 1990, the library received a new donation of personal files, drawings and exhi- 
bition boards by Canadian architecture W. S. Maxwell. This valuable material, given the library 
by the architect's daughter, Mme. Mary Maxwell Rabbini of Haifa, Israel, will be added to 
the Maxwell Archives of the Library's Canadian Architecture Collection. It will also be used 
in the upcoming exhibition, "The Architecture of Edward and W. S. Maxwell" at the Montreal 
Museum of Fine Arts. 
The Blacker-Wood Library of Biology Mr. Roger Raymond of Sillery, Quebec, donated a col- 
lection of 39 Danish titles on fish and marine invertebrates. Included in the collection are 
a 1781 edition of Otto Frederick Miiller's Hydmcbnae and Ingvald Lieberkind's 12 volume 
Dyrenes Verden, 1937 seq. 
The library received presentation copy F of the limited edition of Joseph Wolfs Pheasant 
Drawings: reproductions of the original sketches and the colouredplates of Elliot's "A monograph 
of thephasianidae, or family ofpbeasants (1872)". The original sketches which were reproduced 
in this publication are part of the Blacker-Wood collection. 
Misses Dora and Gwen Mousley donated a manuscript bibliography and photograph album 
of the works of their father, William Henry Mousley, who was a local naturalist and former 
librarian of the Blacker-Wood Library. 
The f irst 20 volumes of the camp lece Wards afCdar(es Uarwi;z edited by Pad  Barrett and 
R. B. Freeman were purchased for the library. 
Marvin Duchow Music Library The library has received an SSHRC gran t  in the amount of 
$10,000 to build upon its already excellent collection of primary source material for the history 
of music theory. 
Copies of treatises related to music theory from the middle ages to the early twentieth century 
will be acquired making McGill one of the major centers in music theoretical research in 
Canada. 
Mr. John Black donated 232 LP records to the library. 
McLennan Library Following is a selective list of other important purchases made by humanities 
and social sciences libraries: 
- Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd edition 
- Periodical indexes on CD-ROM: Humanities Index, Social Sciences Index, Canadian 
Business and Current Affairs 
- The Royal Shakespeare Company's Shakespeare series on videotape 
- League of Nations documents on microfilm 
- German Reichstag Proceedings 1924-33 on  microfiche 
- Selective filling in of holdings of newspapers on microfilm: Montreal Star, Journal de 
Quebec, Action Catholique, Nationaliste Ouest Canadien, Shebrooke Gazette and 
Township Advertiser, Halifax Chronicle, L'Unita, Avanti 
- Journal backfiles: Saturday Night (microfilm replacement for worn out originals), Electoral 
Studies, Political Psychology, Bulletin Monumental, New York Times Theatre Reviews, 
The Soviet World, Cahiers quebecois de demographie, Harvard Ukranian Studies; Revista 
de filogia espanola, Revue des etudes slaves, Sefarad. 
- Concordance to the standard edition of the complete Physcological works of Sigmund 
Freud 
- Facsimile edition of the manuscripts of William Faulkner. 
- A generous SSHRC grant was awarded for the purchase of historical publications con- 
cerning the Austro-Hungarian Empire. 
- An important new endowment was received from IMASCO to improve the McLennan 
Library's Canadiana holdings. 
- Special funds were made available from the New York Chapter of the Friends of McGill 
University for the replacement of worn-out and deteriorated publications and the replace- 
ment of important books declared lost as a result of a recent complete inventory of the 
McLennan Library's stack collections. 
- McGill Associates continued to financed the microfilming of the McGill Daily into the 
1970s. 29 reels of microfilms covering 19 1 1 - 1969 have been completed. 
- Dr. Henri Bybelezer donated 260 books mainly on France, Britain, Germany, Italy and 
USA in the World War I1 period. 
- Professor William B. Shaffir gave a collection of ca. 1500 works mostly in Yiddish 
- Professor A. Krishtalka gave a gift of ca. 200 Yiddish titles (mostly unbound serial issues) 
- Dr. Hans Moller donated a collection of 100 volumes of Scandinavian literature and ref- 
erence books. 
