AN AUSTRALASIAN HISTORIAN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 49, 19 June 1914, Page 4

AN AUSTRALASIAN HISTORIAN.

Dr. R. McNab, author of several works on early New Zealand, and editor of the New Zealand Records for tho New Zealand Government, is visiting Sydney in connection with the compilation of a history of New Zealand prior to the establishment of British government, says the Sydney Telegraph. The work will take thirteen years to complete, and will extend to four volumes. Two volumes have already been published, and the third, entitled, "From Tasmau to Marsden HG42 to 1818)," will be finished in the course of a few weeks. "It is not generally known," said Dr. McNab, "that three-fifths of tin' material used has a special reference to Sydney, and the early history of its whalers and traders, supplemented by a little from Hobart. For my American material, J draw on historical collections on tho N'ow England coast, which was the headquarters of the old whalers from 1821 to IS4O. For my English information, 1 go to tho British Museum, and the Record Office, London, with casual help at the shipping ports of Glasgow and Liverpool. The Bibliotheque Nationals Paris, the offices of the Minister for Marine, and the French archives supply mo with the French material.'' In connection with his editorship of the New Zealand Records, Dr. McNab lias already brought out one publication. and another, which is to appear this year, will contain the journals of th# greut navigator*, Tasmau, Cook, P'TJrville, Mari-

on, Vancouver, Briscoe, and Bellenz. "This," .said the doctor, "will be the greatest collection of journals of Australian voyagers ever printed. All my information is hrst hand, obtained from actual records or from old newspaper files."