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 Di rpLTCATE
 
 GEORGE ROWLAND JUNIOR 
 
 NEW BEDFORD MASSACHUSETTS 
 
 Privately Printed 
 
 1892
 
 K. ANTHONY & SONS, Incori>., PRINTKHS, 
 NEW BEDFORD, MASS.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Y; OF <:.\UFORM 
 
 'i'.'i iJAiliiAUA 
 
 NOTE 
 
 At the request of the trustees of the New Bedford Free 
 Public Library, I have prepared this biographical sketch of 
 their former associate. There were many details in the long 
 and active life of George Rowland, junior, which I should 
 have been glad to relate more at length, had not the lapse 
 of years made extended information impossible. Among 
 those who have courteously rendered me assistance, I am 
 particularly indebted to Mrs. Frederic S. Gifford and to Mr. 
 M. Morris Rowland. 
 
 WILLIAM L. R. GIFFORD. 
 
 NEW BEDFORD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 
 
 10 November, 1892.
 
 It is granted to but few men to hold for so long a time 
 a place in the life of a community such as George How- 
 land, jun., filled in that of New Bedford. For more than 
 sixty years he was connected with the whaling industry, 
 to which New Bedford owes its early growth and a large 
 part of its wealth ; and during the greater portion of this 
 time he almost constantly held some office of public trust. 
 Whatever duty fell to his share received the careful atten- 
 tion of one who never slighted details in anything which 
 he undertook ; and to the recognition of this trait of his 
 character may be traced many of the responsibilities 
 which devolved upon him and which helped to shape the 
 course of his life. 
 
 George Rowland, jun., the son of George and of Eliz- 
 abeth (Rowland) .Rowland, was born in New Bedford, 
 October 20, 1806. The house of his father then stood 
 on what is now Bethel street, on land at present covered 
 by the Standard building ; and here his earliest years 
 were spent. In his boyhood, he attended a private school 
 and also the Friends' Academy in New Bedford, which 
 had then been recently established, and of which his 
 father, George Rowland, senior, was one of the early 
 trustees. When the younger George was ten years old,
 
 his father sent him to live with a French family in New 
 York city, in order that he might acquire a knowledge of 
 the French language. Here the boy remained six months ; 
 and he returned home with the object of his visit well 
 fulfilled. He had gained a facility in speaking French 
 and also a love for that language which he retained, with 
 increasing pleasure, to the end of his life. The last of 
 Mr. Howland's school days, which closed when he was 
 fourteen years of age, were passed at a school in German- 
 town, Pennsylvania, well known at that time. It was 
 under the charge of John Maitland Brewer, who was the 
 first master of the Friends' Academy in New Bedford. 
 
 After leaving school, George Howland, jun., entered 
 the office of his father, one of the foremost merchants of 
 his day in New Bedford, and the agent of many vessels 
 engaged in the whale fishery. The elder George built 
 the wharf at the foot of North street and also the stone 
 building now standing there, in which for many years he 
 conducted the business of candle-making. The ability 
 and good judgment which the son displayed at an early 
 period supplemented well the shrewdness and energy of 
 the father, and their ventures prospered. 
 
 April 30, 1829, George Howland, jun., was united in 
 marriage with Sylvia G. Allen, the daughter of James 
 and of Sarah (Howland) Allen. This is said to have 
 been the first marriage which was solemnized in the pres- 
 ent meeting-house of the Society of Friends in New Bed- 
 ford. Mr. Daniel Ricketson makes the following mention 
 of the event in some interesting reminiscences which he 
 not long ago contributed to the Standard:
 
 I might have added before I ended ray notice of the old 
 [Friends'] Academy that, at the time of the marriage of the 
 late George Rowland, jun.. and Sylvia Allen in the Friends' 
 meeting-house on Spring street, the pupils were dismissed from 
 school in time to attend the ceremony during the afternoon. 
 The writer was one of the boys present on that occasion, and 
 fifty years later he also attended the golden wedding of the 
 above at their late residence on Sixth street. 
 
 After his marriage, Mr. Rowland went to live in the 
 house which is still standing on the northwest corner of 
 Walnut and First streets. Here he continued to reside 
 until he removed to the brick house on the west side of 
 Sixth, between Walnut and Madison streets. This house, 
 which he built in 1834 and in which he lived for fifty-four 
 years, was designed by Mr. Rowland himself, and he 
 personally prepared the working-plans. In fact, he never 
 lost an opportunity to gratify his love for the use of tools 
 and to turn his knowledge of them to serviceable account. 
 Many hours, when business affairs did not demand his 
 attention, were spent in the wood-working shop of Ed- 
 ward Bierstadt and in the ship-yard of Zachariah Hillman. 
 
 The following incident, which Mr. Rowland once re- 
 lated, will answer as an example of many more of its 
 kind. He was making a brief visit in Florida and met at 
 the hotel an Englishman, whose yacht had received a seri- 
 ous injury in the planking near the bowsprit. No artisan 
 in the town knew how to repair the damage properly, and 
 the owner found himself in a quandary. Mr. Rowland 
 arose very early the next morning and set himself to work 
 on a piece of wood which he had selected the previous 
 evening. When the owner of the yacht appeared, he
 
 8 
 
 found his boat neatly and thoroughly repaired. His sur- 
 prise and delight amply repaid Mr. Howland for his early 
 morning's work. 
 
 In January, 1832, George Howland, jun., was elected 
 a member of the corporation of the New Bedford Institu- 
 tion for Savings, of which he remained a member until 
 the time of his death, sixty years later. In 1832, he was 
 also chosen one of the trustees of the same institution. 
 This latter office he retained until January, 1877, when 
 he was no longer eligible for re-election. A Massachu- 
 setts statute of 1876 forbade the holding of office in more 
 than one such corporation at the same time. As Mr. 
 Howland was president of the New Bedford Five Cents 
 Savings Bank, he necessarily retired from the board of 
 trustees of the other organization. He was clerk of the 
 corporation of the Institution for Savings and secretary 
 of the board of trustees during the years 1833-1837. 
 
 The New Bedford and Taunton railroad, the first rail- 
 road from New Bedford, was opened July 1, 1840. 
 George Howland, jun., was one of the original stockhold- 
 ers. While the road was in process of construction, some 
 delay occurred in the shipment of the iron, and Mr. How- 
 land was sent to England to attend to the matter. A few 
 extracts from the brief journal which he kept during his 
 absence from home will be of interest to those who knew 
 him : 
 
 1st mo. 28, 1840. At 12 o'clock left New Bedford for Bos- 
 ton, on my way to New York to embark for Liverpool. Passed 
 the night in Boston ; and at 7 a. m. of the 29th started on the 
 railroad for Springfield. At 4 p. m. took stage-sleigh for Hart-
 
 ford, which place I reached at 8 p. in., expecting to stop the 
 night and take the railroad in the morning for New Haven. In 
 this I was disappointed, the road being obstructed by snow. 
 Found it necessary, in order for despatch, to proceed forthwith ; 
 consequently nine of us procured an extra conveyance for New 
 Haven and arrived there at five the next morning. Thence to 
 New York by mail, a distance of 76 miles, [arriving] at 10 p. m. 
 1st mo. 31. About 9 a. m., in company with a friend, went 
 on board the packet ship South America, Capt. Bailey, bound 
 for Liverpool. Selected my berth on the starboard side of the 
 ship, directly abreast of the mizzen-mast, state-room no. 9. 
 My companion is a young man from New York, by the name of 
 Brush, b} T birth a German. 
 
 A storm delayed the departure of the /South America 
 until February 3, at twelve o'clock, on which day the voy- 
 age began. In the evening, Mr. Howland, to use his own 
 words, " thought it most prudent to retire, as the water 
 was getting rather rough." An attack of sea-sickness 
 kept him below for about two days, after which he appar- 
 ently enjoyed the voyage. 
 
 2d mo. 20, 11 a. m. Took a pilot for Cork harbour, where 
 we anchored at 12 m. After getting a bite, eighteen of us pro- 
 ceeded by the pilot boat for the Cove of Cork, where we were 
 detained about one hour, and then started by the same convey- 
 ance for the city of Cork, where we arrived at 5 p. m. The 
 custom-house being closed, and it being necessary to have our 
 luggage examined before we could take it up (we having been 
 escorted from the Cove by a custom-house officer), it was 
 thought proper to take measures to have it passed this evening. 
 Accordingly, one of our number started off for the proper offi- 
 cer, whom he was so fortunate as to find readily, and we suc- 
 ceeded without further difficulty. At 7 p. m., we found our- 
 selves comfortably settled in the Imperial Clarence hotel. 
 
 2d mo. 21. Took a short walk before breakfast, and in the
 
 10 
 
 space of three-quarters of an hour saw more wretchedness and 
 poverty than could be found in all the state of Massachusetts. 
 Afterwards, walked about in company with some of our party 
 and made a general examination of the cit} r of Cork, being beset 
 every few minutes by beggars of the lowest imaginable kind. 
 At half-past six, six of us took Her Majesty's mail coach for 
 Dublin and arrived at half-past three the next afternoon. We 
 passed through, as far as we saw it, for the most part a highly 
 cultivated country ; but as to the dwellings (here called cabins), 
 they are miserable. Some of them are constructed of mud, 
 others of peat, and some of stone ; all, or nearly all. with 
 thatched roofs. The inhabitants corresponded to the cabins. 
 In one instance, I saw the horse, and in another the pig and 
 chickens, under the same roof with the family. 
 
 2d mo. 23. It being First day, I attended meeting at ten 
 o'clock in Eustace st. Had a silent meeting, excepting just at 
 the close when an elder read the publishment of two couples. 
 At quarter-past four, left for the railroad dp6t to go to Kings- 
 town, a distance of seven miles, and took the steamer Princess 
 for Liverpool. After a rough passage of seventeen hours (it 
 being usually made in twelve), we arrived at Liverpool and took 
 lodgings at the Adelphi. 
 
