85 



Gloucester Telegraph. Haverhill Gazette. Ipswich Chronicle. Land and Water. 

 Lawrence American. Little Giant. Lynn Reporter. Lynn Transcript. Medical 

 and Surgical Reporter. Nation. Nature. Peabody Press. Salem Observer. The 

 Brunonian. 



The SUPERINTENDENT of the Museum reported : 



From Miss J. R. COLBY, a Fire Set, taken from the ruins of the house of Mrs. 

 Mulliken, burned by the British at the Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775. 



FIRST FIELD MEETINGS DR. WILLIAM STIMPSON. 



THE PRESIDENT in his opening remarks alluded to the 

 coincidence of this day being the twenty-third anniversary 

 of the first Field Meeting, which was held in the neigh- 

 boring town of Danvers, on June 12, 1849. Some twelve 

 or fifteen members in private carriages assembled at the 

 Plains, and under the guidance of our old friend, Dr. 

 Andrew Nichols, visited the locality of the Vacdnium 

 vitis-idea first discovered by William Oakes in 1820 

 this plant is seldom found growing elsewhere within the 

 limits of Massachusetts. The sphagnous borders of 

 Cedar Pond in Wenham were also visited and there was 

 detected the Andromeda polifolia just passing out of bloom. 

 Thence repairing to Berry's Tavern at the Plains, the 

 afternoon was devoted to explaining and illustrating by 

 the microscope (a constant accompaniment at these meet- 

 ings) the structure and economy of the lower algae, fungi, 

 lichens, etc. The second meeting, a few weeks later, 

 was held at the residence of A. T. Newhall in Lynnfield. 

 There were present with us on this occasion, Messrs. F. 

 Alger and C. T. Jackson of Boston, and Seaman of 

 Germany. Ship Rock and the serpentine ledges in Lynn- 

 field were visited, and at the afternoon session furnished 

 topics for discussion. The third, on the 28th of August 

 following, was at the seashore on Burley Smith's farm in 

 Manchester. Some visited the woods of Essex and Man- 

 chester where Cutler and Oakes, in years long past, were 



