PKOCEEDINGS V \\\Qk Mmu\ yifitoiiiral m\[% 1882-88 160l-^oxo PEOCEEDINGS 1 '^M '^ii^ -v (ur made I'ilHita iiifjioriarllacidi), 1SS2-S3. 16613 PROVIDENCE: PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY, 1883. PRINTED BY THE PROVroENCE PRESS COMPAXT, FROVIDEXCE, R. I. , OFFICERS RHODE ISLAXD HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Elected January 9, 1883. President, WILLIAM GAMMELL. Vice Presidents, Fra>;cis Bkixley, Charles ^Y . Parsons. Secretari/, A310S Perry. Treasurer Richmond P. Everett. STANDING COMJIITTEES. On yom Inatlons , All)crt V. Jenks, William Staples, AY. ^laxwell Greene. On Lectures, Amos Peny, Charles W. Pai>ons. William Gammell. 4 KIIODE ISLAND llISTOmCAL SOCIETY. Or Building and Grounds, Isaac II. South wick, Ileniy J. Steere, lioyal C. Taft. 0)1 the Liijravij, Sidney S. Rider, Horatio Kogers, Thomas Durfcc. On PuhlicutionSy Charles W. Parsons, John II. Stiness, Alexander Farnnni. On Genealogiccd liesearches, Henry E. Turner, William A. Mowry, Bennett J. Munro. Audit Comndttee, Henry T. Decknith, John P. Walker, Lewis J. Chace. Procurators, For Newport, Georije C. ]\Iason, Bristol, William J. .Alillcr, Woonsocket, Erastus Ivichardson, lIoi)kinton, Geoi'ae 11. Olney, Scituate, Dr. Charles H. Fisher, Pawtucket, llev. Emerj' H. Porter, North Kingstown, David S. Baker, Jr. PROCEEDINGS OF THE RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1882-83. A special meeting was held January 24, 1882, when Dr. Henry E. Turner, of Newport, read a paper on the Life and Services of Governor Samuel Cranston. The President announced the following named gentlemen as Committee on the change in Constitution, proposed at the last annual meeting : Sidney S. Rider, John A. Ilowland, William Staples. At a special meeting, February 7, Hon. William P. Shef- field, of Newport, read a paper on Rhode Island Privateers and Privateersmen. At a special meeting, February 21, the Secretary read a paper giving an account of the origin and progress of an effort to secure high lands in the north part of this city, including the French camping-ground, for a public park, in commemoration of our French allies in the revolutionar}^ war. Letters from distinguished gentlemen favoring the project were also read. The sul)ject was referred to the Special Committee, appointed July, 1880, consisting of Pro- fessor Gammcll, Hon. John H. Stiness and General Horatio Roirers. 6 KIIODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETV. At ;i special meeting, ^fareh 7, 'Slv. W. G. 1\. ]\Iowry made a verbal report on behalf of the committee appointed to take measures to remove the old Indian potteiy-manufac- turin<i- estal)lishment in Johnston to Koiier AVilliams Park. Keuben A. Guild, liL. D., Librarian of Brown University, read a paper on the first College Conunencement at AVarren, September, ITl!;) ; and on a forensic disputation between James M. A'arnmn and A\'illiani ^\'illiams on the subject of American Independence. At a special meeting, ]Marcli 21, it was announced that Hon. Zaciiariah Allen, LL. D., President of this Society-, died suddenly at his residence in, this city on ^Nlarcli 17th. The first Vice President, Professor Ganuiiell, gave a Ijricf sketch of his life and services, and olfered for adoption by the Society a Memorial Minute, which will be found embod- ied in the annual address of the President, delivered in elan- uary, 1883. liemarks were made by Hon. AV. AV. Iloppin, Bishop Clark, Messrs. Amos Perry, Charles E. Carpenter, James X. Arnold, J. Erastus Lester, and Hon. John H. Stiness ; and the minute was unanimously adopted. The (juarterly meeting was held .Vpril 4th. Letters were read from Alessrs. Francis Brinley, and George C. Mason, of Newport, and Bennett J. Munro, o£ Bristol, all paying tributes of honor to the memory of the late President, ]Mr. Allen. ]\Iessrs. Addison Q. Fisher and Charles II. Smith, of Providence, were elected Resident Members, and Wilfred 11. ]Munro, of Suspension Bridge, N. Y., was elected Cor- responding Alembcr. The Kight-licvercnd Bishop Clark read a paper on Wil- liam AVheelwright, the great South American benefactor, previously a resident of Xewburyport, Mass. At a special meeting, April 18, Royal C. Taft, Esq., read a paper on the Introduction of AVoolcn manufacture into the United States. The quarterly meeting, adjourned from July 4th, was held July 1 1th. The Secretary presented a copy, sf^nt by Air. : TKOCEEDINGS. / Erastus Richardson, of the births, marriages and deaths recorded in the first volume of Smithfield records. The special committee on change of Constitution, proposed at the last annual meeting, reported adversely to the change. Messrs. AVilliam W. Douglas and Jcnnison C. Hall, of Provi- dence, were elected Resident Members ; and j\Iessrs. Charles H. Denison, of San Francisco, Cal., Charles Henry Hart, of Philadelphia, and Frederic C. Pierce, of Rockford, 111., were elected Corresponding Members. Professor William Gammell was elected President of the Society, in place of Zachariali Allen, deceased; and Dr. Charles