- Professor Myron J .  Frankman gave 900 books (many on Spanish literature and Latin 
American politics and history) 
- Mrs. Richard B. Johnston's gift of ca. 3,000 books and periodicals covered topics of 
anthropology and archaeology 
- Dr. Bettina Bradbury's gift of 394 books on political and economic geography, came from 
the estate of the late Dr. John H. Bradbury. 
- Mr. T.  J .  Vandor donated the R h a i  Nagy Lexicoua, Budapest, 19 1 1- 1935. 
- Pro Helvetica gave a collection of approximately 40 Swiss novels 
- Mr. Eric G. Adams donated ca. 790 serials and monographs on music, science, economics 
and government. 
- Gifts of a total of 61 Belgian works came from the Belgian Ministere de la Communaute 
Franqaise. 
Department of Rare Books and Special Collections With the assistance of a repatriation grant 
of $99,000 from the Cultural Property Board, we acquired the papers of Leon Edel (b. 1907), 
biographer, literary historian, and writer. This vast archive contains all of Edel's manuscripts, 
journals, and correspondence with many important literary figures. 
We acquired the literary papers of Sharon Thesen, a Canadian poet who lives in Vancouver 
and has been nominated twice for the Governor-General's award for poetry. The papers consist 
of manuscripts, journals and correspondence. 
We acquired the literary papers of poet Ken Norris. Norris now lives in Maine, but was 
very active in the Montreal literary scene in the 1970s and early 80s. He has published many 
books of poetry, as well as criticism, book reviews, and a history of the little magazine in 
Canada. His papers include manuscripts, notebooks, correspondence, and other material. 
With the assistance of an SSHRC Fleeting Opportunties grant, we bought at auction an 
18th-century bound manuscript entitled, "Les fortifications de la France et de I'Amerique." 
It contains watercolour plans of French fortifications, including several for North America, 
Montreal among them. 
We bought two interesting 19th-century Canadian travel manuscripts, the first kept by John 
Rutherford Murray of Toronto during a trip made in 1890 to Mackinac, and the second by 
H. S. Scott of Quebec City during a European trip in 1857. 
We bought copies of two of the rarest of the so-called "exile narratives," i.e. accounts by 
participants in the 1837 Rebellion who were exiled to Tasmania: William Gates' Recollections 
of Life in Van Dieman's Ldnd (Lockport: 1850) and Caleb Lyon's Namtive  and Recollections 
of Van Dieman's Ldnd (New York: 1844). 
w e  were awarded a generous grant from SSHRC to develop our David Hume Collection, 
and have bought several important 18th-century editions of Hume's works, including French 
and Italian translations. 
Valuable gifts were received from private donours, notably: 
Dr. Lawrence M. Lande donated a valuable collection of books and manuscripts, including 
many items relating to Montreal bookwright Frank Wise. 
Mrs. Helen Kahn donated a copy of the rare first edition of John Locke's Two Treatises of 
Government ( 1690). 
Mr. Bob Hilderley of Quarry Press, a literary publishing house in Kingston, Ontario, donated 
the archival records of the press. 
Miss Rose Wiselberg donated three 19th-century Balinese rod puppets. 
Mr. E. D. Gray-Donald donated a collection of 15 Russian chromolithographs from the turn 
of the century. 
Mrs. Erica Deichmann Greg donated a rare printed genealohy in Danish relating to the family 
of Sren Kierkegaard. 
Mr. Alfred Pick donated a letter and some manuscript material of Stephen Leacock. 
Mrs. Sheila Bourke donated a group of 18th and 19th century books. 
Health Sciences Library A major endowment in memory of the late Dr. Joseph Murray Baxter 
(MD '22) was established in 1989, the annual income of which shall be used for the purposes 
of the Health Sciences Library. 
