DECEMBER MEETING, 1874.

A stated monthly meeting was held on Thursday, the 10th instant, at 11 o'clock A.M.; Vice-President ADAMS in the chair. The Recording Secretary read the record of the preceding meeting.

The Librarian read his list of donors to the Library for the last month.

Among the donations that may be specially named were thirty-four volumes of the London Magazine, from 1732 to 1766 inclusive, except the year 1750; the London Historical Register, in twenty-two volumes, from 1714-1735 inclusive, and sixteen other volumes, from Mr. Whitmore. Mr. E. Quincy presented a volume entitled "Speeches of Josiah Quincy, edited by his son, Edmund Quincy, Boston, 1874." Mr. Parkman gave his newly issued volume, entitled "France and England in North America, Part Fourth, 1874."

The Recording Secretary, in the absence of the Corresponding Secretary, read a letter from Secretary Belknap, of Washington, by his Acting Chief Clerk, W. T. Barnard, enclosing a list of Reports as a donation to the Society's Library, with a request that a set of the Society's Transactions might be placed in the Library of the War Department.

Secretary Belknap also asked for leave to have a copy taken of the portrait of Dr. Belknap, who was a kinsman of the Secretary; and leave was granted.*

The Cabinet-keeper reported a gift of a heliotype of Deliverance Parkman's house, in Salem, Mass., built A.D. 1670, taken down A.D. 1834,-presented by Francis H. Lee, of Salem.

The Chairman, after some explanation, presented the following resolution from the Council of the Society, which was unanimously adopted:

Resolved, That authority be hereby granted to the Council to report from time to time the names of such persons in the list of Corresponding Members of the Society as they may recommend to be transferred to the list of Honorary Members, subject to the approbation of the Society.

An application was read from Dr. J. G. Palfrey, asking permission to make extracts from the "Diary and Letter-Book" of Judge Sewall, for publication in a volume of the History of

The request of Secretary Belknap for a set of the Transactions for the Library of the War Department was referred to the Council, who ordered a set of the Proceedings, so far as they could be spared, to be forwarded.-Eds.

New England which he is preparing. Permission was granted under the rules.

Mr. Charles C. Perkins was elected a Resident Member.

Mr. FRANCIS PARKMAN called attention to a notice he had received of an intended meeting of Archæologists interested in the history of America before the discovery by Columbus, to be held at Nancy, France, in July next; the preliminary arrangements having been made by the Société Américaine, at Paris. Mr. Parkman called attention to the fact that a greater interest appeared to be taken by European scholars in the Archæology of America than by Americans themselves. The communication was accompanied by a circular, which read as follows:

CONGRÈS INTERNATIONAL DES AMÉRICANISTES. 1" session. — Nancy, du 19 au 22 Juillet, 1875.

INVITATION.

Une réunion internationale des personnes qui s'occupent de l'Histoire de l'Amérique avant la découverte de Christophe Colomb, de l'interprétation des Monuments écrits et de l'Ethnographie des races indigènes du Nouveau-Monde, aura lieu à Nancy, du 19 au 22 juillet, 1875. Une Exposition d'Archéologie Américaine sera ouverte pendant la même période.

Toute personne s'intéressant aux études qui motivent cette réunion peut être inscrite comme membre du Congrès en adressant dès à présent: 1° ses nom, prénoms et qualités; 2° son adresse exacte; 3o la somme de 12 francs, montant de la souscription, en un mandat ou en timbres-poste du pays où elle réside. On recevra, par le retour du courrier, la carte de membre qui donnera droit de participer à tous les travaux de la réunion et de recevoir le volume qui renfermera le Compte rendu de ses travaux.

La liste des premiers adhérents sera publiée prochainement, ainsi que celle des Comités d'organisation français et étrangers.

Le Comité central d'organisation recevra avec reconnaissance toutes les communications qu'on voudra bien lui adresser pour cette session. En attendant, il a cru devoir formuler les questions suivantes, sur lesquelles il appelle l'attention des amis de l'Archéologie et de l'Ethnographie américaines:

1° Rapports de l'Europe, de l'Afrique, de l'Asie et de l'Océanie avec l'Amérique avant Christophe Colomb;

2 Interprétation des documents écrits de l'antiquité américaine (peintures didactiques mexicaines, écriture calculiforme, maya et palenquéenne, Quippou péruvien, écritures des populations indiennes de l'Amérique du Nord, Inscriptions, etc);

30 Classification ethnographique et linguistique des populations indiennes du Nouveau-Monde.

Des programmes détaillés seront ultérieurement publiés.
Pour le Comité de Nancy:

LUCIEN ADAM, Secrétaire.

Pour la délégation de la Société américaine de France:

EMILE BURNOUF, Secrétaire.

The Circular also contained a list of the "Statuts," the "Comité Local d'Organisation," and of " Délégations."

On motion of Dr. ELLIS, the subject of Mr. Parkman's communication was referred to the Council of the Society.*

The Recording Secretary spoke of having recently received a number of letters from Mr. Winthrop, from whom the Society are always glad to hear. In a letter of 5th November, from Paris, he speaks of meeting our associate General Palfrey, and of going with him to the reception of the President of the Republic, Marshal MacMahon, where they saw all the Diplomatic Corps. "It was at the Elysée," he says, "a beautiful Palace of many memorable associations."

"Last week," he continues, "I was present at the Annual Séance of the Institute of France, and saw the Five Academies in full conclave. M. Bertrand, the President, paid a brief tribute to Agassiz, as well as to Guizot and others who had died during the year. Three hours of French discourse, from five different savans, representing the different Academies, made a sufficient entertainment for one day. I send one of the programmes of the occasion for our book of scraps. I sent a Galignani a few days ago, which contained Mr. Adams's remarks, and the extract of my letter, about Guizot, which had been published in the Boston Daily Advertiser.'”

