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earliest members and efficient supporters — Hon. James 

 H. Duncan. 



Mr. Duncan's whole life was distinguished by remark- 

 able activity. At the age of eighteen he completed a 

 college education ; studied law, and was admitted to the 

 Essex Bar before twenty-one, and immediately establish- 

 ed himself in his native town as a lawyer. 



At this early age, his natural powers enlarged and 

 cultivated by education, with urbanity of manner, and 

 graceful eloquence rarely found, he was naturally thrown 

 into intimate relations with many of the leading men of 

 that time ; and those well qualified to judge marked oui 

 for him a speedy course to eminence in his profession. 



But the intense activity of his nature was soon turnecT 

 into other channels, less gratifying to ambition, but per- 

 haps more useful to his fellow man. And when this So- 

 ciety was formed he was found among its earliest friends. 

 He quickly saw the influence Avhich it might be made to 

 exert upon the agricultural and manufacturing interests 

 of the County, and gave to it his support. His name 

 appears on its first printed records, and two years after-- 

 wards he was in its Board of Trustees. Subsequently 

 he served as President for several successive years, and 

 continued to be one of its honorary trustees until his 

 death. 



His interest in this Society never diminished ; and if 

 some have thought otherwise, let it be remembered that 

 up to only a few days before the close of his long life, 

 he was always burdened with an amount of business 

 cares, such as most men would refuse to bear. Few men 

 have entered so fully into the interests of religious, ed- 

 ucational, political and material improvement as did Col- 



