BULLETIN 



OF THB 



EISSEIX Il^STITTJTEI. 



Vol. 16. Salem : Jan., Feb., March, 1884. Nos. 1, 2, 3. 



1^^ PREFATORY NOTE. 



At a meeti ng of the Essex Institute, held on Monday, 

 December 17, 1883, it was announced that the Friday 

 evening preceding (Dec. 14) was the fiftieth anniversaiy 

 of the assembling together of a few fiiends, amongwhom 

 may be meiitioned Dr. Andrew Nichols of Danvers, AVil- 

 liara Oakes of Ipswich, John C. Lee, Thomas Spencer, 

 J. M.sjves, B. H. Ives, Charles G. Page and others, of 

 Salem, to take the initiatory steps in the Organization of 

 a Society for the promotion of Natunil History, under the 

 name of the Essex County Natural History Society. At 

 this meeting a committee was appointed to draft a Consti- 

 tution and by-laws, and these were adopted at an ad- 

 journed meeting held on the Wednesday following. 



The completion of the Organization was eiFected at a 

 meeting held in Topsfield on Wednesday, April 16, 1834. 

 This last event it is proposed to commemorate in April 

 next at Topsfield. 



This Society united with the Essex Historical Society, 

 organized in 1821, was incorporated by the Legislature of 

 1848 under the name of the Essex Institute. 



The following publications may be specified among 

 those issued by the Institute since its Organization in 1848. 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XVI. 1 (1) 



