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MEMOIR 
 
 OP TUB 
 
 HON. ABBOTT LAWRENCE, 
 
 PREPARED FOR THE 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 
 
 BY 
 
 HON. NATHAN APPLETON. 
 II 
 
 <^ c 
 
 
 BOSTON: 
 1856. 
 
 J. II. EASTBURN'S PRESS. 
 

 At a stated meeting of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 
 on the 13th day of March, 185G, after the formal business of the 
 morning had been transacted, the following Memoir of their late 
 associate member, the Honorable Abbott Lawrence, was pre- 
 sented, agreeably to a previous appointment of the Society, by the 
 Honorable Nathan Appleton, and, having been read by him, was 
 referred to the Committee of Publication, for the purpose of be- 
 ing printed. 
 
3IEM0IR. 
 
 The duty of preparing a memoir of Abbott Law- 
 RE>X'E for the Massachusetts Historical Society, agree- 
 ably to then- appointment, is undertaken as a sad, but 
 pleasing labor of love, by one who, during a large part 
 of his life, was not only engaged in similar pursuits, 
 but was on terms of the greatest j)ersonal mtimacy 
 with him. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was by profession a merchant — a pro- 
 fession which is not often associated with the higher 
 exhibitions of intellect. It is true it is often accompa- 
 nied with great Avcalth, and wealth alone carries with it 
 power, and a certain degree of distinction. 
 
 The merchant is at the head of the numerous family 
 who li^e by trade — in the distribution, on a smaller or 
 larger scale, of the commodities which supply the wants 
 and fancies of life. The whole family is actuated im- 
 mediately and dkectly by the selfish principle, in its 
 application to property. The sole object of trade is 
 profit — gain to the trader. Other occupations and pro- 
 fessions, whilst tied doAvn by the common necessity of 
 providing for the wants of life, are associated with other 
 aims which command the higher places in the world's 
 estimation. 
 
Notwithstanding the eloquent expostulations of the 
 friends of peace, the Avorld continues to assign the fore- 
 most rank to the successful warrior, who fights for 
 glory as well as patriotism. A Napoleon or a Wel- 
 lington always commands the applause of his day and 
 generation. Even Washington won his glory as a 
 warrior before he was known as the statesman. In the 
 learned professions — in the various departments of sci- 
 ence—and in the higher walks of art, it is the love of 
 fame which is the spur to excellence, rather than any 
 pecuniary acquisition. The same principle will apply, 
 in a considerable degree, to the mechanic arts. It is 
 true that some modification of the selfish principle may 
 be said to lie at the root of all human action, but no- 
 where is it so naked and undisguised as in the pro- 
 fession of the merchant, whose direct and avowed object 
 is the getting of gain. At the same time, the world 
 has alwavs ffiven honor to merchants. We are told in 
 Holy Writ, that " the traffickers of Tyre were the hon- 
 orable of the Earth," and the same character has been 
 freely bestowed in all succeeding ages. It is to be 
 taken for granted, however, that it has always been the 
 use made of the wealth acquired in trade, which has 
 been the object of commendation and honor, rather 
 than the success in its accunndation. 
 
 The merchant makes no claim to benevolence or 
 patriotism as his ruling motive in trade: all he pro- 
 fesses is absolute and undeviating justice. The morals 
 of trade are of the strictest and purest character. It is 
 nut an uncommon opinion that there is a laxity m the 
 
mercantile code, which looks with indulgence on what 
 are called the tricks of trade. It is not so. Whilst 
 the du-ect object of all trade is gain, individual benefit, 
 not the slightest jDrevarication or deviation from truth 
 is allowable. There is no class of men with whom the 
 Christian rule of domg to others what we expect or 
 require in return, is more strictly demanded, than 
 amongst merchants. Mercantile honor is as delicate 
 and fragile as that of a woman. It will not bear the 
 slightest stain. The man in trade who has been found 
 to equivocate or falter in his course, becomes a marked 
 man. He is avoided. It is thus found, by experience, 
 that integrity is almost as uniformly the accompaniment 
 of success, as it always is of character. It is true, that 
 in the manifold operations of trade, there are oj^portu- 
 nities and temptations to acts of dishonesty, more fre- 
 quent than in other occupations, and it is not to be de- 
 nied that, in many instances, poor human nature is 
 found to )ield to them. What we insist on is the 
 rigidity of the rule which controls the action of the 
 honorable merchant, and under which alone he can 
 claim that name. 
 