The library received a major donation from the Bibliotheque de I'Assemblee Nationale (BAN) 
in Quebec City. The BAN supplied us with valuable journals to complete gaps for the years 
185 1- 1868. Journal titles received included: Canada MedicalJownal  a n d  Monthly Record and 
Medical Chronicle or Montreal Monthly Journal of Medicine a n d  Surgery. 
Dr. Harold Segall donated a valuable collection of antiquarian medical books. 
McCord Museum of Canadian History A total of more than 1,400 artifacts were added to the 
McCord Museum collections during 1989 in spite of the move which temporarily slowed the 
acquisition process at the beginning of the year. The de Volpi ceramics collection (625 pieces) 
and weather vane collection (78 pieces) were important additions and were among the 
Museum's major acquisitions in 1989. The Museum was able to acquire these collections 
through the financial assistance of the ministere des Affaires culturelles du Quebec. Another 
notable acquisition was the gift of the Julien Gaudet collection consisting of more than 63 
metis objects made prior to 1917 and orginating in the Fort Good Hope area. Notes on these 
two acquisitions appear in the current issue of Fontanus. 
Several of the other acquisitions made by the McCord Museum during 1989 represent sig- 
nificant contributions to the collections. These include, in the Costume and Textiles collection, 
the so-called "boutonne coverlet" collected by their donor, Mrs. Regina Slatkin, while travelling 
with M. Marius Barbeau in 1934 on one of his expeditions to Ile-aux-Coudres. Also added 
to this collection was quite a rare 18th century hatpin which was discovered inside the mech- 
anism of a clock that was being dismantled for the move. 
Among the most signficant additions to the Notman Photographic Archives were 19 Inuit 
family portraits dating from 1952 and acquired by Mr. Richard Harrington, and a collection 
of photographs pertaining to the contruction in 1926 of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. 
The Decorative Arts collection acquired a remarkable set of 658 small lead soldiers that 
were used in Montreal in the twenties, and two chandeliers which once hung in the Monkland 
house, the governor general's residence. These chandeliers, which date from the middle of 
the 19th century, were acquired from the Desbarats family. 
The most important additions to the Painting, Prints and Drawings collection were two 
lithographs of Huron Indians created circa 1842 by the artist Coke Smyth. This gift was made 
possible by Mrs. Gerald Bronfman. The Museum also received again this year a set of original 
cartoons by the cartoonist Aislin of The Gazet te .  
The year 1989 was one of exceptional growth in the Ethnology collection. In addition to 
the Gaudet gift already mentioned, a set of 61 Inuit artifacts was donated by Mrs. Helen Austin 
Shopalovich which will enable the Museum to much more accurately reflect the richness of 
the artistic traditions of New Quebec. 
Finally, the Archives also benefited from the generosity of the Museum's friends, having 
acquired from the Gibb Foundation extensive documentation about this family of tailors and 
merchants which was at the heart of the city's activities from the first half of the 19th century 
to the middle of the 20th century. The collection provides the Museum with a unique source 
for the study of men's costume in Canada, both civilian and military, especially during the 
19th century. 
University Archives A significant photographic archive was donated by Canada Cement Lafarge 
to the University Archives. Founded in 1909 by Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook), the company's 
head office was in Montreal. The archive consists of approximately 15,000 photographs of 
Canada Cement's projects constructed across Canada. Particularly strong for Montreal and 
Quebec, the photographs record the progress and final results of office buildings, churches, 
homes, schools, dams, highways and many other structures (including the Company's own 
Montreal plant), built between 1910 and 1980. The photographs offer a rich resource for the 
historians of architecture and building technology, as well providing unique documentation 
of individual structures and topography. Highlights include Camp Borden (1716), the East 
End Plant (Montreal), and exteriors and interiors of the show piece head office on Phillips 
Square (ca. 1920). 
The Canada Cement photographs will be rendered doubly valuable to researchers by an effec- 
tive finding aid. The Archives nationales du Quebec, through its programme of financial assist- 
ance to archives, has generously awarded a grant for the indexation of a large portion of the 
photographs on a computer data base. 
