I30 



of some kind or other long anterior to that date ; at 

 any rate the anniversary of our Patron Saint was 

 periodically celebrated, since we find by a reference 

 to the New York " Mercury" of April 26th, 1762, a 

 notice of this kind : 



"Friday last, being the anniversary of the St. 

 George's Society, Sir Jeffrey Amherst gave a ball to 

 the ladies and gentlemen of this city at Crawley's 

 New Assembly Rooms. The company consisted of 

 ninety-six ladies and as many gentlemen, all very 

 richly dressed and 'tis said the entertainment was 

 the most elegant ever seen in America." 



On the same authority we learn that the Honor- 

 able Commissioners of His Majesty's Customs in 

 North America had designated April 23d, St. 

 George's Day, as one of the holidays to be observed 

 during the year. Again quoting, this time from the 

 " New York Journal" of April 29th, 1771 : 



"On Friday last [April 23, 1771], being the anni- 

 versary of St. George, a number of Englishmen, de- 

 scendants of Englishmen, amounting in the whole 

 to upward of one hundred and twenty, had an ele- 

 gant entertainment at Bolton's in honor of the day. 

 President John Tabor Kempe, Esq., and present 

 His Majesty's Attorney General, the Right Honor- 

 able the Earl of Dunmore, his Excellency, General 

 Gage, the gentlemen of His Majesty's Council, etc., 

 etc., on which occasion twenty-three toasts were 



