THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 131 
charge of the settlement. A charter was obtained in 1620 
from King Charles to the c()m[)any, giving powers of gov- 
ernment. Encouraged by the new grant from the king, 
large additions were made to the company by non-conform- 
ists from different parts of England, including many of the 
gentry and wealthy merchants, with a view to a large emi- 
gration. Winthrop was elected governor and large prep- 
arations were made for the great emigrations which took 
phice in the spring of 1630, when some fifteen hundred 
people came over. In regard to the esta})lishment of an 
Independent church here, Mr. Northend said it was with 
the knowledge and consent of the king. 
Monday, March 17, 1890. — Mr. James F. Almy de- 
livered a lecture upon "The Quaker ascendancy in the 
town of Adams, Mass." The Quakers of Cape Cod and 
Providence Plantations went to Adams from 1776 to 1800, 
buying out the original settlers. Many of these Quakers 
were of illustrious English ancestry. They brought with 
them to Adams a home life which was peifect, for its divi- 
sion of labor rendered them independent of every other 
home. They could make everything they needed. The 
adult membership of the society was over one hundred, 
and the affiliated membership was twice as great. The 
children of Friends are members of the society by right of 
birth. The Friends started a free school system there. 
At Adams they found conditions very different from those 
of our day. No progress had been made in manufactures. 
It was an age of handicraft when every home was a scene 
of constant, intense industry ; every family must produce 
everything necessary to itself, when the land produced not 
only the food, but the staples for clothing. The women 
spun and wove the flax and wool, dyed the web and made 
the garments, while carrying on the thousand interests of 
ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXII 9 