The University Archives recently received teaching and research papers of Gerhard Lomer, 
University Librarian (1920-1946) and Director of the McGill Library School. Research notes 
range from the history of the book to the mythology of mermaids. 
The University Archives acquired personal and professional papers of David C. Munroe, 
Professor of Education (1949- 1967). The professional papers consist of lectures and addresses 
on education; correspondence documenting Munroe's service on the Superiour Council of 
Education and on the Royal (Parent) Commission on Education. 
From Susan H. Curtin, the University Archives received writings on cooperative banking 
and family correspondence (mainly 1710-1940, some in Russian) of Alfred Haemmerle, a 
Russian-born banker who settled in Montreal in 1920. 
To unite a collection previously split, the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections 
transferred to the University Archives private diaries and correspondence of the geologist and 
explorer George Mercer Dawson ( 1849- 170 1 ). The diaries are of particular importance for the 
history and topography of the Canadian West and the activities of the Canadian Geological 
Survey. ca. 1875-1901 and complement the other papers of Sir William Dawson, George 
Dawson, and their family in the Archives, which are of particular importance to historians 
of science. 
The Law Library tranferred to the University Archives the original drafts by McGill Law 
Professor John Humphrey of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights written for the United 
Nations in 1747. The final declaration, very similar to Humphrey's drafts, is endorsed today 
by over 130 nations. 
From the Marvin Duchow Music Library, the University Archives acquired correspondence, 
compositions and lecture notes of Marvin Duchow, Professor and Dean (1757-1762) of the 
McGill Faculty of Music. 
The University Archives acquired (from the Redpath Museum) notes, drawings, and cor- 
respondence, ca. 1840-1880, of Philip Carpenter, an authority on conchology and social 
reformer. A social reformer and friend of Sir William Dawson, Carpenter gave an extensive 
shell collection to Redpath Museum, where he was made an honourary curator until his death 
in 1877. 
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections published A G z d e  to the Collectiom. 
McGill University Libraries, Montreal, 1787. 


Chronicle

Graham, Conrad E.W.

ravant, se sont interesses aux cultures autochtones. Une grande majorite d'entre eux se sont 
rendus dans des regions lointaines ou ils ont ete en contact direct avec ces cultures. Egalement, 
les liens qu'ils avaient avec la Compagnie de la baie d'Hudson expliquent souvent, en derniere 
analyse, la presence de ces objets a Montreal. 
Or on ne peut s'empecher de remarquer que cet itineraire-type du collectionneur d'artefacts 
amerindiens et inuits presente de nombreux points communs avec celui du grand-pere de Julien 
Gaudet, Charles Philippe Gaudet. Ce dernier avait quitte Montreal en 1852 pour gagner les 
Territoires du  Nord-Ouest; il y epousa en 1858 une jeune metisse, Marie Houle Fisher, et y 
occupa successivement divers postes pour le compte de la Compagnie de la baie d'Hudson, 
dont celui de <<Chief Trader , [chef de poste], jusqu'a sa retraite en 19 1 1. Griice a son petit-fils, 
la collection revient donc aujourd'hui a Montreal, et dans un musee qui a lui-mPme accueilli, 
par des detours assez semblables, des objets de mPme origine. En s'enrichissant de cette faqon, 
la collection du Musee McCord contribue a parfaire le double temoignage que notre institution 
est en mesure d'apporter sur, d'une part, la richesse des cultures autochtones canadiennes 
et, d'autre part, l'ouverture d'esprit de ces gens qui, au tournant du siecle, ont porte sur ces 
cultures un regard avide d'embrasser une realite qui les fascinait. 
Charles deVolpi - Collector Extraordinary 
by Conrad E. W. Graham 
Registrar, McCord Museum of Canadian  History 
1989 proved a significant year for the McCord collections. A number of important additions 
were made to the Decorative Arts collection; most notably, the acquisition of the deVolpi col- 
lection of transfer printed ceramics and weathervanes. 
