Regular Meeting, Monday, June 21, 1880. 



Meeting this evenino: at 8 o'clock. The President in 

 the chair. Records read. Donations and correspondence 

 announced. 



The President referred to the sudden and unexpected 

 death of an associate member, Mr. Caleb Cooke, which 

 occurred at his residence in this city on Saturday evening, 

 June 5, 1880. His disease was typhoid fever, and it 

 terminated fatally after a confinement to the house of a 

 few days. 



The President then alluded briefly to some incidents 

 in the life of Mr. Cooke, his interest in scientific pursuits, 

 his labors in the cause of science and general culture, and 

 his acts of benevolence so freely and cheerfully done. 



Mr. Cooke was the son of William and Mary (Fogg) 

 Cooke, and was born in Salem, Feb'ry 5, 1836. His 

 father was a mariner and for several years was an ofiS^cer 

 on board of vessels engaged in the West African trade, 

 and died in California when the son was in his boyhood. 

 He was educated in our public schools and commenced his 

 active life, a clerk in the bookstore of the late Henry 

 Whipple. 



Continuing in that situation for a short time, he retired, 

 and after spending about one year with Mr. George F. 

 Read, in the study of the languages, especially the Latin, 

 he devoted himself principally to the pursuit of Natural' 

 History which had long been his desire and inclination. 



He was elected a resident member of the Essex Insti- 

 tute May 11, 1853, and was connected with that Institution 

 until his decease, and for more than twenty-one years of 

 this time he held some official position or a membership 



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