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Rev. THOMAS MORONG, of Ipswich, gave a brief history 

 of the public library in Ipswich, the gift of Augustine 

 Heard, Esq., and paid a deserved tribute to the public 

 spirit and generosity of its founder. 



Mr. Heard, son of Hon. John Heard, was a native of 

 Ipswich, and was born March 30, 1785. He was for 

 many years a shipmaster and a tea merchant at Hong 

 Kong, China, in which business he acquired a large for- 

 tune. He established the house of Augustine Heard & 

 Co., in China, which has been continued by his nephews 

 in his name and at present is one of the richest and most 

 prosperous in the China trade. 



After his retirement from business he gave much atten- 

 tion to benevolent objects, and for years it had been 

 his intention to make some substantial gift to the place of 

 his nativity. Finally it assumed the shape of a public 

 library, which he thought would be most useful to his 

 fellow citizens. With this purpose in view he planned 

 the building which stands near by. It was completed in 

 the autumn of 1868. Mr. Heard lived just long enough 

 to see its completion and transfer it to the board of trus- 

 tees * appointed by himself. He died at his residence in 

 Ipswich, Sept. 14, 1868, aged 83 years, unmarried. 



The building (50 by 40 feet) is two stories in height 

 with a main room for books below and a reading room and 

 a picture gallery above. It was dedicated to public use 

 on Tuesday, March 9, 1869. Addresses were made on 

 the occasion by George Haskcll, chairman of the board 

 of trustees, Rev. J. P. Cowles and Rev. Thomas Morong. 



The land, building and library cost about fifty thousand 

 dollars ; to this Mr. Heard added a fund of ten thousand 

 dollars, the income of which pays the running expenses, 

 making the sum of 'sixty thousand dollars, which a gen- 



* Trustees are Zenas dishing. Joseph Ross and George Haskell. 



