,illustration3      ,e ,,pluribus ,,unum
                                        
,,the ,,history                         
,,of                                    
,,the ,,seal                            
,,of                             ,,the  
,,united ,,states      ,illustration3   
,fleuron                                
,,washington1 ,d4 ,c4                   
,,department ,,of ,,state               
#aiji                                   
,,washington                            
,,government ,,printing ,,office        
#aiji                                   
,,contents                              
,,page4                         ,,letter
 ,,of ,,transmittal          #e         
,i4 ,,the ,,first ,,device              
#g                     ,,ii4 ,,the      
,,lovell ,,committee          #ah       
,,iii4 ,,william ,,barton',s ,,designs  
#bc                     ,,iv4 ,,the     
,,secretary',s ,,device        #cc      
,v4 ,,the ,,arms ,,adopted              
#da                     ,,vi4 ,,the     

,,illegal ,,seal              #dh       
,,vii4 ,,the ,,third ,,seal             
#ec                   ,,viii4 ,,the     
,,fourth ,,seal               #fc       
,,ix4 ,,uses ,,of ,,the ,,seal          
#fe                         ,,glossary  
,,of ,,heraldic ,,terms    #fi          
,,index                         #ga     
,to the ,honorable ,,philander ,c4      
,,knox1                                 
,secretary of ,state4    ,sir3 ,in      
#ahib1 when ,i was serving in your      
,department1 by direction of  ,secretary
 ,james ,g4 ,blaine ,i prepared an      
historical sketch of the seal of  the   
,united ,states1 entitled 8,the ,seal of
 the ,united ,states3 ,how ,it was      
,developed and ,adopted10 which the     
,department printed4 ,it was prepared in
  a given time and was meager2 and since
 it appeared ,i have gathered           
additional information concerning the   
history of the seal1 which ,i now  have 
the honor to offer the ,department1 the 
edition of the monograph of  #ahib being

 exhausted4    ,in #ahig ,mr4 ,charles  
,a4 ,l4 ,totten published his two-volume
 work in ,new  ,haven1 8,our            
,inheritance in the ,great ,seal of     
,manasseh1 the ,united ,states  of      
,america3 ,its ,history and ,heraldry2  
and ,its ,signification unto the        
#8,great ,people' thus ,sealed20 and ,i 
take pleasure in acknowledging my       
indebtedness to ,mr4 ,totten's book for 
much valuable information  concerning   
the seal4                            ,i 
have the honor to be1 ,sir1             
,your obedient servant1                 
,,gaillard ,,hunt1                      
,chief1 ,division of ,manuscripts4      
,,library ,,of ,,congress1              
,april #cj1 #aiji4                      
,,the ,,seal ,,of ,,the ,,united        
,,states                                
,i                              ,,the   
,,first ,,device      ,late in the      
afternoon of ,july #d1 #aggf1 the       
,continental ,congress  8,resolved1     
,that ,dr4 ,franklin1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,adams   

and ,mr4 ,jefferson be a  committee to  
prepare a device for a ,seal of the     
,united ,states of  ,america10#a this   
being the same committee1 except for the
 omission from  it of ,robert ,r4       
,livingston and ,roger ,sherman1 which  
had drawn up the  ,declaration of       
,independence4 ,the ,declaration had    
been signed about #b  o'clock in the    
afternoon1 and the members of the       
,congress assembling  after dinner#b    
desired to complete the evidences of the
 independence of  the ,united ,states by
 formally adopting an official sign of  
sovereignty  and a national coat of     
arms4 ,it was intended that the device  
for the  seal should be the device for  
the national arms1 and the first and    
each  succeeding committee having the   
business in charge construed its duty to
  be to devise the arms by devising the 
seal4 ,in making the two identical  the 
prevailing custom was observed1 for     
seals are deemed proof of the  coats of 
arms of the states or individuals using 

them4 ,the great seal of  ,france at the
 time the ,declaration of ,independence 
was signed contained  as the obverse the
 arms of ,france1 and upon the silver   
box containing  the great seal of       
,england when it was attached to a      
treaty was engraved  the arms of        
,england4#c ,the great seal of ,england 
was itself1 however1  an exception to   
the general rule1 as it did not at that 
time1 nor for  many years later1 contain
 the arms of the ,kingdom2 but on the   
obverse  the figure of the ,king on     
horseback and on the reverse of the     
,king  seated on the throne4#d    ,the  
committee to design the arms of the new 
nation had no national  precedent to    
follow1 for the arms of a kingdom are   
nearly always those  of the sovereign or
 his family1 and the new ,republic could
 accept no  individual's arms4 ,the     
several colonies1 however1 each had a   
seal1 and  these1 as they were generally
 significant and simple1 would have been
 a  fair guide to the exigencies of a   

national seal4 ,the members of the      
committee1 however1 had an idea that an 
allegorical picture significant  of the 
fortunes and destiny of the ,united     
,states would be more  appropriate2 but 
as none of them could draw they called  
into  consultation ,eugne ,pierre ,du   
,simitire1 a ,west ,indian ,frenchman   
who  lived in ,philadelphia and had a   
reputation as an artist and author4     
,john  ,adams1 in a letter to his wife1 
,august #ad1 #aggf1 told the story of   
the  committee's efforts to make the    
seal3        ,du ,simitire is a painter 
by profession1 whose designs are very   
ingenious1 and his drawings well        
executed4 ,he has been applied to for   
his advice4 ,i waited on him yesterday1 
and saw his sketches4 99 99 99 ,for     
the seal he proposes the arms of the    
several nations from whence    ,america 
has been peopled1 as ,english1 ,scotch1 
,irish1 ,dutch1 ,german1    etc41 each  
in a shield4 ,on one side of them1      
,liberty with her pileus1    on the     

other1 a rifler in his uniform1 with his
 rifle-gun in one hand    and his       
tomahawk in the other2 this dress and   
these troops with this    kind of armor 
being peculiar to ,america1 unless the  
dress was known to    the ,romans4 99 99
 99 ,dr4 ,f4 proposes a device for a    
seal3 ,moses lifting    up his wand and 
dividing the ,red ,sea1 and ,pharaoh in 
his chariot    overwhelmed with the     
waters4 ,this motto1 8,rebellion to     
tyrants is    obedience to ,god40       
,mr4 ,jefferson proposed the children of
 ,israel in the wilderness1 led    by a 
cloud by day and a pillar of fire by    
night2 on the other side1    ,hengist   
and ,horsa1 the ,saxon chiefs from whom 
we claim the honor of    being          
descended1 and whose political          
principles and form of government    we 
have assumed4 ,i proposed the choice of 
,hercules1 as engraved by    ,gribelin1 
in some editions of ,lord ,shaftesbury's
 works4 ,the hero    resting on his     
club4 ,virtue pointing to her rugged    

mountain on one    hand1 and persuading 
him to ascend4 ,sloth1 glancing at her  
flowery    paths of pleasure1 wantonly  
reclining on the ground1 displaying the 
charms both of her eloquence and person1
 to seduce him into vice4 ,but    this  
is too complicated a group for a seal or
 a medal1 and it is not    original4#e  
,adams's statement is corroborated by   
the notes preserved by ,jefferson  and  
now among his papers in the ,library of 
,congress4 ,franklin's note  reads3     
,moses standing on the ,shore1 and      
extending his ,hand over the ,sea1      
thereby causing the same to overwhelm   
,pharoah who is sitting in an    open   
,chariot1 a ,crown on his ,head and a   
,sword in his ,hand4 ,rays from a       
,pillar of ,fire in the ,clouds reaching
 to ,moses to express that he acts    by
 ,command of the ,deity4      ,motto1   
,rebellion to ,tyrants is ,obedience to 
,god4      ,jefferson's note says3      
,pharoah sitting in an open chariot1 a  
crown on his head and a sword in    his 

hand passing thro' the divided waters of
 the ,red ,sea in pursuit of    the     
,israelites3 rays from a pillar of fire 
in the cloud1 expressive of    the      
divine presence and command1 reaching to
 ,moses who stands on the    shore and1 
extending his hand over the sea1 causes 
it to over whelm    ,pharoah4           
,motto ,rebellion to tyrants is obedce4 
to god4#f      ,adams's own design was1 
as he says1 that of the engraving by    
,gribelin1  ,paulo de ,mathis1 artist1  
which appeared as frontispiece to the   
,earl of  ,shaftesbury's ,treatise      
,,vii1 ,vol4 ,,iii1 edition of #aggc1 on
 the  ,characteristics of ,men1         
,manners1 ,opinions1 and ,times4#g ,it  
is a fine  allegorical picture and      
,adams gives a good description of it in
 his  letter1 but it is wholly unsuited 
to a coat of arms4 ,in this respect1    
however1 the pictures suggested by      
,franklin and ,jefferson were no        
better4 ,in ,du ,simitire's final       
design1 which was the best of the four1 

