TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. JOHN J. CURRIER, MAYOR. ALBERT CHEEVER, JOHN WOODWELL, WILLIAM H. NOYES, ARTHUR C. RICHARDSON, J. OTIS WINKLEY, JOHN P. EVANS. ALDERMEN. DANIEL T. FISKE, SAMUEL J. SPALDING, DIRECTORS OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. JOHN J. CURRIER, MAYOR, WILLIAM A. DAVIS, PRESIDENT COMMON COUNCIL, 66 66 ex officio. 66 66 THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. The Newburyport public library was founded in September, A. D. 1854. by the Hon. JOSIAH LITTLE, who gave to the city the liberal sum of five thousand dollars for this object. Hon. CHARLES JACKSON and Col. SAMUEL SWETT, of Boston, added large donations in books and money. The terms of the donation were as follows: "We, the subscribers, agree to furnish the mayor and aldermen of the city of Newburyport, with the books, or sums of money, affixed to our names, to form a public library for the use of the inhabitants of said city, to be managed by said mayor and aldermen, and their successors in office, as trustees; and also for the use of the inhabitants of the towns of Newbury and West Newbury, equally with those of said city, provided said towns pay their proportion of the expenses of managing said library compared with those incurred by said city for that purpose; said proportion to be in the ratio of the respective appraisement of said city and towns in the state valuation; and also that said towns pay one per cent, jointly, per annum on the cost of the apartments or building employed for said library. The general regulations of said library to be adopted by the city government of Newburyport." The books bought with the original fund were selected by a committee appointed by the founders of the library. This committee consisted of Hon. Moses Davenport, Rev. Leonard Withington, Rev. Luther F. Dimmick, Rev. Daniel T. Fiske, and Nathaniel Hills, Esq. Other liberal donations have also been made at various times, by former residents of Newburyport for the purchase of books, and a generous sum has been contributed to defray the cost of the library building, and also for the purpose of establishing a public reading room in connection therewith. The late Matthias Plant Sawyer, of Boston, by the terms of his will, gave "To the city of Newburyport the sum of five thousand dollars, in trust, to hold the same, and invest and reinvest the same in such public stocks as the government of said city for the time being may think best; and to pay over the income thereof, as often as once in each year, to the persons having the control and charge of the public library in said city, to be by them invested in the purchase of books." This sum was received by the municipal authorities in the year 1857, and, by vote of the city council, was invested in a promissory note of the city of Newburyport, the interest thereon being annually paid over to the directors of the public library. The liberal gift of George Peabody, of London, to this institution was made in 1867, as will appear from the following communications in relation to the subject: SALEM, February 20, 1867. TO EDWARD S. MOSELEY, Esq., Hon. CALEB CUSHING, Dr. HENRY C. PERKINS, Hon. EBEN F. STONE, and JOSHUA HALE, Esq. Gentlemen-Wishing to mark my memory of that portion of my youth which was passed in your town, and my grateful appreciation of kindness there shown to me, as well as of the pleasant relations which have existed since that time between many of your fellow citizens and myself, and finding on consultation and enquiry that the interests of the inhabitants of Newburyport may be well |