CO885-(18-19) — Page 433

I PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O.885

19 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

39060

(No. 118.) MY LORD,

24

No. 50.

NEWFOUNDLAND.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 26 October, 1908.)

Government House, St. John's, 14 October, 1908. I HAVE the honour to inform you that I communicated your despatch "Miscel- laneous," of 24th September,* to my Ministers with reference to the visit to this Colony by Mr. Fisher, and I received the enclosed reply, that the Government would gladly co-operate with that gentleman. I believe, however, that Mr. Fisher had left the Colony before I received your despatch.

Mr. Fisher called on me on the 24th September, and I had much pleasure in doing what I could for him. I regret that his stay here was so short, and that I had so little opportunity of furthering his mission.

Enclosure in No. 50.

I have, &c.,

WM. MACGREGOR.

Colonial Secretary's Office, St. John's, Newfoundland,

October 10, 1908. SIR,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's communi- cation of date 7th instant, covering despatch "Miscellaneous," of date 24th ultimo, from the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the subject of the preparation of illustrated lectures on the Colonies for use in the schools of the United Kingdom.

I am sure that the Government will be glad to afford Mr. Fisher all facilities possible in his work, and to co-operate in the preparation of the lectures.

I have, &c.,

ARTHUR MEWS, Deputy Colonial Secretary.

His Excellency

12015

Sir Wm. MacGregor, G.C.M.G., C.B.,

&c.,

&c.,

&c.

No. 51.

MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE VISUAL INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE HELD AT THE COLONIAL OFFICE, 10 NOVEMBER. 1908.

PRESENT:

The Earl of Meath (in the Chair).

Sir Cecil Smith.

Sir Philip Hutchins.

Sir Charles Lucas.

Mr. Sadler.

Dr. Heath.

Mr. Mackinder.

Mr. Noall (Secretary).

The minutest of the last mecting, having been previously circulated, were adopted.

Sir Charles Lucas reviewed the correspondence which had passed since the date of the last meeting.

On the suggestion of Sir Cecil Smith, Sir Charles Lucas promised to enquire privately why lectures were not delivered in Port-of-Spain as well as in the country districts of Trinidad.

• No. 47.

† No. 12.

25

Mr. Mackinder then read his preface to the edition of the lectures prepared for use in India and adapted for use in the United Kingdom. The Committee approved the preface with slight modifications.

Mr. Sadler proposed, and the Committee agreed, that the price of the book should be inserted and that information should be given as to the purchase of slides. Mr. Mackinder informed Sir Charles Lucas that the price of separate lectures would be shown; and it was decided that the names of the Committee should appear in the preface.

Mr. Mackinder stated that on the completion of the preface the lectures would be ready for issue, and their publication in the name of the Committee was approved. The Earl of Meath asked that copies of the preface should be struck off separately and a supply sent to him for distribution.

The Committee agreed that copies should be sent to the Press, including the leading educational papers.

Mr. Sadler promised to provide Sir Charles Lucas with a list of those interested in education to whom copies might be forwarded with advantage.

The Earl of Meath urged that copies should be sent to the Press by the Colonial Office. Sir Cecil Smith concurred, and suggested that the further distribution might be made in the name of the Earl of Meath or of the Committee.

The meeting decided to leave the matter in the hands of Sir Charles Lucas, who would arrange with Mr. Mackinder the exact manner in which the lectures should be brought to the notice of the Press; the cost to be borne by the Eastern Colonies Fund.

Mr. Mackinder reported that he had met Mr. Fisher in Canada on three occa- sions, and had obtained special facilities for him over the railways and in British Columbia.

Mr. Mackinder informed the Committee that, as a result of his visit to Canada, he had come to the conclusion that the editions of lectures for use in Canada and South Africa should be to some extent recast, and special slides added, with a view to emphasising the industrial importance and the vitality of the United Kingdom. The Earl of Meath endorsed his views and the Committee agreed to the suggestion.

It was agreed that an exhibition of Mr. Fisher's work in India should be held in London in May or June of next year. Mr. Fisher had informed Mr. Mackinder that he considered the Fine Art Society or the Leicester Galleries the most suitable for the purpose, and had requested that invitations might be sent to certain people, of whom he would furnish a list, who were interested in his work.

Mr. Mackinder proposed that the Princess of Wales should be asked to open the exhibition, and that he should on that occasion give the address descriptive of the scheme which was to have been delivered before Her Royal Highness last June. He stated that experiments were still being made with the colouring of slides, but that he hoped to have the lectures on India, and the slides, prepared in time to be on sale at the exhibition.

The Committee agreed that steps should be taken to retain the copyright of the pictures, photographs, and slides, but that the originals of the coloured sketches should be sold and the surplus, after the cost of the exhibition had been met, handed over to Mr. Fisher.

Replying to Sir Charles Lucas and Sir Philip Hutchins, Mr. Mackinder said that the manufacture of slides would take two or three months, and that the pro- portion of coloured slides would be roughly one-fourth of the whole. The letter- press would consist of material obtained from various sources, recast by himself, and revised. The actual preparation of the lectures would not be possible until the selection of slides had been completed.

Mr. Sadler proposed that the first draft of the lectures should be prepared at once, and Mr. Mackinder promised to prepare, shortly, an outline of his proposals.

Sir Charles Lucas laid stress on the importance of the letterpress, and con- sidered that it should not be made too much subordinate to the slides.

Sir Cecil Smith was of opinion that it would not be advisable to separate the book from the slides, and it was agreed that future lectures should be prepared on the same lines as the lectures on the United Kingdom already issued.

The question of the publication of an illustrated edition was discussed, but Dr. Heath and Mr. Mackinder pointed out that the sale of slides would be adversely affected, and the proposal was dropped.

31011

D