Charles P. deVolpi CM., F.R. P.S.L. (1910- 198 1) was a Montreal businessman and notable 
collector of Canadiana. Chairman of the Board of Perkins Papers, he was also Honorary Colonel 
of the Royal Canadian Hussars. He was married to Margaret Barnhill and they had two sons, 
David and Thomas. In 1964 they moved from Montreal to St. Sauveur des Monts, Quebec, 
where he had ample space to house his expanding collections. His collecting activities began 
with philatelics and slowly evolved to many other disciplines including archival documents, 
prints, ceramics, ethnographic artefacts, folk art, military memorabilia and weathervanes. 
A methodical collector, deVolpi kept inventories, sales receipts and letters of inquiry for all 
his purchases. These were given to the Museum in 1981 when his collection of prints and 
drawings was donated. This valuable source of information helps to document the collections 
and is a significant research tool for the study of the mid-20th century collector. As an author, 
Charles deVolpi produced 10 volumes illustrating the earliest prints depicting Canadian views 
from Montreal, Quebec, Toronto and Niagara to Newfoundland and British Columbia. These 
have proven to be an essential aid to anyone interested in the visual interpretation of Early 
Canada. 
The transfer printed ceramic collection comprising 444 items illustrates in the main part 
examples made specifically for the Canadian market during the 19th century by the 
Staffordshire potteries. However, the fact that much of this pictorial earthenware was widely 
distributed in its own day, and not made exclusively for the Canadian market, is historical 
Earthenware platter, ca. 1835, by Davenport. The view "Montreal" is based on two 
watercolours by R.A. Sproule, engraved by W.S. Leney and published in 1830 by 
A. Bourne, Montreal. (Photograph by Franqois Leclair. devolpi Collection, McCord 
Museum of Canadian History, Montreal.) 
evidence of the way Canadian scenery seized the imagination and interest of the 17th century. 
The wares reflected changes in taste-not only taste in the wares themselves (their bodies, 
shapes and colours) but the changing way of looking at things, from the romantic to the literal. 
The earthenware links the world of artists, printmakers, and photographers to the practical 
world of potters whose wares were intended for daily use. 
The weathervane collection comprises 80 vanes and whirligigs produced in Quebec and 
eastern Canada in the 17th and early 20th century. As the most comprehensive private col- 
lection in Quebec these new additions make the McCord's weathervane collection a major hold- 
ing which now totals 117 examples. 
The study of "folk art" as an expression of material culture has made significant advances 
in the past decade. Folklorists practice not only analysis of artifacts, but also behavioural obser- 
vation and ethnoscientific questioning in order to elicit a folk aesthetic. Objects of material 
culture may embody not only an artist's conception but also a client's desires. Claude Levi- 
Strauss used the term "bricolage" to describe the mental process in which an artist partially 
accepts a new idea, fusing the new with the old. ' 
Until now little has been published on Canadian weathervanes and whirligigs which in 
French Canada followed a separate tradition than that found in the United States of America. 
With the addition of this collection research can now begin which should result in a better 
understanding of the craftsmanship and the selection of motifs seen in Eastern Canada during 
the 19th and early 20th century. 
This 1989 acquisition was made possible by a generous grant from the Ministere des Affaires 
culturelles in Quebec. 
1. Claude Levi-Strauss, The Storage Mind (Chicago, 1967), 16-22. 
1 5 5  


Charles deVolpi—Collector Extraordinary

Front cover

Guidelines for Authors 
Fonlt/Jllts is an annual publication d ' Vo te I co · ·holarly rc c rach ba. eel princi pally upon 
M ill niv r icy colic tion . Th t rm · nil e cions' i · incerpr<:tcd in chc broadc c n 
include book · ar ·hiv - pe · imcn arrifa ' l S, bui ld ing and o ch r form o do um ntary i-
d encc. onrribution · derived fro m all a ·p · t · of 1 ' ill olle cion. w ill b on. idered. 
