3 



The President remarked that, twenty-five years ago 

 this clay, a meeting of the Essex County Natural History 

 Society was held to act upon the report of a committee, 

 appointed at a previous meeting, to confer with a similar 

 committee of the Essex Historical Society, on the subject 

 of a union of the two societies. The resolutions reported 

 by the committee and adopted with some slight modifi- 

 cations were the basis of our present organization. 



A committee was appointed to petition the Legislature 

 for an act of incorporation, a committee for the same 

 purpose having also been appointed by the Historical 

 Society. The act was duly passed and was accepted by 

 the two societies at meetings held March 1, 1848, and 

 the organization of the Institute immediately followed 

 thereon. 



The President presented a brief statement of the organ- 

 ization and condition of the two societies at the time of 

 the union, and made some remarks on the causes that led 

 to this result, and alluded to the various conversations 

 and discussions among the members before any definite 

 action was taken by either society. He suggested the 

 propriety of adopting some measures to commemorate this 

 event. 



After a discussion on this subject, a committee con- 

 sisting of Messrs. A. C. Goodell, A. H. Johnson and E. 

 S. At wood was appointed to consider and report at an 

 adjournment of this meeting, a plan to commemorate this 

 epoch in the history of the Society. 



The SECRETARY announced the following correspon- 

 dence : 



From Samuel L. Boardman, Augusta, Maine, Dec. 20; A. J. Cook, Lansing, Michi- 

 gan.Nov. 15; John T. Moulton, Lynn, Dec. 26; Edward Russell, Boston, Jan. 4; J. 

 Lawrence Smith, Louisville, Kentucky, Dec. 23; New York, Genealogical and Bio- 

 graphical Society, Oct 31 ; New York Lyceum of Natural History, Dec. 23. 