 But whilst the selfish principle lies at the foundation 
 of trade, there is no reason why the trader himself should 
 not be active in benevolence and all the Christian vir- 
 tues. There is no occupation which has a tendency to 
 liberalize the mind more than that of the merchant. 
 His intercourse is wide with men of all opinions and 
 of all countries. He perceives that integrity, virtue, and 
 honor, arc not confined to a narrow ciixle, or to one 
 
6 
 
 country. We accordingly find a full proportion of 
 men engaged in trade among the patrons and managers 
 of our charitable and benevolent institutions. They 
 are also amongst the most liberal supporters of enter- 
 prises midertaken for the public good. It is perhaps 
 natural that men accumulating their own fortunes, 
 should have less hesitation in adventuring property in 
 new enterprises, than those holding property by inher- 
 itance. The fact appears to be so. These general 
 views of the mercantile profession may serve as an ap- 
 propriate mtroduction to the life of one who was so 
 eminent an ornament of that profession, and whose 
 whole career was an illustration of the integrity, liber- 
 ality, and public spirit, which are indispensable ele- 
 ments in the character of the great and good merchant. 
 
 Abbott Lawrence was born in the town of Groton, 
 Massachusetts, December 16th, 1792. He was the 
 fifth son of Deacon Samuel Lawrence, a respectable 
 farmer, who did good service as a soldier during the 
 revolutionary war, in which he rose to the rank of ma- 
 jor, and was highly esteemed by his fellow-citizens. 
 The ancestor, John Lawrence, one of the early Puritan 
 emigrants, settled at Watertown in 1635, and removed 
 to Groton in 1660. He came from AVissett, in Suffolk, 
 where, and in the neighboring parish of llumburg, 
 the family had been long settled. It was of great 
 antiquity. Sir Ilobert Lawrence having been knighted 
 by Richard ('anir do Lion, in 1191, for his bravery 
 in scaling the walls of Acre. The early education 
 
of the subject of this memou* was at the district school 
 dui-ing the winter, and for a few months at the Acad- 
 emy which now bears his name. This was the narrow 
 foundation on which he himself added the superstruc- 
 tiu*e which has carried him successfully through the 
 various places which he was destined to fill. With 
 this, the common outfit of every New England boy, 
 he came to Boston, in 1808, as an apprentice to his 
 brother Amos, who was already established m business, 
 and who thus speaks of him in his diary: "In 1808 
 he came to me, as my apprentice, brmging his bundle 
 under his arm, with less than three dollars in his 
 pocket, and this was his fortune. A first-rate business 
 lad he was, but, like other bright lads, needed the care- 
 ful eye of a senior to guard him from the pit-falls that 
 he was exposed to." He is reported to have been most 
 assiduous and diligent in his duties, and to have de- 
 voted his evenings to supply the deficiencies of his 
 early education. The business of the elder brother was 
 prosperous, and when Abbott came of age, m 1814, a 
 copartnership was formed between them, which contm- 
 ued until terminated by death. Theii- business was the 
 importation and sale of foreign manufactures, in which 
 the firm stood at the head of that class of merchants — 
 and by their industry and enterprise acquired a large 
 fortune. Under the tariff's of 1816 and 1824 the manu- 
 facture of cottons and woollens was extensively intro- 
 duced, and the house of A. & A. Lawrence entered 
 largely into their sales on commission. It was not un- 
 
8 
 
 til the rear 1830 that thev became interested in the 
 cotton mills at Lowell. 
 