the ,goddess of ,justice was substituted
 for the ,american rifleman as the      
sinister supporter1 and ,franklin's     
suggestion was accepted for the         
reverse4    ,the committee reported     
,august #bj3h        ,the great ,seal   
should on one side have the ,arms of the
 ,united ,states    of ,america which   
arms should be as follows3 ,the ,shield 
has six    ,quarters1#i parti one1 coup 
two4 ,the #ast4 ,or1 a ,rose enamelled  
gules  argent for ,england3 the #b;d4   
,argent1 a ,thistle proper for          
,scotland3 the #c;d4 ,verd1 a ,harp ,or1
 for ,ireland3 the #dth4 ,azure a       
,flower de ,luce ,or for ,france3 the   
#eth4 ,or the ,imperial ,eagle ,sable   
for ,germany3 and the #fth4 ,or the     
,belgic ,lion ,gules for ,holland1      
pointing out the ,countries from which  
these ,states have been peopled4    ,the
 ,shield within a ,border ,gules entoire
 of thirteen ,scutcheons ,argent        
linked together by a ,chain ,or1 each   
charged with initial ,letters ,sable    

as follows3 #ast4 ,n4 ,h4 #b;d4 ,m4 ,b4 
#c;d4 ,r4 ,i4 #dth4 ,c4 #eth4 ,n4    ,y4
 #fth4 ,n4 ,j4 #gth4 ,p4 #hth4 ,d4      
,c4#aj #ith4 ,m4 #ajth4 ,v4    #aath4   
,n4 ,c4 #abth4 ,s4 ,c4 #acth4 ,g4 for   
each of the thirteen    independent     
,states of ,america4      ,supporters1  
dexter the ,goddess ,liberty in a       
corselet of armour    alluding to the   
present ,times1 holding in her right    
,hand the ,spear and    ,cap and with   
her left supporting the ,shield of the  
,states2 sinister1    the ,goddess      
,justice bearing a ,sword in her right  
hand1 and in her left    a ,balance4    
,crest ,the ,eye of ,providence in a    
radiant ,triangle whose ,glory extends  
over the ,shield and beyond the         
,figures4      ,motto ,e ,,pluribus     
,,unum4      ,legend1 round the whole   
atchievement4 ,seal of the ,united      
,states of    ,america ,,mdcclxxvi4     
,on the other side of the said ,great   
,seal should be the following           
,device4 ,pharaoh sitting in an open    

,chariot1 a ,crown on his head and a    
,sword in his hand passing through the  
divided ,waters of the ,red ,sea in     
pursuit of the ,israelites2 ,rays from a
 pillar of ,fire in the ,cloud1         
expressive of the divine ,presence and  
,command1 beaming on ,moses who         
stands on the ,shore and extending his  
hand over the ,sea causes it to         
overwhelm ,pharaoh4      ,motto         
,rebellion to ,tyrants is ,obedience to 
,god4#aa      ,this is endorsed1 8,copy 
of a ,report made ,aug4 #aj1 #aggf10 and
 is in the  handwriting of no member of 
the committee1 but of ,james ,lovell4   
,the description of the arms by ,du     
,simitire is among the ,jefferson       
,papers in the ,library of ,congress1   
and shows a design identical with  that 
approved by the committee1 except as to 
the supporters1 ,du  ,simitire's        
description being3        ,supporters1  
dexter1 the ,goddess ,liberty1 in a     
corslet of armour1    7alluding to the  
present times7 holding in her right hand

 the ,spear    and ,cap1 resting with   
her left on an anchor1 emblem of ,hope4 
,senester1    an american ,soldier1     
compleatly accoutred in his hunting     
shirt and    trousers1 with his         
tomahawk1 powder horn1 pouch c4 holding 
with his    left hand his rifle gun     
rested1 and the ,shield of the ,states  
with his    right4      ,illustration3  
,reverse      ,drawing by ,benson ,j4   
,lossing from the description           
,illustration3      ,obverse      ,the  
pencil sketch by ,du ,simitire1 found in
 the ,jefferson ,papers      ,,the      
,,first ,,design      ,face p4 #ab      
,a note following the report says3 8,the
 figure of ,liberty standing on a       
,column1 on which are the emblems of    
commerce1 agriculture and arms40    ,two
 features alone of the designs of this  
committee were preserved in  the final  
seal1 the eye of ,providence1 which     
figured in the final  reverse1 and the  
motto 8,e pluribus unum10 which appeared
 in the final  obverse4 ,the eye was an 

adoption of a very ancient symbol of the
  overseeing ,god4 ,it was probably     
suggested by ,du ,simitire himself1     
since  ,adams does not mention it as    
having been proposed by any member of   
the  committee4    ,the motto formed a  
part of ,du ,simitire's design1 but has 
been generally  attributed to           
,jefferson4#ab ,adams's letter shows    
nothing to suggest the  possibility that
 he himself chose the motto2 on the     
contrary1 his mind  was full of a moral 
rather than a political allegory for the
 arms4  ,jefferson's mind had1 on the   
other hand1 already been engaged on the 
subject of a suitable device for a seal 
to express the idea of weakness  in     
separation of the ,states and power in  
their combination4 ,in #aggd he  made   
this note in his almanac3        ,a     
proper device 7instead of arms7 for the 
,american states united would    be the 
,father presenting the bundle of rods to
 his sons4      ,the motto              
8,insuperabiles si inseperabiles0 an    

answer given in    parliament to the    
,house of ,lds1  commons4#ac            
,jefferson's preference for a 8device0  
rather than a coat of arms was due  to  
the fact that he thought more           
allegorical meaning could be obtained   
by using the former4 ,the idea he wished
 to convey was from one of sop's        
fables4 ,a father called his family of  
discordant sons about him1 and  taking a
 bundle of rods bound compactly together
 bade each one try to  break it1 which  
none could do4 ,he then gave each one a 
single rod from  the bundle and they    
were broken easily4    ,the motto 8,e   
pluribus unum0#ad was in familiar use in
 the ,united ,states  and naturally     
suggested itself as a fitting           
description of the union of  the ,states
 depicted in ,du ,simitire's design4    
,franklin suggested the motto           
8,rebellion to tyrants is obedience to  
,god10  which1 as we have seen1 was     
incorporated in the proposed reverse of 
the  seal4 ,it so much pleased          

,jefferson that he took it as his own   
motto1 and  had it cut upon his private 
seal4 ,it was current in the colonies as
 part  of a fictitious epitaph over the 
body of ,john ,bradshaw1 president of   
the  court which condemned ,charles ,i  
to death4    ,thomas ,hollis1 of        
,england1 born in ,london in #agbj1 and 
one of the early  patrons of ,harvard   
,college1 in his memoirs1 states3#ae    
,the following ,epitaph is often seen   
pasted up in the houses in ,north       
,america4 ,it throws some light upon the
 principles of the people1 and    may in
 some measure account for the asperity  
of the war carrying on    against them4 
,the original is engraved upon a cannon 
at the summit of    a steep hill near   
,martha ,bray ,bay in ,jamaica3         
,,stranger                     ,ere thou
 pass1 contemplate this cannon1         
,nor regardless be told                 
,that near its base lies deposited the  
dust                              ,of   
,,john ,,bradshaw2                      

,who1 nobly superior to selfish regards1
              ,despising alike the      
pageantry of courtly splendor1          
,the blast of calumny1                  
,and the terrors of royal vengeance1    
,presided in the illustrious band of    
,heroes and ,patriots1                  
,who fairly and openly adjudged         
,,charles ,,stuard                      
,tyrant of ,england                     
,to a public and exemplary death2       
,thereby presenting to the amazed world1
                ,and transmitting down  
through applauding ages1                
,the most glorious example              
,of unshaken virtue1                    
,love of ,freedom1                      
,and impartial justice1                 
,ever exhibited on the blood-stained    
theater                              ,of
 human actions4                         
,oh1 ,reader1                ,pass not  
on1 till thou hast blest his memory6    
,and never1 never forget1               
,that ,,rebellion ,,to ,,tyrants        

