8 BULLETIN OF THE ESSEX INSTITUTE. 



The inquiries of visitors to our rooms are sometimes 

 quite amusing. This very season, at least two persons 

 have asked to see the " Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne found 

 in the Custom House. They had been told we had it. 

 Once before, a lady said she had seen it some years ago 

 in our rooms — she felt pretty sure about it, but it might 

 have been at the Court House she saw it. Another per- 

 son asked to see the instruments of torture which were 

 used upon the witches. One lady Jisked if we could give 

 information about an ancestor who came over with the 

 early settlers ; but did not know his name. She was anx- 

 ious to be a Colonial Dame. Another wanted informa- 

 tion to establish her right to be a " Daughter of the Revo- 

 lution" or a "Daughter of the American Revolution," I 

 have forgotten which. She knew she had a great grand- 

 father in some Regiment, but could tell nothing farther. 



The donations to the Cabinets the past year have lieen 

 four hundred and twenty-nine from one hundred and seven 

 donors. Among the more important donations was a 

 tine copy in oil, from the original portrait of the Hon. 

 Benjamin Goodhue, the first member of Congress from 

 this District. This was the gift of his great granddaughter, 

 our associate, Mrs. Sarah Goodhue King of New York 

 City. Francis H. Lee, Esq., donated a rare old Dutch 

 water-color view of Salem, at an early period. This 

 picture was bought at a shop in Holland. From the 

 estate of Esther C. and William Mack we received a min- 

 iature and a portrait of the Rev. John Clark, D.D., 

 a former minister of the First Church in Boston, who 

 was a native of Salem. We already had Dr. Clark's gold 

 watch in our collection. From the same source we also 

 received portraits of Judge Elisha Mack and wife, painted 

 by Charles Osgood. 



From John S. Williams, Esq., a large and valuable 

 collection of manuscript papers, among them an original 



