The sub-series consists of material relating to the learning of native languages by missionaries and to the translation of the Bible, etc., into those languages. It includes: an excerpt (pp. v-vi), ca. 1850 from the Preface [to a Biblical Thesaurus or Analysis] intended "to facilitate the work of all Christian Missionaries, who are engaged in translating the Holy Scriptures into foreign languages" (vol. 3, file 46); a vocabulary, [ca. 1858], of Indian Tribes inhabiting McKenzie's River District, together with a census (nearly blank) of the Athabasca and English River Districts (vol. 3, file 47); "A Vocabulary in English and Cree Compiled for the Use of Missionary Schools" by the Rev. John Smithurst (Rossville, 1848), which includes large numbers of corrections and additions in the hand of the Ven. James Hunter (vol. 3, file 48); a [Cree] word list, [ca. 1850], and a [Cree] phrase book, 4 July 1851 (vol. 3, files 50 and 51). Also included are a great many papers related to the production of James Hunter's magnum opus, "A Lecture on the Grammatical Construction of the Cree Language" (London, 1875). These comprise: Cree Grammar No. 1, [ca. 1860] (vol. 3, file 52); three large cloth-backed sheets containing the paradigms of the Cree verb, which were used to illustrate the lecture given by Hunter to the Institute of Rupert's Land in the Court House at Fort Garry in the Red River Settlement on 2 April 1862 (these sheets were cut up--for the use of the printer--according to the pages of the published work) (vol. 3, files 53-55); the manuscript text, 28 March 1862, of the lecture given on the 2 April, together with a copy of a report of the lecture, which mentions the immense sheet hung on the wall and used to illustrate the structure of the Cree verb (vol. 3, file 56); corrected proofs and an incomplete draft index, [1874-1875], showing various preparatory phases--including the choice of a title--of the published work (vol. 3, files 57-61); and Mrs. Hunter's copy of "A Lecture...", which contains a copy of the book review from "The Record" of 7 June 1876, a few manuscript notes, and a Christmas poem (vol. 3, file 62). An unannotated second copy of "A Lecture...", which was also included in the fonds, was transferred in 1999 to the Rare Book collection of the National Library of Canada.
