It having been voted at the Eleventh Annual Meeting in Washington to hold the next annual meeting in New York, the Executive Council considered the necessary arrangements and resolved to make the Twelfth Annual Meeting and Banquet the most notable in the Society’s history.

Heretofore it had been the custom to hold the meeting and banquet of the Society the same evening, commencing at six o’clock and ending toward midnight. This gave little opportunity for a discussion of the papers presented, and many members who had been invited at these previous meetings to prepare papers were obliged to submit them to the Secretary-General without reading, with the result that the other members obtained information as to the contents of these only after they were printed in the volume of the Journal issued next succeeding the meeting.

The President-General appointed the following gentlemen a Dinner Committee, to arrange the details of the meeting and dinner:

Mr. Stephen J. Farrelly, Chairman; and Messrs. Joseph I. C. Clarke, John D. Crimmins, Edmond J. Curry, Victor Herbert, John J. Lenehan and Joseph T. Ryan.

After negotiations with the various high-class hostelries in New York and exhibiting a desire to procure for the use of the Society the best accommodations to be found in New York, the Dinner Committee finally decided upon the Hotel Plaza as the place and arranged for the business meeting of the Society to commence at two o’clock in the afternoon and terminate at six, and the dinner to begin at seven o’clock.

The following circular was issued and sent to each member of the Society, containing the arrangements for the meeting:

The Twelfth Annual Meeting of the American Irish Historical Society will take place at the Hotel Plaza, New York City, Saturday, January 8, 1910, commencing at two o’clock in the afternoon.

It has been the custom at previous meetings of the Society to assemble at six o’clock, hold a short business meeting, followed by a dinner commencing at seven o’clock, at the conclusion of which historical papers would be read.

It has been found difficult to properly appreciate the learning and research shown by the eminent authors of historical papers in the meagre time between the termination of a good dinner and the hour when the meeting should end, and this year the Executive Council has made a new departure in this regard, which it is earnestly hoped will meet with the approval of our members.

The meeting of the Society will be called to order at two o’clock in the afternoon in the New Banquet Room on the first floor of the Hotel Plaza by the President-General. The first business will be the presentation of reports of the President-General, Treasurer-General, and Secretary-General, followed by the election of General Officers, Executive Council and State Vice-Presidents for the ensuing year.

The Executive Council, at a meeting held in New York, November 12, 1909, nominated a board of officers to be voted upon at this meeting, the names of whom appear elsewhere in this circular.

The report of the Secretary-General will contain the statistics of the Society, the list of new members, names of those dropped for non-payment of dues, synopsis of the work the Society has done during the past year, and other interesting information.

It is expected that the business of the Society and the presentation of scientific papers will all be completed at an hour which will give members ample time to dress for dinner.

The Meeting Room will be open at 12.30 o’clock, and members on their arrival are requested to register themselves and their guests.

The annual dinner will take place in the Grand Ball Room promptly at seven o’clock, and the Dinner Committee are informed that the management of the hotel plan to give us a most enjoyable dinner and extend us every possible courtesy.

The Executive Council, following the departure inaugurated at the Eleventh Annual Meeting in Washington, D. C., January 16, 1909, have voted that members may invite ladies and gentlemen as guests.

The price of the dinner tickets is $5.00 each, and it is advisable to promptly send applications, accompanied by cheque to the Secretary-General, who is Secretary of the Dinner Committee; so that seats may be allotted. Allotments will be made in the order in which applications are received, and parties of six or more, desiring to be seated together, can be accommodated by making that fact known when the tickets are purchased.

Among those who will furnish scientific papers during the afternoon session will be Hon. Joseph F. O’Connell, Hon. Henry Groves Connor, John Louis Sheehan, LL. D., Hon. James Fitzgerald, M. X. Sullivan, Ph. D., Joseph I. C. Clarke, Esq., and Alfred J. Talley, Esq., Judge Joseph T. Lawless, and others.

The speakers at the dinner will be Hon. Michael F. Dooley, Hon. William McAdoo, Rev. J. Havergal Sheppard, D. D., Hon. William A. Prendergast, Hon. Joseph H. O’Neil, Hon. John W. Goff, Hon. Alexander C. Eustace and others.

Souvenirs of the occasion containing the seal of the Society, menu, list of speakers, officers and other detailed information, have been prepared, after competitive bidding, by the Gorham Manufacturing Company. These are very beautiful and artistic and will be distributed among members and guests at the dinner.