 On the establishment of the Suifolk, Tremont, and 
 Lawrence Companies, as well as subsequently in other 
 corporations, they became large proprietors. From this 
 time, then- business, as selHng agents, was on the most 
 extensive scale, and their income from all sources large 
 in proportion. As a man of business, Mr, Lawrence 
 possessed talents of tlie very first order. Prompt, ener- 
 getic, with an intuitive insight into the characters of 
 men, with sound judgment and an openness of charac- 
 ter which won favor on the sliglitcst acquaintance, he 
 acquhed the confidence of the community in the highest 
 degree. For many of the last years of his life, he was 
 largely mterested in the China trade, the source of a 
 good deal of profit. But his mind was not confined to 
 the numerous details and ramifications of his business, 
 extensive as it was. He took a deep interest in all mat- 
 ters of public concern, in politics, political economy, 
 finance. He was amongst the most zealous advocates 
 of the protective system, before he was himself inter- 
 ested in manufactures, and was one of the delegates 
 from jNIassachusetts to Harrisburg, in 1827, where he 
 took an active part in the deliberations of that assem- 
 bly. In 1834, he was elected a member of the twenty- 
 fourth Congress, for the district of Suffolk. He was 
 placed at once on the Committee of Ways and Means, 
 where his acquaintance with mercantile affairs gave 
 him much deserved influence. He won the favor of all 
 parties, by his general intelligence, and by his genial 
 
9 
 
 and affiible manners. Without making set speeches for 
 disphiy, he spoke well, on proper occasions, on the 
 matters of busmess before Congress. He declined a re- 
 election at the end of the term, but in 1839, in conse- 
 quence of a vacancy, he was with difficulty persuaded 
 to allow himself to be a candidate for the twentv-sixth 
 Congress, to which he was triumphantly elected. His 
 usefulness in this position was, however, soon brought 
 to a close, by a severe attack of fever, in March, 18i0, 
 on his recovery from which, he considered it necessary 
 to resign the office. 
 
 In 18-12, he was appointed, on the part of Massachu- 
 setts, a Commissioner on the subject of the Xortheast- 
 em Boundary, which had become a most dangerous 
 and difficult question, entrusted on the part of the 
 British government to Lord Ashburton. It is the be- 
 lief of the writer, who was then in Congress and in 
 daily confidential communication with him, that to 
 ^Ir. Lawrence, more than to any other individual, is 
 due the successful accomplishment of the negotiation, 
 which residted in the important treaty of Washmgton. 
 Lord Ashburton was himself a merchant, of an open, 
 straight-forward character. He had accepted the office 
 of Ambassador with the especial purpose of settling 
 this vexed question. ]\Ir. Lawrence accepted the office 
 of Commissioner with much the same feeling. They 
 were both of opinion that any terms of settlement 
 which involved no sacrifice of honor, were better than 
 that this portentous question should remain unsettled, 
 liable at any moment to break out into a regular war. 
 
10 
 
 They soon came to an unclerstancling with each other. 
 Lord Ashburton communicated freely to Mr. Lawrence 
 the utmost Hmits to which his instructions would allow 
 him to go, and jNIr. Lawrence was thus enabled to 
 brmg his somewhat intractable colleagues to the final 
 happy issue. He was at last, at the close of the nego- 
 tiation, called in to satisfy the scruples of President 
 Tyler, who had found a difficulty in his own mind 
 with some of the details, which Mr. Webster, the Secre- 
 tary of State, was unable to remove. 
 
 In the Presidential campaign of 18J:0, he took an 
 active part in favor of the election of Gen. Harrison. 
 In September, 1842, he was President of the Whig 
 Convention, which nominated Henry Clay for Presi- 
 dent, on the part of Massachusetts. He was a delegate 
 to the Whig National Convention in 1844, and, in the 
 same year, one of the electors at large for the State. 
 In the Presidential canvass of 1848, the name of Mr. 
 Lawrence was prominently associated for the office of 
 Vice-President with that of Gen. Taylor for President, 
 and at the convention in Philadelphia he wanted but 
 six votes of being nommated for that office. This re- 
 sult Avas owing to the peculiar and unexpected course 
 of some of the delegates of his own State. He was 
 disappointed, but never allowed his equanimity to be 
 disturbed. He had, with extreme delicacy, forborne to 
 allow his name to be brought forward by his friends 
 until the last moment, and he did not allow any personal 
 feeling to affect his course. He presided at a ratifica- 
 tion meeting, m Paneuil Hall, to sustain the nomina- 
 
