Mr. FROTHINGHAM spoke of an interesting letter relating to the battle of Lexington, which lay upon the table, of which Mr. Appleton has furnished a copy for the "Proceedings": BATTLE OF LEXINGTON.* April 18th-We are in the utmost confusion; some of the Troops last Night went out of Boston, & have just Heared that they Have killed two or three Men. 21"-The night before last the troops went in Boats from Boston to Horse Farm & so marched to Concord. In their march killed 8 men, but who fired first I believe none can tell. They went on to Concord, and destroyed the Magazine & Stores, then retired to Charlestown, firing on our people & they on them. A most terrible Day it was, the Women & Children fled out of Town, as we expected they would come into it. Our family went up to Mr Temples; we just escaped the Army, having reached M Irelands when the Regulars got to the Neck, & ours come down Winters Hill. The Regulars marched up Cap Fentons or Bunkers Hill and ours returned Back again. None fired after they got into Town. Then they got leave of the Town to let their Men go into the Meeting House & town House, till they could get over. The Boats come and Carryed them over, when the people tho't we were all safe, & sent up to Mr Temples where Vast Numbers from Town had fled. Two M' Russels & wives went to Town & found they had brought over another Regiment of Soldiers, who in the night encamped on the Hill, and the Town was again in the greatest distress. In the morning Mr Temple got a pass for as many as would to return Home. I went with him, but O! I cant describe to you the Melancholy sight, to behold the preparations that was making on the Hill, & before I reached home met 500 more marching up to the Hill. The Town I thought was gone, before night thot it woud be so fortifyed that we must give up or Die. But thro' the goodness of God in three Hours every Soldier was out of the Town & we in Quiet. They were frightened & fled as If pursued; but no man pursued them; they heared an Army was come against Boston. This but an imperfect acc but cant do more at present. Mr. APPLETON presented the original manuscript of a circular signed by sixty-four merchants and firms in Boston, to be Probably written by Dr. Isaac Foster, of Charlestown, Harv. Coll. 1758, to his sister Eleanor, wife of Dr. Nathaniel Coffin of Portland, Me. sent to the country banks, urging them to provide for the redemption of their bills. As an incident occurring over sixty years ago, connected with the financial history of Boston, it may not be regarded as unworthy a place in our "Proceedings." The circular is labelled "Original Bank Circular, 1809": To the Cashier of SIR: Bank. BOSTON, The subscribers, merchants, and traders in the town of Boston, from a disposition to afford every facility and convenience to their country customers, have been in the habit, since the establishment of Country Banks, of receiving the bills issued by them in payment for goods or debts at par, and which they were for a good while enabled again to circulate without loss. Within the last two years, however, many Country Banks have unwarrantably abused this confidence placed in their bills, by refusing payment of them when presented, or by opposing every obstacle which chicanery and artifice could invent to delay or evade it. The obvious consequences have followed, the public confidence has been shaken, their faith in written promises of institutions avowedly established as patterns of punctuality no longer exists. Country Bank paper has depreciated, and cannot be negotiated without a discount which varies from two to four per cent. We have, however, in hopes this unwarrantable conduct would be abandoned, continued to receive this paper at par, and borne the loss of the discount, till our patience is exhausted and our suffering interest calls loudly for a change of measures. We have therefore found ourselves compelled to send the bills home for payment, and in case of refusal shall proceed to the collection by due course of law. We beg you will communicate this letter to the PresiBank, and hope that by a prompt payment of their bills they will save us from the disagreeable necessity of resorting to the legal alternative." Ident and Directors of We are, Sir, your very obedient servants, STORROW & BROWN HAVEN, WILLIAMS, & Co. GASSETT, UPHAM, & Co. RICE, REED, & Co. PETER DICKERMAN PHINEAS FOSTER CHARLES & GEO. BARRETT WILLIAM APPLETON & Co. HOWE & SPEAR SAMUEL MAY JNO. BINNEY JNO. GREW SAMUEL BILLINGS MINCHIN & WELCH LUTHER FAULKNER & Co. S. & N. APPLETON JOSHUA DAVIS STEVENS & Joy PARKER & APPLETON THOS. C. AMORY & Co. EBEN. FRANCIS JOSEPH TILDEN DAVID S. EATON GILES LODGE TUCKERMAN, SHAW, & ROGERS FREEMAN & CUSHING KIRK BOOTT PRATT & ANDREWS RICHARDSON & WHEELER WM. SHIMMIN URIAH COTTING. MAY MEETING, 1870. A stated monthly meeting of the Society was held this day, Thursday, May 12th, at eleven o'clock, A.M.; the President in the chair. The record of the last meeting was read. In the absence of the Librarian, the list of donors was read by the Recording Secretary. Among the donations announced was a manuscript copy of the oration delivered by Nathaniel Appleton Haven, Esq., of Portsmouth, N.H., May 21, 1823, two hundred years from the landing of the first settlers; and of the poem on that occasion by O. W. B. Peabody, Esq.,- presented by George B. Chase, Esq., of Boston.