,,is ,,obedience ,,to ,,god4      ,a    
copy of this supposititious epitaph1 in 
,jefferson's handwriting1 was  given to 
his young friend1 ,de ,lyon1 one of the 
,frenchmen who was with  ,lafayette on  
his tour of ,america in #ahbd4 ,the     
manuscript was dated #aggf1  and stated 
that the inscription had been found     
three years earlier on  the cannon at   
,martha ,bay1 ,jamaica4 ,a note1        
evidently by ,mr4 ,jefferson  himself1  
his biographer states1 says3            
,from many circumstances there is reason
 to believe there does not    exist any 
such inscription as the above1 and that 
it was written by    ,dr4 ,franklin1 in 
whose hands it was first seen4#af       
,although ,du ,simitire1 as it would    
appear from ,john ,adams's letter1 drew 
his designs for the committee1 they were
 not preserved among the papers  of     
,congress1 a very slight pencil sketch  
of his proposed obverse found  among    
,jefferson's papers being all that      
remains4 ,the committee's report  was   

laid upon the table1 and for nearly four
 years the ,united ,states  existed     
without a coat of arms and ,congress did
 business without an  official seal4    
,,ii                            ,,the   
,,lovell ,,committee      ,on ,june #ad1
 #aggg1 ,congress adopted the national  
flag of thirteen  stripes1 alternate red
 and white1 with a union of thirteen    
white stars  upon a blue field1         
8representing10 as the law said1 8a new 
constellation40 ,the flag had actually  
come into use in the army some  months  
before it received legal sanction1 its  
chief features probably  suggested by   
the ,dutch standard4 ,the red denoted   
daring1 the white  purity1 and the stars
 the ,states in union4#ag               
,illustration3      ,reverse            
,illustration3      ,arms      ,,designs
 ,,of ,,the ,,second ,,committee        
,reduced one-half      ,face p4 #ai     
,the ,american minister to ,france1     
,silas ,deane1 complained of the        
informality and impropriety of the      

representatives of the sovereignty of  a
 nation being without a seal with which 
to authenticate their official  acts1   
but the subject was treated with        
indifference4 ,on ,january #bc1  #aggg1 
a committee appointed to examine the    
files of ,congress1 ,william  ,ellery of
 ,rhode ,island1 chairman1 selected     
certain papers which it  thought        
required the consideration of           
,congress--among them the 8,report on  a
 ,device for a public seal0#ah--;but it 
was not until ,march #be1 #aghj1  that  
the report was taken up again1 when     
,james ,lovell of ,massachusetts1  ,john
 ,morin ,scott of ,virginia1 and        
,william ,churchill ,houston of ,new    
,jersey were appointed a committee to   
report a design for a great seal1  and  
to them was referred the report of the  
first committee4 ,the chairman  of the  
committee and the most important member 
was ,lovell4 ,he was a  ,boston         
school-teacher and a graduate of        
,harvard ,college4 ,being  imprisoned by

 the ,british after the battle of       
,bunker ,hill1 he was later  exchanged  
and entered ,congress in ,december1     
#aggf1 where he served till  #aghb1     
being for a long time on the ,committee 
of ,foreign ,affairs4 ,while  serving on
 this committee he must have received   
,deane's complaint that  ,congress had  
no seal4 ,lovell was regarded as a man  
of great learning1  but was extremely   
eccentric in his manners and speech4#ai 
,the committee  reported ,may #aj3      
,the ,comittee to whom was referred on  
the #beth of ,march last the    report  
of a former ,comittee on the ,device of 
a ,great ,seal for the    ,united       
,states in ,congress assembled1 beg     
,leave to report the following          
,description4      ,the ,seal to be #c  
,inches in ,diametre      ,on one ,side 
the ,arms of the ,united ,states1 as    
follows2 ,the ,shield    charged on the 
,field ,azure with #ac diagonal ,stripes
 alternate rouge    and                 
argent--,supporters2 dexter1 a warriour 

holding a ,sword2 sinister1 a           
,figure1 representing ,peace bearing an 
,olive ,branch--,the ,crest--a radiant  
constellation of #ac ,stars--,the motto 
,bello vel ,paci2 ,the ,legend round    
the ,atchievement--,the great ,seal of  
the ,united ,states of ,america      ,on
 the reverse1 ,the ,figure of ,liberty  
seated in a ,chair holding the    ,staff
 and ,cap--,the motto virtute           
perennis--underneath1 ,,mdcclxxvi4      
,a ,drawing of the ,seal is annexed--   
,may #ajth #aghj--      ,a ,miniature of
 the ,face of the great ,seal to be     
prepared of ,half the    ,diametre1 to  
be affixed as the less ,seal of the     
,united ,states4      ,the report is    
endorsed1 8,report of the ,comeee4 on   
the device of a  great ,seal--,delivered
 ,may #aj1 #aghj read--,may #ag1 #aghj  
,recommitted4 ,n4 ,b4  ,the within      
report has been altered since the       
,recommitment of ,may #ag1  #aghj10 the 
endorsement being in the handwriting of 
,charles ,thomson1 the  ,secretary of   

,congress1 except the note1 which is in 
the same hand as the  report1           
apparently1#bj that of ,houston2 but the
 motto virtute  perennis in the report  
is in ,thomson's hand4 ,the committee   
submitted  designs of both obverse and  
reverse4 ,the more finished of those for
 an  obverse has the stripes alternate  
white and red1 whereas the report       
called for red and white4 ,a second and 
rougher design shows a slightly         
different arrangement of the            
constellation1 a helmet as a crest1     
which  is struck out as unsatisfactory1 
and a shield with alternate red and     
white stripes4 ,for dexter supporter    
there is a naked ,indian carrying  in   
his right hand a bow and arrow4    ,two 
drawings were made for the reverse1 the 
differences between them not  being     
great4 ,in one the figure carries in her
 left hand a sword instead  of an olive 
branch1 and at the bottom is the date   
,,mdcclxxx1 while at the  top the motto1
 8,aut haec aut nullus10 has a line     

drawn through it2  another has over the 
top outside the circle the words        
8,libertas virtute  perennis10 a line   
having been drawn through the word      
8,libertas20 within  the circle is the  
word ,semper struck out and the date is 
,,mdcclxxvi4  ,underneath is this       
fragment of a note3 8a rough ,sketch of 
the ,design   ,decorations by the ----40
    ,the report of this committee is    
important1 because it shows for the     
first time the use of the constellation 
of thirteen stars1 the shield1  and the 
white and red and red and white stripes4
 ,the stripes and stars  had undoubtedly
 been adopted from the flag4 ,in these  
designs appears for  the first time the 
olive branch as an emblem of peace4     
,,iii                          ,,william
 ,,barton',s ,,designs      ,the report 
of the ,lovell committee met with the   
same fate as the report  of the first   
committee4 ,it was recommitted1 and     
nothing further was done  until ,may1   
#aghb1 when ,arthur ,middleton of ,south

 ,carolina1 ,elias ,boudinot  of ,new   
,jersey1 and ,edward ,rutledge of ,south
 ,carolina were appointed a  committee  
to design a seal4 ,the two ,south       
,carolinians were men of  foreign       
education1 and a cultivated gentleman in
 those days usually had  some knowledge 
of heraldry4 ,boudinot had an interest  
in coins and  medals1 it is presumed1 as
 he was appointed ,director of the ,mint
 at  ,philadelphia in #agie4 ,this      
committee did no independent labor of a 
serious character1 but called into      
consultation ,william ,barton1 ,a4 ,m41 
a  private citizen of ,philadelphia4 ,he
 was the son of ,rev4 ,thomas ,barton1  
rector of ,st4 ,james ,episcopal        
,church1 his mother being a sister of   
the  famous ,david ,rittenhouse1#ba and 
in #ahac he published a memoir of       
,rittenhouse4 ,he was also the author of
 a monograph on the nature and use  of  
,paper ,credit1 etc4 7,philadelphia1    
#agha74 ,the reasons which prompted  the
 committee to go to him are not known4  

