112 



which there have not wanted very sad & judicial warnings, as ye 

 drowning of several persons at several times occasioned by their ex- 

 cessive drinking, & others by frequent fuddling & company-keeping 

 undone in their estates," etc. Mr. Upham also read extracts from the 

 records, showing that the remonstrance had the desired effect, and 

 then gave some account of the parties concerned, and of an "Elegy 

 upon the death of Eev. John Higginson," written by his colleague, 

 Eev. Nicholas Noyes. 



Mr. G. D. Phippen followed with some remarks upon the poetry and 

 humor of Mr. Noyes, and he then repeated a riddle, composed by him 

 on a visit to one of his lady parishioners, who was busy making a 

 quilt out of bits of fancy silk. The riddle ran thus : — 



" I am bespangled and triaugled, 

 With divers colors on ; 

 If every one should go to its home, 

 I should be quite undone." 



Mr. Edward S. Morse called attention to the pair of very large jaws 

 of a cuttle-fish, presented at the last meeting by Capt. Atwood, and 

 made some remarks on the class of Cephalopods, to which the cuttle- 

 fish belongs. He figured on the black-board some of the principal 

 forms; describing the singular structure of the body, and the admira- 

 ble adaptability of the numerous arms, furnished with suckers, to 

 secure their prey, and the parrot-like jaws of the mouth to tear and 

 devour their food. He stated that in this group we find some of the 

 strangest animals in existence, in many respects showing a high or- 

 ganization. He mentioned the numerous fallacious stories regarding 

 them, and cited Victor Hugo's description of the Devil Fish as one in 

 which the characters of two entirely diflerent animals were thoroughly 

 mixed. 



In announcing the donations to the Library, Dr. Wheatland called 

 attention to a volume of Fifth of March Orations, presented by C. W. 

 Palfrey, and ofiered a few remarks in relation to the event which took 

 place at Boston, March 5, 1770, and which was celebrated there an- 

 nually, by an oration and other ceremonies, until 1783, Avheu, at a 

 town meeting held March 5, 1783, it was voted to ■ substitute the cele- 

 bration of the Declaration of Independence for that of the Boston 

 Massacre, after Dr. Thomas Welsh had pronounced the annual oration 

 on the latter occasion. 



Donations to the Cabinets were reported by the Superintendent. 



John P. Phelps, of Salem, was elected a Resident Member. 



The chair called the attention of the meeting to the late donation 

 of one hundred and forty thousand dollars, by Mr. Peabody for the 

 Promotion of Science and Useful Knowledge in the County of Essex, and 



