13 



To the Cabinets — from E. Kirk Johnson of Nahant ; S. 

 P. Fowler of Dan vers ; Eobert Brookhouse ; Jason Wilkins ; 

 James R. Phelps ; H. F. Shepard ; W. J. Chever ; Miss M. 

 G. Wheatland ; P. S. Rogers ; John Bertram ; Stephen 

 Upton ; George H. Hovey ; Miss Sarah Kimball ; — Frost o f 

 Marblehead ; R. Wheatland ; Charles Davis of Beverly ; 

 John Washington ; William Shackleford ; Wm. Lefavor ; 

 Miss H. M. Jacobs of South Danvers ; John F. Ropes ; James 

 D. McMurphy ; C. Cooke ; W. H. Hall ; G. F. Chever ; R. 

 Brookhouse, jr. ; Henry E. Jenks ; R. B. Forbes of Boston ; 

 George Harrington ; James Upton ; R. H. Wheatland. 



Letters were read from N. S. Shaler of Newport, Ky.; 

 A. E. Verrill of Norway Me. ; Connecticut Historical Soci- 

 ety ; Trustees of Newburyport Public Library ; Maine His- 

 torical Society ; John C. Holmes of Lansing Mich.; State 

 Historical Society of Wisconsin ; CM. Tracy of Lynn ; 

 R. Phillips of Topsfield ; William Merritt of Salem ; Smith- 

 sonian Institution ; W. B. Trask of Boston ; J. Colburn of 

 Boston ; M. A. Stickney ; E. 0. Proctor of South Danvers ; 

 Morris Spofford of Groveland. 



The Chair introduced the exercises by some remarks on 

 the history and purposes of the Institute, calculated to 

 awaken an interest in the Institution in those who might 

 thus learn its nature and objects. 



John M. Ives of Salem, observed that this was not the 

 first visit of this society to the town of Topsfield. Indeed, 

 the first public meeting of the Essex County Natural His- 

 tory Society, one of the parents of the Essex Institute, was 

 held here, at the old hotel, in 1834 ; and the first Field Meet- 

 ing under the present organization was also held here, in 

 the Academy Building, some four years ago. But he had fresh 

 proof to-day that all our own territory was not yet com- 



