Two interesting discussions upon early American History have been given by Mr. Winsor and Dr. Channing of the university, and Mr. Deane, Vice-President of the Massachusetts Historical Association, at recent meetings of the Historical Society. At the former of these meetings, Mr. Winsor spoke on the subject of the discovery and naming of America. He described the exploration of each portion of the coast-line of the two contemns, discussed the claims of Vespucci to being the first discoverer of the main land, and told how the name of the Italian was gradually adopted as the designation of the New World. The lecture was illustrated by facsimiles of original manuscripts and maps from the Harvard library collection. At the second meeting, the subject was the landing and settlement of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, and Mr. Deane, Mr. Winsor, and Dr. Channing spoke. The subject was made to include the explorations of the coast of eastern Massachusetts anterior to the coming of the Pilgrims, and the voyage of the Mayflower, as well as the landing at Plymouth, and the establishment of the colony there. Apropos of the landing, Mr. Deane gave an interesting sketch, how the tradition about Plymouth Rock was handed down. The tradition, it seems, first found its way into print in 1774 through the Old Colony Society of Plymouth. The society got the story from a centenarian who was then in the neighborhood. This man, in turn, got it from an intimate of his, a centenarian of the proceeding generation, and he being born in 1631, got it direct from the Fathers themselves.

Mr. Winsor, at one of the meetings. gave an account of the negotiations which have been attempted for the recovery from England of Bradford's history of the settlement at Plymouth. Bradford was the annalist of the Pilgrims, and Mr. Winsor has characterized his book as the corner stone of American history. During the Revolution, when the English soldiers made the Old South Church their riding school, this book was taken from the antiquary room of the Old South. No trace of it since was discovered till towards the middle of this century, when it was found in the library of the Bishop of London, at Fulham. Mr. Motley, when he was minister to England, attempted to recover the book, but was unsuccessful. A copy of it, however, was made for America, and this has been published. The original is still in the library at Fulham. It may be recovered eventually, but an act of Parliament will be needed for that purpose.