at the warm reception and kind attention extended by the citizens. 

 These meetings were fraught with valuable information, and he hoped 

 they would long continue to exert their salutary influence. 



The venerable Dr. J. SPOFFOUD of Groveland, gave some interest- 

 ing reminiscences from his own recollections of the earlier history 

 of Topsfleld and vicinity, and alluded to the Capen house which had 

 attracted so much attention during the former part of the day. He 

 then gave a genealogical history of the Capon family, and a descrip- 

 tion of the house occupied by them, now some two hundred years old, 

 and named some of its occupants who had become somewhat famous 

 in local history. He said that he was somewhat puzzled to know why 

 they built the second story with a projection, and also with a higher 

 stud than the lower. 



Mr. CHARLES H. HOLMES explained the projection as being the 

 style of architecture prevailing in Holland, whence the builders of this 

 house emigrated, and said that it was out of respect to their Dutch 

 proclivities that they introduced the practice here. 



Dr. SPOFKORD thought that explanation might do pretty well, but he 

 wanted to know why the Dutch built in that style. 



Mr. WILLIAM B. TRASK of Dorchester, editor of the "Genealogical 

 Register," read the inscription on the tombstone of Rev. Mr. Capen 

 for whom the Capen house is named, and gave an historical sketch of 

 the Capen family, and traced its connection with an ancient Dorches- 

 ter family of that name. 



Mr. SAMUEL TODD of Tospfield, differed from Mr. Hyatt in his 

 opinion (expressed during the early part of the meeting) that the dis- 

 integrated rock was an original bed. He had had much experience 

 among the rocks in this vicinity, and said one could not dig anywhere 

 in the village deeper than from nine to twelve feet without getting 

 water. This, with the fact that he had taken sand from under parts 

 of this bed, led him to believe that this rock was deposited here, and 

 that the drift period was the agency that formed the town of Tops- 

 field. 



Mr. HYATT complimented Mr. Todd, by saying he wished the Insti- 

 tute could meet with more of such men at their meetings, and also 

 remarked that it was rare tp find so many men as they had met with 

 here, well versed in geology. Nevertheless, he was confident that Mr. 

 Todd was in error in his supposition that this mass drifted hither, 

 and adhered to his proposition that this rock, in its general formation, 

 conformed to every rule which marked the fixed rocks of adjacent 

 localities. 



The subject was continued briefly, by Mr. NEIIEMIAH CLEAVELAND, 

 who coincided with the tievvs advanced by Mr. Hyatt regarding the 

 character of the rock. 



