PROCEEDINGS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. JANUARY MEETING, 1871. ASTATED meeting was held on Thursday, the 12th instant, at eleven o'clock, A.M.; the President, the Hon. ROBERT C. WINTHROP, in the chair. The record of the last meeting was read by the Recording Secretary. The Librarian read the usual monthly list of donors. The Corresponding Secretary announced the receipt of a letter from John Foster Kirk, of Philadelphia, accepting his election as a Corresponding Member. The President announced the death of a Corresponding Member, Mr. Buckingham Smith, of Florida, which took place in New York the 4th of January, 1871. Henry T. Tuckerman, Esq., of New York, was elected a Corresponding Member. The President exhibited three small pictures, drawn in crayons, belonging to the daughter of Captain Robert Gray, of Boston, the discoverer of Columbia River, designed to illustrate his connection with that historical event. On the back of one of them was this inscription: "Capt. Gray giving orders concerning the building of the ship." On another this: "Capt. Gray obliged to fire upon the natives who disregard his order to keep off." On the third, the following: "Capt. Gray, Commander of ship Columbia, facing his ship while discussing with a friend upon the discovery of Oregon." The President exhibited a pack of cards made of horse-hide, presented to the Peabody Museum of Ethnology, at Cambridge, by Lieut. Duncan Sherman, U. S. Cavalry, and obtained from the Arizona Indians. Dr. GREEN communicated and read in part the following paper, on the Bibliography of the Historical Society: The first publications of the Society appeared Jan. 6, 1792, in "The American Apollo," ""* a weekly magazine beginning at that time. They were printed in connection with the magazine during thirty-nine weeks, and comprised usually a signature of eight pages, which could be separated from the rest of the pamphlet, and was called Part I. of each number. The first 208 pages of Vol. I. of the Collections were published in this way; and the remainder, consisting of 80 pages, came out in monthly parts, in September, October, November, and December, 1792. The second and third volumes were continued in monthly parts, but the fourth and fifth were issued in quarterly parts. The Collections - of which there are now thirty-eight volumes are divided into series of ten volumes each. Hubbard's History of New England, which constitutes Vols. V. and VI. of the second series, was published with a title-page to correspond with the other volumes of the Collections, also with a different one, so that the work might be sold separately. This History passed through a second edition in 1848, when it was again printed on the same plan. This edition was carefully collated with the original manuscript, and contains numerous additional notes. The same method was followed in publishing Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation, which is Vol. III. of the fourth series, so that it appears both as an independent volume and as one of a set. It will be seen from the list given below, that the first twenty-one volumes have been reprinted, and that Vols. I. and V. have reached a third edition. Vol. I. was printed in 1792, reprinted in 1806, and again reprinted in 1859. Vol. V. was printed in 1798, reprinted in 1816, and again reprinted in 1835. II. was printed in 1793, and reprinted in 1810. Vol. *The Prospectus of this magazine reads as follows: - To all the Friends of Science, Arts, Agriculture, Manufactures, and Commerce. Proposal of Joseph Belknap and Alexander Young, for printing a weekly paper; to be entitled THE AMERICAN APOLLO. Containing the Publications of the HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Political and Commercial Intelligence, and other entertaining matter. Printed at Boston, (Massachusetts) by J. Belknap and A. Young. MDCCXCI. Vol. V. was printed in 1815, and reprinted in 1848. VI. 1815, 1848. 1826. THIRD SERIES. I. was printed in 1825, and reprinted in 1846. II. 1830. The first volume of the Proceedings was published in 1859, and the series has been continued to the present time. These volumes comprise the proceedings of the Society, and begin with the Annual Meeting, April 12, 1855. Nine have now been published. They are not numbered on the title-pages, but have been marked on the backs of the covers with the years in which the meetings were held; for example, the first volume which ends with December, 1858, is marked 1855-1858. The last volume, for 1869-1870, has appeared in eight parts, each one, with a single exception, containing the proceedings of two meetings, or more, according to the length of the record. One hundred copies of these parts have been printed for the convenience of members. This plan gives an opportunity to detect mistakes for correction in the stereotype plates. The first printed Catalogue of the books in the Library was a pamphlet of 40 pages, and appeared in 1796. This was followed by a Catalogue of the Books, Pamphlets, Newspapers, Maps, Charts, Manuscripts," &c., in 1811. The first volume of the present Catalogue appeared in 1859, and the second volume was issued the next year. These three are the only printed lists of the books in the general library. A few copies of the first 240 pages of Vol. I. of the Catalogue were printed separately as specimen numbers to show to the members. It may be worth the while to put on record a fact in regard to the Catalogue of the Dowse Library. The book was printed before the Library was