179 



Mr. James H. Emerton said that he had found very 

 few specimens in his special line of investigation, a large 

 portion of the tinae having been spent among the quarries. 

 He spoke of the work of the sister society of the Cape 

 as most commendable, and hoped that the fishermen would 

 be requested to collect specimens during their various 

 fishing trips for the cabinets of the society. 



Charles D. Drake, Chief Justice of the Court of 

 Claims at Washington, made a speech that was well sea- 

 soned with humor, expressing admiration for the spirit of 

 this institution in collecting the varied specimens, but 

 saying that he knew nothing about science. Alluding to 

 his friend, Hon. Wm. S. Messervy of Salem, who sat 

 near, he recalled the time when, forty-five years ago, they 

 began life together in St. Louis, and when they made 

 whig speeches there at a later period. He was impressed 

 with the attendance of so large and intelligent a gathering, 

 and had been surprised to notice so many people listening 

 attentively to the various speakers of the afternoon. After 

 drawing a comparison between this and similar gatherings 

 at the west, he closed by saying that, in his judgment, the 

 people of the New England States were the most intelli- 

 gent, most favored, and most happy of any on the face of 

 the earth. 



Prof. A. Hyatt, of the Boston Society of Natural His- 

 tory, spoke of the work of that Society, of the Essex In- 

 stitute, of the Cape Ann Society and similar associations, 

 as most worthy to be pursued, and that the future results 

 for good could not be fully realized by those persons now 

 engaged therein ; he said, he thought it not inappropriate 

 to call attention to the fiict that societies are liable to lose 

 sight of the object that lies before them — these organiza- 



