Mrs. Mascarene, daughter of Rev. Edward Holyoke, who was president of Harvard College from 1737 to 1769, in a letter to her husband dated Jan. 30, 1764, gives the following account of the Hollis fire which took place in that year:

"The thirteenth of this month the General Court was invited to dine at college, at which time it was called Hollis Hall in gratitude to the late and present worthy gentleman of that name - since that time the Small-Pox has been in Boston in 20 familys which has drove a third almost of this people out of Boston, and the General Court adjourned to the College, the Council to the Library, and the House, to the Hall where they have met for the despatch of Public Business till last Wednesday; for on Tuesday night about 12 o'clock, in the severest snow storm I ever remember I heard the cry of Fire, one moment brought me to the window where I saw the old Harvard College on fire, and it was with the utmost difficulty they savd the other Buildings. Stoughton was on fire an Hour, Massachusetts catched in three places, and Hollis Hall is burnt much at the Southwest corner, there was nothing saved in old College except a bed or two, the whole Library, except some books lent out and Mr. Hollis's last donation, were demolished, the whole apparatus. Mrs. Hancock who lodgd out on account of the storm lost everything except the cloths she had on, this is a most terrible accident, this Library in which were so many valuable Books ancient manuscripts, the Labour of the Learned, and the work of ages, in a few hours turned to ashes. Our College is now poorer than any on the Continent - we are all real mourners on this occasion and I doubt not your attachment to alma mater will make you feel sorrowful upon this conflagration. . . . . . "The President's house was in great danger the wind was strong at the west the latter part of the time, and in short if Stoughton had gone all the houses in town to the Eastward of the College would have gone. I think I never saw so great a strife of elements before, it is supposed the Fire began in the Beam under the hearth of the Library, the Gov'r. and a great number of the Court assisted in extinguishing the Fire, it being vacation no person in the college, the Fire was past stopping Harvard before it was perceived. I hope the K - g will give something to repair the loss as he has never done anything for this College yet, . . . . . . and now partly to soften your grief and alleviate your sorrow, Ile tell you the proceeding of our worthy Court the next Day, the first vote that past was for rebuilding the College at the expense of the province Imediately, and two thousand lawful voted to begin with, and a sum to Mr. Hancock to repair his loss which with what of money Plate &c. they have found in the Ruins, I hope will make his loss light, pound10 lawful apiece to those scholars who lost their Furniture, and pound40 lawful to the Buttler, all which is that very handsome."

P.