274 



land, Aug. 19, 1607,(0. S.) to take place near the site of 

 Fort Popham, and the place of the original Fort George, at 

 the mouth of the Kennebec river, in the ancient Province of 

 Sabina, Aug. 29 1863." This letter was referred to the Pres- 

 ident and Vice President of the Historical Department, to 

 take such action as they may deem appropriate. 



Mr. GooDELL then requested Hon. Allen W. Dodge, as 

 Chairman of the Committee on Field Meetings, to take the 

 Chair. Upon so doing, Mr. Dodge remarked that he had 

 not seen much himself to comment upon, but there were 

 those present who had made different branches of natural 

 history specialities, and whom he would introduce to the au- 

 dience. He could only say generally that if, as was sometimes 

 obserTed,- these things were getting to be old stories, provid- 

 ed only they were good stories they would bear to be re- 

 peated. When Mr. Tracy tells us of flowers he could see new 

 beauties in them, and so when the geologists tell us about 

 rocks a^nd the zoologists about animals. It is a wonder 

 that we are not attentive enough to see the beauties 

 and uses of things in nature. Some roam about in the 

 fields and can not tell any more about plants than they 

 can about the sermons which they hear in church. We 

 train some of our faculties — why not the power of obser- 

 Tatiou ? We ought to cultivate these faculties, and the ob- 

 ject of the Institute is to encourage people to observe com- 

 mon things. Theorizing without facts will not answer — we 

 must get facts and stand on the laws of nature. One of the 

 most rational employments of the mind is the study of na- 

 ture. 



Rev. Mr. Barden of Rockport was then introduced, but 

 he simply remarked that he would speak by proxy, and, af- 

 ter exhibiting a splendid specimen of Scapolite and adding 

 a few comments he called upon Dr. Jackson. 



Dr. Charles T. Jaceson of Boston responded and made 