 Mr. Howland remained but a few days in Liverpool 
 and then started on his way into Wales, where lay his 
 destination. After a coaching journey, taken by easy 
 stages through a region abounding in beautiful scenery, 
 he finally reached Ebbw Vale on the twenty-ninth of 
 February. At this place and at Nantyglo, about two 
 miles distant, were situated the two establishments which 
 held the contracts for furnishing the iron for the New 
 Bedford and Taunton railroad. Mr. Howland learned on 
 his arrival that the last of the iron had that day been 
 shipped to Liverpool. His business, therefore, was 
 speedily finished ; and he departed at once for London ,
 
 11 
 
 which he reached March 5, after paying brief visits by the 
 way to Newport, Chepstow, Bristol, and Bath. 
 
 Mr. Rowland remained five days in London and made 
 good use of the time in sight-seeing. Thenee, by way of 
 Birmingham, he went to Liverpool, where he was de- 
 tained a week by business affairs relating to the iron. 
 From that time, he spent about a month travelling in 
 Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and England. His journal 
 during this period contains many interesting accounts of 
 places visited, which are described with an attention to de- 
 tail seldom bestowed in these days of universal travel and 
 of elaborate guidebooks. As this portion of the journal 
 is largely of a descriptive character and contains little of 
 personal interest, no further extracts need be made. 
 Throughout the pages of this little diary, the mechanical 
 turn of Mr. Rowland's mind is strongly, though uncon- 
 sciously, indicated. Wherever he went, he improved 
 every opportunity to visit factories of whatever kind and 
 to inspect the notable results of modern engineering. 
 Dimensions, moreover, of every sort, he jotted down ap- 
 parently as a matter of course. 
 
 April 28, 1840, Mr. Rowland sailed from Liverpool in 
 the packet Patrick Henry, of which Joseph C. Delano of 
 New Bedford was captain. After a passage of twenty- 
 eight dnys, the vessel arrived at New York, May 27.
 
 II 
 
 In November, 1839, George Rowland, jun., was one of 
 the Whig representatives chosen to the General Court for 
 the ensuing year. The Mercury in announcing the result 
 of the election made note that he and certain others 
 "were voted for by the colored Abolitionists." This is 
 explained by the fact that Mr. Howland, like other mem- 
 bers of the Society of Friends in New Bedford, was an 
 early advocate of the abolition of slavery. 
 
 For the next twenty-five years, George Howland, jun., 
 held some active political office during a large part of the 
 time. After serving his first term in the Legislature, he 
 was re-elected for a second. In April, 1842, he was cho- 
 sen one of the selectmen of the town and was re-elected 
 every year until 1847, when New Bedford became a city. 
 The first city government was organized April 28, 1847, 
 and Mr. Howland, the chairman of the selectmen of the 
 town, made declaration of the election of a mayor, of a 
 board of aldermen, and of a common council. 
 
 In 1844, Mr. Howland went to Europe with his brother, 
 Robert B. Howland, who was then about eighteen years 
 old, and whose health had been injured by close study. 
 They were accompanied by their brother-in-law, Samuel 
 B. Parsons. The party sailed from New York, December
 
 13 
 
 10, 1844, in the ship Argo, Captain Caleb Anthony, and 
 after an uneventful voyage arrived at Havre, January 5, 
 1845. During the journey on the continent that followed, 
 George Howland, jun., wrote out an account of his trav- 
 els, as in the former instance of his tour through Great 
 Britain. The later journal was more carefully kept than 
 the earlier one ; the greater part of it is entirely free from 
 hurried notes, and it is written throughout in ink. Some 
 of the descriptions of European travel of fifty years ago 
 are very interesting, as a few extracts will serve to show : 
 
 1st mo. 7. At 9.30 a. m., took our seats in the coupe of a 
 French diligence, which lo\ the way is a queer sort of thing, 
 having three separate apartments. The first is considered the 
 best and is called the coupe ; it has but three seats, is all glass 
 in front, and has a large window on each side, of course com- 
 manding a good view of the country if the fog is not so dense 
 as to prevent it, as was the case this day. It is well finished 
 inside and is altogether a very comfortable affair, being at this 
 season of the year warmed by a lamp fitted under the bottom, 
 but which answers the purpose remarkably well. The middle 
 part is called the interieure and contains six seats with only side 
 windows, like a common carriage, and no heat. Behind is what 
 is called the rotonde, with sideway seats for six or eight ; and 
 then on the top is still another place which will contain one or 
 two besides the conducteur. The diligence is drawn by five 
 horses, two on the pole, and three ahead, side by side. * * * 
 Before leaving Havre, we supplied ourselves with provisions for 
 the road, consisting of a boiled chicken, a veal pie, and seme 
 bread, which we ate on the road. At about 5.15 p. m. we ar- 
 rived at Rouen, a distance of about seventy miles, where after 
 waiting about half an hour (it being dark of course) we set off 
 for the railroad. On arriving, the diligence was lifted off its 
 wheels, passengers, baggage, and all, and set upon a platform 
 fitted for that purpose. In that style we went to Paris, reach-
 
 14 
 
 ing there about 10.15 p. m. After having our baggage exam- 
 ined by a custom-house officer, we took a porter for the Hotel 
 des Princes. 
 
 A few days were spent in looking about Paris, and then 
 the travellers departed by way of Chalons for Lyons. 
 Mr. Rowland found the latter " the dirtiest and most in- 
 convenient city" he ever saw. Naturally but a brief stay 
 was made here, and on the 19th the party took passage 
 on a little steamer for Avignon. A day in this ancient 
 city of the popes, and the journey was continued to 
 Nismes. Barely a glance by the way was given Taras- 
 con, which had not yet become the home of the valorous 
 Tartarin. Of Nismes Mr. Howland writes : 
 
 This is I think without exception the finest city I have yet 
 seen in France, the streets, particularly in the new part, being 
 wide and straight. 
 
 Apparently the narrow, crooked streets of Avignon and 
 of other old French towns found little favor in the eyes 
 of one who loved above all things regularity and order, 
 and who carried a remembrance of the unbroken uniform- 
 ity of our New Bedford highways. 
 
 After spending two days in Marseilles, Mr. Howland 
 and his companions took a steamer for Civita Vecchia, 
 where they arrived February 3, after a stormy passage. 
 On the way, the steamer stopped a day at Genoa, and 
 here the travellers had their first glimpse of an Italian 
 city. At Civita Vecchia seats in the diligence were taken 
 at once for Rome. On the way thither, the conveyance 
 was overturned in ascending a hill, and it was found
 
 15 
 
 necessary to send the postillion on to Rome to procure 
 carriages. In the meantime Mr. Rowland and his two 
 fellow-travellers had the pleasure of spending four hours 
 in a wrecked coach, in the middle of the night, and with- 
 out lights. 
 
 They finally reached the city early in the morning of 
 February 5, which was the last day of the carnival. Mr. 
 Rowland describes the scene as follows : 
 
 We walked up and down the Via del Corso, where for about 
 four hours we were exceedingly amused in witnessing the sports, 
 and in which we joined to some little extent. The first that we 
 discovered, except the fitting up of the windows along the streets 
 as balconies to stand in, was now and then a man or woman 
 hopping or running along dressed in the most fantastic manner 
 and masked. Then they began to come in groups ; then the 
 carriages began to move, filled with people, some masked and 
 dressed in all manner of ways, and others in citizen's dress. 
 All had small bunches of wild flowers tied together and mixed 
 with green, which they exchanged with those who by this time 
 had taken their places in the windows. About 2 p. m., the 
 street was literally filled with horses, carriages, and people, and 
 such a scene I never saw before. Every one from the least to 
 the greatest seemed to enter into the spirit of it, and all went 
 on with the greatest harmony. The boys and men employed 
 themselves with picking up the bunches which dropped upon the 
 street, which by the way were the greater part, and selling them. 
 I have no doubt some were sold many times over. Some had 
 their pockets, or baskets upon their arms, filled with some small 
 sugar plums made for the occasion, with a good share of flour 
 scattered over them, which they threw indiscriminately among 
 the multitude, almost blinding some, and covering the hats and 
 backs of others. Some threw lemons and oranges ; some had 
 bladders, blown up and tied with a short string to a stick, with 
 which they would run through the crowd and strike any one 
 they chose, which made a great noise without inflicting pain.
 
 16 
 
 Some had old tin pails upon which they were beating ; some, 
 great loaves of bread in the form of quizzing glasses ; and all 
 doing their very best to amuse and to be amused. This was 
 kept up until nearly five, when the military cleared the middle of 
 the street, with great difficulty ; and at five precisely, seven or 
 eight horses were let loose from the top of the Corso (without 
 riders) and ran down through that otherwise crowded street as 
 hard as they could. Notwithstanding all this, I have not heard 
 of the slightest accident. 
 
 At about half-past five, they commenced another and the final 
 portion of the amusements of the day by having in their hands, 
 or on sticks, small wax candles, of which there must have been 
 thousands, the sport consisting in blowing out those within 
 reach ; and when they succeeded in extinguishing all within a 
 carriage or window, they would set up a tremendous shout of 
 Smoccola, Smoccola, the which if they did not succeed would be 
 shouted by those in the carriages or windows. This was kept 
 up for two or three hours. I could not help entering into this 
 also for half an hour or so with as much zeal as many of them. 
 In fact I exchanged flowers and put out lights with people whom 
 of course I never saw before and probably never shall see again. 
 