* This oration, in 1827, was included in a printed volume, entitled "The Remains of Nathaniel Appleton Haven, with a Memoir of his Life. By George Ticknor." Mr. WHITMORE presented a copy of the earliest printed Catalogue of the Society's Library, containing some manuscript additions. The Hon. William T. Davis, of Plymouth, was elected a Resident Member. The Recording Secretary said he understood that our associate, the Rev. R. C. Waterston, was about to start on a trip to California, over the Pacific Railroad, on a tour of observation and pleasure, to be absent for some months; and he offered the following vote, which was unanimously adopted: Voted, That the Rev. Mr. Waterston be requested, during his absence on his western tour, to represent this Society on any occasion that may be agreeable to himself, or may be for the interest of the Society. Mr. APPLETON communicated the following letter from Henry Smith, of Wyrardisbury, or Wraysbury, Bucks, England, to John Pynchon, of Springfield, Mass., dated February 20, 1662, relating to the death of William Pynchon, one of the early settlers of Springfield, and furnishing the exact date of that event, which has hitherto been wanting in all published accounts of him: DEARE BROTHER PYNCHON:- Our most Cordiall love and respects salute you and yo" Ioying in y° continuance and extension of y° goodness of God toward yow all, as by yo' Letters recd appeares. S', y only wise Lord in whose hand is all o' wayes & tymes, all whose works are done in wonderfull and admirable councell, are very just holy and good even when they seemingly speake forth to vs the sharpest and sorest tryalls crosses and temptations, (as to Abra: when to offer vp his only Isaack.) dayly intstructeth vs both by his word & workes to live in a dayly expectation of and p'peration for changes in y" o' pilgrimadge. Its his vsuall course of dealinge with all his Saints to give y occations of dayly exercise of those p'ciouse graces (y worke of his holy Spt in y' hearts) wch else would contract rust, or ly in Mr. Waterston went with a large number of gentlemen and ladies, forming a party projected under the auspices of the Board of Trade of this city. They left Boston on the 23d of May, and arrived at San Francisco early in the morning of the 1st of June. See Boston Newspapers of 23d May and 2d June. - EDS. obscurity not shining forth soe splendid and bewteose to y prayse of his gloriouse Grace in Je: Cht. The decree of God hath Limited us o' stations so o tymes and dayes beyond wch we cañot may not pass: The same is manifested in his late visitation vpon yo' and our most loved and much Honrd ffather who expired and drew his last breath in Wyrardsbury Octobr: 29th, a loss to vs vnrepayrable, a gayne to him vnexpressable, making a blessed change from earth to heaven, from a state of corruption, to a state of incorruption, from im'pfection to perfection; from a state of sin & sorrow to compleated joy and bliss, celebrating y everlasting prayses of God and of the Lambe, who hath redeemed vs with his blood. Bro: I p'sume yow are not altogether vnp'pared for y' sad tydings, wh I am occationed as one of Jobs messengers to acquaint yow with, resolving all yo' thoughts & greifes into y holy speech of his: The Lord gave and y Lord hath taken away, Blesed be y name of y Lord. Its one of God's vnalterable appoyntmts y' all must dye. Death passeth on all men in as much as all have siñed wth should learne vs Davids silence and submission, because y lo hath done it; and y° rather seeing it pleased Him to continue him among vs soe longe to such an age, giveing vs yo opportunitys to reape y fruite of his godly & grasciouse exampls & councells, wh, now he is taken from vs, y lord help vs y' we may practically ffollow, so running y' we may obtayne y° pmised recompence of reward, y° Crowne of imortality & life, wh he is now poseseed of. Dear Brother, this pvidence (I suppose doth vnavoydably call yow to make a voyadge into these partes w'h all possible speede for y transacting and settling of yo' affayrs heere, some things not being in soe good a posture as were to be wished: viz: y busyness of Carletons administration, wh was like to be wholly obstructed on my ffathers death; But Mr Wickins a faithful freind being intrusted in his will to act in his behalfe, hath slacked no diligence or paynes therin, he will write to yow himself, therefore ile say no more to that. You are made sole Executor, Mr Wickins w'h my self are desired to be overseers of ye same in yo' absence. I carryed ye will to him to London, wh he hath since pved in the Prerogative Court, who will send yow a Coppy thereof. I was lately at London of purpose to comunicate yo' letters and Bills to him, for goods to be sent this yeare and care will be taken to send y' greatest pt of them, by y° first good ship. Though vpon o' conference wth Mr Bridge & partnrs they make scruple of parting w'h any mony of yo" in yr hands, w'h out a particular order from yo' owne hand y' wh yow give to my ffather for y° dispose thereof being (they say) dead wth him. |