May 22, 1810. Attended the committee for forming the Bible Society at Dr. Barnard's. Dr. Holyoke, Colonel Pickman, Mr. John Pickering, Doctors Treadwell and Oliver present. Some opposition. Came home.

[On June 27, 1810, Dr. Cutler went to Mr. Allen's, in Bradford, to attend the meeting of the General Association of Massachusetts proper. He was unanimously elected Moderator, and Mr. Worcester, Scribe. Mr. Hale was the standing Secretary. About seventy ministers were present, and the sessions continued three days. Dr. Cutler and Dr. Lyman were chosen to represent the Association at the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Churches of the U. S. of America, at Philadelphia the next May. At the close of the meeting Dr. Cutler was complimented with a vote of thanks, and the "Association dissolved after a very pleasing meeting, great harmony, and perfect order."]

*

July 9. Went with Esquire Blanchard to view Mr. Hersey Derby's garden. Much pleased with it. Saw the cactus grandiflora, or night-flowering cereus, in the green-house,

nounced by the regular medical profession, and finally an open charge of murder was preferred against him, in 1808, for sweating two chil dren to death, and again, in 1809, for the murder of a young man named Lovel, who had died under his attention. Dr. French charged that he did kill and murder the said Lovel with lobelia, a deadly poison." His friends induced Judge Theophilus Parsons to hold a special session of court at Salem. Tyng's Reports, Vol. VI., states, that on the claim of ignorance only did the Judge instruct the jury to acquit Thomson. Dr. Thomson died in Boston, Mass., 1843, after a tedious application of his own medicine The first printed record of the emetic properties of lobelia is by Rev. Manasseh Cutler, who named it emetic weed. See Account of Indigenous Vegetables, Am. Acad. Sciences, 1785, p. 584.-Drugs and Medicines of North America (J. V. and C. G. Loyd), Dec., 1886.

* Mr. E. Hersey Derby was the son of Elias Haskett Derby (known in the annals of Salem as King Derby), who was prominent in Salem as a ship-builder, owner, and merchant. He was the founder of the East India trade to America, and also the American trade with Russia. Hersey Derby lived on a farm near Salem. A charming descrip tion of his garden, as it appeared in 1802, will be found in a letter from Miss Elizabeth Southgate, published in "A Girl's Life Eighty Years Ago."

beginning to bloom. The plant has a long stem, resembling a pumpkin-vine, but no leaves. One flower comes out annually of the size and form of a goose-egg. Began to open at 5, and continued to open until 11 o'clock at night, when it began to close; in the morning quite wilted.

July 10. Association at Mr. Dana's, Marblehead. Attended. Mr. Lincoln prayed and Mr. Anderson preached. An agreeable day. On our return Dr. Prince and I stopped at Mr. Derby's. Examined the night-flower, dissected it, and brought it home to preserve; also the flower of the Calycanthus floridus, a most fragrant flowering shrub, of which I am to have some young shoots next spring.

Re

Aug. 14. Lecture at Esquire Giddings' at sunset. markably full, supposed to be 200 people, and would have been more if the weather had been fine.

Aug. 22. Attended a meeting at the court-house, Salem, for forming a Bible Society. Chose a committee to draught a constitution. Myself, Mr. Worcester, Mr. Abbot, Mr. Dana, and Mr. Torrey. At 2 o'clock met again at the court-house. Constitution accepted. Chose Colonel Thorndike * President, and me Vice-President.

Sept. 18. Rev. Mr. Richards, of Newark, and Rev. Mr. McDowell. of Elizabethtown, N. J., here, and spent some time.

April 17, 1811. Attended a meeting of a committee of the Bible Society, at Dr. Barnard's. Present: Messrs. Wadsworth,†

*Colonel Israel Thorndike; born in Beverly, Mass., about 1757. He was a member of the state Convention for the adoption of the Federal Constitution. Removed to Boston and took a high stand among merchants and politicians. In 1818 he purchased the library of Prof. Ebeling, of Hamburg, which contained between three and four thousand volumes of American history or kindred works, at that time the most complete collection of newspapers, pamphlets, state papers, and books relating to America extant. The public are under lasting obligations to him for bringing this treasure to the United States. He died May 10, 1832. His fortune was the largest that had ever been left in New England.-1m. Biog. (Sam'l L. Knapp).

Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth, D.D, was born in Milton, Massachusetts, 1750. He graduated at Harvard, 1769, studied theology, and was licensed to preach in 1772. In December of that year he was

Worcester, Moses Brown, and Dr. Barnard. Society met at the court-house at 2 o'clock. Accepted Incorporating Act and Constitution. Chose officers. I was unanimously chosen President, and Major Brown, Vice-President. Trustees met and chose managers.

July 7, Lord's Day. Preached. Sacrament. Baptism. Contribution for Newburyport fire. $25 collected, which, with subscription, $214, makes $2391.

Jan. 20, 1812. [A disastrous fire occurred in Dr. Cutler's study, an account of which has been given elsewhere in this volume.]