 Two weeks were devoted to Rome ; and then, after a 
 few days spent in Naples and Pompeii, Mr. Rowland and 
 his fellow-travellers turned their faces north toward Flor- 
 ence. Beyond a somewhat dangerous journey across the 
 Apennines in a snow-storm, nothing occurred during the 
 two remaining months spent on the continent which re- 
 quires particular mention. They travelled in northern 
 Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Holland, lin- 
 gering nowhere for more than a few days. That they 
 made excellent use of their time, the list of places visited, 
 as given by Mr. Rowland in his journal, is ample evi- 
 dence.
 
 17 
 
 The continental tour ended with a pleasant week in 
 Paris, and then the travellers departed for London, where 
 they arrived April 28. The following extracts are taken 
 from a letter written by George Rowland, jun., to his 
 father, the next day. The first relates to a new sheathing 
 for vessels which Mr. Rowland purchased at that time as 
 an experiment, but which, not proving entirely satisfac- 
 tory, was never used extensively in New Bedford : 
 
 While in Havre last week, I saw a kind of sheathing copper, 
 called copper bronze, which will last from ten to twelve years 
 in constant wear and is in general use there. I saw a state- 
 ment from the owner of one ship which had been coppered with 
 it eleven years and had gone again to India with a slight repair 
 of only twenty sheets ; and of several others that had used it 
 for ten or more years and had found it necessary to take it off 
 to caulk the ship's bottom, before it was worn out. I was so 
 well satisfied with the appearance of the article and with what I 
 learned respecting it, that I ordered him (J. Winslow) to ship 
 for our account 2200 sheets, enough for two ships. The actual 
 cost is about the same as copper. 
 
 Our friend L. M. Hoag is spoken of by all whom I have heard 
 speak of him as having given very general satisfaction in this 
 country. He, with the other American Friends, is now attend- 
 ing the Dublin yearly meeting, as also H. C. Backhouse and 
 many other English Friends. We are now comfortably settled 
 in a private boarding-house, kept by a Friend by the name of 
 John Hughes, where we shall probably spend the most if not all 
 the time before, and of course during, yearly meeting ; immedi- 
 ately after which I shall be under the necessity of leaving for 
 Liverpool to embark for home. 
 
 The brevity of the notes in Mr. Rowland's journal dur- 
 ing the month that was spent in London would alone suf- 
 fice to show how fully his time was occupied. The Lon-
 
 18 
 
 don yearly meeting of Friends, which was the chief object 
 of his visit at this time, did not begin until the twenty- 
 first of May. The intervening days were employed in 
 looking about the city and in meeting certain prominent 
 members of the Society of Friends, to whom Mr. How- 
 land and his companions bore letters of introduction. 
 They visited, to cite a few from among many places of 
 interest, Hampton Court, the House of Commons, and 
 Madame Tussaud's waxwork exhibition. The American 
 minister, Edward Everett, gave them tickets to enter the 
 House of Lords, where they saw the Duke of Wellington, 
 an old man who was then nearing the end of his long 
 leadership in that political body. They likewise wit- 
 nessed the bringing in of the immense petitions against 
 Sir Robert Peel's project for the extension of the college 
 of Maynooth. This college had been devoted, since 1795, 
 to the education of the Roman Catholic priesthood, and 
 the proposed grants met with violent though unavailing 
 opposition from both Churchmen and Dissenters. With 
 the excitement over the Maynooth grants and the agita- 
 tion caused by the Anti-Corn-Law League, English polit- 
 ical feeling at this time ran very high. 
 
 At the sessions of the yearly meeting, George How- 
 laud, jun., met many of the well-known members of the 
 Society of Friends in England, and by them he was cor- 
 dially welcomed and hospitably entertained. He dined 
 with the Gurneys (Joseph John and Samuel) and with 
 Josiah Forster. Other names which occur in the pages 
 of his journal at this time are those of John Bright, Eliz- 
 abeth Fry, William Forster, and Isaac Braithwaite, all of
 
 19 
 
 whom, as well as many others, he met during these last 
 days that he spent in London. The following extract re- 
 lating to the yearly meeting will have a particular interest 
 for members of the Society of Friends. It is taken from 
 a letter written by Mr. Rowland from New Bedford, im- 
 mediately after his return from England, and addressed 
 to his father, who was then in Newport : 
 
 The yearly meeting closed on seventh day, the 31st of 5th 
 mo., after a session of eleven days. I attended every sitting, 
 and I may say that some of them were exceedingly interesting, 
 more particularly on sixth and seventh days, the 30th and 31st. 
 The committee on epistles reported an address to the seceders 
 from Indiana yearly meeting and proposed to the meeting to 
 send a deputation of four Friends to attend the ensuing yearly 
 meeting of Indiana and take charge of the address and take 
 such measures to bring about a reconciliation between the se- 
 ceders and the yearly meeting as may appear best ; which was 
 very fully and feelingly united in. The subject, after some 
 discussion, was referred back to the committee to report the 
 names of the Friends to compose the delegation ; previous to 
 which, however, J. J. Gurney observed that there appeared to 
 be an exercise resting on the minds of some of the members of 
 the committee, which he felt sure would result in their being 
 constrained to undertake the task. (I do not pretend to give 
 his language, but the import of it.) He was of the opinion that 
 our dear friend, Edward Pease, who had indeed been to the 
 committee as a father in Israel, could give their names to the 
 meeting. However, the subject was disposed of as before 
 stated. The same committee were requested to prepare an 
 epistle to Indiana yearly meeting, and in the afternoon, after 
 some other business was disposed of, the report of the commit- 
 tee was read. On the announcement of the names of William 
 Forster, George Stacey, Josiah Forster, and John Allen, there 
 was such a feeling brought over the meeting as I never before 
 witnessed on any occasion. They also recommended the ap-
 
 20 
 
 poiutment of a Friend from Ireland, Joseph Bewley, to accom- 
 pany them, if about the time of their departure he should feel 
 clear to do so, which was also approved. The meeting ad- 
 journed at ten minutes to 9 p. m., under the same feeling which 
 had pervaded it from the time the subject was first opened. I 
 have thus attempted to give you a slight sketch of the proceed- 
 ings of that day, however imperfect it may be, and I am well 
 aware it is so. 
 
 Immediately after the London yearly meeting, Mr. 
 Rowland and Mr. Parsons returned to America, leaving 
 Robert Rowland in England. George Rowland, jun., 
 arrived in Boston, June 19, 1845, after a passage from 
 Liverpool of about fifteen days.
 
 Ill 
 
 In 1849, George Howland, jun., was elected one of the 
 directors of the New Bedford and Taunton railroad. 
 Both he and his father were among the original stock- 
 holders of this corporation, and the latter had already 
 served as a director. Mr. Howland continued to hold the 
 directorship, to which he was now chosen, until 1873. 
 In that year the road was sold to a new organization, 
 called the New Bedford railroad, which in turn leased the 
 property to the Boston, Clinton, and Fitchburg corpora- 
 tion. 
 
 George Howland, senior, died in New Bedford, May 
 21, 1852. After his death, the whaling business which 
 he had established was continued by George Howland, 
 jun., and his brother Matthew, although no partnership 
 was ever formed between them. Among the ships for 
 which they were agents were the Java, George Howland, 
 George and Susan, and Rousseau. In the great disaster 
 in the Arctic ocean in 1871, when thirty-three whalers 
 were either wrecked or abandoned, George and Matthew 
 Howland lost three vessels, the Concordia, the George 
 Howland, and the Thomas Dickason, of which the esti- 
 mated value at the time of sailing was about $173,000. 
 As the Messrs. Howland were uninsured, they were among
 
 22 
 
 those to whom the misfortune brought the largest pecuni- 
 ary loss. With the decline of the whale fishery, the 
 brothers gradually withdrew their ships from active ser- 
 vice, until the business practically ceased about 1882. 
 
 In 1852, George Rowland, jun., again accepted public 
 office and became for the third time a member of the 
 General Court. The following year, when John H. Clif- 
 ford was governor, Mr. Howland served in the state Sen- 
 ate from the Bristol district. In 1855, he consented to 
 become a candidate for the office of mayor of New Bed- 
 ford, and was chosen, March 5, for the year beginning in 
 the following April. Mr. Howland received 1836 votes, 
 while 715 were cast for Rodney French, who was a candi- 
 date for re-election. Mr. Rowland's inaugural address to 
 the City Council began as follows : 
 
 When, eight years ago, 1 took leave of municipal affairs with 
 which I had then been several years connected, I hoped to be 
 permitted to remain a. private citizen for the residue of my life. 
 But through the partiality of my fellow citizens, extended to 
 me with a very great degree of unanimity, I have been again 
 called to the field of labor ; and although the duty imposed upon 
 me is of a character somewhat different from any I have before 
 assumed, yet I hope to be enabled so to conduct the public 
 affairs, as at least to receive the approval of my own con- 
 science, looking to that, rather than to the applause of men, for 
 my reward. 
 
 Far from having ended, Mr. Rowland's public life, or 
 the more important part of it, was but just beginning. 
 In 185G, he was again elected mayor over his former an- 
 tagonist, Mr. French, after an exciting and closely con- 
 tested campaign. During his second term of office, Mr.
 
 Rowland laid the corner-stone of the building at present 
 occupied by the Free Public Library. The erection of 
 this building had been strongly recommended by Mr. 
 Rowland in his first inaugural address, and it was with 
 great pleasure that he saw definite steps taken in the mat- 
 ter before he gave up his guidance of municipal affairs. 
 A further account of Mr. Rowland's relations with the 
 Free Public Library will be found in subsequent pages 
 devoted to his connection with educational institutions. 
 
