Report of a select committee to whom were referred the petition of Samuel Thompson and John Dailey: January 14, 1817, read, and ordered to lie upon the table (1817)

Concerning the request of the petitioners, former residents of Newark (present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake) in Upper Canada, for relief for the loss of their property when they were compelled to flee Canada after having aided the United States Army in the War of 1812.

Pro Bono Publico, poem, n.d.

The poem is unsigned and is not divided into stanzas. It mentions General Brock, General Dearborn, Sir Peregrine, Fort George and the militia men of Lincoln. General Isaac Brock was a British Army officer and administrator who was promoted to Major General. He was responsible for defending Upper Canada against the United States. He died at the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812. In 1812, Dearborn was in charge of the northeastern sector from Niagara to the New England coast in his role as senior Major General of the U.S. Army. Dearborn proved that he was neither psychologically nor physically fit enough to take control. He tried to persuade New England governors to allow their militia to be used to invade Canada. He was not successful in his quest and no major offensive was launched against Lower Canada. Sir Peregrine probably refers to Sir Peregrine Maitland who was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada in 1818. Fort George is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It was the site of several battles during the War of 1812. The Lincoln Militia fought in battles on the Niagara Peninsula and the eastern shores of the Niagara River in the War of 1812.

Joanna E. Wood short stories, 1898-1900

Joanna Ellen Wood (1867-1927) was an acclaimed Canadian author who wrote several novels and short stories. Wood was born in Scotland, but emigrated to Canada with her family in 1869. In 1874 her father purchased a farm overlooking the Niagara River at Queenston. It is believed she was supported by her brother William, who encouraged her writing. She was based in New York City from 1887-1901, using William’s business address there to receive correspondence while she traveled or spent time in Queenston. Around 1906, Wood moved with her mother to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where she joined the Niagara Historical Society. By 1914, she was living in Buffalo, but later spent time at her sisters’ homes. It was at her sister’s home in Detroit where she suffered a stroke and died in 1927. Wood’s literary career was short-lived. She published her first novel, The Untempered Wind , in 1894, and a second novel, Judith Moore …, in 1898. Both novels received critical acclaim, and a third novel, Farden Ha', followed in 1902. Unfortunately the majority of Wood’s numerous and award-winning writings cannot be found. Her career peaked in 1901, when she was the highest paid Canadian fiction writer. For unknown reasons, her career abruptly ceased in 1902, with no further publications or mention made of her in the Canadian Magazine.

Letter written by Mahlon Taylor to Samuel Clarke commenting on US troops during Fort George occupation - July 26, 1813

A letter written by Mahlon Taylor to his uncle, Samuel Clarke, dated at Marcellus [New York], July 26, 1813. Mahlon Taylor writes that he believes the mail he has sent out is not making it past Princeton, as he has not had a reply to any of his sent correspondence. He also writes that he has heard there are 3500 men at Fort George, 1000 are unfit for duty, and that there is skirmishing daily. He comments that the general opinion is that the troops will withdraw from Canada entirely. The letter is signed Mahlon C Taylor and is addressed to Mr. Samuel Clarke, no. 227 South Front Street, Philadelphia.

The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

This book was presented by the Canadian Bible Society (British & Foreign Bible Society) to the Canadian Soldiers in the war of 1914. There is an inscription which reads "Niagara-on-the-Lake, August 15th 1915 Presented to the 35th overseas Battalion Draft. P.C. Band to his father before his departure for the front". The word "confirmed" is written below this but the rest of the page is torn out. There is also a book plate that reads "Presented by the Canadian Bible Society (British & Foreign Bible Society) to the Canadian Soldiers in the War of 1914. 'Be strong and of a Good Courage'". See the full text in the Brock University Special Collections and Archives.

Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) fonds, 1954-2015, n.d.

Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society [PALS] held its first meeting at Brock University on June 21, 1976. Its first executive consisted of Robert Hoover, Rick Teather, Debbie Kehler and Bill Forster. Some objectives of the organization were "to seek the preservation of valuable farm areas from non-agricultural expansion and development and to foster development and support of federal, provinicial and local policy which will provide a secure financial future for farming." Gracia Janes and John Bacher are some of the organizations' well known advocates. The organization was active in raising public awareness of the issues surrounding encroaching development onto existing agricultural lands. The organization is still active today [2016] in educating the public and attempting to influence governments at all levels to protect valuable agricultural lands.

Certificate with a coloured picture of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 1886

Certificate, 51 cm. x 75 cm. with a coloured picture of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 1886. This was presented with a commemorative medal to Henry Pafford who was the Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake 1863-74, 1876-1880 and 1888-1896. He also ran a drug store and a fruit farm. The award is signed by the Executive President and Secretary to the Royal Commission. [There is no indication what the award is for and the medal is not included in this collection], n.d.