W. Parsons was elected Vice President, in place of Professor Gammell. The newly elected President made some remarks, explaining his views of the duties of the office and the qualifications required for their discharge. He then announced the death of Hon. Elisha Reynolds Potter, a former A^ice President of this Society, which occurred on the 10th of April. A Memorial Minute was ottered by the Hon. John H. Stiness, which will be found on a later page of this pamphlet, in the address of the Presi- dent. Remarks were made by Judge Stiness, Hon. John R. Bartlett, and Hon. Abraham Payne; a letter was read from Hon. Thomas C. Amory, of Boston ; and Mr. S. S. Rider read a carefully prepared paper on the writings and various services of Judge Potter. The minute was unani- moush' adopted. At the quarterly meeting, October 3d, the Librarian announced the numl^er and general character of gifts received during the last three months. The President called attention to the portrait of our late President, Mr. Allen, presented by his daughters, and read the following letter " The daughters of Zachariah Allen, late President of the Rhode Island Historical Society, desire to present to the Society a portrait of their revered father, (painted by Mr. Lincoln,) as a memorial of him and of his undying interest 8 iniODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. in the welfare of the Society, and in tliosc principles of sonl-liI)ei-ty and resistance to tyranny (civil and ecclesiasti- cal; which marked the foundation and the building up of his State. "Providence, 3rd Octol)er, 1882." After remarks by the President, it was voted, that the Rhode Island Historical Society accepts, with special grati- tude and [)lea^ure, the large and life-like portrait of its late venerable President, the Honorable Zachariah Allen, which has been presented by his daughters ; and it assures them that this valuable gift shall be carefully preserved, in mem- ory of one who rendered distinguished services to this Soci- ety, and also to the city and the State in Avhich he spent his long and useful life. The report of the committee on change in the Constitu- tion, proposed at the last annual meeting, was adopted. Messrs. Amasa ]M. Eaton and Stephen H. Arnold were appointed Committee on iS'ecrological Notices of members.* General George S. Greene was appointed as a committee to act in behalf of the Society in securing certain historical documents from the pension office in "Washington. At a s})ecial meeting, October olst, the President, Profes- sor Gannncll, read a paper on the Confederation-Period of the liepublic. At a si)ecial meeting, November 14th, llcv. Daniel Good- win, of East Greenwich, read a paper giving a sketch of the life of llev. William Smith, D. D., who was rector of St. Paul's Church, ^\'ickford, and of Trinity Church, New- port. At a special meeting, November 21st, Rev. George E. Ellis, 1). D., of Poston, one of the Vice Presidents of the Massachusetts Historical Society, read a paper on "The origin and Method of History." At a special meeting, December 12th, Alexander Farnum, *Mr. Ealou having decliued, llev. E. JI. Stone was appoinleil by tlie President in his place. PROCEEDINGS. H Esq., read :i paper on the Pn])lic Life and Political Genius of Alexander Hamilton. The sixty-tirst annual meeting was held January 9, 1883. The President read his annual address. The Secretary pre- sented various written communications. Reports were pre- sented from the Treasurer, Committees on the Library, on Publications, on Genealoijical Pesearches, on Building and Grounds, on Nominations, and on Necrological Notices, and from Messrs. Richardson, Fisher and Porter, Procurators. Mr. Richardson presented a copy of the records of town councils of Smithfield, from 1731 to 1748 ; and genealogical information relating to the Arnold family. The officers for the ensuing year were elected, — as named on pages 3 and 4. The following gentlemen were elected Resident Members : Lyman Klapp, Edwin C. Earned, Hiram Kendall, Frederick IM. Ballou, M. Joseph Harson, Herbert W. Ladd, Harry Gregory, John W. Slater, D. Russell Brown, H. Martin Brown, Charles H. Childs, Waterman Stone, Isaac C. Bates, all of Providence ; Rev. Daniel Goodwin, East Greenwich; Joseph Bridgham, East Providence. The Rev. George E. Ellis, D. D., of Boston, was elected an Honorary Member ; the Rev. Stephen D. Peet, of Clinton, Wisconsin, a Corresponding Member. The Committee on Publications w^as directed to have printed five hundred copies of the Proceedings of the Soci- ety, with discretionary power to summarize any part of said Proceedings, except that the President's address and the annual reports of standing committees shall be printed in full. It Avas voted, that a committee be appointed by the Presi- dent to devise a plan to meet the increasing expenses of the Society. 2 10 RHODE ISLAND HISTOKICAL SOCIETr, ADDRESS OF THE PKESIDENT. GenfleiiKui of (h<' Ifistoriral Sncith/: — As you are well aware, I have held the oftice of President only for six months.