No. 374.] MANASSEH CUTLER. 79 
Marietta College, and, while on the ground, made the first 
studies of the earthworks of the Ohio valley, computing their 
minimum age from the trees and remains of trees found grow- 
ing onthem. Some partly decayed stumps were found, between 
eight and nine feet across, on which it was impossible to count 
the annual rings. But he estimated a tulip tree, five feet and 
eleven inches in diameter within the bark, to be from four 
hundred and forty-one to four hundred and forty-five years 
old. 
In 1789 his alma mater conferred on Mr. Cutler the degree 
of LL.D. Besides the societies already mentioned, he became 
a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, the American 
Antiquarian Society, the New England Linnzan Society, and 
the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture; and he 
was made an honorary member of the Massachusetts Medical 
Society for his attainments in the healing art. He served as a 
member of Congress during two terms, from 1801 to 1805, as 
an uncompromising Federalist. His journals give a vivid idea 
of the intensity of political feeling in this first period of 
Democratic supremacy. 
He had evidently planned an extended botanical work, and 
for many years collected notes and drawings with this in mind. 
They finally filled more than a dozen large volumes, which 
suffered much injury from a slight fire in his study during his 
temporary absence from the room. This occurred in the latter 
part of his life, and seems to have disheartened him. A part of 
these volumes were at one time in the possession of the late 
Prof. Edward Tuckerman, of Amherst College, who has said, 
that the publication of the results of his studies would have 
given Dr. Cutler high rank as a botanist. In these manuscript 
volumes he recorded conclusions which were only given to the 
world when again reached by Bigelow, Nuttall, Gray, and 
others. For example, he recognized that the hickories are 
generically distinct from the walnuts, and indicated many new 
species first published by the authors already named. He was 
a great lover of plants from every point of view. His large 
garden contained a great variety, especially of trees and shrubs. 
He is said to have introduced into eastern Massachusetts the 