 The New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank was organ- 
 ized May 5, 1855, and George Rowland, jun., was chosen 
 for its first president. He held this office, together with 
 a membership in the board of investment, from that time 
 until his death. During this same year Mr. Rowland was 
 appointed to another office which he continued to hold for 
 the remainder of his life, when on June 27, 1855, Gov- 
 ernor Gardner selected him for one of the trustees of the 
 Taunton Lunatic Hospital. In the work of this institu- 
 tion Mr. Rowland took a great interest ; and his practical 
 suggestions for increasing its efficiency were highly val- 
 ued by his associates throughout his long connection with 
 the board of trustees. 
 
 After serving as a member of Governor Gardner's 
 council in 1857, George Rowland, jun., returned to a 
 municipal office and became, in 1858, a member of the 
 Common Council and president of that body. The win- 
 ters of 1858-9 and 1859-60 Mr. Rowland spent in 
 Florida with his wife and son. These journeys were 
 undertaken on account of the delicate health of his son, 
 George Henry Rowland. An extract from a letter writ-
 
 24 
 
 ten by Mr. Rowland to his brother Matthew, dated at 
 Jacksonville in December, 1858, indicates that the com- 
 fort of northern tourists in Florida did not then receive 
 the same careful attention that it now does : 
 
 This city contains from 2000 to 2500 inhabitants and is the 
 largest town in East Florida. How we shall get along and fill 
 up our time, we do not allow ourselves to dwell upon. Suffice 
 it to say that so far we have made out very well. Having de- 
 termined to make the best of everything, we do not permit little 
 things to disconcert us. There are many things we would have 
 different ; but as we are satisfied that for the most part we have 
 things about as good as they can procure, we say but little about 
 it. If we have not already had our peck of dirt, we are in a 
 fair way to get our share of it this winter. 
 
 In 1861, George Rowland, jun., was again a member 
 of the Common Council of New Bedford and was chosen 
 president as before. He was elected to fill the same posi- 
 tion for the following year. The mayor of the city, Isaac 
 C. Taber, died September 29, 1862. October 7, the City 
 Council in convention chose George Rowland, jun., to fill 
 out the unexpired term. He was re-elected for 1863 
 without opposition, the first time that there was no con- 
 test over the office since New Bedford had become a city. 
 Mr. Rowland's administration of city affairs during the 
 trying period of the civil war received warm commenda- 
 tion from his fellow-citizens, and they continued to re- 
 elect him mayor during the years 1864 and 1865. The 
 Societ}' of Friends, of which George Rowland, jun., was 
 a life-long member, could not consistently with their doc- 
 trines give approval to the war. But Mr. Rowland felt
 
 25 
 
 that since the Union could not endure without a bitter 
 struggle, a vigorous prosecution of the war was plainly a 
 necessity. His conception of the duty of a patriotic citi- 
 zen once formed, he threw all his energy and influence as 
 the chief executive of the city into the encouragement of 
 recruiting and into attention to the welfare of the depart- 
 ing troops. 
 
 In the summer of 1863, when draft riots occurred in 
 New York and in other cities of the North, it was feared 
 that opposition to the call for troops might arise in New 
 Bedford. These were anxious days for Mr. Rowland, in 
 whose hands lay the responsibility for the preservation of 
 order and for the enforcement of the law. It was indeed 
 a difficult position for a member of the Society of Friends 
 to occupy, where it might be necessary at any moment to 
 give orders that would cause bloodshed. But George 
 Howland's conception of his duty was clear, as always, 
 and his course of action was determined without a thought 
 of evading any of the obligations of the office he had ac- 
 cepted. The City Hall was garrisoned, and mounted 
 patrols guarded at night the roads leading to New Bed- 
 ford, with the object of intercepting men who were seek- 
 ing to instigate riots wherever an opportunity might be 
 given. In the course of a conversation which he held 
 at this time with his sister-in-law, Mrs. Rachel Rowland, 
 Mr. How land was asked what he intended to do in case 
 the dreaded insurrection should occur. He quietly re- 
 sponded, " There will be no blank cartridges fired." 
 
 The time of danger passed by, however, and no dis- 
 turbances over the draft took place in New Bedford. But
 
 26 
 
 the precautions adopted under Mayor Rowland's leader- 
 ship were wisely taken ; and the knowledge that the mu- 
 nicipal authorities were ready to make a determined stand 
 in defence of law and order may have contributed in no 
 small degree to avert a very considerable outbreak. 
 
 September 14, 1864, the two hundredth anniversary of 
 the incorporation of the town of Dartmouth was cele- 
 brated in New Bedford by the people of the towns formed 
 out of the old township. George Howland, jun., mayor 
 of New Bedford, acted as chairman of the committee of 
 arrangements and delivered an address of welcome at the 
 exercises which were held in the First Christian church, 
 on Purchase street. An extract from this address may be 
 of interest as showing how much of the growth of New 
 Bedford had taken place within Mr. Rowland's recollec- 
 tion : 
 
 Eveu I, at nry comparatively early period of life, recollect 
 when New Bedford contained only about three thousand inhab- 
 itants ; the details of a painting,* made some twenty-five years 
 since by one of our native artists, representing the "Old Four 
 Corners," are all familiar to me ; many a time have I accom- 
 panied my respected father to the shed market there represented ; 
 the old store on one of the corners, then and now known as the 
 
 *Thc painting referred to is by William A. Wall, and is entitled, " New Bedford, 
 fifty years ago." It represents, at about the year 1810, what is now the corner of 
 Union and Water streets, and gives a view of Union street as far west as the Man- 
 sion house. The original picture was painted for the late Albert C. Barney. It 
 was subsequently, and for a long time, the property of Hon. Joseph Grinnull- 
 After his death, it came into the possession of his grand-nephew, Mr. Grinncll 
 Willis, of New York, who is the present owner. A replica of this painting was 
 made for the late William W. Swain, of New Bedford, whose widow bequeathed 
 it to Mr. Daniel Ricketson, in whose hands it now remains. Another replica, intu 
 which the artist introduced three or four new figures, belongs to Mrs. Edward C. 
 Jones, of New Bedford. From this last-mentioned painting, the many lithographs 
 of the picture were made.
 
 " Four Corners," with the upper half of the window shutter 
 propped up on a stick, and nearly all the other objects handed 
 down to us of the present day by this picture, I recollect as 
 though they were still extant, not forgetting some of the more 
 prominent persons so faithfully represented, nor yet the little 
 old No. 1 fire engine, nor the old chaise with the small round 
 seat in front, upon which sat old " Tony," when he drove his 
 excellent master, the venerable William Rotch, sen., through 
 the streets. I have heard my maternal grandmother relate that 
 when the house which stood upon the northwest corner of Union 
 and First streets, on a portion of the site now occupied by Thorn- 
 ton block, was raised, she sat at the window of her house on 
 Water street, between School and Walnut streets, and, looking 
 through the forest, witnessed the operation. In that house, 
 many years after I was born, I have been told by an uncle of 
 mine, that when he was a boy and went with other boys after 
 berries, if they thought to go so far from home as where I now 
 live, on Sixth street, they considered it necessary to take their 
 dinners with them. These, and many other incidents that 
 might be related, show the changes that have taken place in a 
 few vears. 
 
 During the years that elapsed between the time of the 
 delivery of this address and his death, Mr. Rowland wit- 
 nessed still further changes in his native city, which, 
 though perhaps not so marked, were hardly less in mag- 
 nitude than those which he has here indicated. 
 
 In July, 1865, Sylvia Ann Rowland of New Bedford 
 died and left an estate valued at over two millions of dol- 
 lars. She bequeathed two hundred thousand dollars to 
 the city of New Bedford, one hundred thousand to aid in 
 the introduction of water into the city, and the income of 
 the other one hundred thousand to be expended " for the 
 promotion and support within the city of liberal educa-
 
 28 
 
 tion, and for the enlargement from time to time of our 
 Free Public Library." Trust funds amounting to about 
 $1,700,000 were created by the will, and these were left 
 in the hands of three trustees, of whom George Howland, 
 jun., was one. Mr. Howland received a personal bequest 
 of fifty thousand dollars. The litigation which resulted 
 from this will developed into a famous case, in which 
 some of the ablest lawyers in New England were engaged. 
 A great mass of evidence was taken, which included the 
 testimony of many scientific experts. The result in brief 
 was that after an adverse judgment from the United States 
 circuit court, the case of the complainant (Mrs. Hetty H. 
 Green, the niece of Sylvia Ann Howland and her heir-at- 
 law) was withdrawn. A compromise was effected, and 
 the will remained valid.* 
 
 Another estate of which Mr. Howland was a trustee for 
 many years was that of John West, a former resident of 
 what is now Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Mr. West died 
 about one hundred years ago and left the income of his 
 property to be divided among the poor and needy of New 
 Bedford, with a request that the nearest monthly meeting 
 of Friends should appoint the trustees of the estate when- 
 ever successors to those named in his will might be re- 
 
 O 
 
 quired. Trustees were accordingly appointed by the 
 New Bedford monthly meeting ; and it was by this means 
 that in the course of time George Howland, jun., came to 
 occupy the position. Since the death of John West, the 
 
 * A full account of the Howland will case may be found In the documents bear- 
 Ing on It which are in the New Bedford Free Public Library. A summary of the 
 case was given in the American Law Review for July, 1870. Vol. 4, p. 625.
 
