This dissertation explores how colonial administrators on each side of the Atlantic used the British Survey of North America to serve their governments’ as well as their personal objectives. Specifically, it connects the execution and oversight of the General Survey in the northern and southern theatres, along with the intelligence it provided, with the actions of key decision-makers and influencers, including the Presidents of the Board of Trade (latterly, the Secretaries of the American Department) and key provincial governors. Having abandoned their posture of ‘Salutary Neglect’ towards colonial affairs in favour of one that proactively and more centrally sought ways to develop and exploit their North American assets following the Severn Years’ War, the British needed better geographic information to guide their decision making. Thus, the General Survey of British North America, under the umbrella of the Board of Trade, was conceived. Officially sponsored from 1764-1775, the programme aimed to survey and analyse the attributes and economic potential of Britain’s newly acquired regions in North America, leading to an accurate general map of their North American empire when joined to other regional mapping programmes. The onset of the American Revolution brought an inevitable end to the General Survey before a connected map could be completed. Under the excellent leadership of Samuel Holland, the surveyor general of the Northern District, however, the British administration received surveys and reports that were of great relevance to high-level administration. In the Southern District, Holland’s counterpart, the mercurial William Gerard De Brahm, while producing reports of high quality, was less able to juggle the often conflicting priorities of provincial and London-based stakeholders. Consequently, results were less successful. De Brahm was recalled in 1771, leaving others to complete the work.

La doctrine constitutionnelle française a reconnu, à la suite des traités de Jules Poudra et d’Eugène Pierre, que le droit parlementaire représentait une réalité juridique positive qui méritait d’être conceptualisée et d’accéder au rang de discipline universitaire. Paradoxalement, aucune étude approfondie du Gouvernement n’a jamais été menée pour déterminer s’il existait un droit gouvernemental.En procédant au récolement et à l’analyse des règles relatives à l’ordonnancement intérieur du Gouvernement de la Ve République, cette thèse entend précisément démontrer que le Gouvernement régit de manière autonome sa propre organisation et son fonctionnement internes au même titre que le Parlement. D’une part, elle permet de soutenir que le Gouvernement dispose d’une autonomie de portée variable (résiduelle, partagée ou pleine) lorsqu’il élabore le droit régissant son organisation politique. D’autre part, elle établit qu’il jouit d’une pleine autonomie pour réglementer l’organisation de son administration gouvernementale (cabinets ministériels, administrations chargées de la coordination interministérielle et administrations centrales).Cette thèse ne prétend pas pour autant constituer une théorie générale du droit gouvernemental. Elle se veut une première recherche de droit constitutionnel destinée à susciter un débat doctrinal au sujet de l’existence juridique du droit gouvernemental et de son utilité pour la démocratie. / French constitutional doctrine, following the treaties of Jules Poudra and Eugène Pierre, acknowledged that Parliamentary Law represented a positive reality which deserved to be conceptualised and take its full place as a university discipline. It is paradoxical that no in-depth study has ever been carried out on Government to determine if Governmental law really existsBy collecting, gathering and analysing the rules concerning the internal organisation of the Government of the Fifth Republic, this thesis wishes to prove that the Government regulates its own organisation and internal operations in an autonomous manner in much the same way as the Parliament. On the one hand this thesis defends the fact that the Government has a variable scope of autonomy (Residual, shared or complete) when drawing up laws governing its own organisation policy. On the other hand, it points out that the Government exercises full autonomy to regulate the organisation of its administration (Ministries, Offices in charge of coordinating the different Ministries and the Central Administration).The intention of this thesis is not to put forward a general theory on Governmental Law. It is an initial research into constitutional law with a purpose of stimulating doctrinal debate on the existence of Governmental Law and its utility for Democracy.