EQUITY SEC TRUST SIGN SER REICH&TANG GRO AN VALUE TRUST II
487, 1998-09-29
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   As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 29, 1998
                           Registration No. 333-56917
    


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
                             -----------------------

   
                               AMENDMENT NO. 1 to
                                    FORM S-6
    

                    For Registration Under the Securities Act
                    of 1933 of Securities of Unit Investment
                        Trusts Registered on Form N-8B-2
                           ---------------------------

A.       EXACT NAME OF TRUST:

         Equity Securities Trust, Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth and
         Value Trust II

B.       NAME OF DEPOSITOR:

         Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.

C.       COMPLETE ADDRESS OF DEPOSITOR'S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES:

         Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.
         600 Fifth Avenue
         New York, New York 10020

D.       NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS OF AGENT FOR SERVICE:

                                                     COPY OF COMMENTS TO:
         PETER J. DEMARCO                            MICHAEL R. ROSELLA, Esq.
         Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.             Battle Fowler LLP
         600 Fifth Avenue                            75 East 55th Street
         New York, New York 10020                    New York, New York 10022
                                                     (212) 856-6858

E.       TITLE AND AMOUNT OF SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED:

         An indefinite number of Units of Equity Securities Trust, Signature
         Series, Reich & Tang Growth and Value Trust II is being registered
         under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Section 24(f) of the
         Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and Rule 24f-2 thereunder.

         F. PROPOSED MAXIMUM AGGREGATE OFFERING PRICE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE
         SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED:

         Indefinite

G.       AMOUNT OF FILING FEE:

                  No Filing Fee Required

H.       APPROPRIATE DATE OF PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING:

              As soon as practicable after the effective date of the
         Registration Statement.

   
         /X/ Check if it is proposed that this filing will become effective
         immediately upon filing pursuant to Rule 487.
    

754544.1

<PAGE>

   


    

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                   INSERT LOGO

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                            EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST,
                                SIGNATURE SERIES,
                     REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST II

The  Trust  is a unit  investment  trust  designated  Equity  Securities  Trust,
Signature  Series,  Reich & Tang Growth and Value Trust II (the "Value Trust" or
"Trust").  The Sponsor is Reich & Tang Distributors,  Inc. The objectives of the
Value Trust are to seek to achieve  capital  appreciation  and growth of income.
The Value Trust seeks to achieve its  objectives  by selecting  common stocks of
established  small  and  mid-sized  companies.  The  Sponsor  can not  give  any
assurance that the Trust's  objectives will be achieved.  The value of the Units
of the Trust will  fluctuate  with  fluctuations  in the value of the underlying
securities in the Trust. Therefore, Unitholders who sell their Units may receive
more or less than their  original  purchase price upon sale. No assurance can be
given that  dividends  will be paid or that the Units will  appreciate in value.
The Trust will  terminate  approximately  five years after the  Initial  Date of
Deposit. The minimum purchase is 100 Units for individual purchasers.


   


    


This Prospectus  consists of two parts. Part A contains the Summary of Essential
Information  including  descriptive  material  relating  to the  Trust  and  the
Statement  of  Financial  Condition  of  the  Trust.  Part  B  contains  general
information about the Trust. Part A may not be distributed unless accompanied by
Part B.  Please  read and  retain  both  parts  of this  Prospectus  for  future
reference.  The Securities and Exchange  Commission  ("SEC") maintains a website
that contains  reports,  proxy and information  statements and other information
regarding  the  Trust  which are filed  electronically  with the SEC.  The SEC's
Internet address is  http:www.sec.gov.  Offering materials for the sale of these
Units  available  through  the  Internet  are  not  being  offered  directly  or
indirectly  to residents  of a  particular  state nor is an offer of these Units
through the  Internet  specifically  directed to any person in a state by, or on
behalf of, the issuer.

================================================================================


================================================================================


THESE  SECURITIES  HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SEC OR ANY STATE
SECURITIES  COMMISSION NOR HAS THE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION
PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS.  ANY  REPRESENTATION TO
THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

   
                   PROSPECTUS PART A DATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1998
    



   


    

723453.7
                                       



<PAGE>

   
<TABLE>
<S>                                                            <C>    

SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL INFORMATION AS OF SEPTEMBER 28, 1998:*

INITIAL DATE OF DEPOSIT: September 29, 1998                    MANDATORY TERMINATION DATE: The
AGGREGATE VALUE OF                                                earlier of October 6, 2003 or the disposition of
   SECURITIES..................................  $ 150,704        the last Security in the Trust.
NUMBER OF UNITS................................      15,780    CUSIP NUMBERS: Cash:  294762372
FRACTIONAL UNDIVIDED INTEREST IN                                              Reinvestment:  294762380
   TRUST.......................................   1/15,780     TRUSTEE: The Chase Manhattan Bank
PUBLIC OFFERING PRICE PER 100 UNITS                            TRUSTEE'S FEE: $.86 per 100 Units outstanding
   Aggregate Value of Securities in                            ESTIMATED OFFERING COSTS**: $1.30 per
      Trust....................................  $ 150,704        100 Units
   Divided By 15,780 Units (times 100).........  $   955.00    OTHER FEES AND EXPENSES: $.15 per 100
   Plus Sales Charge of 4.50% of Public                           Units outstanding
      Offering Price...........................  $    45.00    SPONSOR: Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.
   Public Offering Price+......................  $1,000.00     SPONSOR'S SUPERVISORY FEE: Maximum of
SPONSOR'S REPURCHASE PRICE AND                                    $.25 per 100 Units outstanding (see "Trust
   REDEMPTION PRICE PER                                           Expenses and Charges" in Part B)..
   100 UNITS++.................................  $   955.00    EXPECTED SETTLEMENT DATE***:
EVALUATION TIME: 4:00 p.m. New York Time.                       October 2, 1998
MINIMUM INCOME OR PRINCIPAL                                    RECORD DATE:  December 15 and June 15
   DISTRIBUTION:  $1.00 per 100 Units                          DISTRIBUTION DATE:  December 31 and June
LIQUIDATION PERIOD:  Beginning 7 days prior to the                30
   Mandatory Termination Date.                                 ROLLOVER NOTIFICATION DATE****:
MINIMUM VALUE OF TRUST: The Trust may be                          September 9, 2003 or another date as determined
   terminated if the value of the Trust is less than 40% of the   by the Sponsor.
   aggregate value of the Securities at the completion of the  REINVESTMENT SALES CHARGE: 1.00%
   Deposit Period.
</TABLE>

- ------------------
     *   The business day prior to the Initial Date of Deposit. The Initial Date
of Deposit is the date on which the Trust Agreement was signed and the deposit
of Securities with the Trustee made.
    **   The Trust (and therefore the Unitholders) will bear all or a portion 
of its offering costs. Offering costs, including the costs of registering
securities with the SEC and the states, will be amortized over the term of the
initial offering period, which may be between 30 and 90 days. See "Trust
Expenses" in Part B. These figures are based upon the assumption that the Trust
will reach a size of 1,500,000 Units as estimated by the Sponsor; offering costs
will vary with the actual size of the Trust.
   ***   The business day on which contracts to purchase securities in the 
Trust are expected to settle.
  ****   If a Unitholder ("Rollover Unitholder") so specifies on or prior to 
the Rollover Notification Date, the Rollover Unitholder's terminating 
distribution will be reinvested as received in an available series of the Equity
Securities Trust, if offered (see "Trust Administration - Trust Termination").
     + On the Initial Date of Deposit there will be no cash in the Income or
Principal Accounts. Anyone purchasing Units after such date will have included
in the Public Offering Price a pro rata share of any cash in such Accounts.
    ++ Any redemptions of over 2,500 Units may, upon request by a redeeming
Unitholder, be made in kind. The Trustee will forward the distributed securities
to the Unitholder's bank or broker-dealer account at The Depository Trust
Company in book-entry form. See "Liquidity--Trustee Redemption" in Part B.

    


723453.7
                                       A-2
<PAGE>



OBJECTIVE.  The  objectives  of the Value  Trust are to seek to achieve  capital
appreciation  and  growth  of  income.  The Value  Trust  seeks to  achieve  its
objectives  by  selecting  common  stocks of  established  small  and  mid-sized
companies.  The Sponsor can not give any assurance  that the Trust's  objectives
will be achieved.  As used herein, the term "Securities" means the common stocks
initially  deposited in the Trust and described in "Portfolio" in Part A and any
additional  securities acquired and held by the Trust pursuant to the provisions
of the  Indenture.  Further,  the  Securities,  and  therefore  the  Units,  may
appreciate or depreciate in value, dependent upon the full range of economic and
market influences affecting corporate profitability,  the financial condition of
issuers  and the price of equity  securities  in general and the  Securities  in
particular.  Therefore,  there is no guarantee  that the objectives of the Trust
will be achieved.

PORTFOLIO.  The Value  Trust  contains  46 issues of common  stock.  100% of the
issues are  represented by the Sponsor's  contracts to purchase.  Based upon the
principal business of each issuer,  the following  industries are represented in
the  Portfolio*:  Aerospace/Defense,  1; Auto Parts and  Equipment,  3; Business
Equipment,  1; Chemicals  Specialty,  1; Communications  Equipment,  3; Computer
Software/Services,  1; Consumer (Jewelry /Novelties), 1; Containers, 2; Electric
Equipment,  1;  Electronics,  2; Fluid  Handling & Control Prod.,  1; Foods,  1;
Footwear,  1; Grocery, 1; Health Care, 2; Household Products  (Non-durable),  1;
Indust.   Prod.,   2;    Insurance-Property    Casualty,   1;   Machinery,    2;
Manufacturing-Div.,   2;  Office   Equipment  and  Supplies,   2;  Oil  and  Gas
(Exploration  Prod.),  1;  Paper and  Forest  Products,  1;  Personal  Care,  1;
Photography/Imaging,   1;  Precision  Instrument,  2;  Publishing,  1;  Services
(Employment),  1; Specialty Printing, 1; Steel, 2; and Textiles, 3. The Trust is
not concentrated in a particular industry.

   
PUBLIC OFFERING  PRICE.  The Public Offering Price per 100 Units of the Trust is
equal to the aggregate  value of the underlying  Securities  (the price at which
they could be directly  purchased by the public assuming they were available) in
the Trust  divided  by the  number of Units  outstanding  times 100 plus a sales
charge of 4.50%  the  Public  Offering  Price per 100 Units or 4.712% of the net
amount invested in Securities per 100 Units.  The price of a single Unit, or any
multiple  thereof,  is calculated by dividing the Public  Offering Price per 100
Units by 100 and multiplying by the number of Units.  Any cash held by the Trust
will be added to the Public Offering Price. For additional information regarding
the  Public  Offering  Price,  repurchase  and  redemption  of Units  and  other
essential  information  regarding  the  Trust,  see the  "Summary  of  Essential
Information."  During the initial  offering  period,  orders  involving at least
5,000  Units will be  entitled  to a volume  discount  from the Public  Offering
Price.  The  Public  Offering  Price  per  Unit  may  vary on a daily  basis  in
accordance with fluctuations in the aggregate value of the underlying Securities
and the price to be paid by each  investor  will be  computed as of the date the
Units are purchased. (See "Public Offering" in Part B.)
    

   
ESTIMATED NET ANNUAL  DISTRIBUTIONS.  The estimated net annual  distributions to
Unitholders (based on the most recent quarterly or semi-annual ordinary dividend
distributed  with respect to the Securities) as of the business day prior to the
Initial  Date of  Deposit  per 100 Units was $17.10  for the Value  Trust.  This
estimate will vary with changes in a Trust's fees and expenses, actual dividends
received, and with the sale of Securities.  In addition,  because the issuers of
common stock are not obligated to pay dividends,  there is no assurance that the
estimated net annual dividend distributions will be realized.

    

   
DISTRIBUTIONS.  Dividend distributions, if any, will be made on the Distribution
Dates to all  Unitholders  of record on the Record Date.  For the specific dates
representing the Distribution Dates and Record Dates for the Trust, see "Summary
of Essential  Information" in Part A. The final distribution will be made within
a reasonable  period of time after the termination of the Trust. (See "Rights of
Unitholders--Distributions"  in Part B.) Unitholders may elect to  automatically
reinvest distributions,  if any, in shares of the Trust. See "Reinvestment Plan"
in Parts A and B.
    


- --------
* A trust is considered to be "concentrated" in a particular category or
industry when the securities in that category or that industry constitute 25% or
more of the value of the total assets of the portfolio.


723453.7
                                       A-3

<PAGE>



MARKET FOR UNITS.  The  Sponsor,  although not  obligated  to do so,  intends to
maintain  a  secondary  market  for  the  Units  and to  continuously  offer  to
repurchase  the Units of the Trust  both  during  and after the  initial  public
offering  period.  The secondary  market  repurchase  price will be based on the
market value of the  Securities  in the Trust  portfolio and will be the same as
the redemption price. (See "Liquidity--Sponsor  Repurchase" for a description of
how the secondary  market  repurchase  price will be determined.) If a market is
not  maintained,  a Unitholder will be able to redeem its Units with the Trustee
(see "Liquidity--Trustee Redemption" in Part B). As a result, the existence of a
liquid  trading market for these  Securities may depend on whether  dealers will
make a market in these  Securities.  There can be no  assurance of the making or
the maintenance of a market for any of the Securities contained in the portfolio
of the Trust or of the  liquidity of the  Securities  in any markets  made.  The
price at which the Securities may be sold to meet  redemptions  and the value of
the Units will be adversely  affected if trading  markets for the Securities are
limited or absent.

   
TERMINATION.  During the 7-day period prior to the  Mandatory  Termination  Date
(the "Liquidation Period"),  Securities will begin to be sold in connection with
the  termination of the Trust and all Securities  will be sold or distributed by
the  Mandatory  Termination  Date.  The Trustee may utilize the  services of the
Sponsor  for the sale of all or a portion of the  Securities  in the Trust.  Any
brokerage  commissions received by the Sponsor from the Trust in connection with
such sales will be in accordance with applicable law. The Sponsor will determine
the manner, timing and execution of the sales of the underlying Securities.  The
Sponsor  will  attempt  to sell the  Securities  as quickly as it can during the
Liquidation Period without, in its judgment,  materially adversely affecting the
market price of the  Securities,  but all of the Securities will in any event be
disposed  of by  the  end  of the  Liquidation  Period.  The  Sponsor  does  not
anticipate  that the period will be longer  than seven days,  and it could be as
short as one day, depending on the liquidity of the Securities being sold.
    


   
Unitholders  may elect one of the three options in receiving  their  terminating
distributions:  (1) to receive their pro rata share of the underlying Securities
in-kind,  if they  own at  least  2,500  units,  (2) to  receive  cash  upon the
liquidation  of their  pro rata  share of the  underlying  Securities  or (3) to
invest the amount of cash they would have received upon the liquidation of their
pro rata  share of the  underlying  Securities  in units of a future  series  of
Equity  Securities  Trust (if one is  offered)  at a reduced  sales  charge (see
"Rollover Option"). See "Trust Administration--Trust  Termination" in Part B for
a description of how to select a termination  distribution  option.  Unitholders
who have not  chosen  to  receive  distributions-in-kind  will be at risk to the
extent  that  Securities  are not sold;  for this  reason  the  Sponsor  will be
inclined to sell the Securities as it can without materially adversely affecting
the price of the Securities. Unitholders should consult their own tax advisor in
this regard.
    


ROLLOVER OPTION.  Unitholders may elect to roll their terminating  distributions
into the next  available  series of Equity  Securities  Trust at a reduced sales
charge. Rollover Unitholders must make this election on or prior to the Rollover
Notification  Date.  Upon making this  election,  a  Unitholder's  Units will be
redeemed when the last of the  underlying  Securities  are sold and the proceeds
will be  reinvested  in units of the next  available  series of Equity  Security
Trust.  An election to rollover  terminating  distributions  will generally be a
taxable  event.  See  "Trust  Administration--Trust  Termination"  in Part B for
details to make this election.

RISK CONSIDERATIONS.  An investment in Units of the Trust should be made with an
understanding  of the risks  inherent in an investment in any of the  Securities
including,  for common  stocks,  the risk that the  financial  condition  of the
issuers of the Securities may become  impaired or that the general  condition of
the stock market may worsen (both of which may contribute directly to a decrease
in the  value of the  Securities  and thus in the  value  of the  Units).  For a
discussion of risk considerations,  see "Risk  Considerations" in Part B of this
Prospectus.  The  portfolio  of the  Trust is  fixed  and not  "managed"  by the
Sponsor. Since the Trust will not sell Securities in response to ordinary market
fluctuation,  but only (except for certain  extraordinary  circumstances) at the
Trust's termination or to meet redemptions, the amount realized upon the sale of
the Securities  may not be the highest price attained by an individual  Security
during the life of the  Trust.  In  connection  with the  deposit of  Additional
Securities  subsequent  to the Initial Date of Deposit,  if cash (or a letter of
credit in lieu of cash) is deposited with  instructions to purchase  Securities,
to the extent the price of a Security increases or decreases between the

723453.7
                                       A-4

<PAGE>



deposit and the time the Security is purchased, Units may represent less or more
of that  Security  and more or less of the other  Securities  in the  Trust.  In
addition,  brokerage fees incurred in purchasing  Securities with cash deposited
with  instructions  to purchase the Securities  will be an expense of the Trust.
Price  fluctuations  during the period  from the time of deposit to the time the
Securities are purchased,  and payment of brokerage  fees, will affect the value
of every Unitholder's Units and the income per Unit received by the Trust.

The  Sponsor  cannot  give  any  assurance  that  the  business  and  investment
objectives of the issuers of the Securities  will  correspond with or in any way
meet the limited term objective of the Trust. (See "Risk Considerations" in Part
B of this Prospectus.)

   
REINVESTMENT PLAN. Unitholders may elect to automatically reinvest their
distributions, if any (other than the final distribution in connection with the
termination of the Trust), into additional units of the Trust at a reduced sales
charge of 1.00%. See "Reinvestment Plan" in Part B for details on how to enroll
in the Reinvestment Plan.
    

UNDERWRITING.  Reich & Tang Distributors,  Inc., 600 Fifth Avenue, New York, New
York 10020,  will act as Underwriter  for all of the Units of Equity  Securities
Trust, Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth and Value Trust II. The Underwriter
will  distribute  Units  through  various  broker-dealers,  banks  and/or  other
eligible participants (see "Public Offering- -Distribution of Units" in Part B).

723453.7
                                       A-5

<PAGE>



                            EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST,
                                SIGNATURE SERIES,
                     REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST II

   
 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AS OF OPENING OF BUSINESS, SEPTEMBER 29, 1998
    

                                     ASSETS

   

Investment in Securities--Sponsor's Contracts to Purchase
 Underlying Securities Backed by Letter of Credit (cost $150,704)
 (Note 1)......................................................... $    150,704

                                                                   $     19,500
Offering Costs (Note 2)............................................------------

                                                                   $    170,204
Total..............................................................============

                       LIABILITIES AND INTEREST OF UNITHOLDERS
Accrued Liabilities (Note 2).......................................$     19,500

Interest of Unitholders - Units of Fractional
                                                                   $    150,704
 Undivided Interest Outstanding (Value Trust:  15,780 Units)...... ------------

                                                                   $    170,204
Total.........................................................     ============
                                                                   
Net Asset Value per Unit......................................     $       9.55
                                                                   ============
                                                        


- -------------------------
Notes to Statement:
    (1) Equity Securities Trust, Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth and Value
Trust II (the "Trust") is a unit investment  trust created under the laws of the
State of New York and registered  under the Investment  Company Act of 1940. The
objectives  of the Trust,  sponsored  by Reich & Tang  Distributors,  Inc.  (the
"Sponsor"), are to seek to achieve capital appreciation and growth of income. On
September 29, 1998, the "Date of Deposit",  Portfolio  Deposits were received by
The  Chase  Manhattan  Bank,  the  Trust's  Trustee,  in the  form  of  executed
securities  transactions,  in  exchange  for  15,780  units  of  the  Trust.  An
irrevocable  letter of credit  issued by the  BankBoston,  N.A.  in an amount of
$400,000  has been  deposited  with the  Trustee for the benefit of the Trust to
cover the purchases of such Securities as well as any  outstanding  purchases of
previously-sponsored  unit investment  trusts of the Sponsor.  Aggregate cost to
the Trust of the Securities listed in the Portfolio is determined by the Trustee
on the basis set forth under "Public  Offering--Offering  Price" as of 4:00 p.m.
on September 28, 1998.  The Trust will  terminate on October 6, 2003, or earlier
under certain circumstances as further described in the Prospectus. 
    (2) Offering  costs incurred by the Trust will be amortized over the term of
the initial offering period.

