THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 25 



Rarely, during the flourishing period ot our field-meet- 

 ings, was Mr. Phippen absent from one of these gath- 

 erings and, when present, rarely silent — being almost 

 uniformly called on to discourse on the typical botany of 

 the region visited. At a great tield-meeting in Manchester, 

 held August 2, 18G6, at which Chief Justice Chase was 

 present and took part, Deacon Fowler of Dan vers was 

 called on to describe the trees and Mr. Phippen the flowers 

 of that seaside region. So admirably did they discharge 

 this task that the Chief Justice, — himself a varied scholar 

 of no mean attainments, — more than once expressed his 

 w^onder and delight that gentlemen so preoccupied with 

 responsible business aflfairs should have reached such 

 a mastery of these beautiful sciences as well. In this 

 department Mr. Phippen very liberally enriched our pub- 

 lications with the products of his })en, contributing to the 

 second volume of the Bulletin articles entitled, "The Plants 

 of Scripture," — " Dark Lane and the Wild Flowers of Sa- 

 lem," — and " The Flora of Bradford." 



But his interest in the Institute was not limited to the 

 scientific side. In volumes I and IV of our Historical 

 Collections are found papers of his, of the highest author- 

 ity and value, on the original settlers of Massachusetts 

 Bay, — the Old Planters of Cape Ann. So strongly in- 

 grained in his nature was this fondness for the archaic that, 

 when he had need to name a street just opened near his 

 famous garden, and in the line of a possible development 

 of Collins Cove as a tidal basin or water-park, — a scheme 

 which has more than once had the endorsement of past 

 IMayors of Salem, who have sought to remove the Alms- 

 house with its repulsive adjuncts to another section and to 

 throw open the Neck lands to improvement for residen- 

 tial uses, — Mr. Phippen selected '' Planters' Street " as a 



ESSEX IN3T. BULLETIN, VOL. XXVIII 2* 