,it is evident1 however1 that  he had   
studied heraldry1 and his drawings show 
that he was ingenious in  the use of his
 pencil4 ,from the time he first appears
 in connection with  the seal he is the 
central figure1 until he divides the    
honors with the  ,secretary of          
,congress1 ,charles ,thomson4           
,rutledge's connection with the         
committee was never active1 and ,arthur 
,lee1 who had recently returned from    
,france1 acted with it1 although  never 
formally assigned as a member4          
,barton's first design for the seal was 
as follows3        ,a ,device for an    
,armorial ,atchievement1 for the ,great 
,seal of the    ,united ,states of      
,america1 in ,congress assembled2       
agreeable to the    ,rules of           
,heraldry3--proposed by ,william        
,barton1 ,a4 ,m4                        
,arms4      ,barry of thirteen pieces1  
,argent  ,gules2 on a ,canton1 ,azure1  
as many    ,stars disposed in a ,circle1
 of the first3 a ,pale1 ,or1 surmounted 

of    another1 of the third2 charged1 in
 ,chief1 with an ,eye surrounded with   
a ,glory1 proper2 and1 in the           
,fess-point1 an ,eagle displayed1 on the
    ,summit of a ,doric ,column which   
rests on the ,base of the ,escutcheon1  
both as the ,stars4                     
,crest4      ,on an ,helmet of burnished
 ,gold damasked1 grated with six ,bars1 
and    surmounted of a ,cap of ,dignity1
 ,gules1 turned up ,ermine1 a ,cock     
armed    with ,gaffs1 proper3           
,supporters      ,on the dexter ,side3  
the ,genius of ,america 7represented by 
a ,maiden    with loose ,auburn         
,tresses1 having on her ,head a radiated
 ,crown1 of    ,gold1 encircled with a  
,sky-blue ,fillet ,spangled with ,silver
 ,stars2 and    clothed in a long1      
loose1 white garment1 bordered with     
,green3 from her    right ,shoulder to  
her left ,side1 a ,scarf sem of ,stars1 
the ,tinctures    thereof the same as in
 the ,canton2 and round her ,waist a    
purple ,girdle    fringed or2           

embroidered1 ,argent1 with the ,word    
8,virtue037--resting her    interior    
,hand on the ,escutcheon2 and holding in
 the other the proper    ,standard of   
the ,united ,states1 having a ,dove1    
argent1 perched on the    ,top of it4   
,on the sinister side3 a ,man in        
complete ,armour2 his ,sword-belt1      
,azure1    fringed with ,gold2 his      
,helmet encircled with a ,wreath of     
,laurel1 and    crested with one white  
two blue ,plumes3 supporting with his   
dexter    ,hand the ,escutcheon1 and    
holding1 in the exterior1 a ,lance with 
the    point sanguinated2 and upon it a 
,banner displayed1 ,vert1--in the       
,fess-point an ,harp1 or1 stringed with 
,silver1 between a ,star in ,chief1     
two ,fleurs-de-lis in ,fess1 and a pair 
of ,swords in ,saltier1 in ,base1    all
 ,argent4 ,the ,tenants of the          
,escutcheon stand on a ,scroll1 on which
    the following ,motto--              
8,deo favente0--      which alludes to  
the ,eye in the ,arms1 meant for the    

,eye of    ,providence4      ,over the  
,crest1 in a ,scroll1 this ,motto--     
8,virtus sola invicta0--      which     
requires no comment4      ,the thirteen 
pieces1 barways1 which fill up the      
,field of the ,arms1 may    represent   
the several ,states2 and the same       
,number of ,stars upon a blue           
,canton1 disposed in a ,circle1         
represent a new ,constellation1 which   
alludes to the new ,empire1 formed in   
the ,world by the ,confderation of      
those ,states--,their ,disposition1 in  
the form of a circle1 denotes the       
,perpetuity of its ,continuance1 the    
,ring being the ,symbol of ,eternity4   
,the ,eagle displayed is the ,symbol of 
,supreme ,power  ,authority1 and        
signifies the ,congress2 the ,pillar1   
upon which it rests1 is used as    the  
,hieroglyphic of ,fortitude  ,constancy2
 and1 it's being of the    ,doric       
,order1 7which is the best proportioned 
most agreeable to    ,nature17  composed
 of several ,members or parts1 all1     

taken together1    forming a beautiful  
,composition of ,strength1 ,congruity   
,usefulness1    it may with great       
propriety signify a well planned        
,government4 ,the    ,eagle1 being      
placed on the ,summit of the ,column1 is
 emblematical of    the ,sovereignty of 
the ,government of the ,united ,states2 
and1 as    further expressive of that   
,idea1 those two ,charges or ,figures   
are    borne on a ,pale1 which extends  
across the thirteen pieces into which   
the ,escutcheon is divided4 ,the        
,signification of the ,eye has been     
already explained4      ,the ,helmet is 
such as appertains to ,sovereignty2 and 
the ,cap is used    as the ,token of    
,freedom  ,excellency3 ,it was formerly 
worn by ,dukes    8because10 says       
,guillim1 8they ,had a more worthy      
,government than    other               
,subjects40--,the ,cock is distinguished
 for two most excellent    ,qualities1  
,necessary in a free ,country1 viz4     
,vigilance  ,fortitude4      ,the       

,genius of the ,american confderated    
,republic is denoted by her    blue     
,scarf  ,fillet1 glittering with ,stars1
 and by the ,flag of    ,congress which 
she displays4 ,her ,dress is white edged
 with green2    ,colours emblematical of
 ,innocence and ,youth4 ,her purple     
,girdle     radiated ,crown indicate her
 ,sovereignty3 the ,word 8,virtue0 on   
the    former is to show1 that that     
should be her principal ,ornament2 and  
the radiated ,crown1 that no ,earthly   
,crown shall rule her4 ,the ,dove    on 
the ,top of the ,american ,standard     
denotes the ,mildness  ,lenity of    her
 ,government4      ,the ,knight in      
,armour with his bloody ,lance          
represents the ,military    ,genius of  
the ,american ,empire1 armed in ,defence
 of its just ,rights4    ,his blue ,belt
  blue ,feathers indicate his ,country1 
the white    ,plume is in ,compliment to
 our gallant ,ally4 ,the ,wreath of     
,laurel round    his ,helmet is         
expressive of his ,success4 ,the ,green 

,field of the    ,banner denotes ,youth 
and ,vigor2 the ,harp is emblematical of
 the    several ,states acting in       
,harmony  ,concert2 the ,star1 in       
,chief1 has    reference to ,america1 as
 principal in the ,contest2 the two     
,fleurs-de-lis are borne as a           
grateful#bb ,testimonial of the ,support
    given to her by ,france2 and the two
 ,swords1 crossing each other1          
signify a ,state of ,war4 ,this ,tenant 
his ,flag relate1 totally1 to           
,america at the ,time of her            
,revolution4                            
,,william ,,barton4      ,this1 the     
first device of ,barton1 was not        
illustrated1 and his second  device1 of 
which he offered a colored drawing1     
differed from it in that  he transferred
 the eye to the reverse and the eagle   
from the summit of  the column to the   
crest1 thereby eliminating the cock4 ,he
 put at the  summit of the column a     
phnix rising from the flames1 left out  
the  ,american flag from the dexter     

supporter's hand1 and changed the       
sinister  supporter from a warrior in   
armor to one in continental uniform1    
holding  in his hand a baton instead of 
a lance4 ,he also left out the harp and 
the fleur-de-lis and transferred the    
motto to the reverse4 ,the  fleur-de-lis
 was proposed to commemorate the        
alliance with ,france1 this  being the  
only report in which the alliance       
figured4 ,the design is  important1     
because it establishes the fact that the
 idea had become  fixed of having in the
 seal the thirteen stars1 the blue      
field1 and  thirteen stripes of red and 
white or white and red4 ,in this design 
appears for the first time the eagle4   
,barton's second design was addressed to
 8,the ,honble4 ,elias ,boudinot1       
,esqr4  ,arthur ,lee ,esq4 ,in          
,congress40        ,device for an       
,armorial ,atchievement  ,reverse of a  
,great ,seal1 for the    ,united ,states
 of ,north ,america3 proposed by        
,william ,barton1 ,esqr4 ,a4    ,m4--   

,blazoned according to the ,laws of     
,heraldry--                             
,arms4      ,barry of thirteen pieces1  
,argent  ,gules2 on a pale1 ,or1 a      
,pillar of    the ,doric ,order1 ,vert1 
reaching from the ,base of the          
,escutcheon to the    ,honor point2 and 
from the ,summit thereof1 a ,phnix in   
,flames with    ,wings expanded1 proper2
 the whole within a ,border1 ,azure1    
charged with    as many ,stars as pieces
 barways1 of the first4                 
,illustration3      ,,william           
,,barton',s ,,second ,,design           
,traced from the original and reduced   
one-half      ,face p4 #bh              
,crest4      ,on a ,helmet of ,burnished
 ,gold1 damasked1 grated with six ,bars1
 a ,cap    of ,liberty1 ,vert2 with an  
,eagle displayed1 ,argent1 thereon3     
holding in    his dexter ,talon a       
,sword1 ,or1 having a ,wreath of ,laurel
 suspended from    the point2 and1 in   
the sinister1 the ,ensign of the ,united
 ,states1    proper4                    

