peace
in safes or tin boxes with the name of the client printed on them.
Recent legislation has made it possible to prove a title without
reference to all the old deeds. Hence the contents of these boxes are
regarded only as old lumber and of no value. A change is made in the
office. The old family solicitor dies, and the new man proceeds with
the permission of his clients to burn all these musty papers, which
are of immense value in tracing the history of a manor or of a family.
Some years ago a leading family solicitor became bankrupt. His office
was full of old family deeds and municipal archives. What happened? A
fire was kindled in the garden, and for a whole fortnight it was fed
with parchment deeds and rolls, many of them of immense value to the
genealogist and the antiquary. It was all done very speedily, and no
one had a chance to interfere. This is only one instance of what we
fear has taken place in many offices, the speedy disappearance of
documents which can never be replaced.

From the contents of the parish chests, from churchwardens'
account-books, we learn much concerning the economic history of the
country, and the methods of the administration of local and parochial
government. As a rule persons interested in such matters have to
content themselves with the statements of the ecclesiastical law books
on the subject of the repair of churches, the law of church rates, the
duties of churchwardens, and the constitution and power of vestries.
And yet there has always existed a variety of customs and practices
which have stood for ages on their prescriptive usage with many
complications and minute differentiations. These old account-books and
minute-books of the churchwardens in town and country are a very large
but a very perishable and rapidly perishing treasury of information on
matters the very remembrance of which is passing away. Yet little care
is taken of these books. An old book is finished and filled up with
entries; a new book is begun. No one takes any care of the old book.
It is too bulky for the little iron register safe. A farmer takes
charge of it; his children tear out pages on which to make their
drawings; it is torn, mutilated, and forgotten, and the record
perishes. All honour to those who have transcribed these documents
with much labour and endless pains and printed them. They will have
gained no money for their toil. The public do not show their gratitude
to such laborious students b