ubmi i n fa ncribution i. un ie r. wod ro imply that no pap ·r contai nin g e-- ntially the 
arne m aterial ha b ' n publi h d prcviuu ly and chat che manuscript i. nm und er ed itor ial 
on id ration el w he re. All ubmi ion will be reYiewed by members of the Edirorial Board 
and r ~ re d by xp rt in th appropriate field. ny ·u l ·tancial chang ' will b I ared with 
the author before publicacion. end ·ubmi -- ion · , pr pared a o rd ing w che in. tru cion. below, 
co: 
17orm of rfanuscript 
Dr. I ans Mt>lle r 
Editor 
F T 
MeL nnan Libcarr B(li/cNng 
3 ~9 M T av i· h 
Mont rea( Que be: · H ~A l Y l 
All manu ript (in t\ o cop ie. ) mu t be typewriuen and d o uble- pa ·ed. 
b , ubmitted on ompuccr di k, u. ing ~ ordpcrfcct .2 or 5.0 oftwar . 1 ot hould b num-
b r d n utiv ly and fol low th t xt of th ani I . Author ' nam hould app a r aft r th 
tide and before the te ·t of the article. A shorr biographical nore of no mor rhan LOO word 
h uld be in ·Jud d. 0 ·gr urrent an I pr i u. po. it i n and major publication hould 
b li ted. 
Abstracts 
A brief ab. tra t (of no mor than 200 won..ls) of th concem of the anid · hould b · prepar d 
y the author . 
Form of Citation 
anu - ript h uld nfo rm t the tand ard. ourlin d in 'fbe , owdirm . f) le: "guide to tnitin ~ 
tmd editing (by the Department of che ecrecarr of tare of ~anada) TorontO, London: Dundurn. 
1985 . Tran lation of pa ag in ()(h r than rench or · ngli ·h ·hou ld be provided in th text. 
Illu tration 
PhotOcopie of all i ual material(\ ith bri f caption ) mu c be ubmi tted for initial evaluation . 
On e an ani le h b en a · -ept d, the author i r<: ·pon, ible for upplying I ar black and whit 
g lo , photos and for ·ccur ing the p rmi " io n to publi h opyrig hc m, t rial i ne e ary. 
F fm lml/IS i publish d in th ea rl y pa rt of a h al ndar year. Arti le . ubmitted b fore 
e r mb r I· ar eligible f(>r on. ideracion for the folio,,· in~ year ' · i · ·ue. Author- ·will have 
t e opportunit to revie ' · their manu r ipt aft r liting ha b n compl c d. 
165 


Guidelines for Authors

Bayley, Susan

British Parliamentary Papers As Sources For Modern Language Teaching Research

Möller, Hans

Editorial 
McGill University is a rich storehouse for rare, precious and unusual 
materials which have been collected over a century and a half by generous 
donors, librarians, archivists, curators, faculty and citizens. 
This wealth constitutes a veritable treasure trove of manuscripts, books, 
archives, artifacts, specimens, artwork, and architecture, spread out over a 
large and disperse campus. 
The tradition of keen and talented individuals collecting within their 
particular area has existed from the early days of McGill to the present time. 
Many of these collections are known internationally and have been studied, 
described, catalogued, and displayed. Others are less well known, and still 
others are virtually unknown or even undiscovered. 
Fontanus, the Latin name for a god of springs and sources, was chosen 
as the title of this journal. Fontanus is a new and major effort to draw 
attention to, encourage study of, expose and exploit the collections in order 
to stimulate new discoveries within the University and beyond. 
In the libraries, there are collections on Renaissance history and 
philosophy, Islamic culture, classical archaeology, anthropology and history of 
science. There is an extensive collection of Iridian and Inuit Bibles, books 
related to renowned philosophers such as David Hume and Soren Kierkegaard 
and writers such as William Blake, Rudyard Kipling, Rainer Maria Rilke and 
Stephen Leacock. There are special collections of Babylonian and Assyrian 
seals, medieval manuscripts, incunabulae and fine books related to the 
history of printing and illustrations. The collections of older books on 
zoology, botany and the history of medicine are outstanding, and there are 
rich collections on 18th and 19th century European architecture, the history 
of Canadian architecture and Byzantine art. 