,supporters4      ,on the dexter side1  
the ,genius of the ,american            
,confederated ,republic3    represented 
by a ,maiden1 with flowing ,auburn      
,tresses2 clad in a long1    loose1     
white ,garment1 bordered with ,green2   
having a ,sky-blue ,scarf1    charged   
with ,stars as in the ,arms1 reaching   
across her ,waist from her    right     
,shoulder to her left ,side2 and1 on her
 ,head1 a radiated ,crown    of ,gold1  
encircled with an ,azure ,fillet        
spangled with ,silver ,stars2    round  
her ,waist a purple ,girdle1 embroidered
 with the ,word 8,virtus01    in        
,silver3--a ,dove1 proper1 perched on   
her dexter ,hand4      ,on the sinister 
side1 an ,american ,warrior2 clad in an 
uniform ,coat1 of    blue faced with    
,buff1 and in his ,hat a ,cockade of    
black  white    ,ribbons2 in his left   
,hand1 a ,baton ,azure1 sem of ,stars   
,argent4      ,motto1 over the ,crest-- 
8,in ,vindiciam ,libertatis0            
,motto1 under the ,arms--               

8,virtus sola invicta0      ,reverse of 
the ,seal4      ,a ,pyramid of thirteen 
,strata1 7or ,steps7 ,or4 ,in the       
,zenith2 an ,eye1    surrounded with a  
,glory1 proper4      ,in a ,scroll1     
above--or in the ,margin                
8,deo favente0      ,the ,exergue       
8,perennis0                             
,remarks4      ,the ,imperial ,eagle of 
,germany 7which is sable1 and with two  
,heads7 is    represented with a ,sword 
in one ,talon1 and a ,sceptre in the    
other4      ,the ,phnix is emblematical 
of the expiring ,liberty of ,britain1   
revived    by her ,descendants in       
,america4      ,the ,dove 7perched on   
the right ,hand of the ,genius of       
,america7 is    ,emblematical of        
,innocence and ,virtue4      ,the ,sword
 7held by the ,eagle7 is the ,symbol of 
,courage1 ,authority     ,power4 ,the   
,flag or ,ensign denotes the ,united    
,states of ,america1 of the             
sovereignty of which the ,eagle is      
expressive4      ,the ,pillar is the    

,hieroglyphic of ,constancy  ,fortitude2
 and is    likewise emblematical of     
,beauty1 ,strength  ,order4      ,the   
,pyramid signifies ,strength  ,duration4
      ,the other parts have been        
explained4      ,the ,armorial          
,atchievements of ,sovereign ,princes   
,states are usually    blazoned by the  
planets1 to represent the ,colours2 but 
that mode is    purposely deviated from1
 being condemned by the best ,heralds4  
,the committee adopted this complicated 
design and reported it to  ,congress    
,may #i1 #aghb1 but ,congress was not   
satisfied with it1 and on  ,june #ac it 
was referred to the ,secretary of       
,congress4    ,the endorsement on       
,barton's design is in ,thomson's hand1 
except the last  sentence1 8,passed10   
etc43        ,no4 #bf--,report of ,mr4  
,middleton ,mr4 ,boudinot ,mr4          
,rutledge4 ,device    of a ,seal ,entd4 
,may #i1 #aghb ,june #ac-aghb ,referred 
to the ,secy of the    ,united ,states  
in ,congress ,assembled to take order4  

,passed ,june #bj    #aghb4      ,the   
number on the report had reference to   
the arrangement of papers in  the       
,secretary's office4 ,the words 8,passed
 ,june #bj #aghb10 had reference  to the
 later design4    ,it should be noticed 
that ,barton termed the description of  
his device a  8blazon0--that is1 a      
verbal description so precise that a    
person  understanding heraldry would be 
able to draw and color the arms         
correctly4 ,all of the other reports on 
the seal were blazons also1 thus        
showing the purpose of making an        
illuminated arms4    ,barton's design   
for the obverse1 as he drew it for the  
committee1 was #i  inches by #h inches  
large1 and the reverse #b inches in     
diameter1 and  both were in colors1 the 
coloring following the description      
correctly1  and the lettering and scroll
 work being in black and white4 ,the    
circumstances under which ,barton was   
called upon to submit his final  design 
were noted by him in a memorandum which 

he left among his papers3        ,in    
,june1 #aghb he says when ,congress was 
about to form an armorial    device for 
a ,great ,seal for the ,united ,states1 
,charles ,thomson1 ,esq41    then       
,secretary of ,congress1 with ,hon4     
,arthur ,lee and ,elias ,boudinot1      
member of ,congress1 called on me and   
consulted me on the occasion4 ,the      
,great ,seal1 for which ,i furnished    
these gentlemen with devices 7as        
certified by ,charles ,thomson1 ,esq471 
was adopted by ,congress on the    #bjth
 of ,june1 #aghb4 ,mr4 ,thomson informed
 me1 four days after1 that    they met  
with general approbation4               
,w4 ,,barton4#bc                        
,,iv                           ,,the    
,,secretary',s ,,device      ,barton's  
elaborate design fixed the reverse1 but 
that part of the seal  does not appear  
to have caused much discussion4 ,for the
 obverse it  produced the displayed     
eagle1 but ,barton's eagle was crested  
and not the  ,american or bald-headed   

eagle4    ,the whole matter now having  
by order of ,congress come into the     
hands of  ,charles ,thomson1 he took a  
radical departure from all previous     
designs4  ,putting the eagle as the     
central figure of his design1 he        
specified that  it be an ,american      
eagle1 rising1 not displayed4 ,as       
emblematic of the war  power he put in  
the sinister talon a bundle of arrows1  
where ,barton had  put the ,american    
flag1 introducing the arrows into the   
seal for the  first time4 ,to picture   
peace he put in the eagle's dexter talon
 an olive  branch which had figured in  
the device of the second committee1     
instead  of ,barton's sword and wreath  
of laurel4 ,for the crest he used the   
constellation of thirteen stars         
surrounded by clouds1 as in the second  
committee's report1 and arranged the red
 and white stripes1 which the  second   
committee had made diagonal and ,barton 
horizontal1 in chevrons1  one side of   
red and white1 the other of white and   

red4 ,from the report  of the first     
committee he took the motto 8,e pluribus
 unum40 ,he made or  had made a rough   
drawing of his device1 which was        
colored4 ,it was almost  #d inches in   
diameter4 ,for the reverse he adopted   
,barton's device1  changing only the    
mottoes4 ,these were from ,virgil1      
8,audacibus annue  cptis0 7favor my     
daring undertaking71 being found in the 
neid1 book #i1  verse #fbe 7also in the 
,georgics1 #a1 #dj71 and 8,magnus ab    
integro seclorum  nascitur ordo0 7the   
great series of ages begins anew71      
coming from the  fourth eclogue1 fifth  
verse4 ,although the form 8seclorum0 was
 adopted1  the more approved spelling is
 8sclorum40#bd    ,the report which     
follows is entirely in ,thomson's       
handwriting and is  endorsed by him     
8,the ,secretary's device30             
,device for an ,armorial ,atchievement  
and ,reverse of a great ,seal for    the
 ,united ,states in ,congress           
,assembled4                             

,arms4      ,on a field ,chevrons       
composed of seven pieces on one side    
six on the    other1 joined together at 
the top in such wise that each of the   
six    bears against or is supported by 
supports two of the opposite side    the
 pieces of the chevrons on each side    
alternate red  white4 ,the    shield    
born on the breast of an ,american      
,eagle on the ,wing  rising    proper4  
,in the dexter talon of the ,eagle an   
,olive branch  in the    sinister a     
bundle of arrows4 ,over the head of the 
,eagle a    constellation of ,stars     
surrounded with bright rays and at a    
little    distance clouds4              
,illustration3      ,,charles           
,,thomson',s ,,design      ,traced from 
the original      ,face p4 #cd          
,in the bill of the ,eagle a scroll with
 the words ,e pluribus unum4--          
,reverse      ,a pyramid unfinished     
,in the ,zenith an ,eye in a triangle   
surrounded with a glory1 proper4        
,over the eye these words               

