Notulen der Verrigtingen van den HoogEdelen Volksraad van den Oranjevrijstaat. 5 Mei - 2 Desember 1897 (includes the Constitution and the Ordinance on the diamond trade)

Including indexes and separately paginated ordinances, the volume totals some 519 pp. A few leaves are uncut.

This may be the most important of the volumes of the Volksraad's proceedings as it includes the famous 10-page Orange Free State Constitution of 8 May 1979 and the ordinance regulating the trade in diamonds in the Orange Free State.

There is an owner's name on the front free endpaper but the rest of this finely printed volume is unmarked. The back endpaper is sunned but the book itself has no foxing or other discolouration.

The volume is half-bound with an unlettered black leather spine and marbled paper-boards, which are rubbed and worn at the front corners, with a 2 x 3 x 4 cm piece missing from the lower corner. There are binding cracks at the endpapers - but the hinges are intact - and between pp 336/7. The binding itself is tight. A small amount of material is lost at the lower corner of the first ten leaves, but well clear of the type area.

[On a domestic note, our then Philippolis District was represented by three Volksraad Members - "De Heer A Fischer (Dorp Philippolis), De Heer J J Snijman (Wijk Dwarsrivier) en De Heer P J Louw (Wijk Knapzakrivier)"]