66 



North Church. Accounts of sales of the property of other Re- 

 fugees belonging to Salem ; also, various papers relative to these 

 matters signed by the " Chairman of the Committee of Safety." 

 Several bills of goods, receipted by Samuel Curwen, whose 

 letters and journal were published lately by George A, Ward, 

 of New York. Articles of capitulation for the surrender of the 

 fort of Port Royal,— Oct. 2, 1710. Bills made out by William 

 Pynchon, a name familiar to the readers of the "House of 

 Seven Gables," by Hawthorne. Signatures of John Hathorne 

 and of William Hathorne, — an instance of a diversity in spell- 

 ing the same name. A letter of Edward Kitchen, a well 

 known name in Salem a century ago, but now extinct. Among 

 the printed matter of this unique collection, is Clough's New 

 England Almanac for 1703. 



The remainder of the evening was occupied by the President, 

 Hon. D. A. White, relative to the Covenant to the First 

 Church in Salem. After a discussion on which by several 

 members, the Institute adjourned. 



Thursday, March 16, 1854. 



Evening Meeting. Rev. John L. Russell, Vice President, 

 in the chair. Records read and donations announced. 



Dr. George A. Perkins delivered an interesting and instruc- 

 tive Lecture on the geography, natural history, &c., of the 

 Western Coast of Africa, (especially of Cape Palmas, where 

 he had resided for several years previous ;) also, descriptions of 

 the inhabitants of that region, of their habits, costumes, form of 

 society, religion, &c., &c. 



Dr. P. alluded to the first impressions made upon him by 

 the features of the Coast, — that of a vast sandy beach for 

 thousands of miles, and only here and there broken by a 

 projecting mass of granite or sienite. Of course there is an 

 absence of harbors, where the mouths of rivers make the only 