,annuit cptis      ,on the base of the  
pyramid the numerical letters           
,,mdcclxxvi      and underneath these   
words                                   
,novus ordo seclorum4      ,n4 ,b4 the  
,head  tail of the ,american bald ,eagle
 are white the body     wings of a lead 
or dove colour4      ,this design of    
,thomson's was returned to ,barton1 who 
changed it by  inserting pales for the  
chevrons1 the colors alternating white  
and red1  with a blue chief4 ,he        
restored the displayed eagle as in his  
own design  and specified that the      
bundle of arrows should contain         
thirteen4 ,he also  recommended that in 
the exergue should be the date of       
,american  independence and in the      
margin a ,latin legend1 8,sigul4 ,mag4  
,reipub4  ,confd410 but in the final    
design this was left out4 ,the report   
was  written by ,barton and is endorsed 
by ,thomson1 8,mr4 ,barton's improvement
  on the ,secretary's device40          
,device for an ,armorial ,atchievement  

for the ,united ,states of ,north       
,america1 blazoned agreeably to the     
,laws of ,heraldry--proposed by ,wm4    
,barton1 ,a4 ,m4                        
,arms4      ,paleways of #bethirteen    
pieces1 ,argent  ,gules2 a ,chief       
,azure3--,the    ,escutcheon placed on  
the ,breast of an ,american 7the        
bald-headed7    ,eagle1 displayed1      
proper2 holding in his ,beak a ,scroll1 
inscribed with    this ,motto1 viz4     
8,e pluribus ,unum0--      ,and in his  
dexter ,talon a ,palm or an ,olive      
,branch--in the other a    ,bundle of   
#ac ,arrows2 all proper4                
,for the ,crest4      ,over the ,head of
 the ,eagle1 which appears above the    
,escutcheon1 a    ,glory1 ,or2 breaking 
through a ,cloud1 proper1 and           
surrounding thirteen    ,stars forming a
 ,constellation1 ,argent1 on an ,azure  
,field4      ,in the ,exergue of the    
,great ,seal--                          
8,jul4 iv4 ,,mdcclxxvi0--      ,in the  
,margin of the same--                   

8,sigil4 ,mag4 ,reipub4                 
8,confd4 ,americ40                      
,remarks4      ,the ,escutcheon is      
composed of the ,chief  ,pale1 the two  
most honorable    ordinaries3 the latter
 represent the several ,states2 all     
joined in one    solid1 compact ,entire1
 supporting a ,chief1 which unites the  
whole     represents ,congress--,the    
,motto alludes to this ,union4--,the    
,colours or    ,tinctures of the ,pales 
are those used in the ,flag of the      
,united    ,states--,white signifies    
,purity  ,innocence2 ,red1 ,hardiness   
,valour4    ,the ,chief denotes         
,congress--,blue is the ,ground of the  
,american uniform1    and this ,colour  
signifies ,vigilance1 ,perseverance     
,justice4      ,the ,meaning of the     
,crest is obvious1 as is likewise that  
of the ,olive    ,branch  ,arrows4      
,the ,escutcheon being placed on the    
,breast of the ,eagle displayed is a    
very antient ,mode of bearing1  is truly
 imperial4 ,the ,eagle    displayed is  

an ,heraldical ,figure2 and1 being borne
 in the ,manner    here described1      
supplies the ,place of ,supporters      
,crest4 ,the ,american    ,states need  
no ,supporters but their own ,virtue1   
and the ,preservation    of their ,union
 through ,congress4--,the ,pales in the 
,arms are kept    closely united by the 
,chief1 which last likewise depends on  
that ,union     the ,strength resulting 
from it1 for its own ,support--the      
,inference is    plain4                 
,w4 ,b4      ,june #aith4 #aghb         
,this report originated from two        
sources1 ,thomson and ,barton1 and the  
agency of each is clearly defined4 ,the 
distinction of producing the arms  of   
the ,united ,states can not justly be   
accorded wholly to either1 but  belongs 
wholly to both1 with the larger share of
 distinction to the  ,secretary1        
,charles ,thomson4    ,on ,june #bd1    
four days after the seal had been       
adopted1 ,thomson wrote to  ,barton3    
,i enclose you a copy of the device by  

which you have displayed your    skill  
in heraldic science1 and which meets    
with general approbation4      ,the     
chief change made by ,barton in         
,thomson's design was in the            
substitution for the chevrons of        
thirteen pales1 alternate white and     
red1 with a blue chief1 and this has    
been often attributed1 without  adequate
 warrant1 to an outside source1 which   
deserves to be noticed4    ,sir ,john   
,prestwich was a distinguished ,english 
antiquary and a friend of  the ,american
 ,revolution4 ,he enjoyed an            
acquaintance with ,john ,adams when  the
 latter was on his foreign mission in   
#aggi1 and they conversed on the        
subject of the seal1 in which ,adams1 of
 course1 took an interest1 as he  had   
been on the first committee to design   
it4 ,it appears that ,sir ,john  made   
certain suggestions for a design which  
were afterwards enlarged  into a claim  
by others that he had made the design of
 the arms which was  finally adopted4   

,sifting from the question the          
conjecture and inference  surrounding it
 one fact is important4 ,it is set forth
 by the historian  ,benson ,j4 ,lossing 
in the ,field ,book of the ,american    
,revolution and ,war  of #ahab3bf       
,in the manuscript letter before me he  
says1 written in #ahah by    ,thomas    
,barritt1 ,esq41 an eminent antiquary of
 ,manchester1 ,england1    addressed to 
his son in this country1 is the         
following statement3 8,my    friend1    
,sir ,john ,prestwich1 ,bart41 told me  
he was the person who    suggested the  
idea of a coat of arms for the ,american
 ,states to an    embassador ,john      
,adams from thence1 which they have seen
 fit to put    on their moneys4 ,it is  
this1 he told me--party per pale of     
thirteen    stripes1 white and red1 the 
chief of the escutcheon1 blue1          
signifying    the protection of ,heaven 
over the ,states4--,he says it was soon 
after    adopted1 as the arms of the    
,states1 and to give it more prominence 

was    placed upon the breast of a      
displayed eagle40      ,there is no     
claim here that ,sir ,john ,prestwich   
suggested the eagle as an  emblem1 or   
the placing of the shield upon the      
eagle's breast1 but simply  the pales   
and the chief4 ,the theory is that      
,adams communicated this  suggestion to 
,charles ,thomson1 who engrafted it upon
 his own and  ,barton's designs4 ,but it
 must be remembered that two shields    
were  already on the files of ,congress1
 with alternate red and white1 or white 
and red1 stripes1 and ,barton's first   
design had bars of the same colors4     
,prestwich's suggestion was1 therefore1 
no more than that they be  perpendicular
 instead of diagonal or parallel1 and   
that the chief be  blue2 but in the     
device submitted by the committee of    
#aghj the diagonal  stripes were charged
 upon a field azure4 ,sir ,john         
,prestwich1 of  course1 knew nothing of 
these designs1 and his statement after  
the seal  was adopted was made in       

ignorance of the fact that the          
essentials of his  suggestion were      
already before ,congress4#bg ,that his  
suggestion  influenced the final result 
even in the slight degree possible1     
seems  improbable4 ,why did ,thomson1   
with the ,prestwich suggestion before   
him1  make his first shield of chevrons1
 which ,barton1 it appears1 changed to  
pales8 ,thomson may have told ,barton of
 the ,prestwich design1 but what is     
more natural than that ,barton should   
try of his own initiative the only  new 
arrangement of the stripes that was left
 to try8 ,diagonal stripes1  bars1      
chevrons1 had all figured in designs and
 had not given  satisfaction4 ,pales    
were then drawn and proved acceptable4  
,v                              ,,the   
,,arms ,,adopted      ,on ,june #bj1    
#aghb1 the seal was finally decided     
upon4        ,on report of the          
secretary1 to whom were referred the    
several reports    on the device for a  
great seal1 to take order3      ,the    

device for an armorial achievement and  
reverse of the great seal    for the    
,united ,states in ,congress assembled1 
is as follows3      ,,arms4 ,paleways of
 thirteen pieces1 argent and gules2 a   
chief1 azure2    the escutcheon on the  
breast of the ,american eagle displayed 
proper1    holding in his dexter talon  
an olive branch1 and in his sinister a  
bundle of thirteen arrows1 all proper1  
and in his beak a scroll1    inscribed  
with this motto1 8,e pluribus ,unum40   
,for the ,,crest4 ,over the head of the 
eagle1 which appears above the          
escutcheon1 a glory1 or1 breaking       
through a cloud1 proper1 and            
surrounding thirteen stars1 forming a   
constellation1 argent1 on an    azure   
field4      ,,reverse4 ,a pyramid       
unfinished4 ,in the zenith1 an eye in a 
triangle1    surrounded with a glory    
proper4 ,over the eye these words1      
8,annuit    ,cptis40 ,on the base of the
 pyramid the numerical letters          
,,mdcclxxvi4    ,and underneath the     