11 
 
 tion of Taylor and Fillmore. As a presiding officer, on 
 this and similar occasions, he appeared to great advan- 
 tage, lie was, in fact, a self-made, but very successful 
 and forcible public speaker. This was shown effective- 
 ly, during this campaign, in what are called caucus 
 speeches, in which he was always happy. He was 
 urgently solicited, in various quarters of the country, 
 to address his fellow-citizens, but confined himself to a 
 few of the most important pomts, m which he was 
 emmently successful. 
 
 Immediately after the inauguration of Gen. Taylor, 
 he was summoned to AVashington, and urged to take 
 a seat in the Cabinet. But the two highest places 
 had been disposed of, and those which remamcd were 
 not to his taste, and were declined. A higher position 
 was soon after offered him, — that of the Representative 
 of the United States at the Coui't of Great Britam. 
 This is a station of the highest honor, which has been 
 filled by some of the most eminent men of the country, 
 requiring sound discretion as the necessary foundation, 
 and in which the highest and the most varied infor- 
 mation upon all subjects will find fidl exercise. This 
 place, after some hesitation, he accepted, and, with 
 Mrs. Lawrence, embarked for England in September, 
 1849. It is difficult to find greater contrasts in the 
 life of any man, than those presented by his first and 
 last visits to England — the first as a novice, confined 
 to the operations of trade at Manchester and Leeds, 
 and the last mtroducing him directly to Queen Vic- 
 toria and the British Coui't, and giving him free in- 
 
12 
 
 tcrcourse Avith the most clistiiiguislied Statesmen ol tlie 
 land. This position he occupied not merely respecta- 
 bly, but Avith the highest honor, not only to himself, 
 but to his country. He did not attempt to pass for 
 what he was not, but his general information, especially 
 upon matters relating to trade, commerce, and finance, 
 caused his opinions to be sought in the highest quar- 
 ters, whilst his peculiar urbanity and gracious manners 
 made him a favorite with all with whom he came in 
 contact. The possession of an ample fortune enabled 
 him to support a style of hospitality more in accord- 
 ance with the higher European embassies, than is usual 
 under the somewhat niggardly allowance of our own 
 government. All this, however, he did without over- 
 stepping the bounds of the strictest propriety and deco- 
 rum. On public occasions, and at the numerous festi- 
 vals which he attended, he acquitted himself in the 
 happiest manner,^and his speeches may well compare 
 with those made by Statesmen of the highest education. 
 
 Having had im opportunity of examining copies of 
 his diplomatic correspondence, a small portion only of 
 which has been published, the writer has no hesitation 
 in characterising it as exceedingly able, both in matter 
 and manner, and as comparing well with the best speci- 
 mens of that species of composition. It is very evident 
 that he inspired the deepest respect in the different 
 functionaries with whom he came in contact. 
 
 One of the first objects requiring his attention, was 
 the project of a ship canal from the Caribbean Sea to 
 the Pacific Ocean, which had been brought forward by 
 
13 
 
 his predecessor, My. Bancroft. The assent and miaran- 
 tee of both the United States and Great Britain were 
 necessary to effect this object. An obstacle existed in 
 the claim set up by Great Britain to the Protectorate of 
 the Mosquito Territory, on a part of which the eastern 
 terminus of the canal must be made. This subject was 
 one which received his immediate attention, and, as 
 early as December, 1849, he obtained from Lord Pal- 
 merston a disavowal, on the part of Great Britain, of 
 any intention " to occupy or colonize Nicaragua, Costa 
 Rica, the Mosquito Coast, or any part of Central 
 America." His mind was very much occupied with 
 this matter, in the expectation that it would devolve on 
 him to negotiate a treaty with the British Government. 
 In a letter of December l-lth, 1849, to Lord Palmers- 
 ton, he presents a view of the important advantages to 
 result from such a canal, and of the obstacle interposed 
 by the claim in behalf of the Mosquito Indians as an 
 Independent Sovereignty. In the mean time, he set 
 himself to work in collecting information in illustration 
 of the connection of the British Government with the 
 Mosquito Indians, out of which their claim to certain 
 peculiar rights as their protectors was founded. In 
 this, he was entirely successful. He became possessed 
 of some very important manuscript documents, which 
 had never been published, consisting of the Vernon 
 and Wager manuscripts, wdiich he characterizes as 
 "A collection embodying, in the original, official as 
 well as private letters of the Duke of Newcastle, of Sir 
 Charles AA ager, of Admu'al Vernon, of Sir AVilliam 
 