The committee of the Society having the dinner in charge is as follows:—Stephen Farrelly, Esq., Joseph T. Ryan, Esq., John J. Lenehan, Esq., Joseph I. C. Clarke, Esq., Hon. John D. Crimmins, Edmond J. Curry, Esq., Victor Herbert, Esq., and Hon. Edward J. McGuire, President-General Quinlan and the Secretary-General ex officio.

As the seating capacity of the Grand Ball Room of the Plaza is limited to 425, it is earnestly desired that members make applications for dinner tickets at once, in order that the Committee may complete arrangements as early as possible and bring about a pleasant reunion of our members and their guests.

A little later an additional circular letter was issued and sent to each of the members, giving additional information about the meeting and dinner that was sought for by quite a few:

THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

The Dinner Committee are greatly pleased with the prompt purchase of tickets by so many members of the Society, and the absolute success of the Twelfth Annual Banquet is now an assured fact.

The President-General and the Executive Council respectfully request that those who intend to be present at the dinner, but have not yet taken tickets or ordered seats for themselves or guests, will do so at the earliest possible moment so that seats may be provided and their comfort looked after. The tickets are five dollars each, and may be had upon application to the Secretary-General, accompanied by check. Members may invite guests, ladies or gentlemen.

The business meeting will be called to order promptly at two o’clock p. m. in the New Banquet Room on the first floor of the Hotel Plaza.

Scientific papers will be presented by the following members: Hon. Joseph F. O’Connell, Hon. Henry Groves Connor, John Louis Sheehan, LL. D., Hon. James Fitzgerald, M. X. Sullivan, Ph. D., Joseph I. C. Clarke, Esq., Alfred J. Talley, Esq., and others.

The speakers at the dinner will be: Hon. Michael F. Dooley, Hon. William McAdoo, Rev. J. Havergal Sheppard, D. D., Col. Charles Alexander, Hon. William A. Pendergast, Hon. John W. Goff, Edward M. Tierney, Esq., and others.

The Secretary-General will be in attendance at the Society’s headquarters at The Plaza after 9 a. m., the day of the meeting and banquet, and will have on sale tickets for those who up to that time have not been provided with them. The seats, however, will not be as desirable for those who wait until the day of the banquet to get their tickets, but there are plenty of desirable places remaining unsold.

The attendance of every member who can possibly be present is strongly urged, with the hope of making this meeting and banquet the greatest the Society has ever held. The Hotel Plaza is the most desirable place for a banquet in New York, and was selected by the Dinner Committee with the sole idea of having the best obtainable for our Society.

The management has given the members the benefit of a low rate for accommodations, and authorizes the following quotations to our members and guests:

Single rooms with bath for one person $4.00, $5.00 and $6.00 per day, according to location.

Double rooms with bath for two persons $6.00, $7.00 and $8.00 per day, according to location.

Dinner at seven o’clock in the Grand Ball Room. An exquisite souvenir designed by the Dinner Committee and executed by Gorham Company, containing program, songs and useful information about the Society, will be presented each member and guest in attendance at the dinner.

At the conclusion of the business meeting the assembly room was cleared and properly arranged for a reception to the members of the Society, to be given by the officers. This function was well attended, and the large assembly hall was filled to overflowing with members and their lady and gentlemen guests.

The programme of the evening was executed by the Gorham Manufacturing Company from designs and suggestions furnished by the New York members of the Dinner Committee, and is considered the most artistic programme ever used at a similar function in New York.

The menu of the dinner, which was served under the personal direction of Mr. C. E. Railing, the manager of the Plaza, was as follows:

This banquet was served in the principal dining hall of the Hotel Plaza, which, on account of the great number of tickets sold, was crowded to the doors with members of the Society and guests.

President-General Francis J. Quinlan presided at the meeting and later at the banquet, and divine grace was asked at the latter by Right Reverend James A. McFaul, D. D., Bishop of Trenton.

The Society acknowledges the many courtesies extended to it by the management of the Hotel Plaza and the earnest effort to do everything possible for our pleasure and comfort, and the painstaking efforts and excellent direction of Mr. C. E. Railing, in immediate charge in behalf of the Hotel Plaza of our arrangements, are gratefully appreciated by the Society.

The proceedings of the twelfth annual meeting and banquet of the Society were stenographically reported by Miss Viola Follis of Providence, R. I., whose faithful and accurate transcription of last year’s proceedings won so much favor.