following motto1 8,novus ,ordo          
,seclorum40#bh                          
,,remarks ,,and ,,explanation      ,the 
,escutcheon is composed of the chief    
pale1 the two most honorable            
ordinaries4 ,the pieces1 paly1 represent
 the ,several ,states all joined    in  
one solid compact entire1 supporting a  
,chief1 which unites the    whole       
represents ,congress4 ,the ,motto       
alludes to this union4 ,the    pales in 
the arms are kept closely united by the 
chief and the chief    depends on that  
,union  the strength resulting from it  
for its    support1 to denote the       
,confederacy of the ,united ,states of  
,america     the preservation of their  
,union through ,congress4 ,the colours  
of the    pales are those used in the   
flag of the ,united ,states of ,america2
    ,white signifies purity and         
innocence1 ,red1 hardiness  valour1 and 
,blue1 the colour of the ,chief         
signifies vigilance perseverance        
justice4 ,the ,olive branch and arrows  

denote the power of peace  war    which 
is exclusively vested in ,congress4 ,the
 ,constellation denotes a    new ,state 
taking its place and rank among other   
sovereign powers4 ,the    ,escutcheon is
 born on the breast of an ,american     
,eagle without any    other supporters1 
to denote that the ,united ,states of   
,america ought to    rely on their own  
,virtue4      ,reverse4 ,the pyramid    
signifies ,strength and ,duration3 ,the 
,eye over it     the ,motto allude to   
the many signal interpositions of       
providence in    favour of the ,american
 cause4 ,the date underneath is that of 
the    ,declaration of ,independence and
 the words under it signify the         
beginning of the new ,american ra1 which
 commences from that date4              
,illustration3      ,,the ,,first ,,seal
 7#aghb7      ,illustration3      ,,the 
,,second ,,seal 7#ahda7      ,face p4   
#dc      ,this entire report is in      
,thomson's handwriting and is endorsed  
by him3  8,device for a ,great ,seal for

 the ,united ,states in ,congress       
,assembled4  ,passed ,june #bj1 #aghb40 
,in the journals of ,congress the       
8,remarks and  explanation0 are left    
out1 but they constitute an essential   
part of the  fundamental law as         
,congress adopted it4    ,the different 
features of the seal had all been in    
common use in  ,america4 ,in the ,north 
,carolina paper currency of #agge       
appears a bundle  of thirteen arrows2 in
 the ,maryland currency of the same year
 a hand  grasping an olive branch with  
thirteen leaves2 on a fifty-dollar bill 
issued in #aggh is an unfinished        
pyramid1 with the motto 8,perennis20 in 
the ,massachusetts copper penny of #aggf
 are thirteen stars1 surrounding  an    
eagle2 the flag had the thirteen        
stripes1 and so had the seal of  the    
,board of ,admiralty1 adopted ,may #d1  
#aghj4    ,soon after the seal was      
adopted the obverse was cut in brass2   
but the  identity of the engraver is    
unknown4 ,it was intended to be         

impressed in  wax over a paper wafer1   
and is found on a commission dated      
,september #af1  #aghb1 granting full   
power and authority to ,general         
,washington to arrange  with the        
,british for exchange of prisoners of   
war4 ,the commission is  signed by ,john
 ,hanson1 ,president of ,congress1 and  
countersigned by  ,charles ,thomson1    
,secretary1 the seal being affixed in   
the upper  left-hand corner1 instead of 
the lower left-hand corner as is now the
  custom4 ,this1 the first great seal to
 be made1 continued in use for          
fifty-nine years1 and having been cut   
almost as soon as the design was        
adopted may fairly be assumed to        
represent correctly the intentions of   
the makers of the seal4    ,the second  
or ,lovell committee recommended a 8less
 seal of the ,united  ,states0 of the   
same design as the great seal but of    
smaller diameter1  but no other         
committee took cognizance of the custom 
which still  prevails in many countries 

of having two principal seals of state4 
,the  idea had not1 however1 wholly     
disappeared when the ,constitution was  
adopted1 for in the first ,congress     
,john ,vining of ,delaware proposed     
7,june1 #aghi7 that a ,home ,department 
be provided for and that the  ,secretary
 be required to 8keep the great seal1   
and affix the same to all  public       
papers1 when it is necessary2 to keep   
the lesser seal1 and affix  it to       
commissions c40    ,in the debate which 
preceded the defeat of the bill1        
,alexander ,white of  ,virginia said the
 great seal might be kept by the        
,secretary of ,foreign  ,affairs1 and   
the lesser seal also4#bi ,no direct     
proposition was made1  however1 to      
create a lesser seal4    ,when the      
,congress under the ,articles of        
,confederation ceased to exist  and the 
new ,government went into operation     
,charles ,thomson continued in  charge  
of the great seal and of the records of 
the old ,government1 until  provision   

for their custody should be made4 ,on   
,july #bd1 #aghi1 ,washington  as       
,president wrote to him3        ,you    
will be pleased1 ,sir1 to deliver the   
,books1 ,records and ,papers of    the  
late ,congress--the ,great ,seal of the 
federal ,union--and the ,seal of    the 
,admiralty1 to ,mr4 ,roger ,alden1 the  
late ,deputy ,secretary of    ,congress1
 who is requested to take charge of them
 until further    directions shall be   
given4      ,thus terminated ,thomson's 
connection with the seal which he had   
done so  much to design and have        
adopted4 ,alden afterwards described his
 own  appointment as that of keeper of  
the seals and papers of the old         
,congress4    ,on ,june #bg the bill    
creating the ,department of ,foreign    
,affairs became a  law1 this being the  
first executive department provided for 
under the  ,constitution1 but the       
,secretary was not made the keeper of   
the seal and  it remained in ,alden's   
hands until the ,department of ,state   

was created4  ,the act creating this    
,department was entitled1 8,an act to   
provide for  the safe keeping of the    
acts1 records1 and seal of the ,united  
,states and  for other purposes40 ,it   
enlarged the ,department of ,foreign    
,affairs into  the ,department of       
,state1 and named as the principal      
officer the  ,secretary of ,state4 ,the 
third section of the act read3          
,and be it further enacted1 ,that the   
seal heretofore used by the    ,united  
,states in ,congress assembled1 shall   
be1 and hereby is declared    to be1 the
 ,seal of the ,united ,states4      ,the
 fourth section read3        ,that the  
said secretary shall keep the said seal1
 and shall make out    and record1 and  
shall affix the said seal to all civil  
commissions to    officers of the       
,united ,states to be appointed by the  
president1 by and    with the advice and
 consent of the senate1 or by the       
president alone4    ,provided1 ,that the
 said seal shall not be affixed to any  

commission1    before the same shall    
have been signed by the president of the
 ,united    ,states1 nor to any other   
instrument or act1 without the special  
warrant of the president therefor4      
,it will be observed that the act       
described the 8,seal of the ,united     
,states0 and not the 8,great ,seal of   
the ,united ,states10 although in all   
the preliminary reports and in the      
adopting act the term 8,great ,seal0    
was used4 ,as no lesser seal of state   
was contemplated there was really  no   
object in designating the only seal as  
the 8,great ,seal10 although for        
ordinary purposes it has never ceased to
 be called the 8,great ,seal10 and  is  
so denominated in the decision of the   
,supreme ,court where its uses  are set 
forth4 ,before the seal was adopted the 
commissions of ,congress  read simply   
8,by order of ,congress10 being signed  
by the ,president4 ,the  countersigning 
was1 8,attest ,charles ,thomson1        
,secretary40 ,when the seal  came into  

use the form was1 as it appears on      
,washington's commission to  exchange   
prisoners3 8,in testimony whereof we    
have caused these ,letters  to be made  
patent and the ,great ,seal of the      
,united ,states of ,america to  be      
thereunto affixed4 ,witness ,his        
,excellency ,john ,hanson ,president of 
the ,united ,states in ,congress        
assembled the ,sixteenth day of         
,september  and in the year of our ,lord
 one thousand seven hundred and eighty  
two1  and of our ,sovereignty           
,independence the seventh40 ,after the  
adoption  of the ,constitution and      
before any custodian of the seal was    
provided by  ,congress1 the wording ran3
 8,in testimony whereof ,i have caused  
these  letters to be made patent and the
 ,seal of the ,united ,states to be     
hereunto affixed4 ,given under my hand  
the ---- day of ---- in the year of  our
 ,lord one thousand seven hundred and   
eighty nine10 this being signed  by the 
,president and not countersigned4 ,this 