14 
 
 Pultcney, of Governor Trelawney, of Mr. Uobert Hodg- 
 son and many others, a mass of authentic mformation 
 never pubHshed, and not existing anywhere else, unless 
 in Her Majesty's State Paper Office." 
 
 He was arranging all these matters into a legal ar- 
 gument and historical document, when in April, 1850, 
 he received notice from Mr. Clayton, Secretary of State, 
 that " these negotiations were entirely transferred to 
 Washington, and that he was to cease altogether to 
 press them in London." This was naturally a severe 
 disappointment, but he at once set about changing the 
 character of this document from a letter to Lord 
 Palmerston, to a despatch to our own Secretary of 
 State. It bears date 19th April, 1850. It covers 
 eighty-five folio pages of manuscript. It discusses the 
 question of the title of the Mosquito Indians to the 
 sovereignty of the country claimed for them by Great 
 Britain. It states, very clearly, the law established by 
 the different nations of Eui'ope, in reference to their 
 own rights, and that of the Savages inhabiting the con- 
 tinent and islands of America. " The Christian world 
 have agreed in recognizing the Indians as occupants 
 only of the lands, without a right of possession, without 
 domain, the sovereignty being determined by priority 
 of discovery, and occupation." 
 
 In the historical review of the question, he states 
 that Spain established her rights on the Mosquito terri- 
 tory in the 15 th century, which were recognized in the 
 treaty of 1672 by Sir AVilliam Godolphin. He quotes 
 from the documents beforcmcntioned, abundant evidence 
 
15 
 
 of the tampering of the Governor of Jamaica, and of 
 the Admiral on that station, with the Mosquitoes, dur- 
 ing the war which broke out with Spain in 1739. 
 The treaty of 17(i3, as well as that of 1783, would 
 seem to admit the sovereignty of Spain in the fullest 
 degree. This whole question is argued with great abil- 
 ity. It is unfortunate that whilst this document was 
 on its passage to Washington, a treaty was actually 
 signed by Mr. Clayton and Six Henry L. Bulwer, out 
 of which a serious misunderstanding has arisen. This 
 could liardly have happened, had this document been 
 communicated to the British government, as the Amer- 
 ican view of the question. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence's own view of the subject was, " that 
 whenever the history of the conduct of Great Britain 
 shall be published to the world, it will not stand one 
 hour before the bar of public opinion without universal 
 condemnation." * 
 
 A question was left unsettled by Mr. Bancroft, in re- 
 lation to the postal rates on the transit of letters across 
 England, to which Mr. Lawrence devoted a good deal 
 of time. Not being able to induce the Postmaster- 
 General to adopt rates more reasonable than the exist- 
 ing ones, he recommended to our government to give 
 notice to annul the convention of 181:8, as they had a 
 right to do, as the only means of bringmg about a 
 more equitable arrangement. 
 
 Another matter which Mr. Lawrence pressed upon 
 the British Government with earnestness and ability, 
 
 • This document was published on a call from the Senate, February 9th, 1853. Senate Doc. 32d 
 Congress, 2d session, No. 2". 
 
16 
 
 was the injustice of her Ught-house system, by which 
 foreign tonnage is taxed to support sinecure offices, 
 "s^hilst our own light-houses are free to all the world, 
 without any tax whatever. These despatches, which 
 were never satisfactorily answered, were made public 
 by vote of the House of Commons on motion of Mr. 
 Hume. 
 