The archives hold not only the official records of the university but 
also Sir William Dawson's scientific papers, early records of the Royal 
Institution for the Advancement of Learning, the papers of the Canadian 
Philosopher John Clarke Murray, the private papers of F. Cyril James and 
Maude Abbott, films of old football games, and 15,000 photos from the Canada 
Cement Company (1 910-80). 
There are many unique treasures in the Redpath Museum such as 
geological specimens (including Dawsonite), invertebrate and vertebrate 
fossils, bird specimens, ethnological collections of artifacts from sub-Saharan 
Africa, and archaeological collections from the classical world (including 
1,000 valuable Greek and Roman coins). The McCord Museum of Canadian 
History holds fine collections on Canada's native peoples, costumes and 
textiles, paintings and drawings as well as the Notman Photographic Archives. 
Fontanus will be published annually and will contain a number of 
scholarly articles in English or French based on the collections in our 
libraries, museums and archives. The subjects will vary widely according to 
the nature of the documents described and analyzed. The contributors will be 
librarians, curators, archivists and professors of the McGill community and 
elsewhere. 
Fontanus, as it now appears, represents the combined efforts of many 
people at McGill. I am particularly grateful for the solid support given from 
the very beginning to the idea of this new McGill journal by David Johnston, 
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Samuel 0. Freedman, Vice-principal 
(Academic) and Dr. Eric Ormsby, Director of Libraries. I am also very 
gratified by the general support from all sides of the University, notably 
librarians, professors, archivists and curators. 
I owe thanks to the Management Committee of Fontanus, under Dr. 
Freedman's chairmanship, for enthusiastic and very wise counsel, and to the 
Editorial Committee which provided help and guidance from the first week of 
the project. I am particularly indebted to my colleague, librarian Irena 
Murray, who as Associate Editor has overseen both the design of the journal 
and the technical aspects of its production. I also thank three other 
librarians Suzy Slavin, Elaine Yarosky and Marc Richard, who as copy editors 
proved quick, efficient, tireless and very professional. I am grateful to my 
assistant Terry Kaluta for her cooperative and helpful efforts in word 
processing. 
The McGill Associates deserve special recognition for providing a 
generous grant towards the production of Fontanus, a grant which came 
forward at a crucial and very early stage of the project. 
Finally, I must thank the twelve contributors to this first issue for 
their faith in the endeavour and their willirigness to put work into their 
articles without which there would be no first volume. 
I wish to close by expressing the hope that Fontanus will have a very 
long life. There are certainly hundreds of topics for articles waiting to be 
written. Such is the richness of the McGill collections. 
Hans M6ller 
Editor 


Editorial

Contributors 
Susan Bayley received her doctorate in Comparative Education from McGill's Department of Administration and Policy Studies in Education (1987) and is 
currently Research Associate in that Department. Her particular interests are 
comparative education, history of education, curricu lum and second language teaching . 
John Brierley is Sir William Macdonald Professor of Law, McGill University. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1974 to 1984. His teaching is 
concentrated in Quebec civil law, the history of legal institutions and the 
comparison of legal systems. His most recent major publication is Major Legal Sy terns in the World Today, with R. David, 3rd edition, 1985. 
Montague Cohen was born in London, England and obtained his B.Sc. (Physics) and Ph.D. (Medical Physics) from London U niversity. He was 
appointed Director of McGill's Medical Physics Unit in 1979 and has cross-
appointments in Physics and Radiology. He is also Hon. Curator of the Rutherford Museum , Chairman of a Task Group of the International Commission of Radiological Units and Measurements, and a Consultant on 
radiation safety to the Ontario Government. 
Alfred Dubuc est professeur d'histoire economique au Departement d'Histoire de l'Universite du Quebec a Montreal. II est licencie en Droit (Universite de Montreal), licencie en Sciences politiques et sociales (Universite de Louvain) 
et Docteur es Lettres (Histoire) de l' niversite de Paris (Sorbonne). II a 
aussi enseigne l'histoire economique au Departement de science economique de I'Universite de Montreal (1959-1969) et it a ete professeur invite an Departement de Political Economy de l'Universite de Toronto. Une partie importante de ses recherches et de ses publications porte sur l' histoire de Ia famille Molson, particulierement au XIXe siecle. 