    The  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  accordance  with  generally
accepted  accounting  principles  requires  management  to  make  estimates  and
assumptions  that affect the reported  amounts and  disclosures.  Actual results
could differ from those estimates.

    

                                      A-6
723453.7


<PAGE>



                            EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST,
                                SIGNATURE SERIES,
                     REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST II

                                    PORTFOLIO

   
                  AS OF OPENING OF BUSINESS, SEPTEMBER 29, 1998

<TABLE>
<S>       <C>      <C>                          <C>              <C>          <C>           <C>
                                                               Market
                                                               Value of
                                                              Stocks as a
           Number                                             Percentage     Market
Portfolio     of                                Ticker         of the       Value Per       Cost of Securities
  No.      Shares   Name of Issuer (1)          Symbol         Trust(2)       Share          to the Trust(3)
 -----    --------  -------------------         ------         --------     --------         ---------------
  (1)        78     Albany International Corp.  AIN              0.98%      $19.0000             $1,482
  (2)       142     Alberto-Culver Co.          ACV/A            1.99        21.1250              3,000
  (3)       200     Allegheny Teledyne Inc.     ALT              2.49        18.7500              3,750
  (4)        24     Allergan, Inc.              AGN              0.99        61.9375              1,487
  (5)       169     Ball Corp.                  BLL              3.95        35.1875              5,947
  (6)       475     BMC Industries, Inc.        BMC              2.05         6.5000              3,088
  (7)       259     Burlington Industries, Inc. BUR              1.50         8.7500              2,266
  (8)       264     Commscope, Inc.             CTV              1.98        11.3125              2,987
  (9)        99     Deluxe Corp.                DLX              1.98        30.1875              2,989
 (10)        61     Dexter Corp.                DEX              1.00        24.8125              1,514
 (11)        63     Diebold, Inc.               DBD              1.02        24.5000              1,543
 (12)        57     Federal-Mogul Corp.         FMO              1.99        52.6875              3,003
 (13)       138     First Brands Corp.          FBR              2.01        22.0000              3,036
 (14)       153     Food Lion, Inc. (Class B)   FDLNB            0.92         9.0625              1,387
 (15)       248     Fruit of the Loom, Inc.     FTL              2.61        15.8750              3,937
 (16)        66     General Instrument Corp.    GIC              1.00        22.8125              1,506
 (17)       577     General Semiconductor, Inc. SEM              2.51         6.5625              3,787
 (18)       222     Harsco Corp.                HSC              4.04        27.4375              6,091
 (19)        48     Houghton-Mifflin Co.        HTN              0.99        31.0000              1,488
 (20)        97     Kerr-McGee Corp.            KMG              2.98        46.3750              4,498
 (21)       100     Lancaster Colony Corp.      LANC             2.05        30.8750              3,087
 (22)       373     MagneTek, Inc.              MAG              2.57        10.3750              3,870
 (23)       137     Manpower Inc.               MAN              1.98        21.7500              2,980
 (24)        78     Millipore Corp.             MIL              0.99        19.1875              1,497
 (25)       318     Nine West Group             NIN              1.98         9.3750              2,981
 (26)       293     OEA, Inc.                   OEA              1.94        10.0000              2,930
 (27)       206     Polaroid Corp.              PRD              3.51        25.6875              5,292
 (28)       369     The Reynolds & Reynolds Co. REY              3.92        16.0000              5,904
 (29)       134     Roper Industries, Inc.      ROP              1.49        16.7500              2,244
 (30)       142     Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.    SFA              2.01        21.3125              3,026
 (31)       552     Scott Technologies Inc.     SCTTA            4.03        11.0000              6,072
 (32)        86     Shaw Industries, Inc.       SHX              1.00        17.5000              1,505
 (33)       197     Snap-On, Inc.               SNA              4.00        30.6250              6,033
 (34)       124     Sonoco Products Co.         SON              2.01        24.4375              3,030
 (35)       189     St. Jude Medical, Inc.      STJ              3.00        23.9375              4,524
 (36)        67     Sunstrand Corp.             SNS              2.03        45.5625              3,053
 (37)        89     Teleflex Inc.               TFX              2.02        34.1250              3,037
 (38)        53     Trenwick Group, Inc.        TREN             0.99        28.2500              1,497
 (39)       566     Unisource Worldwide, Inc.   UWW              2.46         6.5625              3,714
 (40)        70     Universal Foods Corp.       UFC              1.00        21.5625              1,509
 (41)       188     Unova Inc.                  UNA              1.99        15.8750              2,984
 (42)       166     Varian Associates, Inc.     VAR              4.10        37.2500              6,183
 (43)       242     Walter Industries, Inc.     WLT              1.98        12.2500              2,964
 (44)       159     Wang Laboratories, Inc.     WANG             1.92        18.1250              2,882
 (45)       213     Wausau-Mosinee Paper Corp.  WMO              2.06        14.5625              3,102
 (46)       177     York International Corp.    YRK              3.99        34.0000              6,018
                                                                 ----                             -----
                                                               100.00%                         $150,704
                                                               ======                          ========
    
</TABLE>

                                      A-7

<PAGE>

723453.7

   
                                               FOOTNOTES TO PORTFOLIO
(1)   Contracts to purchase the Securities were entered into on September 28,
      1998. All such contracts are expected to be settled on or about the First
      Settlement Date of the Trust which is expected to be October 2, 1998.
(2) Based on the cost of the Securities to the Trust.
(3)   Evaluation of Securities by the Trustee was made on the basis of closing
      sales prices at the Evaluation Time on the day prior to the Initial Date
      of Deposit. The Sponsor's Purchase Price is $151,345. The Sponsor's loss
      on the Initial Date of Deposit is $641.
The accompanying notes form an integral part of the Financial Statements.

                                      A-8
    

723453.7
<PAGE>





                        REPORT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS


To the Trustee and Unitholders of
      Equity Securities Trust,
      Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth and Value Trust II

   
      In  our  opinion,  the  accompanying  Statement  of  Financial  Condition,
including the Portfolio, present fairly, in all material respects, the financial
position of Equity Securities Trust,  Signature Series,  Reich & Tang Growth and
Value Trust II (the  "Trust") at opening of business,  September  29,  1998,  in
conformity  with  generally  accepted  accounting  principles.   This  financial
statement is the responsibility of the Trust's management; our responsibility is
to  express  an  opinion on this  financial  statement  based on our  audit.  We
conducted our audit of this  financial  statement in accordance  with  generally
accepted auditing  standards which require that we plan and perform the audit to
obtain  reasonable  assurance  about whether the financial  statement is free of
material  misstatement.  An audit includes examining,  on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement, assessing the
accounting  principles  used and significant  estimates made by management,  and
evaluating the overall  financial  statement  presentation.  We believe that our
audit,  which  included  confirmation  of the  contracts  for the  securities at
opening of business,  September  29, 1998, by  correspondence  with the Sponsor,
provides a reasonable basis for the opinion expressed above.
    



   
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, MA
September 29, 1998
    

                                      A-9

723453.7




<PAGE>



                       REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST


THE TRUST'S INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES
   
The  objectives  of the Reich & Tang  Growth  and Value  Trust II are to achieve
capital  appreciation  and growing  income over the five-year  life of the Trust
from a portfolio of established small and medium capitalization companies.
    

INVESTING IN SMALL AND MEDIUM CAPITALIZATION STOCKS

Reich & Tang  believes  investing  is the  process  of  identifying  undervalued
companies.  The  small  and  medium  capitalization  universe  offers  investors
substantial opportunities.

   o  This sector is often ignored by other investors, leading to inefficient
      pricing. Frequently, Wall Street analysts do not cover them in the same
      depth and detail as large companies.
   o  Most small companies are focused on a niche business. They offer higher
      potential growth rates than most larger companies.
   o   Company management has greater influence over the success of a company.

Reich & Tang  believes  there are exciting  opportunities  in this sector of the
market.  Intensive  company  specific  research is critical to uncovering  these
situations.  It is the early recognition of these opportunities that may produce
superior returns.

Within  the  universe  of small to medium  capitalization  stocks,  Reich & Tang
focuses on established, evolving companies that exhibit such characteristics as:

   o   Strong Balance Sheets
   o   Dynamic Management
   o   Dominant Market Share
   o   Low Cost Producer Status
   o   Price-To-Earnings and Price-To-Book Ratios at a Discount to the Broader 
       Stock Market.

THE TRUST'S THEME

   
The Companies 
Reich & Tang's  investment  strategy  focuses on  undervalued  common  stocks of
established  small and  mid-sized  companies  with strong  business  franchises,
strong  management  and high or improving  returns on  investment.  Reich & Tang
expects the compelling value which its research discovers in stocks selected for
the Trust to become  reflected in market prices during the five-year life of the
Trust. Small to medium  capitalization  companies are generally considered to be
those companies which have a market capitalization of up to $5 billion.
    

RISK CONSIDERATIONS

   
An investment in Units of the Trust should be made with an  understanding of the
risks  associated  with an investment in common  stocks,  which include the risk
that the  financial  condition  of the issuers  may become  impaired or that the
general condition of the stock market may worsen.

In addition,  the Trust is a "fixed portfolio" and not managed.  Therefore,  the
amount  realized  upon  the sale of a  security  at  termination  may not be the
highest price attained by an individual security during the life of the Trust.
    

The common stocks of small and medium  capitalization  companies may  experience
greater price volatility and market  fluctuation  than the equity  securities of
more highly capitalized companies.

   
The value of your  units,  when  redeemed,  may be worth  more or less than your
original investment.
    


723453.7
                                       (i)

<PAGE>



Reich & Tang's Investment Philosophy

   
Research Seeks to Minimize Risk
    

Reich &  Tang's  investment  philosophy  is  founded  upon  direct,  fundamental
research. "Hands-on" original research emphasizing company visits and management
interviews are used to identify  attractive  businesses that offer the potential
for above average growth with limited downside risk. In making  individual stock
selections,  their research team evaluates each company as if it were buying the
entire business.

Whereas most of the  marketplace  devotes its energies to identifying  near-term
earnings  surprises and current stock price momentum,  primarily of stocks given
wide  coverage by the  research  community,  Reich & Tang spends a great deal of
time analyzing and  understanding  the individual  businesses in order to assess
their long-term potential.  The result is a concentrated  portfolio of companies
whose management  shares an emphasis on balance sheet  integrity,  positive cash
flow, high or improving return on investment and the potential to grow. The firm
insists on both compelling value and above average growth potential in selecting
individual  stocks.  The  investment  orientation  is buy  and  hold,  and it is
consistent with the five-year term of the Trust.

   
Minimization of risk is an important  consideration when selecting a stock. Risk
parameters  are assessed in terms of the quality of the business  franchise  and
price risk in the company's stock.  Reich & Tang's investment  approach is aimed
at  discovering  well  positioned  evolving  companies with  significant  growth
prospects  before other investors  notice them.  These situations are most often
found in small to medium  capitalization  companies,  which  are the  investment
focus of Reich & Tang.
    

                       REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST
                                   HIGHLIGHTS

Professional Selection
The  portfolio's  securities  are  selected by Reich & Tang  Capital  Management
Group, which has managed value oriented equity accounts for 28 years.

A Buy-and-Hold Strategy
The buy-and-hold, fixed portfolio eliminates management fees and reduces trading
expenses.  The savings are passed  through to  investors.  Investors  purchasing
units will be charged a sales charge.

Monitored Portfolio
The stocks in your  portfolio  are  continuously  monitored,  and under  certain
limited circumstances, can be removed from the portfolio.

   
Daily Pricing/Daily Liquidity
You have the flexibility to redeem your units at the net asset value any day the
stock  market is open.  Keep in mind the daily  price  will  fluctuate  with the
underlying securities,  and may be worth more or less than the original purchase
price at redemption.
    

Retirement Plan Qualified
The Reich & Tang Growth and Value Trust can be held in IRA or custodial accounts
in addition to your regular investment portfolio.

Compounded Returns

723453.7
                                                        (ii)

<PAGE>



   
You have the option to take  advantage of the power of compounding by having any
distributions  automatically reinvested into additional units at a reduced sales
charge.
    

Three Options at Termination
When the Trust terminates,  you have three options,  which may be subject to tax
liability. You may:

   
   o  receive your distribution in cash
   o  reinvest your proceeds into a new trust (if available) at a reduced sales
      charge, or 
   o  receive shares of the underlying stocks (minimums apply)

                                   THE SPONSOR
    

Reich & Tang Distributors,  Inc. is a registered  investment  advisor.  The firm
provides equity and cash management investment services. Its primary business of
equity management focuses on the institutional market, and it manages assets for
corporate pension plans, endowments and foundations.

The  Trust's  securities  portfolio  will be  selected  by Reich & Tang  Capital
Management Group. In total,  Reich & Tang Capital  Management Group manages over
$1.5 billion  worth of  discretionary  equity  portfolios,  and its Mutual Funds
Group  manages or  administers  $9.1 billion in money market  funds.  The firm's
primary  objective is superior  investment  performance  over a full  investment
cycle, while achieving positive absolute returns.

   
Reich & Tang has a value approach to investing in the equity market and has used
this same methodology for the last 28 years. It also prides itself as an intense
research-oriented firm.
    


   






    





723453.7
                                      (iii)

<PAGE>




- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                  [INSERT LOGO]

- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------



                            EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST,
                                SIGNATURE SERIES,
                     REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST II


                                PROSPECTUS PART B

                      PART B OF THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE
                        DISTRIBUTED UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY
                                     PART A

                                    THE TRUST

    ORGANIZATION. Equity Securities Trust, Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth
and Value Trust II consists of a "unit investment trust" designated as set forth
in Part A.  The  Trust  was  created  under  the  laws of the  State of New York
pursuant to a Trust Indenture and Agreement (the "Trust  Agreement"),  dated the
Initial Date of Deposit,  between Reich & Tang  Distributors,  Inc., as Sponsor,
and The Chase Manhattan Bank, as Trustee.

    On the Initial  Date of  Deposit,  the  Sponsor  deposited  with the Trustee
securities  including common stock and funds and delivery statements relating to
contracts  for the  purchase  of  certain  such  securities  (collectively,  the
"Securities")  with an  aggregate  value  as set  forth in Part A and cash or an
irrevocable  letter of credit  issued by a major  commercial  bank in the amount
required  for such  purchases.  Thereafter  the  Trustee,  in  exchange  for the
Securities so deposited,  has registered on the registration  books of the Trust
evidence of the Sponsor's ownership of all Units of the Trust. The Sponsor has a
limited right to substitute other securities in the Trust portfolio in the event
of a failed contract.  See "The  Trust--Substitution of Securities." The Sponsor
may also,  in certain  circumstances,  direct the  Trustee to dispose of certain
Securities if the Sponsor believes that, because of market or credit conditions,
or for certain other reasons,  retention of the Security would be detrimental to
Unitholders. See "Trust Administration Portfolio--Supervision."

    As of the Initial Date of Deposit, a "Unit" represents an undivided interest
or pro rata  share in the  Securities  and cash of the Trust in the ratio of one
hundred  Units for the  indicated  amount of the  aggregate  market value of the
Securities  and cash  initially  deposited  in the  Trust as is set forth in the
"Summary of Essential  Information." As additional Units are issued by the Trust
as a result of the deposit of Additional  Securities,  as described  below,  the
aggregate  value  of the  Securities  in the  Trust  will be  increased  and the
fractional  undivided  interest  in the Trust  represented  by each Unit will be
decreased.  To the  extent  that any  Units are  redeemed  by the  Trustee,  the
fractional undivided interest or pro rata share in the Trust represented by each
unredeemed  Unit  will  increase,  although  the  actual  interest  in the Trust
represented  by  such  fraction  will  remain   unchanged.   Units  will  remain
outstanding until redeemed upon tender to the Trustee by Unitholders,  which may
include the Sponsor, or until the termination of the Trust Agreement.

    DEPOSIT OF ADDITIONAL SECURITIES.  With the deposit of the Securities in the
Trust on the Initial Date of Deposit,  the Sponsor  established a  proportionate
relationship  among the initial  aggregate value of specified  Securities in the
Trust.  During  the 90 days  subsequent  to the  Initial  Date of  Deposit  (the
"Deposit Period"),  the Sponsor may deposit  additional  Securities in the Trust
that are substantially  similar to the Securities already deposited in the Trust
("Additional  Securities"),  contracts to purchase Additional Securities or cash
with  instructions  to  purchase  Additional  Securities,  in  order  to  create
additional   Units,   maintaining  to  the  extent   practicable   the  original
proportionate relationship of the number of shares of each

723453.7
                                                        

<PAGE>



Security in the Trust portfolio on the Initial Date of Deposit. These additional
Units, which will result in an increase in the number of Units outstanding, will
each represent,  to the extent  practicable,  an undivided  interest in the same
number and type of securities of identical  issuers as are  represented by Units
issued on the Initial  Date of Deposit.  It may not be possible to maintain  the
exact original proportionate  relationship among the Securities deposited on the
Initial Date of Deposit because of, among other reasons,  purchase requirements,
changes in prices, or unavailability of Securities. The composition of the Trust
portfolio may change slightly based on certain  adjustments  made to reflect the
disposition of Securities and/or the receipt of a stock dividend,  a stock split
or other  distribution  with respect to such  Securities,  including  Securities
received in exchange for shares or the reinvestment of the proceeds  distributed
to Unitholders. Deposits of Additional Securities in the Trust subsequent to the
Deposit Period must replicate  exactly the existing  proportionate  relationship
among the  number of shares of  Securities  in the Trust  portfolio.  Substitute
Securities may be acquired under specified conditions when Securities originally
deposited  in  the  Trust  are  unavailable  (see  "The  Trust--Substitution  of
Securities" below).

    OBJECTIVE.  The objectives of the Value Trust are to seek to achieve capital
appreciation  and  growth  of  income.  The Value  Trust  seeks to  achieve  its
objectives  by  selecting  common  stocks of  established  small  and  mid-sized
companies.  The Sponsor can not give any assurance  that the Trust's  objectives
will be achieved.  As used herein, the term "Securities" means the common stocks
initially  deposited in the Trust and described in "Portfolio" in Part A and any
additional  securities acquired and held by the Trust pursuant to the provisions
of the Indenture. Further, the Securities may appreciate or depreciate in value,
dependent  upon the full  range of  economic  and  market  influences  affecting
corporate  profitability,  the  financial  condition of issuers and the price of
equity securities in general and the Securities in particular.  Therefore, there
is no guarantee  that the  objectives of the Trust will be achieved.  All of the
Securities  in the Trust are listed on a U.S.  Stock  exchange (or the over-the-
counter-exchange).

    The  Trust  will  terminate  in  approximately  five  years,  at which  time
investors may choose to either receive the distributions in kind (if they own at
least  2,500  Units),  in cash or  reinvest  in a  subsequent  series  of Equity
Securities Trust (if available) at a reduced sales charge. Since the Sponsor may
deposit  additional  Securities in connection with the sale of additional Units,
the yields on these  Securities  may change  subsequent  to the Initial  Date of
Deposit.