 A delicate but spirited correspondence took place 
 between ]\Ir. Lawrence and Lord Granville in relation 
 to the outrage committed by H. M. ship Express on 
 the steamer Prometheus, for Avhich an ample apology 
 was made. 
 
 In August, 1852, England was thrown into intense 
 excitement, in consequence of a letter written by Mr. 
 Webster on the subject of the new ground taken by 
 Great Britain in reference to the fisheries. This led to 
 several interviews between Mr. Lawrence and Lord 
 Malmesbury, the result of which was such a modifica- 
 tion of the instructions to the vessels on the station as 
 prevented any collision. His attention was unremitted 
 in reference to the very numerous private claims upon 
 the British Government which recpiircd his care. A 
 joint commission was afterward appointed to decide de- 
 finitively upon this description of cases. 
 
 In September, 1851, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence made a 
 tour in Ireland, of which he gives an interesting ac- 
 count in a despatch under date of 2d December. They 
 visited Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Killarney, Cork, &c. 
 In many of these places, he was met by deputations, 
 and received the most flattering and respectful atten- 
 
17 
 
 tions. His account of the present state of Ireland, and 
 his remarks upon it are m the highest degree interest- 
 m<r and instructive. 
 
 On the whole it may be doubted whether, since the 
 mission of Dr. Franklin, any minister of the United 
 States has accomplished a diplomatic success greater 
 than must be awarded to Mr. Lawrence. This was the 
 result of his peculiar endowments, quick apprehension, 
 sagacity, retentive memory, power of reaching the pith 
 of a matter, tact, kindness of heart, and perfect truth- 
 fulness. 
 
 His residence in London, mingling freely in society, 
 did much in producing a change in public opinion, 
 favorable to his own country. The writer thought 
 he saw good e^-idence of this at a dinner at which 
 he was present, given by Mr. Westhead, member 
 of Parliament for Knaresborough, at the Clarendon 
 Hotel, to a party of about fifty, consisting equally of 
 English and Americans. This gentleman had met Mr. 
 Lawrence diu'ing a "visit which he made to Manchester 
 and Tiverpool, and was so much pleased wdth him that 
 he requested permission to give him such a dinner, 
 which it would have been ungracious to refuse. It 
 was a compliment to !Mr. Lawrence and his country, 
 graced by the presence of distmguished members of 
 the British Cabinet, and such Americans as haj^pened 
 to be in England. It w^as opened by a neat speech 
 from Mr. AVesthead, to which Mr. Lawrence replied 
 m his happiest manner. Speeches followed by Lord 
 Palmerston, Mr. Gladstone, Earl Powis, Mr. Cardwell, 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 and others. They were beautiful specimens of dinner 
 speeches ; but what was particularly striking, was the 
 amiable manner in which they tendered the right hand 
 of fellowship to their American brothers. There seemed 
 to be a general desire to express the feeling that brother 
 Jonathan had proved himself a worthy chip of the old 
 block, and was entitled to tlieii" kindest regards. There 
 w^as an air of sincerity and cordiality on the occasion 
 which could not be mistaken. Unfortunately, reporters 
 were excluded, so that these speeches were never given 
 to the public. 
 
 After three vcars' service, Mr. Lawrence obtained 
 leave to return to his comitry, which he did in October, 
 1852. On this occasion, he was invited to a public 
 dinner, but happening at a period when the whole 
 community were deeply affected by the recent death 
 of ]\Ir. Webster, he declined it ; — he arrived, m fact, 
 barely in time to attend the funeral of that lamented 
 statesman. 
 