given to the Historical Society, and a title-page was prepared for twenty-five copies, the owner deciding to limit the issue to that number during his life. At a later period, however, the additional sheets of the catalogue were found, and it was deemed advisable to print a new title-page for the remaining copies. In the list hereafter given, it appears that there are two Catalogues of the Dowse Library, bearing the dates 1856 and 1870 respectively, though in fact they are the same work with different title-pages. In 1869 a volume was published, entitled "Lectures delivered in a Course before the Lowell Institute, in Boston, by Members of the Massachusetts Historical Society, on Subjects relating to the Early History of Massachusetts." This course comprised thirteen lectures, of which twelve were published in a pamphlet form by their respective authors. The following is a list of those that were thus printed : Massachusetts and its Early History. Introductory Lecture in the course on the Early History of Massachusetts, by Members of the Massachusetts Historical Society, at the Lowell Institute, delivered January 5, 1869. By Robert C. Winthrop. pp. 27. I. The Aims and Purposes of the Founders of Massachusetts. II. Their Treatment of Intruders and Dissentients. Two Lectures, delivered January 8 and January 12, 1869. By George E. Ellis. pp. 100. History of Grants under the Great Council for New England, delivered January 15, 1869. By Samuel F. Haven. pp. 36. The Colony of New Plymouth and its Relations to Massachusetts, delivered January 19, 1869. By William Brigham. pp. 27. Slavery as it once prevailed in Massachusetts, delivered January 22, 1869. By Emory Washburn. pp. 35. Records of Massachusetts under its First Charter, delivered January 26, 1869. By Charles W. Upham. pp. 30. The Medical Profession in Massachusetts, delivered January 29, 1869. By Oliver Wendell Holmes. pp. 45. The Regicides sheltered in New England, delivered February 5, 1869. By Chandler Robbins. pp. 36. The First Charter and the Early Religious Legislation of Massachusetts, delivered February 9, 1869. By Joel Parker. pp. 85. Puritan Politics in England and New England, delivered February 12, 1869. By Edward E. Hale. pp. 22. Education in Massachusetts, delivered February 16, 1869. By George B. Emerson. pp. 36. The following is a list of the minor publications of the Society, and includes all papers, as far as can now be ascertained, that have been brought before it and afterward printed. They have for the most part been reprinted from the Collections, or the Proceedings. When they are not otherwise described, they are in octavo form and bear the imprint of Boston. The editions of such publications are usually limited to a small number of copies, generally from thirty to one hundred, and are printed for the persons most interested in them. Since 1859 it has been the custom at the Annual Meeting, for the Treasurer of the Society to give on a printed sheet a statement of the funds. But these sheets do not appear in the list. - ACTS, BY-LAWS, &c. Acts of Incorporation, Laws, and Circular Letter, with Appendix. 1794. pp. 14. The Act of Incorporation, By-Laws, Catalogue of Members, and Circular Letter of the Mass. Hist. Soc. 1813. pp. 26. Laws and Regulations of the Mass. Hist. Soc., revised and reported by the Standing Committee. Cambridge, 1833. pp. 8. The Act of Incorporation and By-Laws. 1853. pp. 12. The Act of Incorporation, with the Additional Acts, and By-Laws. 1857. PP. 19. CIRCULARS, &c. Circular Letter of the Historical Society. [1791.] pp. 3. Circular Letter addressed in 1794, by Jeremy Belknap, to Gentlemen of Science in America, requesting Historical Information, and Contributions to the Library and Cabinet. [No imprint.] 4to, pp. 3. 4to, 1 page. 4to, pp. 3. Circular Letter in relation to the Society. 1832. 4to, 1 page. Circular Letter to the Members. 1844. Circular Letter to the Members. 1854. Circular Letter to the Members. 1857. Circular Letter to the Resident and Corresponding Members, soliciting Contributions to the Library and Cabinet. [No imprint.] 4to, pp. 3. Circular relating to the Collection of Memorials of the War. August 8, 1861. 4to, 1 page. Circular to Members relating to Photographs. February 15, 1865. 12mo, 1 page. Circular relating to the Publications of the Society, with Table of Contents. [1865.] 4to, pp. 4. Prospectus for Hubbard's History of New England. [1814.] Prospectus for the Proceedings for 1855-58. 1859. Prospectus for the Lectures on the Early History of Massachusetts. 1869. Prospectus for the Sewall Diary 1870. Notification of an election of a member, with a Circular soliciting Contributions to the Library and Cabinet. [No imprint.] 4to, pp. 3. List of Resident Members. June, 1864. Folio, 1 page MEMOIRS, TRIBUTES, &c. Memoir towards a Character of John Eliot. [By Joseph McKean.] 1813. pp. 40. Notices of the Life of Benjamin Lincoln. [1815.] pp. 23. [This paper is signed P. C. It is accredited, however, in the Index of Authors, to John T. Kirkland. Vol. X., 2d Series, pp. 201.] Memoir of Wiliam Tudor. [By William Tudor, Jr.] 1826. pp. 41. Biographical Notice of Dudley A. Tyng. By John Lowell. [No imprint.] pp. 17. Memoir of John Allyn. By Convers Francis. [1836.] pp. 8. Memoir of John Pickering. By William H. Prescott. 1848. pp. 27. Memoir of Thaddeus Mason 1854. pp. 28. Memoir of Abbott Lawrence. Memoir of William P. Lunt. print.] pp. 8. The Same. Privately printed. Cambridge, Harris. By Nathaniel L. Frothingham. By Nathan Appleton. 1856. pp. 21. |