 29 
 
 two towns of Fairhaven and Acushnet have been formed 
 from territory which was at that time included within the 
 limits of New Bedford ; and the income of the fund is 
 now divided among the poor of the three places. During 
 Mr. Howland's trusteeship, the original property was 
 sold, by permission of the probate court, and the proceeds 
 were re-invested in bank stock. In this way the income 
 was largely increased. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the New Bedford Port Soci- 
 ety, held January 26, 1866, George Rowland, jun., was 
 chosen president. This office he held until January 29, 
 1886, when he declined another re-election. At the anni- 
 versary meeting of the society, March 8, 1868, Mr. How- 
 land delivered an historical address, which reviewed the 
 work of the organization to that time. Referring, in this 
 address, to the claim which sailors have upon a city to 
 which they have brought so much prosperity, Mr. How- 
 land said : 
 
 I would respectfully ask of you, my friends, if this claim 
 upon us has been fully recognized and requited ? Have we done 
 for the sailor all that is demanded at our hands? Have we 
 sufficiently considered the necessity of providing for him more 
 and greater opportunities while on shore for his moral and re- 
 ligious improvement? Have all the better impulses of our na- 
 tures been stirred and our hearts been warmed on his account ? 
 If not, my friends, let us no longer permit this institution to 
 struggle on, would I could say sustaining itself, or being sus- 
 tained as it should be, but just living from year to year, when 
 it should of right have such an income as would enable it to ex- 
 tend its usefulness with each recurring year. Permit me in this 
 connection to suggest to you the propriety of taking this sub- 
 ject under your careful, and may I not say prayerful consider-
 
 ation, and decide whether it is not only your duty but a positive 
 requisition upon you to contribute a portion of that material 
 substance derived from the labors of the sailor, to aid in pro- 
 moting the objects for which this society was incorporated. 
 
 June 6, 1870, Mr. Rowland became one of the fellows 
 of the American Society of Civil Engineers. These fel- 
 lowships are honorary positions, to which are chosen 
 properly qualified subscribers to the so-called "Fellow- 
 ship" fund of the society. Mr. Rowland, with his natural 
 bent toward matters pertaining to engineering, was inter- 
 ested in the objects of this society through Mr. W. J. 
 McAlpine, who was the consulting engineer at the time 
 of the introduction of Acushnet water into New Bedford. 
 The preliminary measures in this undertaking were 
 adopted during the last years in which Mr. Rowland was 
 mayor of the city.
 
 IV 
 
 From the earliest settlement of New Bedford, the influ- 
 ence of the Society of Friends has been a potent factor in 
 its religious and social life. During many years this sect 
 held the leading position in the town, and most of the 
 well-known citizens were among its adherents. The quiet 
 Quaker garb was commonly seen on the streets, and the 
 growing township was guided by the customs of the soci- 
 ety. The inevitable changes, however, which come with 
 fresh generations and with new pursuits have nearly ef- 
 faced the outward characteristics which once distinguished 
 New Bedford from other New England towns ; and the 
 Quaker usages have lost their dominating influence with 
 the advent of a population with different traditions. 
 
 George Rowland, jun., was a birthright member of the 
 Society of Friends, and he remained throughout his life a 
 believer in its doctrines. The son of a wealthy Quaker 
 merchant (who was himself a benefactor of the society), 
 and acquainted by his travels abroad with the prominent 
 Friends in England, it was natural that Mr. How land 
 should take at an early age an influential place among the 
 New EnglancJ Quakers. He served for man} r years as 
 treasurer of the New England yearly meeting of Friends, 
 and at the time of his death he had long been one of its
 
 32 
 
 correspondents. Mr. Rowland took a deep interest in 
 the work of the foreign missions of the society, particu- 
 larly in Syria ; and to all educational projects he gave 
 valuable and willing aid. 
 
 To his active participation in the affairs of the Society 
 of Friends was due a visit which Mr. How land paid to 
 the Osage Indians in the winter of 1871-72. In 1869, 
 upon the election of General Grant to the presidency, 
 delegations of Friends from the yearly meetings in the 
 West and from Philadelphia urged upon him the immedi- 
 ate necessity of adopting a more just and humane policy 
 in the treatment of the Indians. General Grant made 
 the proposition that the Society of Friends should take 
 charge of the Indians, under the supervision of the gov- 
 ernment. The proposition as a whole was declined ; but 
 it was agreed that the society should assume the oversight 
 of those belonging to the northern and central superin- 
 tendencies, which then comprised about 16,000 Indians. 
 Accordingly, delegates were appointed from each yearly 
 meeting to form an " Associated Executive Committee of 
 Friends on Indian Affairs." In the hands of this commit- 
 tee was placed the nomination of Indian agents, school 
 superintendents, teachers, farmers, and other employees, 
 who were then appointed and paid by the government. 
 
 It was as a member of this Associated Executive Com- 
 mittee, and in its behalf, that George Rowland, jun., 
 visited the Osage Indians, in the Indian Territory. He 
 was accompanied by Thomas Wistar, of Philadelphia. 
 The latter, however, on account of ill health, was com- 
 pelled to abandon the journey at Lawrence, Kansas. The
 
 33 
 
 object of the visit was a general investigation into the 
 condition of the Osages, who were a peaceable tribe, in 
 order that the aid to be given them should be rendered in 
 the most efficient way. The encouragement of agricul- 
 ture and stock-raising and the erection of suitable build- 
 ings to meet the various needs of the agency were among 
 the subjects which required consideration. 
 
 During his journey, while between St. Louis and Kan- 
 sas City, Mr. Howland had a narrow escape from death 
 in a railroad accident. The following is an extract from 
 a letter, written a few days later, to his brother, Matthew 
 Howland : 
 
 OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIKS, 
 
 CENTRAL SUPERINTENDENCY, 
 LAWRENCE, KANSAS, 2d mo. 6th, 1872. 
 DEAR BROTHER : 
 
 I write thee from this far off land this beautiful winter's 
 morning (good sleighing, thermometer 12 to 13 degrees below 
 zero) , feeling a great burden resting upon me, owing to my be- 
 ing obliged to set off for the Indian Territory without my friend 
 on whom I have so much relied, Thomas Wistar. The state of 
 his health is such that the doctor (Wm. Nicholson) says it is 
 not proper for him to go. It is now arranged for us (Isaac T. 
 Gibson, the agent of the Osages, and myself) to set off to-mor- 
 row about eleven o'clock, hoping to meet Mahlon Stubbs, agent 
 of the Kaws, at a point on the road, reaching Coffeyville, the 
 end of the railroad, to-morrow evening ; thence next morning, 
 by some kind of a conveyance, proceed on some 75 or 100 miles 
 right out on to the plains to find some of the Indians, who are 
 out on a hunt, have a conference with them there, thence return 
 to I. Gibson's agency and see some more of them, and try to 
 make some arrangements with and for them, by which their 
 condition will be improved. What the result will be is only 
 known to Him in whose hands are the events of men.
 
 34 
 
 Before this reaches thee, you will have heard of the very se- 
 rious accident through which we passed between St. Louis and 
 Kansas City. Why we were not entirely torn to pieces, I can- 
 not yet comprehend, except that we were through the mercy of 
 the Lord kindly cared for and protected, wonderfully so. I 
 have no language to convey to anybody the condition in which 
 we found ourselves after the accident. 
 
 There seems to me just now no possibility of saying when I 
 shall return. I cannot give any idea of the length of time that 
 will be required to bring about the object of our mission. 
 
 There are unfortunately no letters existing from which 
 might be gathered some details of Mr. Rowland's experi- 
 ences during his residence among the Osages. He re- 
 mained with them several weeks and gained, from per- 
 sonal observation of their customs, a fund of information 
 which proved highly serviceable in determining what was 
 needed to bring about the desired improvement in their 
 mode of living.
 
 A sketch of the life of George Rowland, jun.,* would 
 be very incomplete which made no mention of the interest 
 he took in the subject of education. Beginning with the 
 New Bedford school committee, he held, with scarcely a 
 break, some position connected with an educational insti- 
 tution during a period of fifty years. He was first cho- 
 sen a member of the school committee, April 22, 1843, to 
 fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of the late Gen. 
 James D. Thompson, and remained a member until 1851. 
 He subsequently held this office during the years 1868 
 and 1869 and then resigned. The interest he felt in the 
 public schools of his native town, and in all measures 
 which might increase their usefulness and influence, was 
 constant and sympathetic ; and it was by no means con- 
 fined to the years of his service as a member of the school 
 committee. 
 
 In 1852, Mr. Howland was elected by the corporation 
 of Brown University one of the trustees of that institu- 
 tion. This position he held for the remainder of his life, 
 and at the time of his decease he was the oldest trustee in 
 
 * Mr. Howland wrote hie name George Howland, junior, throughout his life, 
 notwithstanding the death of his father.
 
 36 
 
 point of service. In 1852, he received from Brown the 
 honorary degree of A. M. 
 
 George Rowland, jun., was also for a long time one of 
 the managers of Haverford College. He was appointed 
 to succeed his father, who bestowed upon Haverford the 
 sum of fifteen thousand dollars and was the largest indi- 
 vidual benefactor in its early history. 
 
 In the will of George Rowland, senior, who died in 
 1852, there was created a special trust of fifty thousand 
 dollars for the establishment and support of a school for 
 young females. The location was left to the decision of 
 the trustees of the fund, although the testator favored 
 Cayuga county in New York. The school was finally es- 
 tablished at Union Springs in that county about 1862 and 
 was continued in operation until 1878. The endowment 
 of the school was insufficient for its needs, and the hope 
 that additional bequests would be attracted, when the in- 
 stitution was successfully started, was not realized. As a 
 result, the school was closed, and the trustees were ab- 
 solved from their trust by a decree of the supreme court 
 of New York. George Rowland, jun., acted as president 
 of the board of trustees during the entire period of the 
 existence of the school and made every effort to carry his 
 father's wishes to a satisfactory conclusion. But as the 
 income of the school was too small to enable it to reach 
 the period when it should become self-supporting, the 
 whole project was necessarily abandoned. 
 
