24 bull?:tin of the esskx instituti 



March 1st, 1898. 

 To THK Hon. 

 Robert S. Rantoul, 

 Prksident of the Essex Institute, 

 Salem, Mass. 



My dear Sir : — 



I avail myself of this half-century anniversary to say publicly to 

 the Institute w^hat my friends have linown before, that all the antique 

 furniture, portraits, old china and glass now in my house in Lynde 

 street will be ultimately deposited with the Essex Institute for per- 

 petual preservation. 



The portraits which form a part of the gift are mostly in oils, and 

 these may perhaps derive an additional interest from the fact that 

 they include the likenesses of ten generations of my family, all Salem 

 people. 



Trusting that the celebration will be all that the friends of the In- 

 stitute have hoped, and that my intentions may be consistent with the 

 purposes of your Board of Government, 



I am very respect, yours, 



Geo. R. Curwen. 



This offer, like the others, was loudly applauded. Mr. 

 Curwen sat upon the stage with two others of the charter 

 members of the Institute, Messrs. Willard Peele Phillips 

 and Robert Manning.^ 



The President then said : 



There are some friends of the Institute so conspicuous 

 that their absence needs to be accounted for. When we 

 celebrated the two hundredth anniversary of Endecott's 

 landing, Governor Lincoln was present, and when we cele- 

 brated the two hundred and liftieth anniversary of that 

 event, Governor Rice was present, and when we observed 

 the twenty-tifth anniversary of the founding of the Insti- 

 tute, Governor Washburn was present. We had hoped 



3 Six others of the original members are known to be living, and letters were 

 received from live of tliem.viz: Charles W. Palfray, J. Hardy Phippen, Henry 

 M. Brooks, Isaiah Nichols, E. S. L. Richardson. 



