Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-02
A GLANCE BACKWARD.
Meeting Of the Tennessee Historical
Society.

4
Valuable Contributions from variOu
sOurees-Dr. Smith. OF Columbia, O
the IceIandIe MiIIennIaI CeIebra
tiOn.
The State Historical Society met at tn
State Library yesterday afternoon at fOu
O'Clock, President Foster in the chair, an
the following named members present
Anson Nelson, DR.. j. B. Lindsey, Col
John NJ. Fleming, Gen. w. B. Bate, W. B
Thompson, Judge ShackelfOrd, DIR. j. II
Currey, Ed. Hicks, DIR. w. III. Smith, o
the Columbia AthaUeum, GelI. kirb.
Smith.
NEW AIEMBERs.
The following named new members wer
proposed and admitted;
Gov. John G. Brown, Bishop Nc cTyeire
Rev. DIR. r. A. Yong, Rev. L. a. HOyt
Col. John Z. Burch, A. b. Shankland, DIR
VIM. Morrow, James b. Craighead, Hon
Edwin Cooper, Shelbyville, w. w. South
gate, Joseph Barnard, Gen. Il. +. Cheat
ham, Prof. I. .. Summers, Jr., II. c.
Stone, Gen. j. b. Palmer, of MurfreesbOrO,
Hon. 7. II. Caldwell, of Shelbyville, Hon.
III. III. Harrison, Col. L. B. McClannahan,
Maj. Campbell Brown, of Columbia, Maj.
Louis III. Hosea, of Cincinnati, Michael
Shanghenessy, DR.. VIM. H. Morgan, DIR.
Michael Campbell, VIM. NJ. Steward, Of
Clarksville.
LYCEUMs.
The committee on auxiliary lyceums re-
| ported the formation Of lyceums in Frank
lin, Maury and Rutherford counties, all
working satisfactorily. DIR. j. b. LiHdsley,
who has been organizing these lycemns,
and travelling through the State in the in
tereSts of the society, reported very fayOra-
ably and said that the people always mani
fest deep interest in the society, wherever
he has spoken in its behalf.
| The President said he hoped the value of
this society to the State would be properly
| appreciated. He said he had a demonstra-
tion a few days since of the imperfect State
Of Tennessee history. A gentleman tod
him he had been trying for several weeks
to find out fer whom the county Of William
| son was named. 1t was named after a
Williamson OfeOurse, but what Williamson?
DR.. J. b. Lindsey said he thought it
must have been named after DIR. Hugh
Williamson, a celebrated physician Of
| North Carolina, Davidson and Williamson
counties being then a potion of North
Carolina.
SPACE AT THE EXPOSITION BUILDING.
Mr.. AnsOn Nelson said that he and sew
eral members of the Society residing in the
| city had taken il upon themselves to en-
gage space at the Exposition building in
| order that the Society may make proper
showing at the approaching Exposition.
Mr. Hicks moved that the chair appoint
a committee to take charge of the SOciety's
property proposed b be exhibited, and see
10 il that no article be removed from the
capitol which could not be replaced in case
Of a fire. Agreed 10, and hessrs. Hicks,
Lindsey and Campbell appointed said
committee.
BATTLE OF KINGS MOUNTAIN.
DIR. w. II. Smith, of Columbia, present
ed the following:
abe it resolved, That the anniversary Of
the battle of Kings Mountain, fought on
October Z, 1850, be commemorated by an
oraiion to be delivered at the Exposition
Building in Nashville on the evening be-
fore, October 6, 1S14.)
-. I hat The Rev. 4. a. Hoyt be invited
TO deliver the said Grafton.
'3. That 4 committee of three be ap-
pointed 10 make all necessary arrangements
for the due celebration of this great anni-
yersary.'
The resolution was adopted, and MeSsrs.
VIM. II. Smith, DIR. Morgan and Gen. Kir-
BY Smith appointed a committee 10 carry
out IFS provisions.
CONTRIBUTIONS.
Mr.. Nelson reported the following con-
tributiOns since the last meeting Of the
society;
FROM DR.. vim. Henry Smith, of Columbia
three specimens of gold-bearing quartz,
from Polk county, North Carolina; also
three specimens of mica from BuncOmbe
county, North Carolina.
From Capt. John ). Dashiel, Nashville
a piece Of stone from the Rock of Gibral-
ter, obtained by the donor July 4, 1927.
From Rev. G. Foster Williams, AshwOod
an old fashioned s,Oye-pipe hat which
was bought Of Pat Mciuire in 1911, at
Columbia, Tenn: also a chair which was
once the property Of Gen. Nathaniel
Greene, and presented by him to his daugh-
ter, Mrs. Littlefield, Of Aaury county,
Tenn.
From Joseph Leidy-ArrOw heads from
Trenton, y. j.; specimens of wood from
the spot where CORVALLIS surrendered to
Gen. Lincoln; wood from the room in
which Gen. Israel Putnam was born; a
piece of the sill under the front entrance
to the mansion at Mt. Vernon, and a piece
of brick from Fl. Putnam, West Point.
From the au;hOr-A copy of RObertsOn's
History Of the First Tennessee Regiment
in the war with Mexico.
From Mai. Boiling GOrlOn, of Hickman
county, tender of the position of Post
master the Of new pOstOffice at Nashville,
ain the Southwestern Territory Oct. TO-
1855, to Mr.. John Gordon.
From Mrs. Abbye NJ. Brooks, Of Atlanta,
GA star fish, claw Of a hermit lobster,
and several other marine curiOSitieS from
the Florida coast.
The receipt of these contributions was
duly Acknowledged BY the society, with
thanks to the donors, which thanks the
Corresponding Secretary was instructed to
express in a suitable manner.
THE RECENT ICELANDIC CELEBRATION.
The following Interesting paper on the
recent celebration by the government of
Iceland, Of her one thOuSandth aLniyer-
sary. was read by DIR. VIM. II. Smith, of
the Columbia Athen;sum:
"Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Ten
nessee Historical Society:
"AlthOugh we are particularly interested
in the affairs of our own State, We are JUS
tilted in noticing the great events that be-
long 10 other countries. Hence am called
upon 10 make no apology for refreshing
your minds, this warm September after
noon, with some facts that belong to !
northern climate. With your permission,
| therefore, | beg leave to say a few words
about the millennial celebration in Iceland.
~SinCe the last meeting of this Society,
\ and while the people Of the United States
| have been looking forward TO the one hun
| dredth birthday of American Independence,
the sturdy Mortimer of Iceland have cele-
| brated the one thOuSandth anniversary of
| their cOuntry's greatness.
" The event having been duly announced
| beforehand, several American citizens, re-
| garling this as no ordinary occasion,
made the voyage TO Iceland, and 1t is from
| their letters that we have an account of the
| proceedings. Indeed, it seems that the
millennial in Iceland was largely attended
by newspaper reporters, from various ma
tions, and, perhaps at this moment, many
of their letters, giving accounts Of the cele-
bratiOn, are speeding their way tOthe news
| papers that are awaiting the Information.
| No doubt the reporters have done their
work fully, and besides all OF the great
things that were done, We may suppose that
| they have interviewed all of the dignitaries
l nj n Mt