10 

 AN ACT 



TO INCOKPOKATK THE 



ESSEX COUNTY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General 

 Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That ANPKKW 

 NICHOLS, WILLIAM OAKKS, and WILLIAM PUESCOTT, and their associ- 

 ates, are hereby made a corporation, by the name of the ESSEX 

 COUNTY NATUKAL HISTORY SOCIETY, for the purpose of promoting, 

 the Science of Natural History, with all the powers and privileges, 

 and subject to all the liabilities contained in the forty-fourth chap- 

 ter of the Revised Statutes of this Commonwealth, "passed on the 

 fourth day of November, in the year one thousand eight hund"ccl 

 and thirty-five," and for the purpose aforesaid may hold real estate 

 to the amount of ten thousand dollars, and personal estate, exclu- 

 sive of the books, papers and articles in the cabinet of said society, 

 to the amount of twenty thousand dollars. 



Approved by the Governor, Feb. 12, 183G. 



The Cabinets and Library were first deposited in Essex Place ; 

 Monday, Dec. 21, 1835, removed to Franklin Building; Dec. 6, 1837, 

 to Masonic Hall, in Chase's Building, Washington Street; and to 

 Pickman Place, Oct. 31, 1842, where they remained until the union. 



Soon after its oi'ganizatiou the attention of the Society was direct- 

 ed to horticulture. Its rooms were opened occasionally during 

 every season, with greater or less frequency as circumstances would 

 permit, for exhibitions of Fruits and Flowers these have not been 

 confined to the products of the garden or the greenhouse, those flo- 

 ral treasures which horticulture has introduced from foreign climes ; 

 but many of the rare and curious plants, congeners to our own for- 

 ests, mountains, lakes and rivers, have afforded an interesting attrac- 

 tion to these floral displays. 



The first exhibition took place on Friday, July 11, 1834. The first 

 general exhibition, which continued for several days, occurred on 

 Tuesday and Wednesday, September 14th and 15th, 1841 ; at that 

 time the number of contributors was seventy-six ; about three hun- 

 dred plates of fruit were placed on the tables, comprising one hun- 

 dred and fifty-three varieties, viz. : ninety-four of Pears, twenty-five 

 of Apples, ten of Peaches, eight of Plums, eight of Grapes, four of 

 Melons, two of Quinces, one of Nectarines and one of Filberts. 

 Since that time, exhibitions have been held to which contributions 

 have been received from one hundred and ninety-one individuals, 

 and two thousand dishes or baskets of Fruit placed upon the tables, 

 consisting of six hundred and sixty-nine varieties, viz. : of Pears 

 three hundred and twenty-seven ; Apples one hundred and eighty- 

 one ; of Peaches eighty-two ; of Plums twenty-three ; of Grapes foity- 

 one ; of Quinces, Nectarines, Figs and Melons, three each ; of Oran- 



