by the Society. The gathering was on Gray's Harbor, as near as possible to the place of original discovery. Beginning September, 1899, a quarterly, with the title, The Washington Historian, was published by the Society and continued for two years. Thus was preserved interesting, varied, and important matter that future historians will find invaluable. It is a matter of sincere regret that it did not receive the support it deserved that it might have continued its career of usefulness down to the present.
The Society had to depend upon funds raised by private subscription, and the long period of financial depression that soon followed its birth left it without means to carry on its work with any degree of effectiveness, especially in the gathering of original matter. For years it has had a pleasant home in rooms provided for it in the City Hall, and the publishers of the State have been liberal in their contributions of regular and transient newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets, so that it has a valuable collection in this line.
During the last two sessions of the state legislature friends of the Society presented strong arguments for granting aid to the Society from the public treasury, and two years ago $3,000 were included in the appropriation bill for that purpose, but that clause was vetoed by the executive; last session $2,000 were set apart for the same purpose, but have since been diverted to other uses.
Most of its first members have died or moved from the State, and of late years it had little more than a nominal existence. This fact led to the organization of a society of the same kind in Seattle, about three years ago, where considerable interest is taken by a large number of ladies and gentlemen of literary tastes in the history of the State. This later body took the name of "The Washington State University Historical Society." While several