 In 1847, the New England yearly meeting of Friends 
 chose George Rowland, jun., a member of the committee 
 in charge of the Friends' School in Providence. From
 
 37 
 
 that time until his death, with the exception of the years 
 1862, 1863, and 1864, Mr. Rowland was one of the most 
 active and honored members of this committee. He 
 withdrew temporarily, during the years just mentioned, 
 because the views he held concerning the civil war were 
 not in accord with the commonly accepted beliefs of the 
 Society of Friends. He was mayor of New Bedford at 
 this time ; and it has already been seen how valuable a 
 stimulus in the preparations for war which devolved on 
 the local authorities was the earnest patriotism which he 
 displayed as the official head of the city. It is hardly 
 necessary to add that Mr. Howland lost neither influence 
 nor regard among the members of the Society of Friends 
 by his fidelity to his own convictions. 
 
 Mr. Howland was clerk of the managing board of the 
 Friends' School,. which in this case means that he was both 
 president and secretary, from June 22, 1875, until his 
 health failed in 1891. As executive of the committee, 
 his name is on more than half of the diplomas which have 
 been granted by the school. The loss which this institu- 
 tion experienced in the death of so active and sympathetic 
 an adviser was keenly felt. To quote the words of Mr. 
 Augustine Jones, the principal of the school, as expressed 
 in a letter to the writer of these pages, " We deeply real- 
 ize that this institution has lost in Hon. George Howland, 
 jun., one of its most competent and distinguished patrons 
 and guardians. And that out of all of our lives has gone 
 a great tight which will not return." 
 
 With the New Bedford Free Public Library, George 
 Howland, jun., had an intimate connection during almost
 
 38 
 
 the entire period of the forty years of its existence. He 
 first became a member of the board of trustees in 1855, 
 by virtue of his election to the office of mayor of the city. 
 From that time until his death in 1892, with the excep- 
 tion of the years 1857 and 1860, his membership was 
 constant. While serving as mayor, and again as presi- 
 dent of the Common Council, he was an ex-officio member 
 of the board of trustees ; but during the other years, and 
 from 1866 to 1892 continuously, he was chosen by the 
 City Council for the regular term of office. It was as 
 mayor of the city that Mr. Howland laid the corner-stone 
 of the present library building, August 28, 1856. His 
 address on this occasion gave a succinct history of the 
 movement toward the establishment of a public library in 
 New Bedford, and closed with the following words : 
 
 That the library to be located in the building, the corner- 
 stone of which we have now laid, may ever continue to receive, 
 as it has thus far received, the fostering care of the city govern- 
 ment, and that the rich treasures with which its shelves will be 
 stored may be a means of healthful and agreeable recreation, 
 not only to us of the present day, but to our children and our 
 children's children through all coming generations, is the fervent 
 desire, and may I not say the fervent pra} r er, of those who have 
 been instrumental in promoting this great public work ; a work 
 which will redound to the credit of our city, when we who are 
 now participating in these exercises shall have gone hence, to 
 be seen of men no more forever. 
 
 The interest of George Howland, jim., in the new 
 library was not confined to an expression of good-will. 
 In 1857, at the expiration of his second year as mayor of
 
 39 
 
 New Bedford, he sent the following letter to the City 
 Council : 
 
 NEW BEDFORD, 37 6th street, 
 
 4 mo. 6, 1857. 
 To the City Council. 
 
 GENTLEMEN : 
 
 Having held the office of mayor of the city for the past two 
 years, for which service I have received from the city treasury 
 the sum of sixteen hundred dollars, and as, when I accepted 
 the office, I did it against my own inclinations and without any 
 expectations of being compensated for the time and labor I 
 might devote to it, and with a view to manifest in some degree 
 the interest 1 feel in our "Free Public Library," I now make 
 for your consideration the following proposition : 
 
 I will return to the city the amount I have received therefrom 
 for my services as mayor, on condition that the same shall be 
 constituted a fund, the income of which shall forever be appro- 
 priated to the purchase of books for the said " Free Public Li- 
 brary," to be expended under the direction of the trustees for 
 the time being, who shall in their annual report give a state- 
 ment of the disbursements of said income ; the class of books I 
 would propose to be obtained from the above source to be of a 
 more expensive character, embracing some of the higher works 
 of art and science, than the trustees would feel themselves jus- 
 tified in procuring with the funds annually set apart and placed 
 at their disposal by the city government for the enlargement of 
 the library. 
 
 Should this proposition meet with your approval, I will hold 
 myself in readiness to complete the arrangement at any time 
 that will suit your convenience. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 GEORGE ROWLAND, JUN. 
 
 The City Council at once passed resolutions gratefully 
 accepting Mr. Rowland's generous offer. To signify its 
 just appreciation of this the first endowment which the
 
 40 
 
 library had received, the Council, one week later, appro- 
 priated three hundred dollars to procure a portrait of Mr. 
 Rowland. The portrait, painted by Matthew Wilson, 
 now hangs in the delivery-room of the library. 
 
 There is another incident connected with Mr. How- 
 land's gift, which is deserving of mention. The money 
 was invested in three bonds of the Androscoggin and 
 Kennebec railroad, which were payable in stock. This 
 subsequently proved of no value. Unwilling that the 
 slender resources of the library should be in any way 
 diminished, Mr. Howland deposited in the city treasury a 
 sum of money equal to the original amount of his gift, 
 and even made up to the trustees of the library the 
 amount of income which had been lost in the meantime. 
 The interest on the George Howland, jun., fund, as it is 
 called, has from that time been placed semi-annually by 
 the city treasurer to the credit of the trustees of the li- 
 brary. In regard to the character of the books purchased 
 from this fund, the wishes of the donor have always been 
 strictly observed ; and in the thirty-five years that have 
 passed since the gift was first made, many valuable books 
 have accumulated on the shelves of the library, forming a 
 lasting memorial of Mr. Howland's liberality. 
 
 In 1888, George Howland, jun., presented the New 
 Bedford Free Public Library with nearly all of his private 
 collection of books, and also with a portrait of his father, 
 George Howland, senior. This was the last of many gifts 
 to this institution, extending throughout his long term of 
 service as a member of the board of trustees. But there 
 is no record, and none can be made, of the benefit which
 
 41 
 
 the library received from Mr. Rowland's quick discern- 
 ment of its needs and from his unfailing interest in its 
 growth. To every organization with which he was con- 
 nected, he brought wise counsel and (what is perhaps 
 more rare) a practical knowledge of the best way of doing 
 things. To the constant support of a man of this charac- 
 ter, continuing as it did through so many years, the peo- 
 ple of New Bedford may well attribute much of the good 
 which their library has accomplished.
 
 VI 
 
 The closing years of Mr. Rowland's life were, for the 
 most part, passed quietly and uneventfully in New Bed- 
 ford. As the whaling industry declined, in Avhich he had 
 been interested for so long a period, Mr. Rowland, like 
 most of the older merchants, gradually withdrew from it. 
 He abandoned the business altogether about 1882. There 
 remained to occupy his time, however, his duties as presi- 
 dent of the New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank ; and 
 to the needs of the Taunton Lunatic Hospital, in which 
 his long service as trustee had made him deeply inter- 
 ested, he gave much attention during these latter years. 
 
 In 1875 and 1876, George Rowland, jun., was a mem- 
 ber of the New Bedford water board. In the fall of the 
 latter year, Mr. Rowland was one of a committee of fifty 
 which organized an independent movement in municipal 
 politics, with a view to breaking away from the strong 
 party antagonisms of previous years. Alanson Borden 
 was nominated for mayor, and Mr. Rowland accepted a 
 nomination for alderman. Mr. Borden was elected, as 
 were also four of the aldermen of his party, of whom Mr. 
 Rowland was one. He resigned his position on the water 
 board and served his term as alderman during the year
 
 43 
 
 1877, which was the last of his participation in municipal 
 politics. 
 
 In 1888, April 17, the death of Mrs. Howland brought 
 to a close an exceptionally long and happy union. From 
 the time, sixty-one years before, when they were joined 
 in marriage in the Friends' meeting-house, Mrs. Howland 
 had retained a deep and unflagging interest in the many 
 projects which her husband had at heart, and to her 
 advice and encouragement he had always attached a de- 
 servedly high value. Three sous were born of this union, 
 of whom two died in infancy, and the third at the age of 
 twenty-eight.* 
 
 In the autumn of 1888, Mr. Howland met with finan- 
 cial misfortunes by which he lost a large portion of his 
 property. He sold the house in which he had lived since 
 1834 and took up his residence with Mrs. Frederic S. 
 Giftbrd, a grand-niece of Mrs. Howland. With the ex- 
 ception of considerable time spent in Providence, he 
 passed here the remainder of his life. It was character- 
 istic of George Rowland's courage and strength of char- 
 acter that he accepted uncomplainingly the trouble that 
 came to him in his old age ; and his chief regret that his 
 means had been impaired was that he was thereby pre- 
 vented from giving, as he had hoped to do, to the organ- 
 izations for which he cared so much. 
 
 Up to the last year of his long life, Mr. Howland en- 
 joyed the best of health, and illness in any form was to 
 
 *1. James A., born June 18, 1830, died September 5, 1831. 
 
 2. George Henry, born December 21, 1831, died August 1, 1832. 
 
 3. George Henry, born June 3, 1833, died June 24, 1861.
 
 44 
 
 him literally a thing unknown. In the fall of 1890, how- 
 ever, his health failed, and he was confined to his bed. 
 There was no acute disease, but he seemed to be suffering 
 from a general weakening of the system resulting from 
 his advanced years. After a time his health temporarily 
 improved, and during the summer and autumn of LS91 he 
 went back to his old habits of life, though hardly with his 
 old-time vigor. In the winter he again became ill, and it 
 was soon evident that no hope could be entertained for 
 his recovery. A curious phase of the last part of his 
 illness was that in his delirium he spoke nothing but 
 French, an indication that his mind dwelt on those early 
 days of his boyhood when he first acquired a knowledge 
 of that language and conceived for it a lasting love. 
 Several weeks went by, during which Mr. Howland en- 
 dured great pain, and the end finally came February 18, 
 1892. 
 