   



    
    THE  SECURITIES.  In  selecting  for the Trust,  the Sponsor  normally  will
consider  the  following  factors,   among  others:  (1)  values  of  individual
securities  relative  to  other  investment  alternatives;  (2)  trends  in  the
determinants of corporate  profits,  corporate cash flow, balance sheet changes,
management  capability and practices and (3) the economic and political outlook.
The  Sponsor's  investment  strategy  focuses on  undervalued  common  stocks of
established  small and  mid-sized  companies  with strong  business  franchises,
strong management and high or improving returns on investment.

    The Trustee has not  participated  and will not participate in the selection
of  Securities  for the Trust,  and neither the Sponsor nor the Trustee  will be
liable in any way for any default, failure or defect in any Securities.

    The contracts to purchase  Securities  deposited  initially in the Trust are
expected  to settle in three  business  days,  in the  ordinary  manner for such
Securities.  Settlement of the contracts for Securities is thus expected to take
place  prior to the  settlement  of  purchase  of Units on the  Initial  Date of
Deposit.

    SUBSTITUTION  OF  SECURITIES.  In the  event of a  failure  to  deliver  any
Security  that  has been  purchased  for the  Trust  under a  contract  ("Failed
Securities"),  the Sponsor is authorized under the Trust Agreement to direct the
Trustee to acquire other  securities  ("Substitute  Securities")  to make up the
original corpus of the Trust.

    The  Substitute  Securities  must be  purchased  within  20 days  after  the
delivery  of the  notice of the failed  contract.  Where the  Sponsor  purchases
Substitute Securities in order to replace Failed Securities,  the purchase price
may not exceed the purchase  price of the Failed  Securities  and the Substitute
Securities must be substantially similar to the Securities originally contracted
for and not delivered.


723453.7
                                       B-2

<PAGE>



    Whenever a Substitute  Security has been acquired for the Trust, the Trustee
shall,  within five days thereafter,  notify all Unitholders of the Trust of the
acquisition  of the  Substitute  Security  and the  Trustee  shall,  on the next
Distribution  Date  which  is  more  than 30 days  thereafter,  make a pro  rata
distribution of the amount, if any, by which the cost to the Trust of the Failed
Security exceeded the cost of the Substitute Security plus accrued interest,  if
any.

   
    In the event no substitution is made, the proceeds of the sale of Securities
will  be   distributed   to   Unitholders   as  set  forth   under   "Rights  of
Unitholders--Distributions." In addition, if the right of substitution shall not
be utilized to acquire Substitute  Securities in the event of a failed contract,
the Sponsor  will cause to be refunded  the sales  charge  attributable  to such
Failed  Securities  to  all  Unitholders,   and  distribute  the  principal  and
dividends,   if  any,  attributable  to  such  Failed  Securities  on  the  next
Distribution Date.
    

                               RISK CONSIDERATIONS

    FIXED PORTFOLIO.  The value of the Units will fluctuate  depending on all of
the factors  that have an impact on the economy  and the equity  markets.  These
factors  similarly  impact  the  ability of an issuer to  distribute  dividends.
Unlike a managed  investment  company in which there may be frequent  changes in
the portfolio of securities based upon economic,  financial and market analyses,
securities of a unit  investment  trust,  such as the Trust,  are not subject to
such frequent changes based upon continuous analysis.  All the Securities in the
Trust are liquidated or distributed  during the  Liquidation  Period.  Since the
Trust will not sell Securities in response to ordinary market  fluctuation,  but
only  at a  Trust's  termination,  the  amount  realized  upon  the  sale of the
Securities  may not be the  highest  price  attained by an  individual  Security
during the life of the Trust.  Some of the  Securities  in the Trust may also be
owned by other  clients of the Sponsor and their  affiliates.  However,  because
these clients may have  differing  investment  objectives,  the Sponsor may sell
certain  Securities  from those accounts in instances  where a sale by the Trust
would be impermissible, such as to maximize return by taking advantage of market
fluctuations.  Investors should consult with their own financial  advisers prior
to  investing  in  the  Trust  to  determine   its   suitability.   (See  "Trust
Administration--Portfolio Supervision" below.)

    ADDITIONAL SECURITIES. Investors should be aware that in connection with the
creation of  additional  Units  subsequent  to the Initial Date of Deposit,  the
Sponsor may deposit  Additional  Securities,  contracts  to purchase  Additional
Securities or cash with instructions to purchase Additional Securities,  in each
instance  maintaining  the  original  proportionate  relationship,   subject  to
adjustment  under  certain  circumstances,  of the  numbers  of  shares  of each
Security  in the  Trust.  To the extent  the price of a  Security  increases  or
decreases  between the time cash is deposited with  instructions to purchase the
Security  and the time the cash is used to  purchase  the  Security,  Units  may
represent less or more of that Security and more or less of the other Securities
in the Trust.  In  addition,  brokerage  fees (if any)  incurred  in  purchasing
Securities,  with cash deposited with  instructions  to purchase the Securities,
will be an expense of the Trust. Price fluctuations  between the time of deposit
and the time the Securities are purchased,  and payment of brokerage  fees, will
affect the value of every Unitholder's Units and the Income per Unit received by
the Trust.  In  particular,  Unitholders  who purchase  Units during the initial
offering period would  experience a dilution of their  investment as a result of
any brokerage  fees paid by the Trust during  subsequent  deposits of Additional
Securities  purchased with cash  deposited.  In order to minimize these effects,
the Trust will try to purchase  Securities as near as possible to the Evaluation
Time or at prices as close as  possible  to the prices  used to  evaluate  Trust
Units at the Evaluation  Time. In addition,  subsequent  deposits to create such
additional  Units will not be covered by the deposit of a bank letter of credit.
In the event that the Sponsor  does not deliver  cash in  consideration  for the
additional Units delivered,  the Trust may be unable to satisfy its contracts to
purchase  the  Additional  Securities  without  the Trustee  selling  underlying
Securities.  Therefore,  to the  extent  that the  subsequent  deposits  are not
covered by a bank letter of credit,  the failure of the Sponsor to deliver  cash
to the  Trust,  or any  delays in the Trust  receiving  such  cash,  would  have
significant adverse consequences for the Trust.

    COMMON STOCK.  Since the Trust contains  primarily common stocks of domestic
issuers,   an  investment  in  Units  of  the  Trust  should  be  made  with  an
understanding of the risks inherent in any investment in common stocks including
the risk that the  financial  condition  of the  issuers of the  Securities  may
become  impaired or that the general  condition  of the stock  market may worsen
(both of  which  may  contribute  directly  to a  decrease  in the  value of the
Securities and thus in the value

723453.7
                                                        B-3

<PAGE>



of the Units).  Additional  risks  include  risks  associated  with the right to
receive  payments  from the issuer which is generally  inferior to the rights of
creditors of, or holders of debt  obligations  or preferred  stock issued by the
issuer.  Holders of common stocks have a right to receive  dividends  only when,
if, and in the  amounts  declared  by the  issuer's  board of  directors  and to
participate in amounts  available for  distribution by the issuer only after all
other claims on the issuer have been paid or provided for. By contrast,  holders
of preferred stocks usually have the right to receive  dividends at a fixed rate
when  and  as  declared  by the  issuer's  board  of  directors,  normally  on a
cumulative  basis.  Dividends on cumulative  preferred stock must be paid before
any  dividends  are paid on common  stock  and any  cumulative  preferred  stock
dividend  which has been  omitted  is added to future  dividends  payable to the
holders of such cumulative  preferred  stock.  Preferred stocks are also usually
entitled to rights on  liquidation  which are senior to those of common  stocks.
For these  reasons,  preferred  stocks  generally  entail  less risk than common
stocks.

    Moreover,  common  stocks do not  represent an  obligation of the issuer and
therefore  do not  offer  any  assurance  of income  or  provide  the  degree of
protection of debt securities. The issuance of debt securities or even preferred
stock by an issuer will create prior claims for payment of  principal,  interest
and dividends  which could  adversely  affect the ability and inclination of the
issuer to declare or pay dividends on its common stock or the economic  interest
of holders of common stock with respect to assets of the issuer upon liquidation
or bankruptcy.  Further,  unlike debt  securities  which typically have a stated
principal  amount  payable at  maturity  (which  value will be subject to market
fluctuations  prior thereto),  common stocks have neither fixed principal amount
nor a maturity and have values which are subject to market  fluctuations  for as
long as the common  stocks  remain  outstanding.  Common  stocks are  especially
susceptible  to general  stock market  movements  and to volatile  increases and
decreases  in value as  market  confidence  in and  perceptions  of the  issuers
change.   These  perceptions  are  based  on  unpredictable   factors  including
expectations  regarding  government,  economic,  monetary  and fiscal  policies,
inflation and interest rates,  economic expansion or contraction,  and global or
regional  political,  economic or banking crises. The value of the common stocks
in the Trust thus may be  expected  to  fluctuate  over the life of the Trust to
values higher or lower than those prevailing on the Initial Date of Deposit.

    LIQUIDITY.  The existence of a liquid  trading  market for Securities in the
Trust  portfolio  may  depend  on  whether  dealers  will make a market in these
Securities.  There can be no assurance that a market will be made for any of the
Securities,  that any market for the  Securities  will be  maintained  or of the
liquidity of the  Securities in any markets made. In addition,  the Trust may be
restricted under the Investment  Company Act of 1940 from selling  Securities to
the Sponsor.  The price at which the Securities may be sold to meet  redemptions
and the value of the Units will be adversely affected if trading markets for the
Securities are limited or absent.

    The Trust  may  purchase  securities  that are not  registered  ("Restricted
Securities") under the Securities Act, but can be offered and sold to "qualified
institutional  buyers" under Rule 144A under the Securities Act. Since it is not
possible  to predict  with  assurance  exactly  how this  market for  Restricted
Securities  sold and offered  under Rule 144A will  develop,  the  Sponsor  will
carefully monitor the Trust's investments in these securities,  focusing on such
factors, among others, as valuation,  liquidity and availability of information.
This investment  could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in
the Trust to the extent that  qualified  institutional  buyers become for a time
uninterested in purchasing these Restricted Securities.

   
    SMALL CAPITALIZATION  STOCK.  Investing in small  capitalization  stocks may
involve greater risk than investing in medium and large  capitalization  stocks,
since they can be  subject to more  abrupt or  erratic  price  movements.  Small
capitalization companies ("Small-Cap Companies") are generally those with market
capitalizations  of $1  billion or less at the time of the  Trust's  investment.
Many Small-Cap  Companies will have had their securities  publicly traded, if at
all,  for only a short period of time and will not have had the  opportunity  to
establish  a  reliable  trading  pattern  through  economic  cycles.  The  price
volatility of Small-Cap  Companies is relatively  higher than larger,  older and
more mature companies.  The greater price volatility of Small-Cap  Companies may
result from the fact that there may be less market  liquidity,  less information
publicly  available  or fewer  investors  who  monitor the  activities  of these
companies.  In addition,  the market prices of these securities may exhibit more
sensitivity  to  changes  in  industry  or  general  economic  conditions.  Some
Small-Cap  Companies  will not have been in existence  long enough to experience
economic cycles or to demonstrate  whether they are sufficiently well managed to
survive  downturns or inflationary  periods.  Further,  a variety of factors may
affect the success of a company's
    

723453.7
                                       B-4

<PAGE>



business beyond the ability of its management to prepare or compensate for them,
including domestic and international  political  developments,  government trade
and fiscal policies,  patterns of trade and war or other military conflict which
may affect industries or markets or the economy generally.

    YEAR 2000 ISSUE.  Many  existing  computer  programs  use only two digits to
identify  a year in the date  field  and were  designed  and  developed  without
considering  the impact of the upcoming  change in the century.  Therefore,  for
example, the year "2000" would be incorrectly  identified as the year "1900". If
not  corrected,  many  computers  applications  could  fail or create  erroneous
results by or at the Year 2000, requiring  substantial  resources to remedy. The
Sponsor and Trustee  believe  that the "Year 2000"  problem is material to their
business  and  operations  and  could  have a  material  adverse  effect  on the
Sponsor's and the Trustee's  results of operations  and, in turn, cash available
for  distribution  by the  Trustee.  Although  the  Sponsor  and the Trustee are
addressing the problem with respect to their business  operations,  there can be
no assurance  that the "Year 2000" problem will be properly or timely  resolved.
The "Year 2000"  problem may also  adversely  affect  issuers of the  Securities
contained  in the Trust to varying  degrees  based  upon  various  factors.  The
Sponsor is unable to predict what effect,  if any, the "Year 2000"  problem will
have on such issuers.

    LEGISLATION.  From time to time Congress  considers  proposals to reduce the
rate of the  dividends-received  deduction  available  to certain  corporations.
Enactment into law of a proposal to reduce the rate would  adversely  affect the
after-tax return to investors who can take advantage of the deduction.  Further,
at any time after the Initial Date of Deposit,  legislation may be enacted, with
respect  to the  Securities  in the  Trust  or the  issuers  of the  Securities.
Changing approaches to regulation,  particularly with respect to the environment
or with respect to the petroleum industry, may have a negative impact on certain
companies  represented  in the  Trust.  There can be no  assurance  that  future
legislation,  regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect
on the Trust or will not impair the ability of the issuers of the  Securities to
achieve their business goals.

    LEGAL  PROCEEDINGS  AND  LITIGATION.  At any time after the Initial  Date of
Deposit,  legal proceedings may be initiated on various grounds,  or legislation
may be  enacted,  with  respect  to the  Securities  in the Trust or to  matters
involving  the  business  of the  issuer  of  the  Securities.  There  can be no
assurance that future legal  proceedings or legislation will not have a material
adverse impact on the Trust or will not impair the ability of the issuers of the
Securities to achieve their business and investment goals.

    GENERALLY. There is no assurance that any dividends will be declared or paid
in the  future on the  Securities.  Investors  should be aware  that there is no
assurance that the Trust's objective will be achieved.

                                 PUBLIC OFFERING

    OFFERING PRICE.  In calculating  the Public  Offering  Price,  the aggregate
value of the  Securities  is  determined  in good  faith by the  Trustee on each
"Business Day" as defined in the Indenture in the following manner:  because the
Securities  are listed on a national  securities  exchange,  this  evaluation is
based on the closing  sale prices on that  exchange  as of the  Evaluation  Time
(unless the Trustee deems these prices  inappropriate as a basis for valuation).
If the Trustee deems these prices inappropriate as a basis for evaluation,  then
the Trustee may  utilize,  at the Trust's  expense,  an  independent  evaluation
service or services to ascertain the values of the  Securities.  The independent
evaluation  service  shall use any of the  following  methods,  or a combination
thereof, which it deems appropriate:  (a) on the basis of current bid prices for
comparable securities,  (b) by appraising the value of the Securities on the bid
side of the market or by such other appraisal deemed  appropriate by the Trustee
or (c) by any combination of the above, each as of the Evaluation Time.

   
    VOLUME AND OTHER  DISCOUNTS.  Units are available at a volume  discount from
the Public  Offering  Price during the initial  public  offering  based upon the
number of Units  purchased.  This volume  discount will result in a reduction of
the sales charge  applicable to such purchases.  The  approximate  reduced sales
charge on the Public Offering Price applicable to such purchases are as follows:
    


723453.7
                                       B-5

<PAGE>





   
    NUMBER OF UNITS                          APPROXIMATE REDUCED SALES CHARGE
5,000 but less than 10,000                               4.25%
10,000 but less than 25,000                              4.00%
25,000 but less than 50,000                              3.50%
50,000 but less than 100,000                             3.00%
    

    For  transactions  of at least 100,000 Units or more, the Sponsor intends to
negotiate the  applicable  sales charge and such charge will be disclosed to any
such purchaser. The Sponsor reserves the right to change the discounts from time
to time.

    These  discounts  will apply to all purchases of Units by the same purchaser
during  the  initial  public  offering  period.  Units  purchased  by  the  same
purchasers in separate  transactions  during the initial public  offering period
will be aggregated  for purposes of determining if such purchaser is entitled to
a discount provided that such purchaser must own at least the required number of
Units at the time  such  determination  is made.  Units  held in the name of the
spouse  of the  purchaser  or in the name of a child of the  purchaser  under 21
years of age are deemed for the purposes  hereof to be registered in the name of
the purchaser.  The discount is also  applicable to a trustee or other fiduciary
purchasing securities for a single trust estate or single fiduciary account.

   
    The holders of units of prior series of Equity Securities Trusts (the "Prior
Series") may "rollover" into this Trust by exchanging  units of the Prior Series
for Units of the Trust at their relative net asset values,  subject to a reduced
sales charge of 3.50%. An exchange of a Prior Series for Units of the Trust will
generally be a taxable event.  The rollover option described herein will also be
available to  investors  in the Prior Series who elect to purchase  Units of the
Trust (see "Trust Termination").

    During the initial offering period, employees (and their immediate families)
of Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc. (and its affiliates) and of the special
counsel to the Sponsor, may, pursuant to employee benefit arrangements, purchase
Units of the Trust at no sales charge at a price equal to the aggregate value of
the underlying securities in the Trust, divided by the number of Units
outstanding. Such arrangements result in less selling effort and selling
expenses than sales to employee groups of other companies.

    Investors in any open-end  management  investment company or unit investment
trust that have purchased their  investment  within a five-year  period prior to
the date of this  Prospectus  can  purchase  Units of the Trust in an amount not
greater in value than the amount of said  investment  made during this five-year
period at a reduced sales charge of 3.50% of the public offering price.
    

    Units  may be  purchased  in the  primary  or  secondary  market  (including
purchases by Rollover  Unitholders)  at the Public Offering Price (for purchases
which do not  qualify for a volume  discount)  less the  concession  the Sponsor
typically   allows  to  brokers   and  dealers  for   purchases   (see   "Public
Offering--Distribution  of Units") by (1) investors  who purchase  Units through
registered  investment  advisers,  certified  financial  planners and registered
broker-dealers  who in each  case  either  charge  periodic  fees for  financial
planning,  investment  advisory or asset  management  service,  or provide  such
services in connection with the establishment of an investment account for which
a  comprehensive  "wrap  fee"  charge is  imposed,  (2) bank  trust  departments
investing  funds over which they  exercise  exclusive  discretionary  investment
authority  and  that are  held in a  fiduciary,  agency,  custodial  or  similar
capacity,  (3) any  person  who,  for at  least 90  days,  has been an  officer,
director or bona fide employee of any firm offering  Units for sale to investors
or their  immediate  family  members (as  described  above) and (4) officers and
directors  of bank  holding  companies  that make Units  available  directly  or
through  subsidiaries  or  bank  affiliates.  Notwithstanding  anything  to  the
contrary  in this  Prospectus,  such  investors,  bank trust  departments,  firm
employees and bank holding  company  officers and  directors who purchase  Units
through this program will not receive the volume discount.


723453.7
                                                        B-6

<PAGE>



    DISTRIBUTION OF UNITS.  During the initial offering period and thereafter to
the extent  additional Units continue to be offered by means of this Prospectus,
Units will be  distributed  by the Sponsor  and  dealers at the Public  Offering
Price.  The  initial  offering  period is thirty  days  after  each  deposit  of
Securities in the Trust and the Sponsor may extend the initial  offering  period
for successive thirty day periods.  Certain banks and thrifts will make Units of
the Trust  available  to their  customers on an agency  basis.  A portion of the
sales  charge paid by their  customers  is retained by or remitted to the banks.
Under the  Glass-Steagall  Act, banks are prohibited  from  underwriting  Units;
however,  the Glass-Steagall Act does permit certain agency transactions and the
banking regulators have indicated that these particular agency  transactions are
permitted under such Act. In addition,  state  securities laws on this issue may
differ from the  interpretations  of federal law expressed  herein and banks and
financial  institutions may be required to register as dealers pursuant to state
law.

