NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY-A stated meeting of the society was held in the hall on Tuesday evening, March 5th, the Hon. John A. King presiding. The librarian reported an increase of over six hundred books and pamphlets added to the collections during the past month, and acknowledged a gift, from the trustees of the Durr Gallery Fund, of a portrait in oil of the late Matthew L. Davis.

The paper of the evening, entitled "The Bench and Bar of New York in 1789," was read by the Hon. Charles P. Daly, who, after mentioning the more prominent lawyers of colonial times, and contrasting the abilities of Alexander and Chambers, proceeded to describe the courts, judges, and practitioners of one hundred years ago. The paper was rich in amusing anecdotes of Gouverneur Morris, John Jay, James Duane, Hamilton, Burr, and Egbert Benson, the first president of this society. The thanks of the society were voted Judge Daly, and a copy of his paper was requested for publication. Following the custom of the society throughout the eighty years of its existence in regard to the chief magistrate of the nation, Ben jamin Harrison was unanimously elected an honorary member. The society then adjourned.

THE WYOMING HISTORICAL AND GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY of Wilkesbarre, Pa., held its thirty-first annual meeting February 11, 1889. The following officers were elected president, A. T. McClintock, LL.D.; vice-presidents, Dr. C. F.

Ingham, Rev. Henry L. Jones, Captain Calvin Parsons, and Hon. Eckley B. Coxe; recording secretary, S. C. Struthers; corresponding secretary, Sheldon Reynolds; treasurer, A. H. McClintock; historiographer, George B. Kulp; librarian, J. Ridgway Wright.

The treasurer reported an accession of thirty life-members during the year, increasing the total life-membership to forty, and creating a permanent fund of $4,000. This, with the sale of the real estate of the society, will make the invested funds amount to near $10,000, the income from which will be used in annual publications and the purchase of books. The library now contains 4,250 bound, and 3,500 unbound volumes and pamphlets, with many manuscripts. The new and permanent quarters provided by the will of the late Isaac S. Osterhout, in connection with the Osterhout Free Library, will be ready for occupancy this year. The trustees of the library will erect a two-story building for the purpose, sufficiently large to accommodate the library and valuable archæological and scientific cabinet of the society with their increase for many years.

THE OSTERHOUT FREE LIBRARY OF WILKESBARRE opened on the 29th of January last with nearly 11,000 volumes. It was established by the will of the late Isaac S. Osterhout, who left it an endowment valued at over $400,000. It is under the charge of Miss Hannah James, who was so successful as the librarian of the Newton Free Library,

Newton, Mass. Its influence has already been felt throughout the city. By the will of Mr. Osterhout the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society are provided with free and permanent quarters. The trustees expect to build a suitable apartment for the society this spring.

THE NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY held its regular semi-monthly meeting Friday evening, March 1, in the Berkeley Lyceum building, 19 West 44th street. A large number of members and invited guests were present. Gen. Joseph C. Jackson read a paper upon “The Evacuation of the City of New York by the British," a subject which is just now of particular interest on account of the attention which the history of New York is attracting in view of the approaching centennial celebration of the inauguration of Washington as first president of the United States. Gen. Jackson's paper was exceedingly thoughtful and well written, and was very closely listened to. Maj.-Gen. O. O. Howard, U. S. A., followed in an extremely interesting address, in which he compared the battle of Long Island with some of the battles of the late war of the Rebellion, giving also some personal reminiscences of Gettysburg. At the conclusion of Gen. Howard's remarks, a vote of thanks, moved by Mr. De Lancey and seconded by Mr. Evans, was unanimously tendered to the speakers.

THE POCUMTUCK VALLEY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION, Deerfield, Mass., held its annual meeting March 5, 1889. In the

course of its business session it furnished pleasant surprises in the way of the announcement of generous gifts and a review of the year's work and accumulations. The best surprise of the day was the announcement by Miss C. Alice Baker of the gift, by a munificent friend whose name is withheld, of $500, to be used as the association chooses. The treasurer's report shows receipts from other sources of $203.96, an expenditure of $58.49, and a balance of $',189.69. The officers chosen were: president, George Sheldon; vice-presidents, Rev. Dr. A. Hazen, and Jas. S. Reed, Marion, Ohio; recording secretary and treasurer, Nathaniel Hitchcock; corresponding secretary, Rev. Edgar Buckingham.

At the afternoon session George Sheldon was in charge, who in himself is a majority of the association, with his perennial enthusiasm and exhaustless faculty for research and discovery. The kitchen, familiar to every visitor to the treasure-house of the association, was graced with the presence of a goodly number of attentive members, and the reports were listened to with interest, and excellent papers were read. Among the valuable gifts was the original journal of Stephen Williams during his captivity, from Miss Eunice Stebbins Doggett, of Chicago, to whom it came from Eunice, another daughter of Stephen, and by lineal descent. Through the liberality of a friend in Cambridge, this rare journal will be published in pamphlet form.

THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY is half a century old, and celebrated its semi-centennial anniversary February

12, 1889.