 The funeral services were held February twenty-second 
 in the Friends' meeting-house on Spring street, where 
 George Howland had been a familiar figure from the time 
 when it was erected, nearly seventy years before. A 
 large number of people were assembled, which included 
 representatives of the many organizations with which he 
 had been connected in the course of his life. When the 
 simple services were concluded, Mr. Rowland's friends 
 looked for the last time on the features of the man who 
 had so long been the recipient of their respect and of 
 their love. 
 
 There were many beyond the circle of the close friends 
 and associates of George Howland to whom the announce-
 
 45 
 
 ment of his death brought a genuine feeling of personal 
 loss. His prominent position in the Society of Friends 
 and the active part he had taken in the commercial as well 
 as in the public affairs of his native city would alone have 
 sufficed to explain this fact, were explanation needed. 
 His kindliness, his willingness to aid, and his conspicuous 
 integrity had combined to render him one to whom posi- 
 tions of trust came almost in the nature of things. A 
 
 O 
 
 retiring disposition and a strong love for home surround- 
 ings made him shrink from rather than seek public office. 
 Yet he believed it his duty not to withhold his services 
 when his fellow-citizens desired to make use of them ; and 
 to the demands of any position to which he was called he 
 gave an even more conscientious attention than he be- 
 stowed upon his own private interests. Although a man 
 of quick decision and of positive convictions, he never 
 refused to give ear to opinions which differed from his 
 own ; and however resolute and determined his subse- 
 quent action, it was not undertaken without a careful 
 consideration of every point at issue. The duties of each 
 recurring day he faithfully performed, and the result was 
 a life of singular usefulness and merit. 
 
 The New Bedford in which George Howland, junior, 
 spent the most active years of his life is f#st becoming a 
 memory, and its chief characteristics will ere long be 
 known only to the local antiquary and historian. The 
 industry which made the city famous has passed away 
 with the men to whom it brought riches, and the disman- 
 tled whaleships at the docks bear a silent testimony to 
 the change that has come. In the present era of pros-
 
 46 
 
 perity, the second which the old whaling city has enjoyed, 
 the wealth acquired in former days has been diverted into 
 new channels, and mills have arisen to take the place of 
 the old-time fleets of vessels. But however far New Bed- 
 ford may advance beyond the dreams of its citizens in 
 bygone years, the men who then made its history deserve 
 to be held in lasting remembrance ; and among the names 
 of those to whom the prosperous city of to-day owes a 
 debt of gratitude, that of George Rowland, junior, will 
 always have a high place. Few instances will occur in 
 time to come where one man will give, as he did, to New 
 Bedford so many years of untiring service, animated by 
 so deep and affectionate an interest in its welfare. And 
 although to others there will be granted broader opportu- 
 nities for action than were given to the men of his gener- 
 ation, yet fortunate indeed will that man be in the com- 
 pleted record of whose life there shall be found, as in 
 that which belongs to George Rowland, junior, so much 
 of good, accomplished by quiet perseverance, high pur- 
 poses, and an unstained honor.
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 The following resolutions on the death of George How- 
 land, jun., were adopted by the trustees of the New Bed- 
 ford Free Public Library, February 29, 1892 : 
 
 It is with deep sorrow that the trustees of the New Bedford 
 Free Public Library have learned of the death of their associate, 
 George Rowland, jun., and they take this method of expressing 
 their sense of the loss they have sustained. 
 
 Mr. Rowland's connection with this board began in 1855 and, 
 with the exception of the years 1857 and 1860, lasted until the 
 time of his death. Throughout this long term of service, his 
 interest in the library was keen and unvarying. Its steady 
 growth, the new conditions and the fresh demands imposed by 
 the rapid development of our city and by the changing character 
 of our population, all these were ever carefully watched by 
 Mr. Rowland with an eye to the meeting fairly of every new 
 want and to the omitting of nothing that might render the li- 
 brary a more efficient factor in the lives of our people. 
 
 Mr. Rowland was the first benefactor of this institution with 
 which he was so long connected. In 1857, while the library 
 was yet small and with slight resources, he gave the salary 
 which he had received as mayor of the city for two years, then 
 just completed, as a perpetual fund, the interest on which should 
 go toward the purchase of books which would ordinarily be re- 
 garded as beyond the means of the trustees. It is particularly 
 deserving of mention in this place that when, a few years later, 
 the bonds in which the gift was made became of no value, Mr.
 
 48 
 
 Howland deposited in the city treasury a sum equal to the orig- 
 inal amount, in order that the means of the library, increased 
 by his own generosity, might in no way be impaired. The fund 
 thus constituted was of great assistance for many years. And 
 although the munificence of other New Bedford people has since 
 greatly increased the resources of the library, yet the usefulness 
 of this fund has in no degree diminished ; and our shelves will 
 continue to receive valuable books, which will form a lasting 
 memorial of the thoughtfulness and public spirit of our late as- 
 sociate. 
 
 The portrait of George Howland, jun., which has long hung 
 on our walls, has witnessed many changes in the institution 
 which owes him so much, and it will witness many more as time 
 goes on. But his name will always be remembered as of one 
 whose kindly aid and wise counsel were often sought and never 
 in vain. 
 
 The board of investment of the New Bedford Five 
 Cents Savings Bank adopted resolutions as follows : 
 
 Whereas, We, the members of the board of investment of 
 the New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank, have learned with 
 profound sorrow of the death of our president, the Hon. George 
 Howlaud, jun., who from the date of the incorporation of the 
 bank has been actively and continuously connected with the 
 management of its affairs, and whose high character, fearless 
 integrity, and constant devotion to its interests have contributed 
 largely to its prosperity ; and 
 
 Whereas, We desire to record our sense of personal loss, our 
 appreciation of the value of his service and our admiration of 
 his character, now therefore it is 
 
 Resolved, That the death of Hon. George Howland, jun., 
 marks the close of a career which for more than half a century 
 has been identified with most honorable and useful service in 
 both public and private life, and one that should serve as an 
 example to be cherished by us and commended to the admira- 
 tion of those who will succeed us.
 
 49 
 
 The directors of the New Bedford Young Men's Christ- 
 ian Association took action as follows : 
 
 Whereas, Our Heavenly Father has called our beloved friend, 
 George Howland, jun., from a life on earth spent in the service 
 of his fellow-men, to an unending life, as we believe, with those 
 to whom the words " Well done, thou good and faithful servant" 
 were addressed ; and whereas in life he was an earnest friend 
 of this association, assisting by his loving service and wise 
 counsels, therefore it is 
 
 Resolved, That the members of this board do hereby express 
 their deep sense of their loss and their firm conviction that the 
 example of our friend's life will long live to encourage us to lay 
 aside every weight and to press forward in the work of upbuild- 
 ing young men to maintain before the world that firm Christian 
 manhood which our dear friend so signally displayed ; and it is 
 further 
 
 Resolved, That these resolutions be spread on our records 
 and that a copy of the same be sent to the family with whom 
 we deeply sympathize. 
 
 Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of our 
 deceased friend the members of this board attend the funeral. 
 
 N. W. GIFFORD, Clerk. 
 
 At a meeting of the New Bedford City Council, held 
 February 25, the following resolutions prepared by a joint 
 special committee were unanimously adopted : 
 
 Whereas, In the death of Hon. George Howland, jun., our 
 attention is called to a life which was continually in the lead in 
 promoting enterprises connected with our city's welfare, growth, 
 and prosperity, and 
 
 Whereas, His public spirit and exceptional abilities were 
 early recognized by his fellow-citizens, who honored him with 
 nearly every official position of trust and responsibility in the 
 gift of the people, and 
 
 Whereas, He having filled with ability the office of chief
 
 50 
 
 magistrate of our city, we desire to take official notice of his 
 demise and place on record our tribute to his memory, it is 
 therefore 
 
 Resolved, That the members of the City Council of the city 
 of New Bedford point with pride to the life of the deceased as 
 a model of industry, integrity, devotion, and honorable achieve- 
 ments, worthy of imitation, and commanding the highest praise 
 of a sympathizing community. 
 
 Resolved, That the assurance of our warmest sympathies be 
 extended to. the family and relatives of our departed fellow-citi- 
 zen. 
 
 Resolved, That these resolutions be spread upon record. 
 
 The Evening /Standard printed the following account 
 of the funeral of Mr. Howland : 
 
 Services in memory of the late George Howland, juu., were 
 held in the Friends' meeting-house on Spring street yesterday. 
 There was a very large gathering of representative men. 
 
 Among those present were Hon. William W. Crapo, Hon. 
 William J. Rotch, Mayor Ashley, Hon. Walter Clifford, Hon. 
 Weston Howland, Charles S. Kelley, Collector James Taylor, 
 Postmaster Gifford, Edmund Rodman, Thomas R Rodman, 
 Hon. George B. Richmond, Daniel Ricketson, George F. Tucker, 
 George F. Bartlett, George A. Bourne, Gilbert Allen, Rev. 
 William J. Potter, William Watkins, Hon. Morgan Rotch, Ed- 
 ward S. Taber, Rev. C. W. Holden, Charles W. Clifford, Rev. 
 M. C. Julien, John W. Macomber, Rev. E. Williams, John 
 
 A. P. Allen, Horatio Hathaway, Rev. William Carruthers, 
 Capt. Isaiah West, Charles H. Peirce, Rev. B. S. Batchelor, J. 
 C. Brock, Capt. Orrick Smalley, Capt. James E. Stantou, David 
 
 B. Kempton, Hon. Simeon Borden of Fall River, S. G. Morgan, 
 Tilson B. Denham, Robert C. Ingraham, John B. Baylies, Fred- 
 eric A. Washburn, William Gordon, jun., Humphrey A. Gif- 
 ford, jun., George W. Paine, Lot W. Gibbs, George R. Phil- 
 lips, and Rev. Edmund Kelly. 
 