   
    The  Sponsor  intends to  qualify  the Units for sale in  substantially  all
States through dealers who are members of the National Association of Securities
Dealers,  Inc.  Units  may be  sold to  dealers  at  prices  which  represent  a
concession of up to 3.50% per Unit, subject to the Sponsor's right to change the
dealers' concession from time to time. In addition, for transactions of at least
100,000 Units or more,  the Sponsor  intends to negotiate the  applicable  sales
charge and such charge will be disclosed to any such  purchaser.  Such Units may
then be  distributed  to the public by the dealers at the Public  Offering Price
then in effect.  The Sponsor reserves the right to reject,  in whole or in part,
any order for the  purchase of Units.  The Sponsor  reserves the right to change
the discounts from time to time.
    

    Broker-dealers of the Trust, banks and/or others are eligible to participate
in a program in which such firms  receive  from the Sponsor a nominal  award for
each of their registered representatives who have sold a minimum number of units
of unit investment trusts created by the Sponsor during a specified time period.
In addition,  at various times the Sponsor may implement  other  programs  under
which the sales forces of brokers,  dealers, banks and/or others may be eligible
to win other nominal awards for certain sales efforts or under which the Sponsor
will reallow to any such  brokers,  dealers,  banks  and/or  others that sponsor
sales contests or recognition programs conforming to criteria established by the
Sponsor,  or participate in sales programs  sponsored by the Sponsor,  an amount
not exceeding the total  applicable sales charges on the sales generated by such
person at the public  offering price during such programs.  Also, the Sponsor in
its discretion may from time to time pursuant to objective criteria  established
by the Sponsor pay fees to qualifying brokers,  dealers, banks and/or others for
certain services or activities  which are primarily  intended to result in sales
of Units of the Trust.  Such  payments  are made by the Sponsor out of their own
assets and not out of the assets of the Trust.  These  programs  will not change
the price  Unitholders  pay for their  Units or the  amount  that the Trust will
receive from the Units sold.

   
    SPONSOR'S  PROFITS.  The Sponsor will receive a combined gross  underwriting
commission  equal to up to 4.50% of the  Public  Offering  Price  per 100  Units
(equivalent  to  4.712%  of  the  net  amount   invested  in  the   Securities).
Additionally,  the Sponsor may realize a profit on the deposit of the Securities
in the Trust  representing the difference  between the cost of the Securities to
the Sponsor and the cost of the Securities to the Trust (See  "Portfolio").  The
Sponsor  may  realize  profits  or sustain  losses  with  respect to  Securities
deposited in the Trust which were acquired from underwriting syndicates of which
they were a member.  All or a portion of the Securities  initially  deposited in
the Trust may have been acquired through the Sponsor.
    

    During the initial  offering period and thereafter to the extent  additional
Units continue to be offered by means of this  Prospectus,  the  Underwriter may
also realize  profits or sustain  losses as a result of  fluctuations  after the
Initial Date of Deposit in the aggregate  value of the  Securities  and hence in
the Public  Offering Price received by the Sponsor for the Units.  Cash, if any,
made available to the Sponsor prior to settlement date for the purchase of Units
may be used in the  Sponsor's  business  subject  to the  limitations  of 17 CFR
240.15c3-3  under the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934 and may be of benefit to
the Sponsor.

    Both upon  acquisition  of  Securities  and  termination  of the Trust,  the
Trustee may utilize the  services of the Sponsor for the purchase or sale of all
or a portion of the Securities in the Trust.  The Sponsor may receive  brokerage
commissions  from the  Trust in  connection  with  such  purchases  and sales in
accordance with applicable law.


723453.7
                                       B-7

<PAGE>

    In maintaining a market for the Units (see "Sponsor Repurchase") the Sponsor
will realize profits or sustain losses in the amount of any difference between
the price at which it buys Units and the price at which it resells such Units.

                              RIGHTS OF UNITHOLDERS

   
    OWNERSHIP OF UNITS. Ownership of Units of the Trust will not be evidenced by
Certificates.  All  evidence  of  ownership  of the Units  will be  recorded  in
book-entry  form at the Depository  Trust Company  ("DTC") through an investor's
brokerage account.  Units held through DTC will be deposited by the Sponsor with
DTC in the  Sponsor's  DTC account  and  registered  in the nominee  name CEDE &
COMPANY.  Individual purchases of beneficial ownership interest in the Trust may
be made in book-entry form through DTC.  Ownership and transfer of Units will be
evidenced and accomplished  directly and indirectly by book-entries  made by DTC
and its participants.  DTC will record ownership and transfer of the Units among
DTC  participants  and forward all notices and credit all  payments  received in
respect of the Units held by the DTC  participants.  Beneficial  owners of Units
will  receive  written  confirmation  of  their  purchases  and  sale  from  the
broker-dealer  or bank from whom their purchase was made. Units are transferable
by making a written  request  properly  accompanied  by a written  instrument or
instruments  of transfer  which should be sent  registered or certified mail for
the  protection  of the Unit  Holder.  Holders  must sign such  written  request
exactly as their names appear on the records of the Trust.  Such signatures must
be  guaranteed  by  a  commercial  bank  or  trust  company,  savings  and  loan
association or by a member firm of a national securities exchange.
    

    DISTRIBUTIONS.  Dividends  received by the Trust are credited by the Trustee
to an Income Account for the Trust.  Other  receipts,  including the proceeds of
Securities disposed of, are credited to a Principal Account for the Trust.

    Distributions  to each Unitholder from the Income Account are computed as of
the close of business on each Record  Date for the  following  payment  date and
consist of an amount  substantially equal to such Unitholder's pro rata share of
the income credited to the Income Account, less expenses. Distributions from the
Principal  Account  of  the  Trust  (other  than  amounts   representing  failed
contracts, as previously discussed) will be computed as of each Record Date, and
will  be  made  to  the  Unitholders  of  the  Trust  on or  shortly  after  the
Distribution Date. Proceeds representing principal received from the disposition
of any of the Securities between a Record Date and a Distribution Date which are
not used for redemptions of Units will be held in the Principal  Account and not
distributed until the next Distribution Date. Persons who purchase Units between
a Record Date and a Distribution  Date will receive their first  distribution on
the Distribution Date after such purchase.

    As of each Record Date,  the Trustee will deduct from the Income  Account of
the  Trust,  and,  to the  extent  funds are not  sufficient  therein,  from the
Principal  Account of the Trust,  amounts  necessary  to pay the expenses of the
Trust (as determined on the basis set forth under "Trust Expenses and Charges").
The Trustee also may withdraw from said  accounts  such  amounts,  if any, as it
deems  necessary  to  establish  a  reserve  for any  applicable  taxes or other
governmental  charges that may be payable out of the Trust. Amounts so withdrawn
shall not be  considered  a part of such  Trust's  assets until such time as the
Trustee  shall  return  all or any  part  of  such  amounts  to the  appropriate
accounts.  In addition,  the Trustee may withdraw  from the Income and Principal
Accounts such amounts as may be necessary to cover  redemptions  of Units by the
Trustee.

    The dividend  distribution  per 100 Units, if any, cannot be anticipated and
may be paid as Securities are redeemed, exchanged or sold, or as expenses of the
Trust  fluctuate.  No  distribution  need be made from the Income Account or the
Principal  Account  until  the  balance  therein  is  an  amount  sufficient  to
distribute $1.00 per 100 Units.

    RECORDS.  The Trustee shall  furnish  Unitholders  in  connection  with each
distribution  a statement of the amount of dividends and  interest,  if any, and
the amount of other receipts, if any, which are being distributed,  expressed in
each case as a dollar amount per 100 Units.  Within a reasonable  time after the
end of each  calendar  year,  the Trustee will furnish to each person who at any
time during the calendar  year was a Unitholder of record,  a statement  showing
(a) as to the Income Account: dividends and other cash amounts received, amounts
paid for purchases of Substitute  Securities and  redemptions of Units,  if any,
deductions  for  applicable  taxes and fees and  expenses of the Trust,  and the
balance remaining after such  distributions and deductions,  expressed both as a
total dollar amount and as a dollar amount representing the pro rata share

723453.7
                                       B-8

<PAGE>



of each 100 Units  outstanding  on the last business day of such calendar  year;
(b) as to the Principal Account:  the dates of disposition of any Securities and
the net proceeds received therefrom, deductions for payments of applicable taxes
and fees and  expenses of the Trust,  amounts paid for  purchases of  Substitute
Securities and  redemptions of Units,  if any, and the balance  remaining  after
such  distributions and deductions,  expressed both as a total dollar amount and
as a dollar amount representing the pro rata share of each 100 Units outstanding
on the last business day of such  calendar  year;  (c) a list of the  Securities
held, a list of Securities  purchased,  sold or otherwise disposed of during the
calendar  year and the number of Units  outstanding  on the last business day of
such calendar year;  (d) the Redemption  Price per 100 Units based upon the last
computation  thereof made during such calendar  year;  and (e) amounts  actually
distributed  to  Unitholders  during  such  calendar  year from the  Income  and
Principal  Accounts,  separately  stated, of the Trust,  expressed both as total
dollar amounts and as dollar amounts representing the pro rata share of each 100
Units outstanding on the last business day of such calendar year.

    The Trustee  shall keep  available  for  inspection  by  Unitholders  at all
reasonable times during usual business hours, books of record and account of its
transactions  as  Trustee,  including  records  of the  names and  addresses  of
Unitholders,  a current list of  Securities  in the  portfolio and a copy of the
Trust Agreement.

                                   TAX STATUS

    The following is a general  discussion of certain of the Federal  income tax
consequences  of the  purchase,  ownership  and  disposition  of the Units.  The
summary  is  limited  to  investors  who hold  the  Units  as  "capital  assets"
(generally,  property held for investment) within the meaning of Section 1221 of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code").

    In rendering the opinion set forth below, Battle Fowler LLP has examined the
Agreement, the final form of Prospectus dated the date hereof (the "Prospectus")
and the  documents  referred to  therein,  among  others,  and has relied on the
validity of said  documents and the accuracy and  completeness  of the facts set
forth  therein.  In the opinion of Battle  Fowler LLP,  special  counsel for the
Sponsor, under existing law:

       1. Each Trust will be classified  as a grantor  trust for Federal  income
    tax  purposes  and  not  as  a  partnership  or  association  taxable  as  a
    corporation.  Classification  of a Trust as a grantor  trust  will cause the
    Trust  not  to be  subject  to  Federal  income  tax,  and  will  cause  the
    Unitholders  of the Trust to be treated for Federal  income tax  purposes as
    the owners of a pro rata  portion  of the  assets of the  Trust.  All income
    received  by the Trust will be treated as income of the  Unitholders  in the
    manner set forth below.

       2. Each Trust is not  subject to the New York  Franchise  Tax on Business
    Corporations or the New York City General  Corporation Tax. For a Unitholder
    who is a New York  resident,  however,  a pro rata portion of all or part of
    the income of a Trust will be treated as income of the Unitholder  under the
    income  tax laws of the State and City of New York.  Similar  treatment  may
    apply in other states.

   
       3. During the 90-day period  subsequent to the initial issuance date, the
    Sponsor  reserves  the  right  to  deposit  Additional  Securities  that are
    substantially similar to those deposited in initially  establishing a Trust.
    This retained right falls within the guidelines  promulgated by the Internal
    Revenue Service ("IRS") and should not affect the taxable status of a Trust.
    

    A taxable event will generally  occur with respect to each Unitholder when a
Trust disposes of a Security  (whether by sale,  exchange or redemption) or upon
the  sale,  exchange  or  redemption  of Units by such  Unitholder.  The price a
Unitholder pays for its Units,  including sales charges,  is allocated among its
pro rata portion of each Security  held by the Trust (in  proportion to the fair
market values thereof on the date the  Unitholder  purchases its Units) in order
to determine  its initial cost for its pro rata portion of each Security held by
the Trust.

    For  Federal  income  tax  purposes,  a  Unitholder's  pro rata  portion  of
dividends paid with respect to a Security held by a Trust is taxable as ordinary
income  to the  extent  of the  issuing  corporation's  current  or  accumulated
"earnings and profits"

723453.7
                                       B-9

<PAGE>



as provided  in Section  316 of the Code.  A  Unitholder's  pro rata  portion of
dividends paid on such Security that exceed such current or accumulated earnings
and profits will first reduce a Unitholder's tax basis in such Security,  and to
the extent that such dividends  exceed a Unitholder's tax basis in such Security
will generally be treated as capital gain.

   
    A  Unitholder's  portion  of  gain,  if any,  upon  the  sale,  exchange  or
redemption  of Units  or the  disposition  of  Securities  held by a Trust  will
generally be  considered a capital gain and will be long-term if the  Unitholder
has held its Units  (and the Trust  has held the  Securities)  for more than one
year.  Capital gains realized by  corporations  are generally  taxed at the same
rates  applicable  to ordinary  income,  although  non-corporate  taxpayers  who
realize  long-term  capital  gains with  respect to Units held for more than one
year may be subject to a reduced tax rate of 20% on such gains,  rather than the
"regular"  maximum tax rate of 39.6%.  Tax rates may increase  prior to the time
when Unitholders may realize gains from the sale,  exchange or redemption of the
Units or Securities.

    A Unitholder's portion of loss, if any, upon the sale or redemption of Units
or the disposition of Securities held by a Trust will generally be considered a
capital loss and will be long-term if the Unitholder has held its Units for more
than one year. Capital losses are deductible to the extent of capital gains; in
addition, up to $3,000 of capital losses ($1,500 for married individuals filing
separately) recognized by non-corporate Unitholders may be deducted against
ordinary income.
    

    Under Section 67 of the Code and the accompanying Regulations,  a Unitholder
who itemizes its  deductions  may also deduct its pro rata share of the fees and
expenses of a Trust, but only to the extent that such amounts, together with the
Unitholder's  other  miscellaneous  deductions,  exceed 2% of its adjusted gross
income.  The deduction of fees and expenses may also be limited by Section 68 of
the Code,  which reduces the amount of itemized  deductions that are allowed for
individuals with incomes in excess of certain thresholds.

    After the end of each  calendar  year,  the  Trustee  will  furnish  to each
Unitholder an annual statement containing  information relating to the dividends
received by the Trust on the Securities,  the gross proceeds received by a Trust
from the  disposition  of any  Security,  and the fees and expenses  paid by the
Trust.  The  Trustee  will  also  furnish  annual  information  returns  to each
Unitholder and to the Internal Revenue Service.

    A corporation  that owns Units will generally be entitled to a 70% dividends
received  deduction with respect to its pro rata portion of dividends taxable as
ordinary  income received by a Trust from a domestic  corporation  under Section
243 of the Code or from a qualifying  foreign  corporation  under Section 245 of
the Code in the same manner as if such corporation directly owned the Securities
paying such dividends.  However, a corporation owning Units should be aware that
Sections  246  and  246A  of  the  Code  impose  additional  limitations  on the
eligibility  of  dividends  for  the 70%  dividends  received  deduction.  These
limitations  include  a  requirement  that  stock  (and  therefore  Units)  must
generally be held at least 46 days (as  determined  under Section  246(c) of the
Code) during the 90-day period  beginning on the date that is 45 days before the
date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend.  Moreover, the allowable percentage
of the deduction will be reduced from 70% if a corporate Unitholder owns certain
stock (or Units) the financing of which is directly attributable to indebtedness
incurred by such corporation.

   
    As discussed in the section  "Termination",  each  Unitholder may have three
options in receiving its  termination  distributions,  namely (i) to receive its
pro rata share of the underlying  Securities in kind,  (ii) to receive cash upon
liquidation  of its pro rata  share of the  underlying  Securities,  or (iii) to
invest the amount of cash it would receive upon the  liquidation of its pro rata
share of the underlying  Securities in units of a future series of the Trust (if
one is offered).  There are special tax consequences  should a Unitholder choose
option (i),  the  exchange of the  Unitholder's  Units for a pro rata portion of
each of the Securities held by the Trust plus cash. Treasury Regulations provide
that gain or loss is  recognized  when there is a  conversion  of property  into
property that is materially  different in kind or extent. In this instance,  the
Unitholder  may be  considered  the owner of an  undivided  interest in all of a
Trust's  assets.  By accepting the pro rata share of the number of Securities of
the Trust, in partial exchange for its Units,  the Unitholder  should be treated
as merely  exchanging its undivided pro rata ownership of Securities held by the
Trust for sole ownership of a proportionate share of Securities.  As such, there
should be no material  difference in the Unitholder's  ownership,  and therefore
the transaction should be tax free to the extent
    

723453.7
                                      B-10

<PAGE>



Securities are received.  Alternatively,  the  transaction  may be treated as an
exchange  that would  qualify  for  nonrecognition  treatment  to the extent the
Unitholder is exchanging its undivided interest in all of the Trust's Securities
for its proportionate number of shares of the underlying  Securities.  In either
instance,  the  transaction  should  result  in  a  non-taxable  event  for  the
Unitholder to the extent Securities are received.  However, there is no specific
authority addressing the income tax consequences of an in-kind distribution from
a grantor trust.

    Entities that  generally  qualify for an exemption  from Federal income tax,
such as many pension  trusts,  are  nevertheless  taxed under Section 511 of the
Code on "unrelated  business taxable income."  Unrelated business taxable income
is income from a trade or business regularly carried on by the tax-exempt entity
that is unrelated to the entity's exempt  purpose.  Unrelated  business  taxable
income  generally does not include  dividend or interest income or gain from the
sale of investment property, unless such income is derived from property that is
debt-financed or is dealer property.  A tax-exempt entity's dividend income from
the Trust and gain  from the sale of Units in the Trust or the  Trust's  sale of
Securities is not expected to constitute  unrelated  business  taxable income to
such   tax-exempt   entity  unless  the   acquisition  of  the  Unit  itself  is
debt-financed  or  constitutes  dealer  property in the hands of the  tax-exempt
entity.

   


    

    Prospective tax-exempt investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers
concerning  the  Federal,  state,  local and any other tax  consequences  of the
purchase, ownership and disposition of Units prior to investing in the Trust.

                                    LIQUIDITY

    SPONSOR  REPURCHASE.  Unitholders  who wish to dispose of their Units should
inquire of the Sponsor as to current  market prices prior to making a tender for
redemption.  The  aggregate  value of the  Securities  will be determined by the
Trustee on a daily  basis and  computed  on the basis set forth  under  "Trustee
Redemption." The Sponsor does not guarantee the enforceability, marketability or
price  of any  Securities  in a  Portfolio  or of the  Units.  The  Sponsor  may
discontinue  the repurchase of Units if the supply of Units exceeds  demand,  or
for other business  reasons.  The date of repurchase is deemed to be the date on
which  redemption  requests  are  received  in  proper  form  by  Reich  &  Tang
Distributors,  Inc., 600 Fifth Avenue,  New York, New York 10020. Units tendered
by redemption  requests  received after 4 P.M., New York Time, will be deemed to
have been  repurchased  on the next  business  day. In the event a market is not
maintained  for the Units,  a Unitholder may be able to dispose of Units only by
tendering them to the Trustee for redemption.

   
    Units purchased by the Sponsor in the secondary  market may be reoffered for
sale by the Sponsor at a price based on the aggregate value of the Securities in
the Trust plus a 4.50% sales charge (or 4.712% of the net amount  invested) plus
a pro rata portion of amounts, if any, in the Income Account. Any Units that are
purchased  by the  Sponsor in the  secondary  market also may be redeemed by the
Sponsor if it determines such redemption to be in its best interest.
    

