De l'origine et de l'institution du notariat / Précis historique lu à l'Academie des Sciences, belles-lettres et arts de Clermont-Ferrand

The text examines the evolution of property and contractual practices from communal possession and oral promises to the use of written instruments and an established notarial office. It outlines early reliance on oaths, witnesses, and symbolic acts to fix consent, and shows how memory lapses, death, and bad faith led to demand for documentary proof. The essay traces the emergence of scribes as recorders and their gradual elevation into legally empowered officers who authenticate transactions, and it considers how notarial functions interact with judicial authority to secure transmission and the stability of civil agreements.