8 



I was a little surprised to find that they belong almost wholly 

 to the professions, so called. With the exception of Mr. 

 Moses Newell, and the two Newhalls, I believe there has 

 not been one among them, who could claim that he was, and 

 always had been exclusively a farmer. Others like Colman, 

 Dodge, Payson, Pooke and Loking, were professional men, 

 wlio had turned farmers. I found one chemist, one teacher, 

 one factory superintendent, one editor, and two ex-( lergymen.* 

 Andrew Nichols, Spofford, and Kelley, belong, if I mis- 

 take not, to the medical department. Abbott, Eaton, Perry, 

 WiTHiNGTON, and Braman, are names with which we have 

 long associated thouglits of reverence, that asked no aid of 

 prefix or affix. How liberally the Bar of Essex has contri- 

 buted to the pleasure and profit of the farmers on these 

 occasions, will appear from a simple enumeration of names 

 that need no praise of mine. They are Salton stall. Gush- 

 ing, Moseley, Howes, Proctor, Duncan, King, Hunting- 

 ton, Hazen, Abbott, Saunders, Ware. 



But to me, in perusing those Transactions, no part has been, 

 on the whole, so gratifying, as the more extended reports, and 

 the essays on particular subjects. In this respect these vol- 

 umes are exceedingly rich. In them the society seems to 

 have embodied its most valuable science, and its sprightliest 

 literature. Indeed I cannot but wonder, that with material at 

 hand so abundant, so valuable, and so entertaining often, it 

 has not occurred to some one, that a volume might be made, 

 in which these scattered and half-forgotten treasures, should 

 be collected, and arranged, and put into general and useful 

 circulation. 



Much do I regret that my narrow bounds of time and 



space, and the imperious, inevitable dinner-hour just ahead 



will not allow me here to go a little into particuhirs. Pos- 



*Thcse five, in the order of naming, are James R. Nichols, Alomzo Gbay, 

 Henry K. Oi.iveu, George J. L. Colby, Allen Putnam and Edwin M. 

 Stone. Five other names complete the catalogue of orators, namely, Na- 

 thaniel Gage, IIichard S. Fay, Joseph S. Cabot, James J. II. Gregory 

 and John L. Russell. See Appendix B. 



