Mount Auburn Cemetery

52

33 School St Boston March 18^th/62

Hon. Nath^l Silsbee, Treas^r Harv. Coll.-

Dear Sir, The subject referred to in the accompanying circular is not now for the first time brought to the notice of the "Pres. & Fellows"

I find upon the records of our Board of Trustees, three years since (Feby. 1859.) the following as the Report of a Com^ee to whom the subject was ref^d.

"The Committee to whom was referred the memorial of Mr Lawrence, Treas^r of Harv^d College, respecting the boundaries of the lot in the Cemetery belonging to that Corporation - with full power.

Reported that they had arranged with the Treasurer of the College that said lot should be surveyed, and that is should be optional with him whether the monuments now said to encroach upon the lands of this Corporation should be removed within the present bounds, or whether sufficient land should be exchanged from another part of said lot to be equivalent to the land now occupied by said monuments."

And the report was accepted - and here, it now appears, the matter ended. -

The lot in question (no. 330 in the Cemetery) is

349

Nov^r 10 [186]6

Hon. Nath^l Silsbee, Treas^r Harv^d Coll.

Dear Sir,

I have carefully inquired into the matter of complaint of Geo. M. Folsom, contained in the enclosed note, respecting the alleged breaking of the Damon Monument on "Harvard Hill" and have learned from the Superintendent, whose statements are [?] by others having proper means of knowledge, that the monument was observed prostrated what a year or more [?] on the next day after a fierce northwest gale which blew down a large pine tree within a hundred and fifty feet of this monument, tearing the tree out by the roots. The stump of the tree still remains there in position as it fell. Both the tree and monument fell in the same direction -- up hill, i.e. the S.E. -- The Superintendent feels confident that the gale prostrated the stone.

Not so much for curiosity, as to examine the form and strength of this stone, I determined to visit the spot: and this I was unable to do until yesterday, which must be my apology for so long delay in making a written reply to the charge. Having stated to you some time since the Superintendent's method of accounting for it

S T