    The Sponsor may, under certain  circumstances,  as a service to Unitholders,
elect to purchase any Units tendered to the Trustee for redemption (see "Trustee
Redemption").  Factors which the Sponsor will consider in making a determination
will  include the number of Units of all Trusts which it has in  inventory,  its
estimate of the  salability and the time required to sell such Units and general
market  conditions.  For example,  if in order to meet  redemptions of Units the
Trustee must dispose of Securities,  and if such  disposition  cannot be made by
the redemption date (three calendar days after tender), the Sponsor may elect to
purchase such Units.  Such purchase  shall be made by payment to the  Unitholder
not later than the close of business on the  redemption  date of an amount equal
to the Redemption Price on the date of tender.

    TRUSTEE REDEMPTION. At any time prior to the Evaluation Time on the business
day preceding the  commencement of the Liquidation  Period  (approximately  five
years from the  Initial  Date of  Deposit),  Units may also be  tendered  to the
Trustee for  redemption  upon  payment of any  relevant  tax by  contacting  the
Sponsor,  broker,  dealer or financial  institution holding such Units in street
name. In certain instances,  additional documents may be required, such as trust
instrument,   certificate  of  corporate  authority,  certificate  of  death  or
appointment as executor,  administrator  or guardian.  At the present time there
are no specific taxes related to the redemption of Units. No redemption fee will
be charged by the Sponsor or the Trustee.  Units redeemed by the Trustee will be
canceled.

723453.7
                                      B-11

<PAGE>



    Within three business days following a tender for redemption, the Unitholder
will be  entitled  to  receive  an amount  for each Unit  tendered  equal to the
Redemption  Price per Unit  computed as of the  Evaluation  Time set forth under
"Summary of Essential Information" in Part A on the date of tender. The "date of
tender" is deemed to be the date on which  Units are  received  by the  Trustee,
except that with respect to Units received after the close of trading on the New
York Stock Exchange (4:00 p.m. Eastern Time), the date of tender is the next day
on which such  Exchange  is open for  trading,  and such Units will be deemed to
have been tendered to the Trustee on such day for  redemption at the  Redemption
Price computed on that day.

    A Unitholder  will receive his redemption  proceeds in cash and amounts paid
on redemption  shall be withdrawn  from the Income  Account,  or, if the balance
therein is insufficient,  from the Principal Account.  All other amounts paid on
redemption  shall be  withdrawn  from the  Principal  Account.  The  Trustee  is
empowered to sell Securities in order to make funds  available for  redemptions.
Such sales, if required,  could result in a sale of Securities by the Trustee at
a loss. To the extent  Securities  are sold, the size and diversity of the Trust
will be reduced.  The  Securities  to be sold will be selected by the Trustee in
order to maintain,  to the extent  practicable,  the proportionate  relationship
among the number of shares of each  Stock.  Provision  is made in the  Indenture
under which the Sponsor  may,  but need not,  specify  minimum  amounts in which
blocks of  Securities  are to be sold in order to obtain  the best price for the
Trust. While these minimum amounts may vary from time to time in accordance with
market conditions,  the Sponsor believes that the minimum amounts which would be
specified would be approximately 100 shares for readily marketable Securities.

    The Redemption Price per Unit is the pro rata share of the Unit in the Trust
determined  by the  Trustee  on the  basis of (i) the cash on hand  (during  the
initial  offering  period a  portion  of the  cash on hand  includes  an  amount
sufficient  to pay the per Unit portion of all or a part of the cost incurred in
organizing  and offering  the Trust,  see "Trust  Expenses and  Charges") in the
Trust or  moneys  in the  process  of  being  collected,  (ii) the  value of the
Securities  in  the  Trust  as  determined  by the  Trustee,  less  (a)  amounts
representing taxes or other  governmental  charges payable out of the Trust, (b)
the accrued expenses of the Trust and (c) cash allocated for the distribution to
Unitholders of record as of the business day prior to the evaluation being made.
The  Trustee  may  determine  the  value of the  Securities  in the Trust in the
following  manner:  because the Securities  are listed on a national  securities
exchange,  this evaluation is based on the closing sale prices on that exchange.
Unless the Trustee deems these prices inappropriate as a basis for evaluation or
if there is no such closing purchase price, then the Trustee may utilize, at the
Trust's expense, an independent  evaluation service or services to ascertain the
values of the Securities.  The independent  evaluation  service shall use any of
the following methods, or a combination thereof, which it deems appropriate: (a)
on the basis of current bid prices for comparable securities,  (b) by appraising
the  value  of the  Securities  on the  bid  side  of the  market  or (c) by any
combination of the above.

    Any Unitholder tendering 2,500 Units or more of the Trust for redemption may
request by written  notice  submitted  at the time of tender from the Trustee in
lieu of a cash  redemption a distribution of shares of Securities and cash in an
amount and value equal to the Redemption  Price Per Unit as determined as of the
evaluation next following tender. To the extent possible,  in kind distributions
("In Kind Distributions")  shall be made by the Trustee through the distribution
of each of the Securities in book-entry form to the account of the  Unitholder's
bank or broker-dealer at The Depository Trust Company.  An In Kind  Distribution
will be reduced by customary  transfer and registration  charges.  The tendering
Unitholder  will  receive  his pro rata  number  of whole  shares of each of the
Securities  comprising the Trust portfolio and cash from the Principal  Accounts
equal to the balance of the Redemption  Price to which the tendering  Unitholder
is entitled.  If funds in the Principal  Account are  insufficient  to cover the
required cash  distribution  to the tendering  Unitholder,  the Trustee may sell
Securities in the manner described above.

    The Trustee is irrevocably authorized in its discretion, if the Sponsor does
not elect to purchase a Unit tendered for redemption or if the Sponsor tenders a
Unit for  redemption,  in lieu of redeeming  such Unit, to sell such Unit in the
over-the-counter  market for the account of the  tendering  Unitholder at prices
which  will  return to the  Unitholder  an amount in cash,  net after  deducting
brokerage  commissions,  transfer taxes and other charges, equal to or in excess
of the Redemption  Price for such Unit. The Trustee will pay the net proceeds of
any such sale to the  Unitholder  on the day he would  otherwise  be entitled to
receive payment of the Redemption Price.


723453.7
                                      B-12

<PAGE>



    The Trustee  reserves  the right to suspend the right of  redemption  and to
postpone  the date of  payment of the  Redemption  Price per Unit for any period
during which the New York Stock Exchange is closed, other than customary weekend
and holiday closings,  or trading on that Exchange is restricted or during which
(as determined by the SEC) an emergency  exists as a result of which disposal or
evaluation of the Bonds is not reasonably practicable, or for such other periods
as the SEC may by order  permit.  The  Trustee and the Sponsor are not liable to
any person or in any way for any loss or damage  which may result  from any such
suspension or postponement.

    A Unitholder  who wishes to dispose of his Units should  inquire of his bank
or broker in order to determine if there is a current  secondary market price in
excess of the Redemption Price.

                              TRUST ADMINISTRATION

    PORTFOLIO  SUPERVISION.  The Trust is a unit  investment  trust and is not a
managed fund.  Traditional  methods of investment  management for a managed fund
typically  involve frequent changes in a portfolio of securities on the basis of
economic,  financial and market analyses.  The Portfolio of the Trust,  however,
will not be managed and therefore the adverse  financial  condition of an issuer
will not necessarily  require the sale of its Securities from the portfolio.  It
is unlikely that the Trust will sell any of the Securities other than to satisfy
redemptions  of Units,  or to cease buying  Additional  Securities in connection
with the issuance of additional  Units.  However,  the Trust Agreement  provides
that the Sponsor may direct the disposition of Securities upon the occurrence of
certain  events  including:  (1) default in payment of amounts due on any of the
Securities;  (2)  institution  of certain legal  proceedings;  (3) default under
certain  documents  materially  and adversely  affecting  future  declaration or
payment of amounts due or expected;  (4)  determination  of the Sponsor that the
tax treatment of the Trust as a grantor trust would otherwise be jeopardized; or
(5)  decline  in price as a direct  result of  serious  adverse  credit  factors
affecting the issuer of a Security which,  in the opinion of the Sponsor,  would
make the retention of the Security detrimental to the Trust or the Unitholders.

    In addition, the Trust Agreement provides as follows:

       (a) If a default in the  payment of amounts  due on any  Security  occurs
    pursuant to provision (1) above and if the Sponsor  fails to give  immediate
    instructions to sell or hold that Security,  the Trustee,  within 30 days of
    that failure by the Sponsor, shall sell the Security.

       (b) It is the  responsibility  of the Sponsor to instruct  the Trustee to
    reject  any offer  made by an issuer of any of the  Securities  to issue new
    securities  in exchange  and  substitution  for any  Security  pursuant to a
    recapitalization  or  reorganization.  If any  exchange or  substitution  is
    effected  notwithstanding  such rejection,  any securities or other property
    received  shall be  promptly  sold  unless the  Sponsor  directs  that it be
    retained.

       (c) Any  property  received  by the  Trustee  after the  Initial  Date of
    Deposit as a distribution on any of the Securities in a form other than cash
    or additional  shares of the  Securities,  shall be promptly sold unless the
    Sponsor  directs  that it be retained by the  Trustee.  The  proceeds of any
    disposition  shall be  credited  to the Income or  Principal  Account of the
    Trust.

       (d) The Sponsor is authorized to increase the size and number of Units of
    the Trust by the deposit of  Additional  Securities,  contracts  to purchase
    Additional  Securities  or cash or a letter of credit with  instructions  to
    purchase Additional  Securities in exchange for the corresponding  number of
    additional  Units  from  time  to time  subsequent  to the  Initial  Date of
    Deposit,  provided that the original  proportionate  relationship  among the
    number of shares of each Security established on the Initial Date of Deposit
    is maintained to the extent practicable. The Sponsor may specify the minimum
    numbers in which Additional Securities will be deposited or purchased.  If a
    deposit is not  sufficient  to  acquire  minimum  amounts of each  Security,
    Additional  Securities  may be  acquired in the order of the  Security  most
    under-represented  immediately  before  the  deposit  when  compared  to the
    original  proportionate  relationship.  If Securities of an issue originally
    deposited are unavailable at the time of the subsequent deposit, the Sponsor
    may (i) deposit cash or a letter of credit with instructions

723453.7
                                      B-13

<PAGE>



    to purchase  the  Security  when it becomes  available,  or (ii) deposit (or
    instruct the Trustee to  purchase)  either  Securities  of one or more other
    issues originally deposited or a Substitute Security.

    TRUST  AGREEMENT AND  AMENDMENT.  The Trust  Agreement may be amended by the
Trustee and the Sponsor  without  the  consent of  Unitholders:  (1) to cure any
ambiguity or to correct or supplement  any  provision  which may be defective or
inconsistent;  (2) to change any provision thereof as may be required by the SEC
or any successor  governmental  agency;  or (3) to make such other provisions in
regard to matters arising thereunder as shall not adversely affect the interests
of the Unitholders.

    The Trust  Agreement may also be amended in any respect,  or  performance of
any of the  provisions  thereof  may be waived,  with the  consent of  investors
holding 66 2/3% of the Units then  outstanding  for the purpose of modifying the
rights of  Unitholders;  provided that no such  amendment or waiver shall reduce
any  Unitholder's  interest  in the Trust  without  his  consent  or reduce  the
percentage of Units  required to consent to any such amendment or waiver without
the consent of the holders of all Units. The Trust Agreement may not be amended,
without the  consent of the holders of all Units in the Trust then  outstanding,
to increase  the number of Units  issuable or to permit the  acquisition  of any
Securities in addition to or in substitution  for those  initially  deposited in
such Trust, except in accordance with the provisions of the Trust Agreement. The
Trustee shall promptly notify  Unitholders,  in writing, of the substance of any
such amendment.

   
    TRUST  TERMINATION.  The  Trust  Agreement  provides  that the  Trust  shall
terminate  as  of  the  Evaluation  Time  on  the  business  day  preceding  the
Liquidation   Period  or  upon  the  earlier   maturity,   redemption  or  other
disposition, as the case may be, of the last of the Securities held in the Trust
and in no event is it to continue beyond the Mandatory  Termination Date. If the
value of the  Trust  shall be less  than the  minimum  amount  set  forth  under
"Summary  of  Essential  Information"  in  Part  A,  the  Trustee  may,  in  its
discretion, and shall, when so directed by the Sponsor, terminate the Trust. The
Trust may also be  terminated  at any time  with the  consent  of the  investors
holding 100% of the Units then outstanding. The Trustee may utilize the services
of the Sponsor for the sale of all or a portion of the  Securities in the Trust,
and in so doing, the Sponsor will determine the manner,  timing and execution of
the sales of the underlying  Securities.  Any brokerage  commissions received by
the Sponsor from the Trust in  connection  with such sales will be in accordance
with applicable law. In the event of termination, written notice thereof will be
sent by the Trustee to all  Unitholders.  Such notice will  provide  Unitholders
with the following three options by which to receive their pro rata share of the
net asset  value of the Trust and  requires  their  election of one of the three
options by notifying the Trustee prior to the  commencement  of the  Liquidation
Period by returning a properly  completed  election request form (to be supplied
to Unitholders of at least 2,500 Units prior to such date) (see Part A--"Summary
of Essential  Information"  for the date of the  commencement of the Liquidation
Period):
    

       1. A Unitholder  who owns at least 2,500 units and whose  interest in the
    Trust  would  entitle it to  receive  at least one share of each  underlying
    Security will have its Units  redeemed on  commencement  of the  Liquidation
    Period by distribution of the  Unitholder's  pro rata share of the net asset
    value  of the  Trust  on  such  date  distributed  in  kind  to  the  extent
    represented by whole shares of underlying Securities and the balance in cash
    within  three  business  days  next  following  the   commencement   of  the
    Liquidation  Period.   Unitholders  subsequently  selling  such  distributed
    Securities  will incur  brokerage  costs when disposing of such  Securities.
    Unitholders should consult their own tax adviser in this regard;

       2. to receive in cash such  Unitholder's  pro rata share of the net asset
    value of the Trust  derived from the sale by the Sponsor as the agent of the
    Trustee of the underlying  Securities  during the  Liquidation  Period.  The
    Unitholder's  pro  rata  share  of its  net  assets  of the  Trust  will  be
    distributed  to such  Unitholder  within three days of the settlement of the
    trade of the last Security to be sold; or

       3. to invest  such  Unitholder's  pro rata share of the net assets of the
    Trust  derived  from the sale by the  Sponsor as agent of the Trustee of the
    underlying   Securities  during  the  Liquidation  Period,  in  units  of  a
    subsequent  series of Equity  Securities Trust (the "New Series"),  provided
    one is offered.  It is expected that a special  redemption  and  liquidation
    will be made of all Units of this Trust held by a  Unitholder  (a  "Rollover
    Unitholder")  who  affirmatively  notifies  the  Trustee  on or prior to the
    Rollover   Notification   Date  set  forth  in  the  "Summary  of  Essential
    Information" for the Trust

723453.7
                                      B-14

<PAGE>



    in Part A. The Units of a New Series  will be  purchased  by the  Unitholder
    within  three  business  days of the  settlement  of the  trade for the last
    Security to be sold.  Such  purchaser  will be  entitled to a reduced  sales
    charge upon the purchase of units of the New Series. It is expected that the
    terms of the New Series will be  substantially  the same as the terms of the
    Trust described in this Prospectus, and that similar options with respect to
    the  termination of such New Series will be available.  The  availability of
    this option does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to purchase Units
    of  a  New  Series  or  any  other  security.  A  Unitholder's  election  to
    participate  in this  option  will be treated as an  indication  of interest
    only. At any time prior to the purchase by the  Unitholder of units of a New
    Series such  Unitholder may change his investment  strategy and receive,  in
    cash, the proceeds of the sale of the Securities. An election of this option
    will not  prevent  the  Unitholder  from  recognizing  taxable  gain or loss
    (except  in the  case of a loss,  if and to the  extent  the New  Series  is
    treated  as  substantially  identical  to  the  Trust)  as a  result  of the
    liquidation,  even  though no cash  will be  distributed  to pay any  taxes.
    Unitholders should consult their own tax advisers in this regard.

    Unitholders  who do not make any election  will be deemed to have elected to
receive the termination distribution in cash (option number 2).

   
    The  Sponsor  has  agreed  that to the  extent  they  effect  the  sales  of
underlying  securities  for the  Trustee  in the case of the  second  and  third
options  during the  Liquidation  Period  such  sales will be free of  brokerage
commissions.  The Sponsor, on behalf of the Trustee,  may sell, unless prevented
by unusual  and  unforeseen  circumstances,  such as,  among  other  reasons,  a
suspension in trading of a Security, the close of a stock exchange,  outbreak of
hostilities  and  collapse  of the  economy,  on the  last  business  day of the
Liquidation  Period.  The Redemption  Price per 100 Units upon the settlement of
the last sale of Securities during the Liquidation Period will be distributed to
Unitholders in redemption of such Unitholders' interest in the Trust.
    

    Depending  on the  amount of  proceeds  to be  invested  in Units of the New
Series and the amount of other  orders for Units in the New Series,  the Sponsor
may purchase a large amount of  securities  for the New Series in a short period
of time. The Sponsor's  buying of securities may tend to raise the market prices
of these  securities.  The  actual  market  impact of the  Sponsor's  purchases,
however, is currently  unpredictable  because the actual amount of securities to
be purchased and the supply and price of those securities is unknown.  A similar
problem  may  occur  in  connection  with  the  sale of  Securities  during  the
Liquidation Period; depending on the number of sales required, the prices of and
demand for Securities, such sales may tend to depress the market prices and thus
reduce  the  proceeds  of such  sales.  The  Sponsor  believes  that the sale of
underlying  Securities over the Liquidation  Period as described above is in the
best  interest of a  Unitholder  and may  mitigate  the  negative  market  price
consequences  stemming  from the  trading of large  amounts of  Securities.  The
Securities  may be sold in fewer than five days if, in the  Sponsor's  judgment,
such sales are in the best interest of Unitholders. The Sponsor, in implementing
such sales of  securities  on behalf of the  Trustee,  will seek to maximize the
sales proceeds and will act in the best interests of the Unitholders.  There can
be no assurance,  however,  that any adverse price consequences of heavy trading
will be mitigated.

   
    Section 17(a) of the 1940 Act  generally  prohibits  principal  transactions
between  registered  investment  companies and their affiliates.  Pursuant to an
exemptive order issued by the SEC, each  terminating  Growth and Value Trust can
sell underlying  Securities  directly to a New Series. The exemption will enable
the Trust to eliminate  commission  costs on these  transactions.  The price for
those securities  transferred will be the closing sale price on the sale date on
the national securities exchange where the securities are principally traded, as
certified and confirmed by the Trustee.
    

    The  Sponsor  may for any  reason,  in its sole  discretion,  decide  not to
sponsor  any  subsequent  series of the  Trust,  without  penalty  or  incurring
liability to any Unitholder.  If the Sponsor so decides, the Sponsor will notify
the Trustee of that decision,  and the Trustee will notify the Unitholders.  All
Unitholders will then elect either option 1, if eligible, or option 2.

   
    By electing to "rollover" into the New Series, the Unitholder  indicates his
interest in having his terminating  distribution from the Trust invested only in
the New Series created following  termination of the Trust; the Sponsor expects,
however,  that a similar  rollover  program  will be offered with respect to all
subsequent series of the Trust, thus giving  Unitholders an opportunity to elect
to roll their terminating  distributions  into a New Series. The availability of
the rollover privilege does
    

723453.7
                                      B-15

<PAGE>



not constitute a solicitation of offers to purchase units of a New Series or any
other security.  A Unitholder's  election to participate in the rollover program
will be treated as an  indication  of  interest  only.  The  Sponsor  intends to
coordinate the date of deposit of a future series so that the terminating  trust
will terminate  contemporaneously with the creation of a New Series. The Sponsor
reserves the right to modify, suspend or terminate the rollover privilege at any
time.

