32 



quaintauce that he had discovered the use of the big meeting at the 

 chiu'ch, — "it was to lower the price of beaver slvins." 



As a white man I take the side of the pioneer in defence of his fiim- 

 ily, bnt I wish the Indians could have been spared much of the degra- 

 dation brought upon them b}' bad white men that must eventuall}^ end 

 in complete subjection, or extermination. 



On motion of Mr. Hyatt a vote of thanks was iiassed for the very 

 intei'esting paper, and referred to the publication committee. 



Mr. EoBKKT Peele presented a musket, an interesting relic, with 

 the following statement: — "Muskets of this pattern were formei-ly 

 used by the non-commissioned officers of the Englisli army, in addi- 

 tion to side arms ; the breach is made more ci'ooked than the com- 

 mon musket or the King's-arm, and is formed to fit the back of the 

 soldier, where it was carried by a strap. This musket was brought to 

 this country by an officer of the English army dui-ing the French war 

 of 1755-6. The militia connected with the regular ti'oops were drafted 

 by the Governor's orders, from the several towns. Among those 

 from Charlestown was a Mr. Graves, who, duriug the campaign, 

 formed the acquaintance of one of the non-commissioned officers of 

 regular troops, and from him obtained this piece, which he brought to 

 Charlestown on his return and soon after sold it to his brother-in-law, 

 Nathaniel Chamberlain, then living in Charlestown. Mr. Chamber- 

 lain, was a bricklayer by trade, came to Salem in 1773, and died about 

 1837, over ninety years of age. On his first removal to Salem he 

 lived in the house of my grandfather, Robert Peele, and during that 

 year sold to him this musket, which has been in the family to the 

 present time, ninety-seven years. It had no baj'onet when first owned 

 by my grandfather; to meet the reqnii'ements of the militia law one 

 was fitted. During the Revolutionary war mj^ grandfiitlier carried it 

 to Lexington under Col. Timothy Pickering; to Rhode Island under 

 Captain Flagg, and on all occasions required by law. My father, 

 (Robert Peele, Jr.) in discharging the duties of a citizen soldier 

 under the laws of the State; and by myself during the war of 1812 

 and 1813, in the discharge of guard duty on Salem Neck, and other 

 occasions when required. It is in good condition although somewhat 

 antiquated, having a flint lock. At your request, Mr. President, I 

 have named all the facts known to me in the histor}^ of the above 

 named musket, and would mention that the_v were often cited by my 

 father, and that Mr. Chamberlain, who first brought it to Salem, had 

 several times, in my presence, made the same statement." 



Mr. Caleb Cooke stated that Mr. Luther Clapp of Salem, had shot 

 on the 12th of February (1870), a female of the Lynx rufus (Bay 

 Lynx) in the woods of Essex. Length of head and body twentj-uiue 

 inches ; weight seventeen pounds. 



