FOR PROMOTING AGRICULTURE. 75 



At the successive annual dinners, many witty and perti- 

 nent sentiments were produced. Among them a few seem 

 to retain something of their original sparkle, despite the 

 lapse of time. At the dinner of 1824 the following was of- 

 fered by Col. Timothy Pickering : 



The free-masonry of agriculture, which finds a brother in 

 every clime. 



On the same occasion Gen. H. A. S. Dearborn proposed 

 the following. 



The memory of Blackstone} who designated the site of 

 Boston, and planted the first orchards in Massachusetts and 

 Rhode Island. 



At the dinner of 1825 the following was among the 

 regular toasts : 



The memory of the great unknown, who invented the 

 first plough ; and honor to Mr. Jefferson, one of the princi- 

 pal improvers of that indispensable implement. 



In 1832 among the guests were Mr. Audubon, the re- 

 nowned ornithologist, and Dr. Spurzheim, the originator or 

 discoverer of phrenology. These two sentiments were of- 

 fered at the table : 



Our scientific countryman, John James Audubon the 

 flight of the eagle is not beyond his reach, nor the tenants 

 of the poultry yard beneath his notice. 



Our honored guest, Dr. Spurzheim he reveals to us the 

 secret import of our " bumps ; " we greet him with a 

 bumper. 



The record indicates that the society's dinner usually 

 took place at the Dudley Tavern. This stood opposite to- 

 the junction of the two roads now called Cambridge and 

 Washington streets. The city of Boston is building at the 

 present time a police station upon the site of the ancient 

 inn. The spot is about 700 feet east of the meeting house T 

 so that on these occasions the procession was re-formed 

 after the public exercises were ended, and the march was 

 continued to the place of dining, giving the drums, fifes 

 and other instruments a second opportunity to electrify the 

 throngs that occupied the wayside. In a few instances the 