   
    THE SPONSOR.  Reich & Tang Distributors,  Inc., a Delaware  corporation,  is
engaged in the brokerage business and is a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers,  Inc. Reich & Tang is also a registered  investment advisor.
Reich & Tang maintains its principal  business offices at 600 Fifth Avenue,  New
York, New York 10020.  The sole  shareholder of the Sponsor,  Reich & Tang Asset
Management,  Inc.  ("RTAM Inc.") is wholly owned by NEIC Holdings,  Inc.  which,
effective  December 29, 1997,  was wholly owned by NEIC  Operating  Partnership,
L.P.  ("NEICOP").  Subsequently,  on March 31, 1998,  NEICOP changed its name to
Nvest  Companies,  L.P.  ("Nvest").  The  general  partners  of Nvest  are Nvest
Corporation  and Nvest L.P. As of March 31, 1998,  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance
Company ("Met Life") owned  approximately  47% of the  partnership  interests of
Nvest. Nvest, with a principal place of business at 399 Boylston Street, Boston,
MA 02116, is a holding company of firms engaged in the securities and investment
advisory business.  These affiliates in the aggregate are investment advisors or
managers to over 80  registered  investment  companies.  Reich & Tang is Sponsor
(and  Company-  Sponsor,  as the  case  may  be)  for  numerous  series  of unit
investment trusts,  including New York Municipal Trust, Series 1 (and Subsequent
Series),  Municipal  Securities  Trust,  Series 1 (and Subsequent  Series),  1st
Discount Series (and Subsequent  Series),  Multi-State  Series 1 (and Subsequent
Series),  Mortgage Securities Trust,  Series 1 (and Subsequent Series),  Insured
Municipal  Securities Trust,  Series 1 (and Subsequent  Series) and 5th Discount
Series (and Subsequent  Series),  Equity Securities  Trust,  Series 1, Signature
Series,  Gabelli  Communications Income Trust (and Subsequent Series) and Schwab
Trusts.
    

    MetLife is a mutual life insurance  company with assets of $297.6 billion at
December 31, 1996. It is the second largest life insurance company in the United
States in terms of total assets.  MetLife provides a wide range of insurance and
investment  products  and services to  individuals  and groups and is the leader
among United States life insurance companies in terms of total life insurance in
force,  which  exceeded  $1.6  trillion at December 31, 1996 for MetLife and its
insurance  affiliates.  MetLife and its  affiliates  provide  insurance or other
financial services to approximately 36 million people worldwide.

    The  information  included  herein  is only  for the  purpose  of  informing
investors as to the financial  responsibility  of the Sponsor and its ability to
carry out its contractual obligations. The Sponsor will be under no liability to
Unitholders for taking any action, or refraining from taking any action, in good
faith pursuant to the Trust Agreement, or for errors in judgment except in cases
of its  own  willful  misfeasance,  bad  faith,  gross  negligence  or  reckless
disregard of its obligations and duties.

    The  Sponsor  may  resign  at any  time  by  delivering  to the  Trustee  an
instrument of  resignation  executed by the Sponsor.  If at any time the Sponsor
shall resign or fail to perform any of its duties  under the Trust  Agreement or
becomes incapable of acting or becomes bankrupt or its affairs are taken over by
public authorities, then the Trustee may either (a) appoint a successor Sponsor;
(b)  terminate the Trust  Agreement and liquidate the Trust;  or (c) continue to
act as Trustee without  terminating the Trust Agreement.  Any successor  Sponsor
appointed by the Trustee shall be  satisfactory  to the Trustee and, at the time
of appointment, shall have a net worth of at least $1,000,000.

    THE  TRUSTEE.  The Trustee is The Chase  Manhattan  Bank with its  principal
executive  office  located at 270 Park  Avenue,  New York,  New York 10017 (800)
428-8890 and its unit investment  trust office at Four New York Plaza, New York,
New York 10004. The Trustee is subject to supervision by the  Superintendent  of
Banks of the State of New York, the Federal  Deposit  Insurance  Corporation and
the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

    The  Trustee  shall not be liable or  responsible  in any way for taking any
action,  or for refraining from taking any action, in good faith pursuant to the
Trust  Agreement,  or for  errors in  judgment;  or for any  disposition  of any
moneys,  Securities or Units in accordance with the Trust  Agreement,  except in
cases of its own willful  misfeasance,  bad faith,  gross negligence or reckless
disregard of its obligations  and duties;  provided,  however,  that the Trustee
shall not in any event be liable or responsible  for any evaluation  made by any
independent  evaluation  service employed by it. In addition,  the Trustee shall
not

723453.7
                                      B-16

<PAGE>



be liable for any taxes or other governmental charges imposed upon or in respect
of the  Securities or the Trust which it may be required to pay under current or
future  law  of  the  United  States  or  any  other  taxing   authority  having
jurisdiction.  The Trustee shall not be liable for depreciation or loss incurred
by reason of the sale by the  Trustee of any of the  Securities  pursuant to the
Trust Agreement.

    For  further  information  relating to the  responsibilities  of the Trustee
under the Trust  Agreement,  reference  is made to the  material set forth under
"Rights of Unitholders."

    The Trustee may resign by executing an  instrument in writing and filing the
same with the  Sponsor,  and  mailing a copy of a notice of  resignation  to all
Unitholders.  In such an event the Sponsor is  obligated  to appoint a successor
Trustee as soon as possible.  In addition,  if the Trustee becomes  incapable of
acting or becomes bankrupt or its affairs are taken over by public  authorities,
the Sponsor  may remove the  Trustee and appoint a successor  as provided in the
Trust Agreement.  Notice of such removal and appointment shall be mailed to each
Unitholder by the Sponsor.  If upon  resignation of the Trustee no successor has
been  appointed  and has  accepted  the  appointment  within  thirty  days after
notification,   the  retiring   Trustee  may  apply  to  a  court  of  competent
jurisdiction  for the appointment of a successor.  The resignation or removal of
the  Trustee  becomes  effective  only when the  successor  Trustee  accepts its
appointment  as such  or  when a court  of  competent  jurisdiction  appoints  a
successor Trustee. Upon execution of a written acceptance of such appointment by
such successor Trustee,  all the rights,  powers,  duties and obligations of the
original Trustee shall vest in the successor.

    Any corporation into which the Trustee may be merged or with which it may be
consolidated,  or any corporation  resulting from any merger or consolidation to
which the Trustee shall be a party, shall be the successor Trustee.  The Trustee
must  always be a banking  corporation  organized  under the laws of the  United
States  or any State and have at all times an  aggregate  capital,  surplus  and
undivided profits of not less than $2,500,000.

    EVALUATION OF THE TRUST.  The value of the Securities in the Trust portfolio
is  determined in good faith by the Trustee on the basis set forth under "Public
Offering--Offering  Price."  The  Sponsor  and the  Unitholders  may rely on any
evaluation  furnished  by the Trustee and shall have no  responsibility  for the
accuracy thereof.  Determinations by the Trustee under the Trust Agreement shall
be made in good faith upon the basis of the best  information  available  to it,
provided,  however,  that the Trustee shall be under no liability to the Sponsor
or  Unitholders  for  errors in  judgment,  except  in cases of its own  willful
misfeasance,   bad  faith,   gross  negligence  or  reckless  disregard  of  its
obligations and duties. The Trustee, the Sponsor and the Unitholders may rely on
any evaluation furnished to the Trustee by an independent evaluation service and
shall have no responsibility for the accuracy thereof.

                           TRUST EXPENSES AND CHARGES

   
    All or a portion of the expenses  incurred in offering the Trust,  including
the costs of registering  securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission
and the states,  will be amortized over the term of the initial offering period,
which may be between 30 and 90 days. All  advertising and selling  expenses,  as
well as any  organizational  expenses will be borne by the Sponsor at no cost to
the Trust.
    

    The Sponsor will receive for portfolio  supervisory services to the Trust an
Annual Fee in the amount set forth under "Summary of Essential  Information"  in
Part A. The  Sponsor's  fee may exceed the actual  cost of  providing  portfolio
supervisory  services  for the  Trust,  but at no time  will  the  total  amount
received for portfolio supervisory services rendered to all series of the Equity
Securities  Trust in any calendar year exceed the aggregate  cost to the Sponsor
of supplying such services in such year. (See "Portfolio Supervision.")

    The Trustee will receive,  for its ordinary recurring services to the Trust,
an annual fee in the amount set forth under  "Summary of Essential  Information"
in Part A. For a discussion of the services performed by the Trustee pursuant to
its  obligations  under the Trust  Agreement,  see  "Trust  Administration"  and
"Rights of Unitholders."


723453.7
                                      B-17

<PAGE>



   
    The  Trustee's  fees  applicable  to the Trust are payable as of each Record
Date from the Income  Account of the Trust to the extent funds are available and
then from the Principal Account.  Such fees may be increased without approval of
the  Unitholders  by amounts not exceeding  proportionate  increases in consumer
prices for  services  as  measured by the United  States  Department  of Labor's
Consumer Price Index entitled "All Services Less Rent."
    

    The following  additional  charges are or may be incurred by the Trust:  all
expenses  (including  counsel fees) of the Trustee incurred and advances made in
connection with its activities under the Trust Agreement, including the expenses
and costs of any action  undertaken  by the Trustee to protect the Trust and the
rights  and  interests  of  the  Unitholders;   fees  of  the  Trustee  for  any
extraordinary  services performed under the Trust Agreement;  indemnification of
the Trustee for any loss or liability  accruing to it without gross  negligence,
bad faith or willful  misconduct  on its part,  arising out of or in  connection
with its  acceptance  or  administration  of the Trust;  indemnification  of the
Sponsor for any losses,  liabilities and expenses incurred in acting as sponsors
of the Trust without gross  negligence,  bad faith or willful  misconduct on its
part; and all taxes and other  governmental  charges imposed upon the Securities
or any part of the Trust (no such taxes or charges are being levied, made or, to
the knowledge of the Sponsor,  contemplated).  The above expenses, including the
Trustee's fees, when paid by or owing to the Trustee are secured by a first lien
on the Trust to which such  expenses  are charged.  In addition,  the Trustee is
empowered  to sell the  Securities  in order to make funds  available to pay all
expenses.

    Unless the Sponsor  otherwise  directs,  the  accounts of the Trust shall be
audited not less than annually by independent public accountants selected by the
Sponsor.  The expenses of the audit shall be an expense of the Trust. So long as
the  Sponsor  maintains  a secondary  market,  the  Sponsor  will bear any audit
expense which exceeds $.50 Cents per 100 Units. Unitholders covered by the audit
during the year may  receive a copy of the  audited  financial  statements  upon
request.

                                REINVESTMENT PLAN

   
    Income  and  principal   distributions   on  Units  (other  than  the  final
distribution  in connection with the termination of the Trust) may be reinvested
by  participating  in the Trust's  reinvestment  plan. Under the plan, the Units
acquired for participants  will be either Units already held in inventory by the
Sponsor or new Units created by the Sponsor's  deposit of Additional  Securities
as  described  in "The  Trust-Organization"  in this Part B. Units  acquired  by
reinvestment  will be  subject  to a reduced  sales  charge of 1.00%.  Investors
should  inform their broker,  dealer or financial  institution  when  purchasing
their Units if they wish to participate in the  reinvestment  plan.  Thereafter,
Unitholders should contact their broker, dealer or financial institution if they
wish to modify or terminate  their election to  participate in the  reinvestment
plan. In order to enable a Unitholder to  participate in the  reinvestment  plan
with respect to a particular  distribution  on their Units,  such notice must be
made at least three business days prior to the Record Day for such distribution.
Each subsequent  distribution of income or principal on the participant's  Units
will be automatically applied by the Trustee to purchase additional Units of the
Trust.  The  Sponsor  reserves  the right to  demand,  modify or  terminate  the
reinvestment  plan at any time without prior notice.  The reinvestment  plan for
the Trust may not be available in all states.
    


                     EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE AND CONVERSION OFFER

    Unitholders  will be able to elect to exchange  any or all of their Units of
the Trust for Units of one or more of any available series of Equity  Securities
Trust, Insured Municipal Securities Trust,  Municipal Securities Trust, New York
Municipal Trust or Mortgage  Securities Trust (the "Exchange Trusts") subject to
a reduced sales charge as set forth in the prospectus of the Exchange Trust (the
"Exchange  Privilege").  Unit owners of any registered unit investment trust for
which  there  is no  active  secondary  market  in the  units  of such  trust (a
"Redemption  Trust")  will be able to elect to redeem  such  units and apply the
proceeds of the  redemption  to the purchase of  available  Units of one or more
series of an Exchange  Trust (the  "Conversion  Trusts") at the Public  Offering
Price for units of the Conversion Trust subject to a reduced sales charge as set
forth in the prospectus of the Conversion Trust (the "Conversion Offer").  Under
the  Exchange  Privilege,  the  Sponsor's  repurchase  price  during the initial
offering period of the Units being surrendered will be based on the market value
of the Securities in the Trust  portfolio or on the aggregate offer price of the
Bonds in the other Trust Portfolios; and, after the initial offering period has

723453.7
                                      B-18

<PAGE>



been  completed,  will be based on the aggregate bid price of the  securities in
the  particular  Trust  portfolio.  Under  the  Conversion  Offer,  units of the
Redemption Trust must be tendered to the trustee of such trust for redemption at
the redemption price determined as set forth in the relevant  Redemption Trust's
prospectus.  Units  in an  Exchange  or  Conversion  Trust  will  be sold to the
Unitholder  at a price based on the aggregate  offer price of the  securities in
the Exchange or Conversion  Trust  portfolio (or for units of Equity  Securities
Trust,  based on the  market  value of the  underlying  securities  in the trust
portfolio)  during  the  initial  public  offering  period  of the  Exchange  or
Conversion  Trust;  and  after  the  initial  public  offering  period  has been
completed, based on the aggregate bid price of the securities in the Exchange or
Conversion  Trust  Portfolio  if its initial  offering has been  completed  plus
accrued interest (or for units of Equity Securities  Trust,  based on the market
value of the underlying  securities in the trust  portfolio) and a reduced sales
charge.

   
    Except for  Unitholders  who wish to  exercise  the  Exchange  Privilege  or
Conversion  Offer within the first five months of their purchase of Units of the
Exchange or  Redemption  Trust,  any  purchaser  who  purchases  Units under the
Exchange  Privilege or Conversion  Offer will pay a lower sales charge than that
which would be paid for the Units by a new investor. For Unitholders who wish to
exercise the Exchange Privilege or Conversion Offer within the first five months
of their purchase of Units of the Exchange or Redemption Trust, the sales charge
applicable to the purchase of units of an Exchange or Conversion  Trust shall be
the greater of (i) the reduced sales charge or (ii) an amount which when coupled
with the sales charge paid by the Unitholder upon his original purchase of Units
of the Exchange or Redemption  Trust would equal the sales charge  applicable in
the direct purchase of units of an Exchange or Conversion Trust.
    

   
    In order to exercise the Exchange  Privilege the Sponsor must be maintaining
a secondary market in the units of the available  Exchange Trust. The Conversion
Offer is limited only to unit owners of any  Redemption  Trust.  Exercise of the
Exchange  Privilege and the  Conversion  Offer by  Unitholders is subject to the
following additional  conditions (i) at the time of the Unitholder's election to
participate  in the Exchange  Privilege or the Conversion  Offer,  there must be
units of the Exchange or Conversion  Trust available for sale,  either under the
initial primary  distribution  or in the Sponsor's  secondary  market,  and (ii)
exchanges  will be  effected  in  whole  units  only.  Unitholders  will  not be
permitted  to  advance  any  funds in  excess  of their  redemption  in order to
complete the  exchange.  Any excess  proceeds  received  from a  Unitholder  for
exchange, or from units being redeemed for conversion,  will be remitted to such
Unitholder.
    

    The Sponsor reserves the right to suspend,  modify or terminate the Exchange
Privilege and/or the Conversion  Offer. The Sponsor will provide  Unitholders of
the Trust with 60 days'  prior  written  notice of any  termination  or material
amendment to the Exchange  Privilege or the Conversion Offer,  provided that, no
notice  need be given if (i) the only  material  effect  of an  amendment  is to
reduce or eliminate the sales charge payable at the time of the exchange, to add
one or more  series of the Trust  eligible  for the  Exchange  Privilege  or the
Conversion Offer, to add any new unit investment trust sponsored by Reich & Tang
or a sponsor  controlled  by or under common  control  with Reich & Tang,  or to
delete a series  which has been  terminated  from  eligibility  for the Exchange
Privilege or the Conversion  Offer, (ii) there is a suspension of the redemption
of units of an Exchange or Conversion Trust under Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act,
or (iii) an Exchange  Trust  temporarily  delays or ceases the sale of its units
because  it is unable to  invest  amounts  effectively  in  accordance  with its
investment  objectives,  policies  and  restrictions.  During the 60-day  notice
period prior to the termination or material  amendment of the Exchange Privilege
described above, the Sponsor will continue to maintain a secondary market in the
units of all Exchange Trusts that could be acquired by the affected Unitholders.
Unitholders may, during this 60-day period,  exercise the Exchange  Privilege in
accordance with its terms then in effect.

    To exercise the Exchange  Privilege,  a Unitholder should notify the Sponsor
of his desire to exercise his  Exchange  Privilege.  To exercise the  Conversion
Offer, a unit owner of a Redemption Trust should notify his retail broker of his
desire to redeem  his  Redemption  Trust  Units  and use the  proceeds  from the
redemption to purchase Units of one or more of the Conversion  Trusts.  If Units
of a designated,  outstanding  series of an Exchange or Conversion  Trust are at
the time  available for sale and such Units may lawfully be sold in the state in
which the  Unitholder  is a resident,  the  Unitholder  will be provided  with a
current prospectus or prospectuses relating to each Exchange or Conversion Trust
in which he indicates  an interest.  He may then select the Trust or Trusts into
which he desires to invest the  proceeds  from his sale of Units.  The  exchange
transaction will operate in a manner essentially identical to a secondary market
transaction except that units may be purchased at a reduced

723453.7
                                      B-19

<PAGE>



sales charge.  The conversion  transaction  will be handled entirely through the
unit  owner's  retail  broker.  The retail  broker  must tender the units to the
trustee of the  Redemption  Trust for  redemption and then apply the proceeds to
the  redemption  toward the purchase of units of a  Conversion  Trust at a price
based on the aggregate  offer or bid side  evaluation per Unit of the Conversion
Trust,  depending on which price is  applicable,  plus accrued  interest and the
applicable sales charge.  The certificates  must be surrendered to the broker at
the time the  redemption  order is placed  and the  broker  must  specify to the
Sponsor that the purchase of  Conversion  Trust Units is being made  pursuant to
the  Conversion  Offer.  The unit  owner's  broker  will be entitled to retain a
portion of the sales charge.

   
    TAX  CONSEQUENCES  OF THE EXCHANGE  PRIVILEGE AND THE  CONVERSION  OFFER.  A
surrender of Units pursuant to the Exchange  Privilege or the  Conversion  Offer
will generally constitute a "taxable event" to the Unitholder under the Internal
Revenue Code. The  Unitholder  will realize a tax gain or loss that will be of a
long or short-term  capital or ordinary income nature depending on the length of
time the  units  have  been  held and  other  factors.  (See  "Tax  Status".)  A
Unitholder's tax basis in the Units acquired pursuant to the Exchange  Privilege
or Conversion Offer will be equal to the purchase price of such Units. Investors
should  consult  their own tax  advisors as to the tax  consequences  to them of
exchanging or redeeming  units and  participating  in the Exchange  Privilege or
Conversion Offer.
    