President Henry R. Jackson presided. William Harden, the librarian, presented a most admirable report, and President Jackson delivered a stirring address. At the anniversary banquet that followed, ex-mayor William A. Courtenay, of Charleston, said, in the course of an eloquent speech: "Your long-expected jubilee-day has come, and you mark it by this joyful celebration. Around your festive board you have gathered many guests, some gladly come from long distances to be with you on this auspicious commenìoration. Permit me to acknowledge my sense of high appreciation of the representative privilege of this occasion, in the honor conferred of responding for your invited guests.' In their behalf, let me congratulate the society on the completion of its half-century of useful career, and on the promise of its increasing prosperity, with which its future here salutes us. In its continuing life, may it ever enjoy the privileges of youththe fair and far outlook of existence in its prime.

"It has been wisely remarked that 'history is the biography of communities; surely, then, there should be need, in every centre of population, for historical societies. Such institutions are beneficent powers in civilization if wisely operated, and with our restless and changeful habits are especially needed to give inspiring impressions from a more distant and illustrious past."

Letters of regret were read from Secretary Bayard, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John G. Whittier, Bishop Potter, Edmund Clarence Stedman, Dr. Leonard

W. Bacon, George William Curtis, Hon. Carl Schurz, Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, Charles Dudley Warner, Colonel Charles C. Jones, LL.D., Gen. Roger A. Pryor, and many other distinguished men.

THE HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF AMERICA held its regular monthly meeting at the hall in Columbia College on January 7, President John Jay in the chair. The valuable and entertaining paper of the evening was read by Rev. Benjamin F. de Costa, D.D., entitled, "Some Events and Influences that Preceded the Establishment of Huguenot society in New York." The regular February meeting of this society was held on the evening of February 21, the Hon. John Jay presiding. Mr. Edward F. De Lancey, vice-president of the society, read a very carefully prepared and instructive paper on "Philip Freneau, the Huguenot Patriot Poet of the Revolution, and his Poetry," presenting some very wellchosen extracts from the poetical works of Freneau. The large and cultivated audience listened with marked appreciation, and the speaker was warmly applauded.

THE MINISINK VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY held an interesting meeting at Port Jervis, New York, February 28, the president, Rev. S. W. Mills, D.D., presiding. Mr. John Wood read an interesting paper on early mining operations in the Delaware Valley. He gave the course of the old road, and located the old forts, churches, and graveyards along which it passed between Carpenter's Point and Paha quarry. He gave much interesting data about the sup

posed copper-mines which led to the building of the road, and of the efforts made to develop such mines. The officers of this enterprising society are: president, Rev. S. W. Mills, D.D.; vicepresidents, Dr. Sol Van Etten, Frank Marvin, J. L. Bonnell, Moses L. Cole; secretary, Dr. W. L. Cuddeback; corresponding secretary, W. H. Nearpass; treasurer, C. F. Van Inwegen.

THE RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, at its meeting, February 19, listened to an excellent paper by Rev. Samuel Snelling, of St. Paul's church, Providence, on William Blaxton, who came to Massachusetts prior to 1624, describing him as a man in the garb of the scholar and clergyman, whose manners were those of a gentleman, and whose refined features expressed the student's habit of thought and study. Upon the shelves of the little cottage, whither this good man invited his visitors, might have been seen the wellused folios, which contained the best learning of the times, evidences of a wide and thorough culture. He had been some time a student of Emanuel College, Cambridge, and was now a clerk in holy orders, sequestered in the wilderness of America. The paper was most interesting. At the meeting of the society on the 5th of March, Mr. Ray Greene Huling, a native of this city, and at present principal of the New Bedford High School, read a paper on "The Rhode Island Emigration to Nova Scotia." The subject was entirely a new one to the society; the facts in regard to it had been gathered by Mr. Huling himself in Nova Scotia.

The paper began with a reference to the well-known emigration of Rhode Islanders at different times in its history to several parts of America. Active steps were taken to plant a settlement on the Bay of Fundy in 1759. The first settlers from Rhode Island arrived in the spring of 1760. Haliburton says there were four schooners with one hundred settlers. Mr. Huling said: “I am inclined to think that the earliest to arrive were the following: first, those brought from Newport to Falmouth, Nova Scotia, in the sloop Sally, Jonathan Lovatt, master, in May, 1760: Benjamin Sanford and family, seven persons; Nathaniel Reynolds and family, four; Samuel Bentley and family, two; James Hervie and family, five; James Smith and family, six; John Chambers, one; James Weeden and family, six; Joshua Sanford and family, three; and John Hervie, one, in the whole, thirty-five. Second, those brought from Newport to Falmouth in the sloop Lydia, Samuel Toby, master, in May, 1760: Benjamin Burdin and family, three persons; Caleb Lake and family, seven; Henry Tucker and family, three; James Mosher and family, eight, twenty-three persons. The names, except that of Chambers, will readily be recognized as common family names in the island towns of our state, and on the mainland towns near by. Indeed, the same is true of a large proportion of the names of persons to whom lots were granted in the townships of Falmouth and Newport. On arrival there appears to have been a separation of the Rhode Island men into two settlements, one being termed East Falmouth, the other West Falmouth."