48 



about, discovered evidences of copper ore, some of which was ob- 

 tained by excavating. He made known his discovery to the owner of 

 the land and entered into an agreement to worli it at his own cost, giv- 

 ing the owner one-sixteenth of what was obtained. A vessel load was 

 dug and shipped to England, but Bunting, who accompanied it, was 

 taken sick and died, and no one knew what became of the ore. In pro- 

 cess of time the affair was forgotten except by one or two of the " old- 

 est inhabitants." Subsequently one of Bunting's descendants, finding 

 the old agreement of his ancestor concerning the ore, and thinking 

 there might be wealth in store, came to tlie "Province of Massachu- 

 setts, North America," and found an old man in Topsfleld who remem- 

 bered the affair. There is no record, however, that the young English- 

 man saw a prospect sufficiently flattering to attempt to work the 

 mine. But this tradition is supposed to be at the bottom of the 

 attempt to work it thirty years ago. 



The Capen House is one of the old houses alluded to by Mr. Cleave- 

 land. It is situated close to the meeting-house, and was consequently 

 visited by a large number of the party. Mr. Ciiakles H. Holmks, the 

 owner and occupant, was quite attentive in showing the visitors 

 around and pointing out the peculiarities of the old place, which is 

 now not far from two hundred years old. It is supposed to have been 

 a garrison house in the days of Indian troubles, and, though not built 

 by him, was soon owned by Mr. Capen, a minister of the place for a 

 period of forty-two years. The house has been in the F.mcrson 

 family, with which Mr. Holmes is connected, for upwards of one hun- 

 dred and tifty years. It possesses all the peculiarities of the struc- 

 tures of the early period, and the visitors, Avhen they contemplated the 

 fact that the entire stud of the first story was required to accommo- 

 date Mr. Holmes from head to toe, were unanimous in the opinion 

 that the original builders must have been unmindful of the dimensions 

 that would require shelter under Its roof two centuries afterwards. 



Topsfield, as Mr. Cleaveland remarked in the morning, has three 



burying grounds ; one of which, the cemetery on the Georgetown road, 



was visited. Here lie buried three of the old ministers of the town, 



Capen, Emerson and Huntington. To the Rev. Asahel Huntington 



a granite monument is erected, on which are inscribed the names of 



other deceased members of the family. Here too, rtpose the remains 



of Thomas Perkins, the eminent Salem merchant, who was associated 



with the late Joseph Peabody, and who bequeathed the Franklin 



Building to the Salem Marine Society. His modest tombstone bears 



this inscription : 



In memory of Thomas Perkins, Esq., an eminent merclinut. His inrliiftiy, 

 temi)erance and enterprise raised him from poverty to immense Avenltli, whicli lie 

 enjoyed witliout pride or ostentation, and dispensed witli justice and benevolence. 

 He was diliffent and faithful in business, pure in liis life and cdiiversation ; of a 

 sound and vigoions mind, and of an integrity and fortitude wliitli ne;ther pros- 



