Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 23.

‘[p. 63] and antiquities’ of the three hundred and sixteen towns in a greater or less degree. It was a substantial volume of six hundred and twenty-five pages, illustrated by two hundred wood engravings. But little more than one page and one illustration was devoted to Medford, whose population was given as 2,075. Its then northern neighbor, Woburn, with 2,643 inhabitants, had two pages and two excellent views given it. Eleven lines sufficed for Stoneham, which had but 932 people in its ‘village of about forty dwelling houses.’ Medford's western neighbor, then West Cambridge, had 1,308 of population, and was noted in eighteen lines. Charlestown, which then extended to West Cambridge, with 10,101 people, was of course given prominence by the historian. Malden had 2,303, and its story was told in two pages, including one illustration.

The Historical Society has in its library a copy of Mr. Barber's work which is well worth examination. It was given by Mr. George D. Cummings, and was that of his father, the late Charles Cummings, long principal of Medford's high school. At the time of his donation, the younger Mr. Cummings remarked (of the view), ‘How does that street look to you?’ Mr. Barber said in his ‘Preface’

The drawings for the numerous engravings were, with few exceptions, taken on the spot by the author,

and trusted that any critics would look from his point of view. He certainly did ‘some job’ in preparing this work, and must have traversed the state quite thoroughly to have sketched the two hundred views.

Recently the ‘wood block engravings’ made from his sketches, and from which his illustrations were printed in 1839, have come into the possession of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. By its courtesy, we present one on the register's frontispiece, and bespeak for it a careful observation.

Mr. Barber named none of the features of this ‘Southern ’