 Mr. Law^rence was always ready and foremost in 
 supporting measures which promised benefit to the 
 public. lie was a large subscriber to the various 
 railroads projected for the concentration of trade in 
 Boston, and this from a feeling of patriotism, rather 
 than the expectation of profit. His subscriptions for 
 public objects of charity or education were always on 
 the most liberal scale ; but the crowning act of this 
 character was the establishment of the Scientific School 
 at Cambridge, connected with Harvard College, for 
 which he gave fifty thousand dollars in 1847, and left 
 
19 
 
 a further like sum by his will. His letter to Mr. Eliot, 
 the treasurer of the CoUcge, accompanying the dona- 
 tion, was a proof how completely his mind was imbued 
 with the subject, and how fully and acciu'ately he had 
 investigated it. This institution supplied a great want 
 in oiu- system of education, in the application of science 
 to the arts. He left a fuither sum of fifty thousand 
 dollars for the purpose of erecting model lodgmg houses, 
 the income of the rents to be forever applied to certain 
 public charities. He received, in 1854, the honorary 
 degree of Doctor of Laws from Harvard College, and 
 also from that of "Willi amsto^vn. 
 
 Viewing his character phrenologically, it was the 
 symmetry and beauty of the whole organization which 
 constituted its excellence, without the peculiar promi- 
 nence or exaggeration of particular organs which give 
 the highest power of genius in their manifestation. In 
 other words, his intellectual and moral powers were in 
 due and admirable proportion — with no deficiency and 
 with no excess. In his person, he was at the same 
 time commanding and prepossessing, with a sua\ity 
 and air of benevolence and sincerity which indicated 
 the perfect gentleman. 
 
 In his social relations he was eminently happy. 
 Early in life, he married Katharine, the daughter of 
 the Hon. Timothy Bigelow, long known and distin- 
 guished as the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
 of ^lassachusetts. She aided in his labors with devoted 
 fidelity, and shared in his honors with becoming dignity. 
 He lived to see a numerous family of children well 
 
20 
 
 married, and settled in life. His eldest son married 
 the daughter of the emment historian Prescott. 
 
 In June, 1855, he was attacked with alarmmg s}inp- 
 toms of disease. These continued to increase, and his 
 life was brought to a close on the 18th day of August, 
 in the sixty-thu-d year of his age. He was, in principle 
 and practice, during life, a sincere and pious Christian. 
 He met death as becomes a Christian to die. At this 
 comparatively early age, Avith e^'erything about him 
 calculated to make the close of life a period of calm 
 and tranquil enjoyment, in the consciousness of a life 
 well spent, he resigned his spirit to the God who gave 
 it, without a murmur or expression of anything but 
 gratitude for the blessings he had ex,perienced. 
 
 There was no circumstance of his life more remark- 
 able than the demonstration of public feeling diuing 
 his sickness, and after his death. During the last few 
 Imgering days of his life, there seemed to be but one 
 topic on the public mind. AYas there any hope ? Is 
 he to die? Seldom has the death of an individual, 
 holding no public office, called forth such an expression 
 of deep feeling. Faneuil Hall, on a short notice, w^as 
 spontaneously crowded by our citizens, in order to 
 give vent to theu' grief Speeches were made by 
 several of our most distmguishcd men. It was the 
 loss of a friend, of a general benefactor, of a good 
 man, which called forth this universal expression of 
 sorrow. The government of Harvard College, and a 
 great number of Societies held special meetings, and 
 adopted resolutions to attend his funeral. The liev. 
 
21 
 
 Dr. I.otlirop, his pastor, in a funeral discourse did 
 justice to his religious character. He says, " The 
 benevolence of Mr. Lawrence, and all the virtues of 
 his life, had their strong foundation and constant nour- 
 ishment in religious faith. He believed in his heart, 
 on the Lord Jesus Christ, and received him as the 
 promised Messiah and Saviour of the AVorld. He was 
 truly catholic in his feelings, lovmg all who love our 
 liOrd Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth ; and extended 
 the helping hand of his charities to the enterprises of 
 various Christian denominations." 
 
 Air. Lawrence's connection with our own Society 
 was brief, his election having taken place in December, 
 1853 ; but he entered deeply into the spirit of our pur- 
 suits, and contemplated making some valuable contri- 
 butions to our archives. His name will be always 
 cherished as one of the most distinguished upon our 
 rolls. 
 
MEMOIR 
 
 OP THE 
 
 HON. ABBOTT LAWRENCE, 
 
 PREPARED FOR THE 
 
 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 
 
 BY 
 
 HON. NATHAN APPLETON. 
 
RB 9.3. i 
 
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