late Treasurer.

Dined at Vila's. Dr. Parsons paid 1

Quarter's Rent, d 5.

6. Went to Church all day.

7. Turnpike Directors meet again at Vila's.

8. Mr. E. T. Andrews & Miss H. Weld dined.

9. Rec. a Letter from Miss Beach of Philadelphiawritten by desire of my sister to inform me of her ill health. Bought 94 cwt. of hay at 7/.

10. Dined with Mr. Andrews.

11. Dined with Gen. Elliot. Rec. 1 Quarter's Rent of Mr. Jackson, 162 dols. Rec. 1 do. of Mr. Tappan, 150 dols. Went to Theatre with Eliza. Maid of the Oaks, Cinderella, Raising the Wind.

13. Went to Church.

14. Attended Grand Lodge.

15. Attended G[rand] Chapter.

16. Very unwell. Agreed to sell my large mansion house in Boston to Mr. E. T. Andrews for D 16,000. N. B. The house wants large repairs.

17.

Went to Worcester with Eliza, Miss R. Armstrong and Levi in Coachee. Got there at 8 °Clock in the Evening. H. Frazier went in the stage. Bad travelling.

19. Eat some raccoon.

20. Went to church all day.

21. Heard my sister was better.

22. Attended Bank.

23. Attended Library Directors.' Very ill in the night.

1 All that can be found of the origin of this library, which was the first known to be established in Worcester, is the announcement in the Massachusetts Spy of 23 May, 1793, that "The Annual Meeting of the WORCESTER ASSOCIATE CIRCULATING LIBRARY COMPANY will be held at Capt HEYWOOD's Tavern, on Tuesday

24. Sent for Dr. Babbit' & Dr. Green. Went to Long Pond with Miss R. Armstrong, &c.

25. Spent the evening with Col. Clap, &c., at Farrar's.

26. Dr. Babbit came, consulted with him and Dr. Green. Paid Babbit 10 dollars. Act of embargo passed the 21st inst.

27. Kept house yesterday & today.

28. Eliza went to a Ball.

31. Been Confined with my Complaint the past week.

1808.

[There are no entries in the almanac of this year.]

January, 1809.

1. Went to Church twice. Frazier taken ill.

the fourth day of June next, at five o'clock P. M. at which time the Books will be ready for the subscribers."

The first librarian was Thomas Payson, the master of the "Classical School " -which was founded here in 1787-and afterwards the master of the Franklin Latin Grammar School in Boston. It was later known as the "Worcester Social Library" and was apparently in existence about forty years, for the Massachusetts Spy of 27 February, 1833, has the following notice:

Will be sold at the Worcester Auction Room, March 6th, a valuable assortment of Books, consisting of about 500 volumes, comprising many valuable Works of History, Biography, Travels, etc.-being the entire collection of the WORCESTER SOCIAL LIBRARY."

1 Dr. Thomas Babbitt was in early life a surgeon in the navy, and afterwards removed to Brookfield, where he had an extensive practice. He was the second president of the Worcester District Medical Society, serving from 1807 until his death, 7 February, 1813.

11. Got wood from the pasture, 9 Loads.

12.

Dance. Sat up till half past one "Clock.

14. Rode a few miles.

18. Went to the Bank.

21.

22.

Mrs. Seaver came on a visit of 3 or 4 days.'

Went to Chh. once.

23. Eliza went to Boston with Isaiah.

24. Went to Boylston.

27. Mrs. Seaver again visited us.

Mary, daughter of John and Dorothy Paine Chandler, was married, 29 October, 1785, to William Sever, of Kingston, Mass. Mr. Sever was graduated from Harvard in 1778, studied law with Levi Lincoln, Sen., and after his admission to the bar in 1781, practiced for two years in Kingston. In 1785 he removed to Worcester and lived on a farm which his father had purchased for him, where the Lincoln House now stands. He died in Worcester, in 1798, at the age of thirty-six. [Born, Worcester, 21 December, 1759. Died, Worcester, 15 January, 1821.]

2 William Sheldon, an Englishman, came to this country in 1795 and resided for a time in Norwich, Conn. While there a serious pecuniary loss to which he exposed himself, on account of his ignorance of the operation of the usury law of the state, led him to publish, in 1798, a pamphlet on the subject entitled, "Cursory remarks on the laws concerning Usury," containing a brief history of their origin, thoughts on their connection with religion, their moral tendency and justice, etc. He then lived in North Providence, R. I., where he was the principal writer for Carter's Providence Gazette and the author of several of the essays of the "Moralist” and the "Adelphiad," published in that paper. From March, 1809, to October, 1810, he was the editor of the Massachusetts Spy, and during that time assisted Mr. Thomas in preparing the "History of Printing." In 1809 he published in

12. Did not go out.

13. Anson Whipple went to Boston. Mrs. Seaver went home.

14. Went to the Bank.

15.

Eliza Thomas went from Boston to Providence.

16. Anson return'd from Boston.

19. None of the family went to Church. Mr. Benj". Weld,' father to my son's wife, seized with an apoplexy in Church, and died immediately.

21. My son & his wife went to Boston with Levi to attend the funeral.

2

23. Heard of Aunt Andrews' death. Mr. Weld buried. Mrs. Andrews did not die.

24. Mrs. Thomas went to Boston with Eliza Ewers in Stage.

25. My son & his wife returned from Boston.

26. Went to Church twice. My brother came from Lancaster.

27. Mr. Andrews' sons came up from Boston. My brother came from Lancaster.

28. Went to the bank. Mr. Andrews' sons arrived here on their way to Schenectady.

Worcester a "History of the Heathen Gods, and Heroes of Antiquity," to which he added a new translation of the "Battle of the Gods and Giants.". He was laborious and indefatigable as a writer, but possessed more learning than taste, and his political prejudices were too strong to be overcome or to make him of great use to his party. He was fond of poetry and wrote with great ease, but little elegance. In 1812 he went to Jamaica, where he was for some time a private instructor, and afterwards returned to England.

[Born, England, 17 November, 1762. Died, London, England, 28 June, 1822.] Edward Weld of Boston, formerly of Marblehead.

2 Mrs. Andrews was the mother of Ebenezer T. Andrews.

March, 1809.

2. Mrs. Thomas came up from Boston.

3.

My brother returned to Lancaster.

4. Mrs. Seaver returned.

5. Went once to Church.

7. Went to bank. Mrs. Mary Andrews died.

10. Went to Boston in the Stage and took Charles with me, attend Mrs. Andrews' funeral.

12. Went twice to Church.

13. Attended Grand Lodge.

14. Went to Worcester in the Stage in little more than 7 hours.

15. Mr. Sheldon arrived from Providence. Children's Ball.

17. Had 10 Gentlemen to dine with me. Mrs. Seaver dined with us.

18. Bad cold-did not go out.

21. Cunningham from Boston.

22. Levi Harry, who has lived with me more than thirteen years, ran off-he had gotten greatly in debt. 23. This after" Step" Davis came to work, &c.

April, 1809.

3. Great Struggle for Governor.1

1 The passage of the Embargo Act, 22 December, 1807, forbidding clearance of all American vessels to foreign ports, and limiting the coasting trade to the United States, completely paralyzed the commerce of New England, and suddenly, without warning, cut off multitudes of her merchants and sailors from their accustomed employments, and reduced them to enforced idleness. Manufacturing had not then sprung up, and her interests, outside of agriculture, were exclusively commercial. In consequence, a time of great political excitement followed, and the whole year 1808