Feb. 7, Friday. Received a letter from Dr. Torrey, giving us the painful intelligence of the death of Captain Berry. He was taken with a pulmonic fever, last Friday, and died this morning at 8 o'clock. [Captain Jacob Berry was a pupil of Dr. Cutler's, and married his second daughter, Lavinia. He was engaged in the East Indian trade, and was an estimable He left no children.]

man.

April 15. Annual meeting of Bible Society. Accepted the trustee's report. Made choice, unanimously, of the same President and other officers for the ensuing year.

June 28. Mr. Thurston and Deacon Bingham here; also Dr. Worcester, who had the Declaration of War which passed Congress, and was signed by the President on the 18th in

stant.

July 1. Town Meeting to consider Boston Resolutions, and to answer a letter from their Selectmen. I attended and acted. Prepared papers for Selectmen.

July 23. Fast through this commonwealth on account of the war. Full meeting. Captain King, with his Light Infantry Company, marched out of Salem yesterday for exereise in the field, and encamped on Mr. Potter's ground last night, and attended meeting this morning. Took their seats

called to the Congregational Church, at Danvers, Massachusetts, where he continued until his death, in 1826. Harvard College conferred the degree of D.D. upon him in 1816. Dr. Wadsworth was essentially a practical man, and was not only the spiritual guide, but the adviser to many of his parishioners in their temporal affairs.-Sprague's Annals of the American Pulp't,

in the two side galleries. The band of music with the singers. A very fine company and behaved with great propriety.

Aug. 19. Finished sermon for fast with much difficulty, but not till very late. Have been confined to my chair for several nights and all this night. Almost famished for want of sleep.

Aug. 20.

Fast appointed by Mr. Madison through the United States on account of the war. Preached, but extremely feeble. Got through better than I expected. Tho' an extremely busy season, quite a full meeting, and very attentive. By my request Mr. Quarles read the address of the Convention. of the County of Essex. Some Demos A. M.; none P. M.

Nov. 12. Town meeting for the choice of five Electors of a President and Vice-President for the Middle Circuit of the Court of Common Pleas. Peace ticket, 108; War Hawks, 14.

[Dr. Cutler was engaged in revising the manuscript of a work, descriptive of the Western Country, by his son, Major Jervis Cutler, which was printed in 1812.]

Jan. 3, 1813, Lord's Day. Preached, A. M., a New Year's Discourse: P. M., to young people.

April 21. Meeting of the Trustees of the Bible Society at 10 o'clock. Dined at Dr. Barnard's. At 2 o'clock the Society met and held their annual meeting. Made choice of officers; same as last year. At 4 o'clock the Society moved in procession to Dr. Barnard's Meeting House to attend public exercise. Dr. Barnard began with prayer. I delivered a sermon. Mr. Abbot made concluding prayer. Collection for the Society about 100 dollars. Excellent singing. After the exercise, the Society voted to request a copy of the sermon for the press, and appointed a committee to superintend the printing.

[Upon receipt of a copy of this sermon, General Rufus Putnam wrote to Dr. Cutler as follows:

MARIETTA, OHIO, June 25, 1814. Reverend and Dear Sir:-I thank you for your excellent sermon, delivered before the Bible Society of Salem and vicinity. What a wonderful spirit has gone forth within a few years in providing for the spread of the Gospel in various

ways and by various means. I congratulate you, my dear friend, on the downfall of Napoleon and the prospect of a general peace in Europe. By this wonderful political revolution is there not reason to believe that Providence is opening a door for the diffusion of the scriptures in Papist as well as other countries, far beyond any thing experienced for many centuries past? We know that when Christ came in the flesh the world was in a state of profound peace which greatly facilitated the spread of the gospel during the apostles' day. And now if we admit that the exertions that have been making in the Protestant world for years past indicate a special providence designed as a means for the spread of the gospel, why shall we not admit that the hushing the European Nations to peace in such a wonderful manner is another link in the same chain of means to effect the same purpose.

God works by means, and He always chooses the best, and one means always concurs with another, hence "how shall they hear without a preacher, and how shall they preach except they be sent," and how can missionaries and Bibles be sent with hope of success among a people engaged in war and blood? From present appearances, I think there is great reason to hope for a long peace in Europe, and I sincerely rejoice at the prospect. But what is to become of America? Many, I find, expect a speedy peace. For myself I am in doubt. When I reflect on the conduct of our administration I can find no reason to suppose we have a friend or any that will take our part among all the powers of Europe; our conduct towards Spain in refusing to receive the Minister of Ferdinand; in seizing upon West Florida; in stirring up actually aiding the insurrection in East Florida, and even encouraging the insurrections in Mexico, are crimes there is reason to expect an atonement will be called for.

and

With respect to France, we certainly can expect to have no credit with the Bourbon family for the part we took in favor of Bonaparte, nor can Alexander be pleased with our going to war with England, at the moment when Bonaparte was invading his country; and can we have any hope in the clemency of England? I think not. She well knows that while she was struggling for her very existence our administration were