Mass Movement-Induced Tsunami Hazard on Perialpine Lake Lucerne (Switzerland): Scenarios and Numerical Experiments

Previous studies of the sediments of Lake Lucerne have shown that massive subaqueous mass movements affecting unconsolidated sediments on lateral slopes are a common process in this lake, and, in view of historical reports describing damaging waves on the lake, it was suggested that tsunamis generated by mass movements represent a considerable natural hazard on the lakeshores. Newly performed numerical simulations combining two-dimensional, depth-averaged models for mass-movement propagation and for tsunami generation, propagation and inunda- tion reproduce a number of reported tsunami effects. Four analysed mass-movement scenarios—three based on documented slope failures involving volumes of 5.5 to 20.8 9 106 m3—show peak wave heights of several metres and maximum runup of 6 to [10 m in the directly affected basins, while effects in neighbouring basins are less drastic. The tsunamis cause large-scale inundation over distances of several hundred metres on flat alluvial plains close to the mass-movement source areas. Basins at the ends of the lake experience regular water-level oscillations with characteristic periods of several minutes. The vulnerability of potentially affected areas has increased dramatically since the times of the damaging historical events, recommending a thorough evaluation of the hazard.

Report on the work of the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia /

Pts. 1 and 4 published in Sept. 1896, pt. 2 in Feb. 1896,and pt. 3 in Mar. 1896.

Science on the march : the magazine of the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Magazine of the Buffalo Museum of Science, July 1959-

Observations on the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land.

Mode of access: Internet.

Commentary on: The Articles of the Pope's Bulle (1518)

One of the earliest examples of works printed by Richard Pynson, the King's Printer between 1508 and 1530, to make reference to the fact that the work in question was printed under the protection of the King. The royal printing privilege provided one of two different models for preventing the unauthorised reproduction of works after publication which prefigured the introduction of statutory copyright in the early eighteenth century.The commentary describes the early attitudes of the monarchy towards the regulation of the printing trade within England, and the exercise of the royal prerogative in granting printing privileges not just to the royal printer, but to other favoured subjects both in relation to individual works as well as to entire classes of work (with the latter more often referred to as printing patents).

Commentary on the Stationers' Royal Charter 1557

Royal Charter providing the Company of Stationers with corporate legal status within the City of London, and conferring on them exclusive control over printing within England. The grant of the Charter ensured that the Company's licensing procedures became the standard by which members of the book trade secured the right to print and publish literary works, giving rise to what is generally referred to as ‘stationers' copyright'.
The grant of the Charter by Mary is often understood as the point at which the monarchy established an effective regulatory institution to control and censure the press, in the guise of the Stationers' Company, in exchange for an absolute monopoly over the production of printed works. In fact, the commentary suggests that censorship of the press throughout the Tudor period remained an essentially ad hoc and reactive phenomenon, and that both Mary and Elizabeth relied, not primarily upon the Company of Stationers, but on the use of statutory instruments and royal proclamations to censure heretical and treasonous texts.

Commentary on the Elizabethan Injunctions 1559

Royal Proclamation setting out the manner in which the Elizabethan Church was to be reformed and governed. Injunction 51 of this Proclamation continued in the tradition of Henry VIII's 1538 Proclamation in providing the legal foundation for a system of pre-publication licensing in Elizabethan England.
The commentary describes how, in accordance with the Injunctions, the licensing and censorship of the press was to be carried out, not by the Stationers' Company, but by the Privy Council and Elizabeth's newly established Ecclesiastical Commission (the High Commission). It also details how Elizabeth also continued to rely upon the sporadic use of statutory measures and royal proclamations to respond to seditious or heretical texts. Moreover, it suggests that, in practice, the extent to which the Elizabethan press was subject to regulatory control was much less draconian than has usually been suggested.

Commentary on the Statute of Monopolies 1624

Legislation restricting the monarch's ability to make monopoly grants in accordance with the royal prerogative, and providing a statutory basis for the patent system. The legislation established the basis upon which patents for "new manufacture[s]" might be granted to "the true and first inventor" of the same in furthering the interests of industry, the economy, and the state. At the same time, privileges concerning printing were left unaffected by the legislation, as were those for the manufacture of saltpetre or gunpowder and for the casting and making of ordnance (canons). In limiting the term of protection for future patents to 14 years while confining existing patents for the same to a period of 21 years, the legislation influenced the choice of the two copyright terms in the Statute of Anne 1710.