The following notice was sent to the chairmen of the boards of selectmen of Dartmouth, Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet. CITY OF NEW BEDFORD. MAYOR'S OFFICE, 8th mo. 17th, 1864. Chairman of the board of To selectmen of.......... My friend, You are, with your colleagues of the board, respectfully requested to attend a meeting of the selectmen of Dartmouth, Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet, and of the committee of the city council of New Bedford, to be held at the mayor's office in the City Hall of said city, on the 19th instant, at 11 o'clock in the forenoon, for the purpose of making arrangements for the Centennial Celebration on the 7th of next month. Respectfully, GEORGE HOWLAND, JUN., Mayor. The Trustees of the Free Public Library, having taken some action expressive of their interest in the proposed celebration, a committee of that body, consisting of its President the Mayor of the city, and Messrs. James B. Congdon and Henry J. Taylor, was requested to co-operate with the committee of the council in making the necessary arrangements. MEETING OF COMMITTEE. August 19th, 1864. Present, His Honor the Mayor, and Messrs. Taylor, Kingman, and Congdon, of New Bedford. From Dartmouth. Jireh Sherman and Calvin K. Turner, 2d, Esquires. From Westport. Ezra P. Brownell, Esq. From Fairhaven. Barth'w. Taber and Ellery T. Taber, Esquires. From Acushnet. Hon. Cyrus E. Clark and Walter Spooner, Esq. The mayor gave a welcome to the gentlemen from the neighboring towns, and informed them that the committee had fixed upon Wednesday, the 7th day of September next, for the celebration, and that William W. Crapo had consented to deliver an address and James B. Congdon a poem on the occasion. The object of the present meeting was to complete the arrangements. The action of the city committee was approved by the meeting, after substituting the 14th, instead of the 7th, as the day for the celebration. The meeting then proceeded to make all the necessary arrangements for the occasion. HENRY J. TAYLOR, Esq., was appointed Marshal of the day. It was decided to have the exercises at the church of the First Christian Society, and a collation at the City Hall after the proceedings at the church should be over. The following form of a notice was agreed upon and ordered to be published in the city papers. CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. To the Sons and Daughters of Old Dartmouth abroad, the undersigned, on behalf of the children at home, send GREETING. TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO "The tracte of land called and known by the name of Acushnet, Ponagansett and Coaksett was allowed by the Court to bee a townshipe:-to bee henceforth called and knowne by the name of Dartmouth." The villages which then formed the town of Dartmouth, now constitute the towns of Dartmouth, Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet, and the city of New Bedford. On the 14th day of September next it is proposed to commemorate in New Bedford, by appropriate exercises, the completion of the second century since the incorporation of the parent town. Our greeting is extended to all who, by birth, descent, marriage or former residence, may be supposed to feel an interest in the occasion. To all such we cordially extend an invitation to unite with us in our Family Re-union. We know that it will gladden our hearts, we trust it may yours, to meet as one household, upon the spot, consecrated by our fathers "two hundred years ago" to whatever "MIGHT CONDUCE TO THE GOOD OF THE INHABITANTS IN TOWN CONCERNMENTS." GEORGE HOWLAND, JR., Mayor of New Bedford. JIREH SHERMAN, Chairman of Board of Selectmen of Dartmouth. Chairman of Board of Selectmen of Westport. Chairman of Board of Selectmen of Fairhaven. Chairman of Board of Selectmen of Acushnet. PROGRAMME. The following programme was prepared by order of the committee of arrangements and published in the city papers. CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION: September 14th, 1864. The celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the incorporation of the ancient town of Dartmouth, will take place at New Bedford on Wednesday, the 14th day C of September instant, under the direction of the several municipalities of Dartmouth, New Bedford, Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet. There will be services at the Church of the First Christian Society; a Public Dinner at City Hall; and a Balloon Ascension from the Common. EXERCISES AT THE CHURCH. The exercises at the Church will be an Address by His Honor GEORGE HOWLAND, Jr., Mayor of New Bedford. An Address by WILLIAM W. CRAPO, Esq., A Poem by JAMES B. CONGDON, Esq., with appropriate Vocal and Instrumental Music. DINNER AT CITY HALL. Plates will be laid in the hall for six hundred persons. It is expected that His Excellency the Governor of the Commonwealth will be present with his military family. Other distinguished individuals, many of them from abroad, will attend as invited guests, from whom addresses appropriate to the occasion and the times may be expected. Vocal and Instrumental Music will give diversity to the entertainment. THE BALLOON ASCENSION. The Balloon Ascension will take place from the city common, at 5 o'clock, P. M. The exercises at the Church will commence at 11 o'clock, A. M. The invited guests, the selectmen of Dartmouth, Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet, the members of the New Bedford City Council, with the clerks of the two branches, and the town-clerks of the several towns, will assemble at the Mayor's room, in City Hall, at 10 o'clock. At half after 10 they will proceed to the Church and occupy the seats reserved for them. The Church will be opened at 10 o'clock for the admission of ladies, and gentlemen accompanied by ladies, to seats in any part of the building not reserved. After the exercises at the Church the gentlemen occupying the reserved seats will return in a body to City Hall.' The ladies and gentlemen who hold tickets for the dinner, will assemble at the Council Chambers in the City Hall, at 1 o'clock. To avoid confusion the plates will be numbered to correspond with the number upon the tickets. Tickets for the dinner may be obtained on and after the 8th instant, at the stores of Henry J. Taylor and Cornelius Davenport, where a plan of the tables may be seen. Gentlemen holding cards of invitation have no occasion to provide tickets for the dinner. I am requested by His Honor the Mayor, respectfully to desire the citizens of New Bedford to do all that may be in their power to render the occasion one of profit and enjoyment. His desire is that we may all close our places of business and open our hearts and our homes, that the celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the incorporation of our parent town may be long and pleasantly remembered. HENRY J. TAYLOR, Marshal. Cards of invitation were sent to a number of gentlemen resident abroad, and to some who are residents of New Bedford, requesting them to be present on the occasion as guests of the city. The following is a copy of a note sent to the Hon. Stephen Salisbury, President of the American Antiquarian Society. CITY OF NEW BEDFORD, To Hon. STEPHEN SALISBURY, President of the American Antiquarian Society, My friend. The two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the Old Town of Dartmouth, will be observed in New Bedford on the 14th instant by exercises appropriate to the occasion. The gentlemen who act for the several municipalities |