In a letter of the 12th November, he says if he were then in Boston he should be joining in the tributes to Dr. Shurtleff, and taking part in the proceedings of the Society. He speaks of the death, a few years ago, of William Paver, Esq., of York, England, a Corresponding Member; and had heard through his friend, Count Belleval, of the death, many years ago, of M. César Moreau, whose name stands first on the old Corresponding and Honorary Roll, and of whom he speaks more at large in a later letter. He had met our Corresponding Members, M. D'Avezac; Pressensé, now an active member of the National Assembly; and William Story, who was en route from London to Rome.

"I spent an hour," he says, "with Mignet last week. The death of Guizot carries him to the top of our page. I shall bring home a photograph of him with his signature, for our Album. He is a charming person, looking almost as well as when I saw him at the Institute nearly twenty-eight years ago."

In a letter of the 17th of November, he says:

"I did not mean to have written to you again till I reached my

At a subsequent meeting of the Council, the Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, the President of the Society, now in Europe, was requested to act as a delegate to this Congress, to represent the Society; and the Secretary was directed to forward to him his credentials.

winter quarters at Cannes, whither we go to-morrow. But my friend, Count Belleval, has sent me a couple of pamphlets which show that the date of César Moreau's death was 26 Nov., 1861.

"M. César Moreau was the principal Founder of the Society of Universal Statistics, in 1829, and of the French National Academy of Agriculture, Manufactures, and Commerce, in 1830. An Éloge was pronounced at his funeral by M. Aymar Bression, Directeur-Général, in the name of the two Institutions which he had founded; and his portrait was placed in the Hall of one of them.

"He was a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, and his statistical studies and publications had secured a place for his name on the roll of the Royal Society of London.

"I may send the pamphlets which show all this, to our library, by mail. Meantime I send to your address three little books, which please exhibit at our next meeting, and present to our library. Two of them (Voltaire's Charles XII.) are the first two of a series of publications designed to furnish good books for the people at the lowest prices. The volumes are sold for 25 centimes, or 5 cents each! In one of them you will find a catalogue of all which have been printed since 1863, when the system was adopted by some Association for the benefit of the working classes. We have had cheap libraries in America, for schools, and for the diffusion of useful knowledge; but I doubt whether any country, except France, can show a standard work of history, in two volumes, for ten cents! The other little volume which I found at the same shop for four francs (80 cents) is called a ‘Musée National,' and contains eighty woodcuts of the great men of the past. Most of them are French celebrities. But Washington and Franklin and Robert Fulton are included. There is a succinct biography of each person. It has been got up in order to render the names of great men, and their portraits, familiar to the young, and is to be continued in successive volumes. It is used, I believe, as a reward of merit in the schools. These publications struck me as so cheap and so interesting that I could not resist the impulse to place copies where they might be seen in Boston, where something of the same sort might be usefully done. I dare say, after all, that you and Dr. Green know all about this cheap French library already. It has reached nearly two hundred little volumes, as the catalogue will show.

"P. S. I was just closing this letter, when yours of the 31st ult. was handed to me. I am grieved to learn that good Dr. Walker is so feeble. I hoped he would live for many years yet. Pray give him my warmest regards (if it be not too late). I have ever cherished the greatest respect for him, and concur in all you say of his wisdom and excellence."

Mr. T. C. AMORY called the attention of the Society to a passage in the tenth volume of Mr. Bancroft's History of the United States, recently published, at page 502, namely, "That New Hampshire abandoned the claim to the fisheries was due to Sullivan, who at the time was a pensioner of

Luzerne." Mr. Amory explained in the language of Sullivan himself, at a later period, why in 1781 he opposed making the question of the fisheries an ultimatum in the instructions to the American ministers at Paris. He thought there was not the slightest reason to doubt that his motives in this instance were pure and patriotic. Sullivan was not alone in his vote, for Jay and enough more were joined with him to defeat the motion.

Mr. Amory proceeded to say that an application to Mr. Bancroft by the descendants of General Sullivan, for his authority for the statement that Sullivan was a pensioner of Luzerne, resulted in the production of a copy of a letter from that minister to Vergennes, which the historian said was the source of his information; that from this letter it appeared that Sullivan, when a delegate to the Congress in Philadelphia, received a sum of money from Luzerne, as a loan. And he read the letter from an English translation, placing at the same time a transcript of it in French in the hands of the Secretary. They are both given below. Mr. Amory explained that General Sullivan, a lawyer by profession, had, at the breaking out of hostilities, already acquired a competent estate. That in his five years' constant service in the army, his private affairs were necessarily neglected, his fortunes impaired, and his available means exhausted. If in need, he had become so in the service of his country. After leaving the army out of health, he was, in 1780, induced, for reasons relating to the controversy concerning the New Hampshire Grants, much against his own wishes, to accept the position of delegate to the Congress at Philadelphia. The compensation allowed was scarcely sufficient to defray the expenses on the road. At this time his pay as an officer from the government was largely in arrears. The sum due to him, including $1,500 which he had advanced for the public service, and which was not paid till he was leaving Congress, in October, 1781, amounted to some $5,000. He was therefore far from home, without resources. This had become known to Luzerne, the minister of our ally, who, of his own motion, opened his purse to him. There was no evidence that Sullivan himself regarded the transaction in any other light than as a loan, which he was bound to repay. There was nothing that could be interpreted as a bribe, and nothing that was not honorable to both parties. The interests of France and America in the war were identical. Although at the time Luzerne penned his despatch, in May, 1781, many months after the money had been advanced, it had not been returned (and,

See Amory's "Life of Major-General John Sullivan," p. 206 - Eds.