                                  OTHER MATTERS

    LEGAL OPINIONS. The legality of the Units offered hereby and certain matters
relating to federal tax law have been passed upon by Battle  Fowler LLP, 75 East
55th  Street,  New York,  New York 10022 as  counsel  for the  Sponsor.  Carter,
Ledyard &  Milburn,  Two Wall  Street,  New York,  New York  10005 have acted as
counsel for the Trustee.

   
    INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS. The Statement of Financial Condition, including the
Portfolio,    is   included    herein   in   reliance   upon   the   report   of
PricewaterhouseCoopers  LLP, independent accountants,  and upon the authority of
said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
    

    PERFORMANCE  INFORMATION.  Total returns,  average annualized returns and/or
cumulative returns for various periods of the Trust may be included from time to
time in  advertisements,  sales literature and reports to current or prospective
investors.  Total  return  shows  changes in Unit price  during the period  plus
reinvestment  of dividends  and capital  gains,  divided by the public  offering
price.  Average annualized returns show the average return for stated periods of
longer  than a year.  Advertising  and sales  literature  for the Trust may also
include  excerpts  from the  Sponsor's  research  reports  on one or more of the
stocks in the Trust,  including a brief description of its businesses and market
sector,  and the  basis on which  the stock was  selected.  Figures  for  actual
portfolios will reflect all applicable  expenses and, unless  otherwise  stated,
the maximum  sales  charge.  No provision is made for any income taxes  payable.
Similar figures may be given for this Trust.  Trust  performance may be compared
to performance on a total return basis of the Dow Jones Industrial Average,  the
S&P 500 Composite  Price Stock Index,  the Russell  2000(R) Index or performance
data from Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. and Morningstar Publications, Inc. or
from publications such as Money, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report,
Business Week, Forbes or Fortune.  As with other  performance data,  performance
comparisons  should not be  considered  representative  of the Trust's  relative
performance for any future period.


   



    


   
    Pending the approval of the SEC of the National  Association  of  Securities
Dealers Regulation, the Sponsor may also include the performance of hypothetical
portfolios to which the Sponsor has applied the same  investment  objectives and
selection  strategies as described in "The Trust--The  Securities" and which the
Sponsor  intends to apply to the  selection of  securities  for the Trust.  This
performance information is intended to illustrate the strategy and should not be
interpreted as indicative of the future performance of the Trust.
    


723453.7
                                      B-20

<PAGE>

<TABLE>
<S>                                                                                  <C>   


   
    No person is authorized to give any information or to make any                   ------------------------------
representations not contained in Parts A and B of this Prospectus;                        EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST 
and any information or representation not contained herein must                      ------------------------------
not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Trust, the       
Trustee or the Sponsor. The Trust is registered as a unit                                 SIGNATURE SERIES 
investment trust under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Such                      ------------------------------
registration does not imply that the Trust or any of its Units have 
been guaranteed, sponsored, recommended or approved by the                                 EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST,
United States or any state or any agency or officer thereof.                                   SIGNATURE SERIES,
                                                                                            REICH & TANG GROWTH AND
                                                                                                VALUE TRUST II
                      ------------------
    This Prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell, or a                                 PROSPECTUS
solicitation of an offer to buy, securities in any state to any person
to whom it is not lawful to make such offer in such state.                                DATED: SEPTEMBER 29, 1998


                               Table of Contents
                                                                                               SPONSOR:
Title                                                     Page
                                                                                     REICH & TANG DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
   PART A                                                                                    600 Fifth Avenue
Summary of Essential Information........................   A-2                           New York, New York 10020
Statement of Financial Condition........................   A-6                                212-830-5400
Portfolio...............................................   A-7
Report of Independent Accountants.......................   A-9
                                                                                               TRUSTEE:
   PART B
The Trust...............................................   B-1                            THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK
Risk Considerations.....................................   B-3                               Four New York Plaza
Public Offering.........................................   B-5                             New York, New York 10004
Rights of Unitholders...................................   B-8
Tax Status..............................................   B-9
Liquidity..............................................   B-11
Trust Administration...................................   B-13
Trust Expenses and Charges.............................   B-17
Reinvestment Plan......................................   B-18
Exchange Privilege and Conversion Offer................   B-18
Other Matters..........................................   B-20
    
</TABLE>

    Parts A and B of this  Prospectus do not contain all of the  information set
forth in the registration  statement and exhibits relating  thereto,  filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission,  Washington,  D.C., under the Securities
Act of 1933, and the Investment  Company Act of 1940, and to which  reference is
hereby made.



723453.7

<PAGE>



          PART II -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM A -- BONDING ARRANGEMENTS

     The employees of Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc. are covered under Brokers'
Blanket Policy, Standard Form 14, in the amount of $11,000,000 (plus
$196,000,000 excess coverage under Brokers' Blanket Policies, Standard Form 14
and Form B Consolidated). This policy has an aggregate annual coverage of $15
million.

ITEM B -- CONTENTS OF REGISTRATION STATEMENT

     This Registration Statement on Form S-6 comprises the following papers and
documents:

   
         The facing sheet on Form S-6.
         The Cross-Reference Sheet (incorporated by reference to the
         Cross-Reference Sheet to the Registration Statement of Equity
         Securities Trust, Series 12, 1997 Triple Strategy Trust II).
         The Prospectus consisting of           pages.
         Undertakings.
         Signatures.
         Written consents of the following persons:
                  Battle Fowler LLP (included in Exhibit 3.1)
                  PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
    

     The following exhibits:

      *99.1.1     -- Reference Trust Agreement including certain amendments to
                  the Trust Indenture and Agreement referred to under Exhibit
                  99.1.1.1 below.
     99.1.1.1     -- Form of Trust Indenture and Agreement (filed as Exhibit
                  1.1.1 to Amendment No. 1 to Form S-6 Registration Statement
                  No. 33-62627 of Equity Securities Trust, Series 6, Signature
                  Series, Gabelli Entertainment and Media Trust on November 16,
                  1995 and incorporate herein by reference).
     99.1.3.5     -- Certificate of Incorporation of Reich & Tang Distributors,
                  Inc. (filed as Exhibit 99.1.3.5 to Form S-6 Registration
                  Statement No. 333-44301 on January 15, 1998 and incorporated
                  herein by reference).
     99.1.3.6     -- By-Laws of Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc. (filed as 
                  Exhibit 99.1.3.6 to Form S-6 Registration
                  Statement No. 333-44301 on January 15, 1998 and incorporated 
                  herein by reference).
       99.1.4     -- Form of Agreement Among Underwriters (filed as Exhibit 1.4
                  to Amendment No. 1 to Form S-6 Registration Statement No.
                  33-62627 of Equity Securities Trust, Series 6, Signature
                  Series, Gabelli Entertainment and Media Trust on November 16,
                  1995 and incorporated herein by reference).
      *99.3.1     -- Opinion of Battle Fowler LLP as to the legality of the
                  securities being registered, including their consent to the
                  filing thereof and to the use of their name under the headings
                  "Tax Status" and "Legal Opinions" in the Prospectus, and to
                  the filing of their opinion regarding tax status of the Trust.
       99.6.0     -- Power of Attorney of Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc., the
                  Depositor, by its officers and a majority of its Directors
                  (filed as Exhibit 99.6.0 to Form S-6 Registration Statement
                  No. 333-44301 on January 15, 1998 and incorporated herein by
                  reference).
       *99.27  -  Financial Data Schedule (for EDGAR filing only).
- --------
* Filed herewith.

                                                              II-1
754544.1

<PAGE>



                           UNDERTAKING TO FILE REPORTS

         Subject to the terms and conditions of Section 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file with
the Securities and Exchange Commission such supplementary and periodic
information, documents, and reports as may be prescribed by any rule or
regulation of the Commission heretofore or hereafter duly adopted pursuant to
authority conferred in that section.

   
         The Registrant hereby identifies Equity Securities Trust, Series 2,
Reich & Tang Growth and Value Trust for the purposes of the representations
required by Rule 487 and represents the following:

1)   That the portfolio securities deposited in the Series as to the securities
     of which this registration statement is being filed do not differ
     materially in type or quality from those deposited in such previous series;
2)   That, except to the extent necessary to identify the specific portfolio
     securities deposited in, and to provide essential financial information
     for, the Series with respect to the securities of which this registration
     statement is being filed, this registration statement does not contain
     disclosures that differ in any material respect from those contained in the
     registration statements for such previous Series as to which the effective
     date was determined by the commission or the staff; and
3)   That it has complied with Rule 460 under the Securities Act of 1933.
    
                                   SIGNATURES

   
         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant, Equity Securities Trust, Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth and
Value Trust II, has duly caused this Amendment to the Registration Statement to
be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized, in the
City of New York and State of New York on the 29th day of September, 1998.
    

                                   EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST, SIGNATURE SERIES,
                                   REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST II
                                       (Registrant)

                                   REICH & TANG DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
                                       (Depositor)

                                   By /s/ Peter J. DeMarco
                                            Peter J. DeMarco
                                            (Authorized Signator)

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Amendment
to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons,
who constitute the principal officers and a majority of the directors of Reich &
Tang Distributors, Inc., the Depositor, in the capacities and on the dates
indicated.


        Name                      Title                          Date
Richard E. Smith, III        President and Director
Peter S. Voss                Director
G. Neal Ryland               Director
Steven W. Duff               Director
   
                                                            September 29, 1998
    
Robert F. Hoerle             Managing Director
Peter J. DeMarco             Executive Vice President   By /s/ Peter J. DeMarco
                                                            Peter J. DeMarco
                                                            Attorney-In-Fact*
Richard I. Weiner            Vice President
Bernadette N. Finn           Vice President
Lorraine C. Hysler           Secretary
Richard De Sanctis           Treasurer
Edward N. Wadsworth          Executive Officer

- ---------------
*    Executed copies of Powers of Attorney were filed as Exhibit 99.6.0 to Form 
     S-6 to Registration Statement No. 333-44301 on January 15, 1998.

                                                              II-2
754544.1

<PAGE>


                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

   
    We hereby consent to the use in the Prospectus constituting part of this
registration statement on Form S-6 (the "Registration Statement") of our report
dated September 29, 1998, relating to the Statement of Financial Condition,
including the Portfolio, of Equity Securities Trust, Signature Series, Reich &
Tang Growth and Value Trust II which appears in such Prospectus. We also consent
to the reference to us under the heading "Independent Accountants" in such
Prospectus.


PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, MA
September 29, 1998
    

                                                              II-3
754544.1

<PAGE>






<PAGE>





                            EQUITY SECURITIES TRUST,
            SIGNATURE SERIES, REICH & TANG GROWTH AND VALUE TRUST II


                            REFERENCE TRUST AGREEMENT

                  This  Reference  Trust  Agreement  (the   "Agreement")   dated
September 29, 1998 between Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc., as Depositor and The
Chase  Manhattan  Bank, as Trustee,  sets forth  certain  provisions in full and
incorporates  other  provisions  by reference to the document  entitled  "Equity
Securities Trust,  Series 6, Signature Series,  Gabelli  Entertainment and Media
Trust, and Subsequent Series,  Trust Indenture and Agreement" dated November 16,
1995 and as  amended in part by this  Agreement  (collectively,  such  documents
hereinafter  called the  "Indenture  and  Agreement").  This  Agreement  and the
Indenture,  as  incorporated  by  reference  herein,  will  constitute  a single
instrument.


                                WITNESSETH THAT:

                  WHEREAS,  this  Agreement  is a Reference  Trust  Agreement as
defined in Sec tion 1.1 of the Indenture, and shall be amended and modified from
time to time by an Addendum as defined in Section 1.1 (1) of the Indenture, such
Addendum  setting forth any Additional  Securities as defined in Section 1.1 (2)
of the Indenture;

                  WHEREAS,  the Depositor wishes to deposit Securities,  and any
Additional  Securities  as listed on any  Addendums  hereto,  into the Trust and
issue Units, and Additional Units as the case maybe, in respect thereof pursuant
to Sections 2.1 and 2.6 of the Indenture; and

                  NOW  THEREFORE,  in  consideration  of the premises and of the
mutual  agreements  herein  contained,  the  Depositor  and the Trustee agree as
follows:

                                     Part I

                     STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF TRUST

                  Section 1. Subject to the  provisions  of Part II hereof,  all
the provisions  contained in the Indenture are herein  incorporated by reference
in their  entirety and shall be deemed to be a part of this  instrument as fully
and to the same extent as though said  provisions  had been set forth in full in
this instrument  except that the following  sections of the Indenture hereby are
amended as follows:

                  (a) All  references  to "The Chase  Manhattan  Bank  (National
Association)" are replaced with "The Chase Manhattan Bank".


317036.2
                                       -1-

<PAGE>



                  (b)  Notwithstanding  any  provision  of the  Indenture to the
contrary, ownership of Units of this series of Equity Securities Trust shall not
be  certificated  and shall be evidenced  solely by registration on the transfer
books of the Trustee,  and the registered holder of  uncertificated  Units shall
have all of the rights and obligations (excluding the right to the issuance of a
Certificate) specified for a registered  Certificateholder  under the Indenture.
The  Depositor  and the Trustee shall cause all Units of the Trust issued to the
Depositor  (upon  both  the  initial  deposit  and any  deposits  of  Additional
Securities  pursuant to Section  2.6) to be deposited  at The  Depository  Trust
Company ("DTC") and to be credited there to the account of the Depositor. On and
after such deposit, for all purposes under the Indenture and Agreement, the sole
registered holder of Units of the Trust shall be DTC, or its nominee, unless and
until  DTC has  notified  the  Trustee  and the  Depositor  that it is no longer
willing to act as depository with respect to the Units. Accordingly,  so long as
DTC, or its nominee,  is the  registered  owner of the Trust  Units,  beneficial
ownership of Units may only be maintained by or through a participant in DTC and
shall be subject to the rules and operating  procedures of DTC as in effect from
time to  time.  The  Trustee  shall  not be  liable  for any  loss or  liability
resulting  from the actions of DTC as  registered  holder and  depository of the
Units.

                  (c)  Sections  1.2 and 2.4 and  any  reference  herein  to the
issuance of Certificates shall be deleted.

                  (d)  Section  2.3 shall be amended  by adding  after the words
"has  registered  on the  registration  books of the Trust the ownership by" the
words  "the  Depositor  of such Units or, if  requested  by the  Depositor,  the
ownership by."

                  (e)  Paragraph  (a) of Section 2.6 shall be amended to read in
its entirety as follows:

                       "Section  2.6  Deposit  of  Additional  Securities.   (a)
                       Subject  to the  requirements  set  forth  below  in this
                       Section,  the  Depositor  may, on any  Business  Day (the
                       "Trade Date"), subscribe for Additional Units as follows:

                       (1) Prior to the  Evaluation  Time on the Trade Date, the
                       Depositor   shall  provide   notice  (the   "Subscription
                       Notice")  to  the  Trustee,  by  telecopy  or by  written
                       communication,  of the Depositor's intention to subscribe
                       for  Additional  Units.  The  Subscription  Notice  shall
                       identify the Additional Securities to be acquired (unless
                       such Additional  Securities are a precise  replication of
                       the then existing portfolio) and shall either (i) specify
                       the quantity of Additional  Securities to be deposited by
                       the   Depositor   on  the   settlement   date   for  such
                       subscription  or (ii)  instruct  the  Trustee to purchase
                       Additional   Securities   with  an  aggregate   value  as
                       specified in the Subscription Notice.


317036.2
                                       -2-

<PAGE>



                       (2)  Promptly  following  the  Evaluation  Time  on  such
                       Business  Day,  the  Depositor   shall  verify  with  the
                       Trustee,  by telecopy,  the number of Additional Units to
                       be created.

                       (3) Not later  than the time on the  settlement  date for
                       such  subscription  when the  Trustee is to  deliver  the
                       Additional Units created thereby (which time shall not be
                       later than the time by which the  Trustee is  required to
                       settle  any  contracts  for the  purchase  of  Additional
                       Securities  entered  into by the Trustee  pursuant to the
                       instruction of the Depositor  referred to in subparagraph
                       (1) above),  the Depositor shall deposit with the Trustee
                       (i)   any   Additional   Securities   specified   in  the
                       Subscription   Notice  (or  contracts  to  purchase  such
                       Additional  Securities  together with cash or a letter of
                       credit in the amount  necessary to settle such contracts)
                       or (ii) cash or a letter of credit in the amount equal to
                       the  aggregate   value  of  the   Additional   Securities
                       specified in the Subscription  Notice,  together with, in
                       each case, Cash as defined below. "Cash" means, as to the
                       Principal  Account,  cash or other  property  (other than
                       Securities)   on  hand  in  the   Principal   Account  or
                       receivable and to be credited to the Principal Account as
                       of the Evaluation  Time on the Business Day preceding the
                       Trade Date (other than amounts to be  distributed  solely
                       to persons other than persons  receiving the distribution
                       from the Principal Account as holders of Additional Units
                       created by the deposit),  and, as to the Income  Account,
                       cash or other property (other than  Securities)  received
                       by the Trust as of the  Evaluation  Time on the  Business
                       Day  preceding  the Trade Date or receivable by the Trust
                       in respect of dividends or other  distributions  declared
                       but  not  received  as of  the  Evaluation  Time  on  the
                       Business  Day  preceding  the Trade Date,  reduced by the
                       amount  of  any  cash  or  other  property   received  or
                       receivable on any Security  allocable (in accordance with
                       the  Trustee's  calculation  of the monthly  distribution
                       from the Income  Account  pursuant  to Section  3.5) to a
                       distribution  made or to be made in  respect  of a Record
                       Date occurring prior to the Trade Date. Each deposit made
                       during the 90 days following the deposit made pursuant to
                       Section  2.1  hereof  shall  replicate,   to  the  extent
                       practicable,   as  specified  in  subparagraph  (b),  the
                       Original  Proportionate  Relationship.  Each deposit made
                       after the 90 days  following the deposit made pursuant to
                       Section 2.1 hereof  (except for deposits  made to replace
                       Failed  Securities if such deposits  occur within 20 days
                       from the date of a failure  occurring within such initial
                       90 day period) shall maintain  exactly the  proportionate
                       relationship  existing  among  the  Securities  as of the
                       expiration of such 90 day period. Each such deposit shall
                       exactly replicate Cash.

                       (4)  On  the  settlement  date  for a  subscription,  the
                       Trustee shall, in exchange for the Securities and cash or
                       letter of credit described above, issue and

317036.2
                                       -3-

<PAGE>



                       deliver to or on the order of the Depositor the number of
                       Units verified by the Depositor with the Trustee. No Unit
                       to be issued  pursuant to this paragraph  shall be issued
                       or  delivered  unless  and  until  Securities,  cash or a
                       letter of credit is received in exchange  therefor and no
                       person shall have any claim to any Unit not so issued and
                       delivered  or  any  interest  in  the  Trust  in  respect
                       thereof.

                       (5)  Each  deposit  of  Additional  Securities,  shall be
                       listed in a Supplementary  Schedule to an Addendum to the
                       Reference  Trust  Agreement  stating  the  date  of  such
                       deposit and the number of  Additional  Units being issued
                       therefor.  The Trustee shall acknowledge in such Addendum
                       the receipt of the  Deposit and the number of  Additional
                       Units   issued  in  respect   thereof.   The   Additional
                       Securities shall be held, administered and applied by the
                       Trustee  in the same  manner as herein  provided  for the
                       Securities.

                       (6) The  acceptance of Additional  Units by the Depositor
                       in  accordance  with the  provisions  of paragraph (a) of
                       this  Section  shall  be  deemed a  certification  by the
                       Depositor  that the  deposit or  purchase  of  Additional
                       Securities   associated   therewith   complies  with  the
                       conditions of this Section 2.06.