 There were besides large delegations from the City Council,
 
 51 
 
 the Young Men's Christian Association, and the officials of the 
 Five Cents Savings Bank. A large number of ladies were also 
 in attendance. The simple services commenced with prayer by 
 Ruth S. Murray and by William O. Newhall of Lynn, clerk of 
 the New England yearly meeting of Friends. Mrs. Murray 
 spoke briefly of Mr. Howland's symmetrical life and character, 
 and of the lessons which might be drawn from it. Mr. Newhall 
 spoke of the record of the deceased, which is finished. Charles 
 Varney of Providence alluded to the necessity of the living for 
 dependence on a higher power. Prayer was offered by William 
 P. Macomber of Fairhaven and by Mr. Varney, after which 
 many of those present looked for the last time on the features 
 of the dead. 
 
 The pall-bearers were : Edward D. Mandell, representing the 
 Sylvia Ann Rowland trust ; Alauson Borden, representing the 
 ex-mayors ; Loum Snow, representing the Five Cents Savings 
 Bank ; Jireh Swift, representing the Port Society ; George H. 
 Dunbar, representing the trustees of the Free Public Library ; 
 Augustine Jones, principal of the Friends' School at Providence ; 
 William O. Newhall, representing the New England yearly 
 meeting of Friends ; and Oakes A. Ames, representing the 
 trustees of the Taunton lunatic asylum.
 
 INDEX 
 
 Abolitionists, 12. 
 
 Acushnet, 29. 
 
 Acushnet water, introduction of, 30. 
 
 Allen, James, 6. 
 
 Allen, John, 19. 
 
 Allen, Sarah, 6. 
 
 American law review, 28. 
 
 American Society of Civil Engineers, 30. 
 
 Ames, O. A., 51. 
 
 Androscoggin and Kennebec railroad, 40. 
 
 Anthony, Caleb, 13. 
 
 Anti-Corn-Law League. 18. 
 
 Apennines, crossing of, 16. 
 
 Arctic whaling disaster, 21 . 
 
 Argo, ship, 13. 
 
 Associated Executive Committee of Friends on Indian Affairs, 32. 
 
 Avignon, 14. 
 
 Backhouse, H. C., 17. 
 Bailey, Capt., 9. 
 Barney, A. C., 26. 
 'Bewley, Jos., 20. 
 Bierstadt, E., 7. 
 Borden, A., 42, 51. 
 
 Boston. Clinton, and Fitehburg railroad, 21. 
 Braithwaite, I., 18. 
 Brewer, J. M., 6. 
 Bright, J., 18. 
 Brown University, 35-30. 
 Brush, 3/r., 19. 
 
 Candle-making, 6. 
 Carnival at Koine. 15-16.
 
 53 
 
 Cayuga county., N. Y., 36. 
 
 City Hall, New Bedford, garrisoned, 25. 
 
 Civil war, 24, 25. 
 
 Civita Vecchia, 14. 
 
 Clifford, J. H.. 22. 
 
 Coffeyville, 33. 
 
 Common Council [and City Council], New Bedford, 23, 24, 38, 39, 
 
 49, 50. 
 
 Concordia, bark, 21. 
 Cork, city, 9, 10. 
 
 Dartmouth, 200th anniversary, 26. 
 Delano, Jos. C., 11. 
 Diligence, description of, 13. 
 Draft riots, 25. 
 Dublin, 10. 
 Dunbar, G. H., 51. 
 
 Ebbw Vale, 10. 
 England, travels in, 10, 11. 
 Evening Standard, 5, 50. 
 Everett, Edward, 18. 
 
 Fairhaven, 28, 29. 
 
 First Christian church, New Bedford, 26. 
 
 Florida, 23, 24. 
 
 Forster, Josiah, 18, 19. 
 
 Forster, Win., 18, 19. 
 
 " Four corners," New Bedford, 26, 27. 
 
 France, travels in, 13, 14, 17. 
 
 French, Rodney, 22. 
 
 Friends, Dublin yearlj r meeting of, 17. 
 
 Indiana yearly meeting of, 19. 
 
 London yearly meeting of, 17-20. 
 
 New Bedford monthly meeting of, 28. 
 
 New England yearly meeting of, 31, 36. 
 - Society of, 12, 17-20, 24. 31-32, 37. 
 
 Friends' Academy, 5, 6, 7. 
 
 Friends' meeting-house, New Bedford, 6, 7, 43, 44. 
 
 Friends' School, Providence, 36-37, 51. 
 
 Fry, Elizabeth, 18. 
 
 Gardner, Gov. H. J., 23. 
 
 Genoa, 14. 
 
 George and Susan, bark, 21.
 
 54 
 
 George Rowland, bark, 21 . 
 Germantown, school in, 6. 
 Gibson, Isaac T., 33. 
 Giftbrd, Mrs. F. S., 43. 
 Grant, Ulysses S., 32. 
 Green, Mrs. Hetty H., 28. 
 Grinnell, Jos.. 26. 
 Gurney, J. J., 18, 19. 
 Gurney, S., 18. 
 
 Hampton Court, 18. 
 
 Haverford College, 36. 
 
 Havre, 13, 17. 
 
 Hillman, Zachariah, 7. 
 
 Hoag, L. M., 17. 
 
 House of Commons, 18. 
 
 House of Lords, 18. 
 
 Howland, Elizabeth, 5. 
 
 Howland, George, senior, 5, (J, 17, 19, 21, 31, 3(5. 
 
 Howland, George, senior, portrait of, 40. 
 
 Howland, George Henry, 23, 43. 
 
 Howland, James A., 43. 
 
 Howland, Matthew, 21, 23, 33. 
 
 Howland, Rachel, 25. 
 
 Howland, Robert B., 12, 20. 
 
 Howland, Sylvia Allen, 6. 7, 23, 43. 
 
 Howland, Sylvia Ann, 27, 28. 
 
 Howland, Sylvia Ann, will case, 28. 
 
 Howland school, Union Springs, 36. 
 
 Hughes, J., 17. 
 
 Indians, 32. 
 
 Iron for railroad, 8, 10. 
 
 Jacksonville, 24. 
 Java, bark, 21 . 
 Jones, Augustine, 37, 51. 
 Jones, Mrs. E. C., 26. 
 
 Kansas City, 33, 34. 
 Kaw Indians, 33. 
 Kingstown, 10. 
 
 Lawrence, Kansas, 32, 33. 
 Liverpool, 10, 11.
 
 55 
 
 London, 11, 17-26. 
 Lyons, 14. 
 
 Me Alpine, W. J., 30. 
 
 Macomber, W. P., 51. 
 
 Mandell, E. D., 51. 
 
 Marseilles, 14. 
 
 Massachusetts General Court, 12, 22. 
 
 Massachusetts Senate. 22. 
 
 Maynooth college, 18. 
 
 Mercury, newspaper, 12. 
 
 Missions, foreign, 32. 
 
 Murray, Ruth S., 51. 
 
 Nantyglo, 10. 
 
 Naples, 16. 
 
 New Bedford, becomes a city, 12. 
 
 elections of mayors, 22, 24. 
 New Bedford and Taunton railroad, 8, 10, 21. 
 " New Bedford Jlfty years ago," 1 painting, 26. 
 New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank, 8, 23, 42, 48, 51. 
 New Bedford Free Public Library, 23, 28, 37-41, 47, 51. 
 New Bedford Institution for Savings, 8: 
 New Bedford Port Society, 29, 51. 
 New Bedford railroad, 21. 
 New Bedford school committee, 35. 
 New Bedford water board, 42. 
 Newhall, W. O., 51. 
 Nicholson, W., 33. 
 Nisrnes, 14. 
 
 Osage Indians, 32-34. 
 
 Paris, 14, 17. 
 Parsons, S. B., 12, 20. 
 Patrick Henry, packet, 11. 
 Pease, E., 19. 
 Peel, Sir E., 18. 
 Pompeii, 16. 
 Princess, steamer, 10. 
 
 Railroad accident, 33, 34. 
 Ricketson, D., 6, 26. 
 Rome, 15-16. 
 Rotch, Wm., senior, 27.
 
 56 
 
 Roitsseav, bark, 21. 
 
 Saint Louis, 33. 
 
 School committee, New Bedford, 35. 
 
 Sheathing for vessels, 17. 
 
 Snow, Loum, 51. 
 
 South America, packet, 9. 
 
 Stacey, G., 19. 
 
 Stubbs, Mahlon, 33. 
 
 Swain, W. W., 2G. 
 
 Swift, Jireh, 51. 
 
 Syria, missions in, 32. 
 
 Taber, Isaac C., 24. 
 
 Tarascon, 14. 
 
 Taunton Lunatic Hospital, 23, 42, 51. 
 
 Thomas Dickason, bark, 21. 
 
 Thompson, Gen. J. D., 35. 
 
 Thornton block, 27. 
 
 " Tony," 27. 
 
 Tussaud, jYie., waxwork exhibition, 18. 
 
 Union Springs. N. Y., 36. 
 Varney, C., 51. 
 
 Wales, journey in, 10, 11. 
 Wall, W. A., 26. 
 Water board, New Bedford, 42. 
 Wellington, Duke of, 18. 
 West, John, estate of, 28. 
 Whale fishery, 5, 0, 21. 22. 
 Willis, Grinnell, 26. 
 Wilson, Matthew, 40. 
 Winslow, J., 17. 
 Wistar, T., 32, 33. 
 
 Yacht, injury repaired, 7. 
 
 Young Men's Christian Association, 49, 51.
 
 E" 
 
 74 
 
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