232 



Monday, March 10, 1856. 



Evening meeting. Rev. John L. Eussell, Vice President, 

 in the chair. 



After reading records, list of donations and correspondence, 

 since last meeting, the Hon. Charles W. Upham presented, at 

 considerable length and in a very interesting manner, his 

 opinion on the value of the Colonial Records of Massachusetts, 

 a copy having been presented to the library of the Institute by 

 the Secretary of State. 



In presenting the substance of Mr. Upham' s remarks, use 

 ■yyill be made of a condensed notice that appeared in the Salem 

 Register of Thursday, March 13th, of -which the following is 

 an extract : 



Mr. Upham exhibited to the meeting the six volumes recent- 

 ly printed, by order of the legislature, comprising the Colonial 

 Records from the planting of Massachusetts to the abrogation 

 of the first charter; and gave an account of the manner in which 

 the work of preparing them for the press, and carrying them 

 through it, has been performed. He said that the publication 

 was a noble monument of the wisdom and liberality of the leg- 

 islature, and eulogized in the strongest terms the manner in 

 which the persons engaged in it have performed their work. — 

 The late Secretary of the Commonwealth, Hon. E. M. Wright, 

 was charged with the trust. He secured the services of Dr. 

 Nathaniels. Shurtleffto superinted the process of copying and 

 publishing the documents. Dr. Shurtleff has executed the duty 

 with admirable skill and taste, and in a manner to reflect last- 

 ing honor upon himself. No person, probably, could have 

 been found so well qualified for the service. He had the aid 

 and co-operation of David Pulsifer, Esq., our well known and 

 most esteemed fellow citizen, in decyphering the mystic charac- 

 ters of the original documents, some portions of which no other 

 man than Mr. Pulsifer could have unriddled. 



Dr. Shurtlefi", with the aid of the same accomplished anti- 

 quarian, and other gentlemen in the State Department, who 

 have got to be quite familiar with the old chirography, is at 

 present engaged, under subsequent resolves of the legislature, 