                       (7) Notwithstanding the preceding,  in the event that the
                       Sponsor's  Subscription Notice shall instruct the Trustee
                       to purchase  Additional  Securities  in an amount  which,
                       when added to the purchase  amount of all other unsettled
                       contracts entered into by the Trustee, exceeds 25% of the
                       value of the  Securities  then held  (taking into account
                       the value of contracts to purchase Securities only to the
                       extent  that there has been  deposited  with the  Trustee
                       cash or an  irrevocable  letter  of  credit  in an amount
                       sufficient to settle their  purchase),  the Sponsor shall
                       deposit   with   the   Trustee   concurrently   with  the
                       Subscription  Notice such that,  when added to 25% of the
                       value of the Securities  then held  (determined as above)
                       the  aggregate  value shall be not less than the purchase
                       amount of the securities to be purchased pursuant to such
                       Subscription Notice."

                  (f) Section 3.1 is hereby  amended in its  entirety to read as
follows:

                   "Section  3.1.   Initial  Cost:   The  cost  of  the  initial
                   preparation,  printing and execution of the  Certificates and
                   this  Indenture,  the  initial  fees of the  Trustee  and its
                   counsel,  and the  initial  fees of the  Evaluator  and other
                   reasonable expenses in connection therewith, shall be paid by
                   the Depositor,  provided,  however, that the liability on the
                   part of the  Depositor  for  such  initial  costs,  fees  and
                   expenses shall not include any fees,  costs or other expenses
                   incurred in connection  herewith  after the execution of this
                   Indenture and the deposit referred to in Section 2.01.

317036.2
                                       -4-

<PAGE>



                   The cost of the  preparation,  printing and  execution of the
                   Registration  Statement and other  documents  relating to the
                   Trust,  Federal and State  registration  fees and costs,  and
                   legal and auditing expenses and other out-of-pocket  expenses
                   related   thereto   (excluding   expenses   incurred  in  the
                   preparation  and  printing of  preliminary  prospectuses  and
                   prospectuses,   expenses  incurred  in  the  preparation  and
                   printing of brochures and other advertising materials and any
                   other  selling  expenses),  to the  extent  not  borne by the
                   Depositor,  shall be paid by the  Trust.  To the  extent  the
                   funds in the  Interest  and  Principal  Accounts of the Trust
                   shall be  insufficient to pay the offering costs borne by the
                   Trust  specified  in this  Section  3.1,  the  Trustee  shall
                   advance  out of its own funds and cause to be  deposited  and
                   credited  to  the  Interest  Account  such  amount  as may be
                   required to permit  payment of such costs.  The Trustee shall
                   be reimbursed for such advance on each Record Date from funds
                   on hand in the Income Account or, to the extent funds are not
                   available in such Account, from the Principal Account, in the
                   amount  deemed  to have  accrued  as of such  Record  Date as
                   provided in the following  sentence  (less prior  payments on
                   account of such  advances,  if any),  and the  provisions  of
                   Section   6.4   with   respect   to  the   reimbursement   of
                   disbursements   for  Trust   expenses,   including,   without
                   limitation,  the lien in favor of the Trustee therefor, shall
                   apply to the payment of costs made  pursuant to this Section.
                   For  purposes  of the  preceding  sentence  and the  addition
                   provided in clause  (a)(4) of Section 5.1, the costs borne by
                   the Trust  pursuant to this Section shall be deemed to accrue
                   at a daily  rate  over the time  period  specified  for their
                   amortization  by  the  Depositor   pursuant  to  Section  5.1
                   provided,  however,  that  nothing  herein shall be deemed to
                   prevent,   and  the  Trustee   shall  be  entitled  to,  full
                   reimbursement  for any advances made pursuant to this Section
                   no later than the  termination of the Trust.  For purposes of
                   this  Section  3.1,  the  Trustee  shall rely on the  written
                   estimates of such costs provided by the Depositor pursuant to
                   Section 5.1."

                  (g) Section 3.5 is hereby  amended by inserting the phrase "or
Income"  in the  second  sentence  of the sixth  paragraph  after the words "The
Trustee shall not be required to make a distribution from the Principal..."

                  (h) Section 3.11 is hereby  amended so that the first sentence
of such section reads as follows:

                        " In the event that an offer by the issuer of any of the
                        Securities or any other party shall be made to issue new
                        Securities,  the Trustee shall reject such offer, except
                        that  if  (1)  the  issuer  failed  to  declare  or  pay
                        anticipated dividends with respect to such Securities or
                        (2) in the opinion of the  Sponsor,  given in writing to
                        the Trustee, the issuer will probably fail to declare or
                        pay   anticipated   dividends   with   respect  to  such
                        Securities  in the  reasonably  forseeable  future,  the
                        Sponsor shall  instruct the Trustee in writing to accept
                        or reject such

317036.2
                                       -5-

<PAGE>



                        offer and to take any other action with respect  thereto
                        as the Sponsor may deem proper."

                  (i) Section  3.14 is hereby  amended by  inserting  the phrase
"including, but not limited to securities received as a result of a spin-off" in
the first sentence  after the words "Any property  received by the Trustee after
the initial  date of Deposit in a form other than cash or  additional  shares of
the Securities listed on Schedule A..."

                  (j) Section 5.1 of the  Agreement is amended by replacing  the
phrase "organizational  expenses" with "offering costs" each place it appears in
the second  sentence of the first paragraph and the first sentence of the second
paragraph.

                  (k) Section 9.2 is hereby  amended by replacing the phrase "60
business days" with "30 days" in the first sentence of the sixth paragraph.

                  (l) Section 9.2 of the Agreement is further  amended by adding
the following paragraph after the sixth paragraph of such Section 9.2:

                  "In the event that the  Depositor  directs  the  Trustee  that
                  certain  Securities  will be sold to a new series of the Trust
                  (a "New  Series"),  the Depositor will certify to the Trustee,
                  within  five days of each  sale from a Trust to a New  Series,
                  (1) that the transaction is consistent with the policy of both
                  the Trust and the New Series,  as recited in their  respective
                  registration  statements  and reports filed under the Act, (2)
                  the date of such  transaction  and (3) the closing sales price
                  on the national  securities  exchange for the sale date of the
                  securities  subject  to  such  sale.  The  Trustee  will  then
                  countersign the certificate, unless the Trustee disagrees with
                  the closing sales price listed on the  certificate,  whereupon
                  the Trustee will promptly  inform the Depositor  orally of any
                  such disagreement and return the certificate  within five days
                  to  the  Depositor  with  corrections  duly  noted.  Upon  the
                  Depositor's  receipt  of  a  corrected  certificate,   if  the
                  Depositor  can verify the  corrected  price by reference to an
                  independently  published  list of closing sales prices for the
                  date of the  transactions,  the Depositor will ensure that the
                  price of Units of the New Series, and distributions to holders
                  of the Trust  with  regard  to  redemption  of their  Units or
                  termination  of the Trust,  accurately  reflect the  corrected
                  price.  To the extent  that the  Depositor  disagree  with the
                  Trustee's  corrected price, the Depositor and the Trustee will
                  jointly  determine  the correct  sales price by reference to a
                  mutually  agreeable,  independently  published list of closing
                  sales prices for the date of the  transaction.  The  Depositor
                  and Trustee will periodically  review the procedures for sales
                  and make such changes as they deem necessary,  consistent with
                  Rule  17a-7(e)(2).  Finally,  records of the procedures and of
                  each  transaction  will  be  maintained  as  provided  in Rule
                  17a-7(f)."


317036.2
                                       -6-

<PAGE>



                  (m) All references to "Reich & Tang  Distributors  L.P.".  are
replaced with "Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc."

                  Section 2. This Reference  Trust  Agreement may be amended and
modified by Addendums,  attached  hereto,  evidencing the purchase of Additional
Securities  which have been  deposited to effect an increase  over the number of
Units  initially  specified  in  Part  II  of  this  Reference  Trust  Agreement
("Additional  Closings").  The  Depositor  and Trustee  hereby  agree that their
respective  representations,  agreements  and  certifications  contained  in the
Closing Memorandum dated September 29, 1998,  relating to the initial deposit of
Securities  continue as if such  representations,  agreements and certifications
were  made on the  date of such  Additional  Closings  and with  respect  to the
deposits  made  therewith,  except  as  such  representations,   agreements  and
certifications  relate to their  respective  By-Laws  and as to which  they each
represent that their has been no amendment affecting their respective  abilities
to perform their respective obligations under the Indenture.

                                     Part II

                      SPECIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF TRUST

                  Section 1. The  following  special  terms and  conditions  are
hereby agreed to:

                  (a) The Securities  (including Contract  Securities) listed in
the  Prospectus  relating  to  this  series  of  Equity  Securities  Trust  (the
"Prospectus")  have  been  deposited  in the Trust  under  this  Agreement  (see
"Portfolio" in Part A of the Prospectus which for purposes of this Indenture and
Agreement is the Schedule of Securities or Schedule A).

                  (b) The number of Units  delivered  by the Trustee in exchange
for the Securities referred to in Section 2.3 is 15,780.

                  (c) For the purposes of the definition of Unit in item (22) of
Section 1.1, the  fractional  undivided  interest in and  ownership of the Trust
initially is 1/15780 as of the date hereof.

                  (d) The term Record Date shall mean the  fifteenth day of June
and December commencing on December 15, 1998.

                  (e) The term  Distribution  Date shall mean the last  business
day of June and December commencing on December 31, 1998.

                  (f) The First Settlement Date shall mean October 2, 1998.

                  (g) For purposes of Section 6.1(g),  the liquidation amount is
hereby  specified  to be 40% of the  aggregate  value of the  Securities  at the
completion of the Deposit Period.

317036.2
                                       -7-

<PAGE>


                  (h) For purposes of Section 6.4, the Trustee shall be paid per
annum an amount computed according to the following schedule,  determined on the
basis of the number of Units  outstanding  as of the Record Date  preceding  the
Record Date on which the  compensation is to be paid,  provided,  however,  that
with  respect  to the  period  prior to the first  Record  Date,  the  Trustee's
compensation shall be computed at $.86 per 100 Units:

         rate per 100 units                number of Units outstanding
         $0.86                             5,000,000 or less
         $0.80                             5,000,001 - 10,000,000
         $0.74                             10,000,001 - 20,000,000
         $0.62                             20,000,001 or more

                  (i) For  purposes  of Section  7.4,  the  Depositor's  maximum
annual supervisory fee is hereby specified to be $.25 per 100 Units outstanding.

                  (j) The  Termination  Date  shall be  October  6,  2003 or the
earlier disposition of the last Security in the Trust.

                  (k) The fiscal year for the Trust shall end on June 30 of each
year.

                  IN WITNESS  WHEREOF,  the  parties  hereto  have  caused  this
Reference Trust Agreement to be duly executed on the date first above written.

                         [Signatures on separate pages]

317036.2
                                       -8-

<PAGE>







                                            THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK
                                              Trustee


                                            By: /s/ ROSALIA A. RAVIELE
                                                ----------------------
                                                   Vice President

(SEAL)





STATE OF NEW YORK                   )
                                    :ss.:
COUNTY OF NEW YORK                  )

      On this 14th day of September, 1998, before me personally appeared Rosalia
A.  Raviele,  to me known,  who being by me duly  sworn,  said that  (s)he is an
Authorized  Signator  of The  Chase  Manhattan  Bank,  one  of the  corporations
described in and which executed the foregoing  instrument;  that (s)he knows the
seal of said  corporation;  that the seal  affixed  to said  instrument  is such
corporate seal; that it was so affixed by authority of the Board of Directors of
said corporation and that (s)he signed his/her name thereto by like authority.



                                      /s/ ADA IRIS VEGA
                                      -----------------------------------------
                                          Notary Public


                                     ADA IRIS VEGA
                                     NOTARY PUBLIC, State of New York
                                     No. 4864106
                                     Qualified in New York County
                                     Commission Expires 6/30/2000

315855.1

<PAGE>



                                      REICH & TANG DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
                                         Depositor

                                            By: /s/ PETER J. DEMARCO
                                                --------------------------------
                                                       Executive Vice President 




STATE OF NEW YORK                   )
                                    : ss:
COUNTY OF NEW YORK                  )

        On this 14th day of September, 1998, before me personally appeared Peter
J. DeMarco,  to me known, who being by me duly sworn,  said that he is Executive
Vice President of the Depositor,  one of the corporations described in and which
executed  the  foregoing  instrument,  and that he signed  his name  thereto  by
authority of the Board of Directors of said corporation.



                                       /s/ TERESA SCARFONE
                                       ---------------------------------------
                                       Notary Public

                                       TERESA SCARFONE
                                       NOTARY PUBLIC, State of New York
                                       No. 31-4752576
                                       Qualified in New York County
                                         Term Expires 8/31/00



                               BATTLE FOWLER LLP
                        A LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP
                              75 East 55th Street
                            New York, New York 10022
                                 (212) 856-7000


                                  (212)856-7816




                               September 29, 1998



Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.
600 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York  10020

   Re:      Equity Securities Trust,
            Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth and Value Trust II

Dear Sirs:

         We have acted as special counsel for Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.,
as Depositor, Sponsor and Principal Underwriter (collectively, the "Depositor")
of Equity Securities Trust, Signature Series, Reich & Tang Growth and Value
Trust II (the "Trust") in connection with the issuance by the Trust of units of
fractional undivided interest (the "Units") in the Trust. Pursuant to the Trust
Agreements referred to below, the Depositor has transferred to the Trust certain
securities and contracts to purchase certain securities together with an
irrevocable letter of credit to be held by the Trustee upon the terms and
conditions set forth in the Trust Agreement. (All securities to be acquired by
the Trust are collectively referred to as the "Securities").

         In connection with our representation, we have examined copies of the
following documents relating to the creation of the Trust and the issuance and
sale of the Units: (a) the Trust Indenture and Agreement and related Reference
Trust Agreement, each of even date herewith, relating to the Trust (collectively
the "Trust Agreements") among the Depositor and The Chase Manhattan Bank, as
Trustee; (b) the Notification of Registration on Form N-8A and the Registration
Statement on Form N-8B-2, as amended, relating to the Trust, as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") pursuant to the Investment
Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"); (c) the Registration Statement on Form S-6
(Registration No. 333-56917) filed with the Commission pursuant to the
Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act"), and all Amendments thereto (said
Registration Statement, as amended by said Amendment(s) being herein called the
"Registration Statement"); (d) the proposed form of final Prospectus (the
"Prospectus") relating to the Units, which

317062.1

<PAGE>


                                                                              2
Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.
September 29, 1998


is expected to be filed with the Commission this day; (e) certified resolutions
of the Board of Directors of the Depositor authorizing the execution and
delivery by the Depositor of the Trust Agreement and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated thereby; (f) the Certificate of Incorporation of the
Depositor; and (g) a certificate of an authorized officer of the Depositor with
respect to certain factual matters contained therein.

         We have examined the Order of Exemption from certain provisions of
Sections 11(a) and 11(c) of the 1940 Act, filed on behalf of Reich & Tang
Distributors L.P. (the predecessor to Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.); Equity
Securities Trust (Series 1, Signature Series and Subsequent Series), Mortgage
Securities Trust (CMO Series 1 and Subsequent Series), Municipal Securities
Trust, Series 1 (and Subsequent Series) (including Insured Municipal Securities
Trust, Series 1 (and Subsequent Series and 5th Discount Series and Subsequent
Series)); New York Municipal Trust (Series 1 and Subsequent Series); and A
Corporate Trust (Series 1 and Subsequent Series) granted on October 9, 1996. In
addition, we have examined the Order of Exemption from certain provisions of
Sections 2(a)(32), 2(a)(35), 22(d) and 26(a)(2) of the 1940 Act and Rule 22C-1
thereunder, filed on behalf of Reich & Tang Distributors L.P.; Equity Securities
Trust; Mortgage Securities Trust; Municipal Securities Trust (including Insured
Municipal Securities Trust); New York Municipal Trust; A Corporate Trust; Schwab
Trusts; and all presently outstanding and subsequently issued series of these
trusts and all subsequently issued series of unit investment trusts sponsored by
Reich & Tang Distributors L.P. granted on October 29, 1997.

         We have not reviewed the financial statements, compilation of the
Securities held by the Trust, or other financial or statistical data contained
in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as to which you have been
furnished with the reports of the accountants appearing in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus.

         In addition, we have assumed the genuineness of all agreements,
instruments and documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to
originals of all copies thereof submitted to us. We have also assumed the
genuineness of all signatures and the legal capacity of all persons executing
agreements, instruments and documents examined or relied upon by us.

         Statements in this opinion as to the validity, binding effect and
enforceability of agreements, instruments and documents are subject: (i) to
limitations as to enforceability imposed by bankruptcy, reorganization,
moratorium, insolvency and other laws of general application relating to or
affecting the enforceability of creditors' rights, and (ii) to limitations under
equitable principles governing the availability of equitable remedies.

         We are not admitted to the practice of law in any jurisdiction but the
State of New York and we do not hold ourselves out as experts in or express any
opinion as to the laws of other states or jurisdictions except as to matters of
Federal and Delaware corporate law.


317062.1

<PAGE>


                                                                             3
Reich & Tang Distributors, Inc.
September 29, 1998

         Based exclusively on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that under
existing law:

         (1) The Trust Agreements have been duly authorized and entered into by
an authorized officer of the Depositor and are valid and binding obligations of
the Depositor in accordance with their respective terms.

         (2) The registration of the Units on the registration books of the
Trust by the Trustee has been duly authorized by the Depositor in accordance
with the provisions of the respective Trust Agreements and issued for the
consideration contemplated therein, will constitute fractional undivided
interests in the Trust, will be entitled to the benefits of the Trust
Agreements, will conform in all material respects to the description thereof for
the Units as provided in the Trust Agreement and the Registration Statement, and
the Units will be fully paid and non-assessable by the Trust.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and to the use of our name in the Registration Statement
and in the Prospectus under the headings "Tax Status" and "Legal Opinions". We
authorize you to deliver copies of this opinion to the Trustee and the Trustee
may rely on this opinion as fully and to the same extent as if it had been
addressed to it. 

         This opinion is intended solely for the benefit of the addressees and
the Trustee in connection with the issuance of the Units of the Trust and may
not be relied upon in any other manner or by any other person without our
express written consent.

                                  Very truly yours,



                                  Battle Fowler LLP

317062.1

<PAGE>







<TABLE> <S> <C>

<ARTICLE>                     6
<LEGEND>                      The schedule contains summary financial
                              information extracted from the statement of
                              financial condition as of opening of business on
                              date of deposit and is qualified in its entirety
                              by reference to such financial statement.
</LEGEND>
<MULTIPLIER>                  1
<CURRENCY>                    US Dollars
       
<S>                           <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE>                 OTHER
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>             JUN-30-1999
<PERIOD-START>                SEP-29-1998
<PERIOD-END>                  SEP-29-1998
<EXCHANGE-RATE>               1
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST>         150,704
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE>        150,704
<RECEIVABLES>                 0
<ASSETS-OTHER>                19,500
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS>          0
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                170,204
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES>      0
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT>       0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES>     19,500
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES>           19,500
<SENIOR-EQUITY>               0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON>      0
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK>         15,780
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR>         0
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT>     0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII>        0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS>       0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS>      0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC>      0
<NET-ASSETS>                  150,704
<DIVIDEND-INCOME>             0
<INTEREST-INCOME>             0
<OTHER-INCOME>                0
<EXPENSES-NET>                0
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME>       0
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT>      0
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT>     0
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS>         0
<EQUALIZATION>                0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME>     0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS>      0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER>         0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD>       0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED>   0
<SHARES-REINVESTED>           0
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS>        0
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR>       0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR>     0
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR>       0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR>    0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES>         0
<INTEREST-EXPENSE>            0
<GROSS-EXPENSE>               0
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS>          150,704
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN>         0
<PER-SHARE-NII>               0
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC>       0
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND>          0
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS>     0
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL>          0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END>           9.55
<EXPENSE-RATIO>               0
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING>        0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE>          0
        

</TABLE>


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