The Council has received unofficial information that the late Mrs. Eliza D. Dodge, wife of Thomas H. Dodge of Worcester, has by her will recently offered for probate, given the Society the sum of $3000.00. Mr. and Mrs. Dodge, have given largely to Worcester and its charitable and other institutions, and in her will Mrs. Dodge has devised many thousands of dollars in legacies to them all.

Since the last meeting, Rockwood Hoar, Albert Samuel Gatschet and Señor Alfredo Chavero, members of the Society, have deceased. Notice has also been received of the death of Babu Protap Chunder Mozoomdar, at Calcutta, India, on May 27th, 1905. Obituaries have been prepared by the Biographer to be published with the proceedings of this meeting.

FRANKLIN B. DEXTER,

SAMUEL UTLEY,

For the Council.

OBITUARIES.

Babu Protap Chunder Mozoomdar, died in Calcutta, India, May 27th, 1905. His life was spent in India where he was born in October, 1840. He grew up under the influence of Keshub Chunder Sen and joined the Brahmo Somaj in 1859, and was an eloquent preacher and a leader of the theistic movement in India. His time was devoted to religious studies and writings, mingled with which was a short period of editorial work on the Indian Mirror, beginning in 1870.

In 1874, 1883 and 1900 he visited England, where he made a number of addresses, and he also preached in both England and Scotland. In 1883 he returned home by way of America which he re-visited in 1893 when he attended the great Parliament of Religions in Chicago at the World's Fair, speaking at the opening and closing sessions and contributing a paper on the "Brahmo Somaj" and one on "The World's Religious Debt to Asia." In 1900, he again came to America and visited the Unitarian Association meeting in Boston.

Ellis and Company of Boston published his "Oriental Christ" "Spirit of God" and "Heart Beats," the latter having a short biographical notice by Samuel J. Barrows. He became a member of this Society in 1893. S. U.

Rockwood Hoar, died in Worcester, Mass., Nov. 1st, 1906. The only son of our late associate, Senator George F. Hoar, he was born in Worcester, Aug. 24th, 1855, fitted for college in the public schools, and was graduated from Harvard in 1876, receiving the degree of A. M. in 1878.

He studied law in the office of Senator Hoar and in the Harvard Law School, which conferred the degree of LL. B., on him in 1878.

Admitted to the Worcester County Bar in 1879, he practiced law in Worcester till his death, having held the office

of Assistant District Attorney, 1884-7, and that of District Attorney 1899-1905.

He was aide-de-camp on the staff of Governor Ames 18871890, Judge Advocate General on the staff of Governor Wolcott, 1897-1900, and member of the common council of Worcester 1887-91, being its president in 1891.

As trustee of the Worcester Insane Hospital for twenty years, a trustee of Clark University, Vice President of the American Unitarian Association, and as a director in various financial institutions he had been active in the life of the community in which he lived.

At the time of his decease he was serving his first term as member of Congress, following his father, grandfather, uncle and cousin, who had all represented Massachusetts districts, and he had made his mark to a degree unusual in so young a member. He joined this Society in 1894.

S. U.

Albert Samuel Gatschet, died in Washington, D. C., March 16th, 1907. He was born near Berne, Switzerland, October 3rd, 1832, studied at the University of Berne and that of Berlin 1852-8 and received from the former the degree of Ph. D., in 1892.

His first work was in reference to the German and Romance dialects in Switzerland, the results of which were published.

His antiquarian researches were next pursued in the British Museum, after which, in 1868 he came to the United States. The American Indians soon attracted his attention and thenceforward his life work was mainly in connection with them.

At this time in this field, says The Nation, "Research was almost unknown and few systematic efforts had been made to analyze the native linguistic stock."

Many years were spent travelling among the Indians getting his information by personal investigation.

Very soon the attention of our associate, the late John W. Powell, was called to his work, and in 1877 he was appointed Ethnologist of the Geographical Survey then being made under the direction of that distinguished officer. This position he held til July 1st, 1879, when the Bureau of Ethnology was established and he was transferred to it.

In 1874 he published "A Creek Migration Legend" which was followed in 1890 by "The Klamath Indians of South Western Oregon."

The publications of the Bureau of Ethnology also contain numerous contributions from his pen.

On account of ill health he was given a furlough in 1905. A member of this Society since 1902, his principal work here has been the valuable oversight that he gave to the publication of "The Natick Dictionary" by our associate the late Doctor Trumbull, the manuscript of which is among our most valued posessions. S. U.

Señor Justo Benitez, was born in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, August 6th, 1833, and died in the City of Mexico, June 12th, 1900.

He entered the "Institute of Arts and Sciences" in his native city where he studied law and graduated in 1853.

This was during the dictatorship of General Santa Anna and very soon the patriotic party began a revolution in which our late associate took an active and influential part, and Santa Anna was overthrown, following which came the constitution of 1857, which is regarded as the Mexican Magna Charta.

General Diaz was his schoolmate and their intimacy was carried into political life in which their views long agreed. During the French Intervention, Señor Benitez was "Auditor of War" in the army of the east, and also secretary of General Diaz, its commander, and rendered good service to his country and gained a high reputation as a skillful manager and organizer.

On the triumph of General Diaz in 1876, Señor Benitez was Secretary of the "Treasury and Public Credit," being in fact head of the Cabinet.

It was understood that he was to succeed General Diaz and with this end in view he made a tour in Europe for the purpose of studying certain political questions, but unfortunate differences arose in his party and he retired to private life and to the practice of his profession of law which he pursued till a few months before his death, when he became reconciled to General Diaz who appointed him "Director of the Orphans Industrial School of Mexico" which position he held till his decease.

He was distinguished as a lawyer of high rank in "Civil and Constitutional law" and of unsullied honor.

"He was a learned and conscientious man. As a politician he was sagacious and of steady principles, of an

unbroken will and remarkable impulse. His uncompromising character did him much harm in his public career." He became a member of this Society in 1884. S. U.

Señor Alfredo Chavero, was born in the City of Mexico, February 1st, 1841, and died there October 24th, 1906, having been a life long resident.

He was educated in a college of San Juan de Letran in Mexico where he took high rank.

He became a lawyer in 1860, was professor of Administrative Law in the School of Commerce in 1868, and principal of the same 1896-1902, Director of the Viscainas College 1885-90, Director and Inspector of the National Museum, "Controller" of the London and Mexico Bank, "Magistrate of the High Court" and Treasurer of the Mexican National Congress.

Many articles, pamphlets and books of a legal, literary, historical, archæological and bibliographical character by him were published, among which articles in the "Illustrious Men of Mexico," the text of "Mexican Antiquities," and "Ancient History of Mexico" are worthy of mention. Nearly twenty societies, American and foreign honored him with their membership, among them being this Society, of which he became a member in 1881. S.U.