298 



a visit many years ago to this vicinity witli Dr. Andrew 

 Nichols, wlio loved every tree and every living thing about 

 his paternal estate and whose goodness of heart made him 

 beloved by all who knew him. The minutest forms of veg- 

 etation did not escape his eye, and what value were his ex- 

 plorations, let the tribute to his labors in botany, in the 

 prepai'ation of the Florida Bostoniensis, by the frequent 

 mention of his name, bear witness. The first President of 

 the Essex County Natural History Society, since grown into 

 the Essex Institute, he was one of the originators of these 

 iield meetings which have become so popular, and which 

 iend so much to make us known to others out of Salem. 

 It was proper that we should find such memories uniting 

 the two branches of our present Society, and that the 

 antiquarian and the naturalist should walk together hand 

 in hand. In these woods and swamps too, had the earlier bot- 

 anists of our county often wandered and found the rare and 

 the beautiful plants so easily found now by the remembrance 

 of where others discovere*^ them. Some it is true have dis- 

 appeared from localities designated as their place of growth, 

 and are seen no more, as alas ! they are not, who first plucked 

 them, but let not oblivion cover their names and these floral 

 associations forever. 



The records of the preceding meetings were now read and 

 the donations announced as follows, viz : 



To the Libranj — from L. A. Huguet-Latour of Montreal, 

 C. E.; General Association of Massachusetts ; Charles W. 

 Ui^ham ; S. A. Greene of Boston ; Richard Edwards of 

 Saint Louis, Mo. 



To the Cabinets — from Waldo Thompson of Sw^ampscott : 

 John N. Martin ; James A. Dodge ; S. B, Buttrick ; Wil- 

 liam E. Carlton ; Thomas C. Dunn ; Matthew A. Stickney. 



S. A. Greene of Boston, by letter requested exchanges to 

 complete sets of documents and reports of certain societies. 



