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beyond. Our town is open to your study ; its every hill and every val- 

 ley, every pond and every stream has a story that carries the mind 

 back to the time when your fathers and ours were drawn to each 

 other by common perils and common hopes. May not the memory of 

 those perils and the realization of those hopes bring Salem and Ply- 

 mouth together as pleasantly to-day? 



As the family of our fathers' friends we bid you again a most hearty 

 welcome. 



Dr. Hexuy "Wheatland, President of the Essex Institute, replied 

 as follows : — 



Mr. Chairman : — In behalf of the members and friends of the 

 Essex Institute, I tender their sincere thanks for your cordial recep- 

 tion this day, and for the opportunity to examine the intei'esting 

 memorials of this ancient town, the early home of the Pilgrims. It 

 is appropriate that the descendants of the companions of Roger Conant, 

 who formed the first permanent settlement on the North Shore of 

 Massachusetts Bay in 1626 ; of Governor Endicott and his associates, 

 who landed in 1628; of Rev. Francis Higginsou and his .friends, in 

 1629," and who organized the first church in the colony, should make a 

 pilgrimage to this sacred spot, and revive the incidents of that early 

 period in our history. A few months since I received a letter from a 

 former resident of Salem, now residing near Lincoln, England, giv- 

 ing a very interesting account of two visits to Scrooby, the first in 

 1849, the second in 1869 ; he described the old manor house, and nar- 

 rated many interesting reminiscences of William Bradford and his 

 friends in the organization of the pilgrim church, which, after a re- 

 moval to Leyden for a few years, came to America in 1620, and lauded . 

 on this spot. 



The Essex Institute was formed in 1848 by the union of the Essex 

 Historical and the Essex County Natural History Societies, the former 

 organized in 1821, the latter in 1833. Objects, to collect and preserve 

 materials to elucidate the civil and natural history of the County of 

 Essex, and for the promotion of art, literature and the sciences. A 

 leading feature is the plan of holding field meetings, which were first 

 instituted in 1849, and have since been annually held with the excep- 

 tion of some two or three years — usually about five each season in 

 the several towns in the county. Four have been held beyond the 

 limits. This slight sketch may perhaps be desirable to inform you of 

 our objects and aims. I trust that we may ere long have the pleasure 

 of receiving a visit from the Pilgrim Society and the citizens of this 

 town, and again thank you for this reception. 