John Hobbins obtained his B.A. (Hons. History 1966) and his M.L.S. ( 1968) from McGill University. Since then he has worked for McGill University Libraries as a Reference Librarian, Instructional Services Librarian and Head 
of Interlibrary Loans. He is currently a Senior Librarian and the Head of the Acquisitions Department, Central Technical Services. 
Rhodri Liscombe, Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia, completed his higher education at the Courtauld Institute of Art. A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, hi publications include: William Wilkins 1778 & 1835 (Cambridge University Press 1980); Franci Rattenburg and Briti h Columbia: Architecture and Challenge in the Imperial Age (University of British Columbia Press , 1983), 
with A. A. Barrett; and The Church Architecture of Robert Mill (Southern Historical Press, 1985). 
Peter F. McNally. After graduating in 1964 in Honours History from the U niversity of Western Ontario, he came to McGill and earned a Bachelor of Library Science in 1965, a Master of ibrary Science in 1966 and a Master of Arts in History in 1977. Between 1966 and 1972 he worked in the Reference Acquisitions and Rare Book Departments of the McGill University ibrary, 
serving as the first librarian of the Lande Collection of Canadiana between 1970 and 1972. Since 1972 he has served on the Faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies, lecturing in reference, 
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bibliography and the history of books, printing, and libraries. He is Convenor 
of the Library History Interest Group of the Canadian Library Association for 
whom he edited Readings in Canadian Library History , published in 1986. 
Michael Lawrence Renshawe is an Associate Librarian at McGill University. 
Born in Washington, D. C., he received an M.L.S. in librarianship and a J.D. 
in Law from the University of Maryland. He began his professional career 
at the Library of Congress where he held the position of Reference Specialist 
with the Legislative Reference Service (now known as the Congressional 
Research Service). He then served as the Librarian of the Library Company 
of the Baltimore Bar, one of the original, 19th century subscription libraries 
serving members of the Bench and Bar of Baltimore. In 1976, he was 
appointed to his current position of Law Area Librarian at McGill University . 
Goldie Sigal obtained her B.A. (Honours Philosophy and English 1952), M.A. 
(English 1960) and M.L.S. (1977) from McGill University. She received her 
education in Jewish Studies in Montreal at the Jewish People's Schools 
(Hekhere Kursen), McGill and elsewhere. She is an Associate Librarian at 
McGill and has worked at the McLennan Library since 1977 as an original 
cataloquer (Jewish Studies and English). Since 1984 she has also held the 
position of Judaica bibliographer. She has done freelance work in writing, 
translating and art and is active in Montreal Jewish cultural life. 
Lars Troide, a native of Connecticut, received his B.A. and his Ph.D. from 
Yale University. Co-editor of three volumes (1974) of The Yale Edition of 
Horace Walpole's Correspondence and editor of Horace Walpole's Miscellany, 
1786-1795 (1978), he has been a nominee for the Gottschalk Prize of the 
American Society for 18th century Studies (1978), a National Endowment for 
the Humanities Fellow (1981-2), and a holder of numerous research grants 
from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In 1976 
he came to McGill, where he is now a Professor of English and (since 1984) 
Director of the McGill Burney Project. 
Richard Virr, the Manuscript Curator, Department of Rare Books and Special 
Collections, McLennan Library, holds a doctorate in Church History from 
McGill (1980). Before joining the Library, he was with the McGill University 
Archives and the Archives of the Anglican Diocese of Montreal. 
Leszek Wysocki, was born in 1953 in Cracow, Poland; and holds an M.A. in 
Classics from the Jagellonian University in Cracow. In Canada since 1981, he 
is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Classics, McGill University . 
His dissertation deals with verbal humour in Plautus. 
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