form continued in use after  the        
,secretary of ,state became by law the  
keeper of the seal1 and was not  changed
 till ,august #c1 #agij1 when the       
recital was made to include the  year of
 independence and was countersigned by  
,thomas ,jefferson as  ,secretary of    
,state4 ,thus1 singularly enough1 the   
abandonment of the term  8,great ,seal  
of the ,united ,states0 began with the  
,executive some months  before it       
received legal sanction4                
,,vi                              ,,the 
,,illegal ,,seal      ,in ancient times 
a seal to authenticate a document was   
always impressed  upon wax1 or metal1 or
 even upon clay2 but this gave place to 
the more  convenient method of          
impressing the seal directly upon the   
paper by the  use of two faces of a die4
 ,it was1 presumably1 a desire to       
introduce  this improvement which       
prompted the ,department of ,state in   
#ahda to  discard the seal of #aghb and 
have a new die cut4 ,the work was       

ordered  without any specific           
appropriation being made for the purpose
 by  ,congress1 and was entrusted to    
,edward ,stabler1 of ,sandy ,spring1    
,md41  where he was postmaster from     
#ahbh to #ahhc1 who cut many government 
seals1 and had a reputation as a seal   
engraver4 ,he was doubtless  permitted  
to design the seal in his own way1 and  
it was accepted without  notice being   
taken of its palpable deficiencies from 
an artistic and  heraldic point of view 
and its failure to satisfy the plain    
requirements  of the law in the         
important particular of the number of   
arrows in the  eagle's sinister talon4  
,in reply to a letter from ,john ,d4    
,champlin1 jr41 in #ahgg1 the           
,department  of ,state said of the seal3
        ,this change from the design of 
the seal of #aghb does not appear to    
have been authorized by law1 and the    
cause of it is unknown4#cj      ,the    
inaccuracies of the design of the arms  
on this seal were the subject  of grave 

criticism from time to time4 ,in the    
,galaxy ,magazine for ,may1  #ahgg1 ,mr4
 ,champlin pointed out the improper     
arrangement of the pales1  the red being
 twice as wide as the white1 and the    
fatal disregard of the  law requiring   
thirteen arrows in the eagle's sinister 
talon4 8,is it  possible10 he said1     
8that an arbitrary alteration can be    
made in the  great seal of the ,united  
,states by the officials temporarily in 
charge  of it8 ,and if so1 what is to   
prevent some future ,secretary of       
,state1  with notions of his own in     
regard to heraldic bearings1 from       
discarding  the old seal altogether1 in 
favor of some creation of his own80     
,this seal was cut when ,daniel ,webster
 was ,secretary of ,state1 and a fair   
explanation of its deficiencies is that 
he knew nothing about the  details of   
the prescribed design1 and entrusted the
 business of securing  a new seal to his
 subordinates1 who were equally         
ignorant2 and they in  turn entrusted it

 to the engraver4 ,unquestionably1 the  
,secretary of  ,state has no authority  
to change the device of the arms1 as it 
is  prescribed by law1 in the slightest 
degree1 nor could the ,president        
himself properly authorize such a       
change4 ,as the seal was created by     
,congress it would require an act of    
,congress to alter it4 ,in this  respect
 it is different from the arms of a     
monarchy4 ,the arms of ,great  ,britain1
 for example1 being formed from those of
 different monarchs1  have1 in fact1    
undergone three changes since ,american 
independence--in  #ahja1 when the arms  
of ,france were excluded and the arms of
 ,hanover  placed 8over all on an       
escutcheon of pretense10 8ensigned with 
the  electoral bonnet20 in #ahaf1 when  
the bonnet was changed for the          
,hanoverian crown2 and upon the death of
 ,william ,,iv1 when the present        
arrangement was made4 ,how far the      
,secretary of ,state1 as the custodian  
of the seal1 may deviate from the       

original design in having a new one     
cut1 provided he adheres to the terms of
 the creating law1 is another  question1
 which1 as we shall see presently1 was  
finally decided in favor  of the        
conservative side4    ,the centennial   
anniversary of the adoption of the seal 
was marked by a  revival in interest    
concerning it1 and ,c4 ,a4 ,l4 ,totten1 
then a first  lieutenant in the ,army1  
called the attention of the ,treasury   
,department  to the fact that the       
reverse had never been cut1 suggesting  
that the  time was appropriate for      
placing it upon a medal or coin4 ,this  
met with  the approval of the           
,department1 so far as a medal was      
concerned1 and  under the supervision of
 ,hon4 ,a4 ,louden ,snowden1 then       
,director of the  ,mint at              
,philadelphia1 a medal was struck in    
commemoration of the  centennial        
anniversary of the adoption of the seal4
 ,the obverse closely  resembled the    
first important illustration of the seal

 made after its  adoption4 ,this        
appeared in the ,columbian ,magazine for
 ,september1 #aghf1  and was a spirited 
engraving4 ,it differed from the        
official  interpretation in the         
distribution of the stars1 which were   
put about  the eagle's neck and head1   
instead of in a circle above the head4  
,the  olive branch had sixteen leaves   
and no fruits1 and the rays of the sun  
extended through the clouds4 ,the       
reverse of the medal contained the      
dates #aghb and #ahhb1 to indicate its  
purpose1 beside the mottoes4#ca         
,notice has already been taken of ,mr4  
,champlin's article in which he         
criticised the seal of #ahda1 which the 
,department had been using for so  many 
years1 notwithstanding its glaring      
errors4 ,his criticism1 ,mr4  ,totten's 
agitation of the question of cutting the
 reverse1 and the  striking of the great
 seal medal were the moving causes of   
the important  action of the ,secretary 
of ,state1 ,theodore ,f4 ,frelinghuysen1

 in #ahhc4    ,the first committee on   
the seal recommended a reverse1 and so  
did  succeeding committees1 and a       
reverse was provided for in the creating
  act4 ,from this it would appear       
certain that the original idea was to   
use  a pendant seal of wax with an      
impression on either side of it4        
,pendant  seals were then common and are
 still used in many cases4 ,in affixing 
such a seal to a treaty it is so large  
that the wax would inevitably  break if 
it were unprotected1 so it is enclosed  
in a metal box1 usually  of gold or     
silver1 highly ornamented4 ,after the   
,united ,states secured a  great seal it
 affixed the same one to all its acts1  
and did not have a  separate pendant    
treaty seal until about #ahef1 when one 
was made at the  ,state ,department's   
instance1 or upon an understanding with 
the  ,department1 by ,samuel ,lewis1 a  
jeweler in ,washington4 ,it was cut in  
iron1 weighing about #bj pounds1 and was
 #f to #h inches in diameter4 ,the      

design followed the law accurately1 but 
the treatment was realistic  rather than
 heraldic4 ,this seal was kept by ,mr4  
,lewis1 being1 as it  appears1 his      
property1 and whenever a seal for a     
treaty was required he  furnished an    
imprint in wax with the silver or gold  
box in which it was  to be placed1 the  
box having upon the cover the arms      
stamped in relief4  ,the cords or       
ribbons passing through the treaty were 
adjusted through  the wax at the        
,department of ,state4 ,the seal as thus
 attached to the  treaties made by this 
,government with foreign powers for     
thirteen years  compared favorably with 
the treaty seals used by other          
governments4 ,in  #ahfi the use of the  
separate seal for treaties was          
abandoned1 and the  practice of fixing  
the regular seal to the paper itself was
 reverted to1  and now maintains4       
,illustration3 ,seal                    
,,vii                                   
,,the ,,third ,,seal      ,january #aj1 

#ahhc1 the ,secretary of ,state1        
,theodore ,f4 ,frelinghuysen1  addressed
 the ,chairman of the ,committee on     
,appropriations of the ,house  of       
,representatives1 ,samuel ,j4 ,randall1 
asking for an appropriation of  #a1jjj  
to pay for having a new seal of the     
,united ,states made4 8,since  the year 
#aghb10 his letter said1 8when the      
device was adopted1 there  have been1 it
 is believed1 but two dies of the       
obverse of the seal1 the  only side     
which has been employed up to this time 
for sealing documents4  ,the reverse of 
the seal has never been engraved by the 
,government4 ,the  original die of the  
obverse1 after being in use for about   
sixty years1  was replaced by the       
present die1 which has become very much 
worn and no  longer gives clear         
impressions4 ,it is also to be observed 
with respect  to the latter that it does
 not strictly conform to the device     
established by law4 ,it seems to me1    
therefore1 to be eminently important    

that a new and correct die be made      
without delay40 ,he also advised that   
the reverse be cut as a compliance with 
the law and 8a proper respect to  pay to
 the founders of this ,government1 at   
this time1 to carry out the  purpose so 
clearly expressed by them in ,congress1 
,june #bj1 #aghb40    ,falling in with  
this recommendation ,congress           
appropriated1 ,july #g1 #ahhd  7#bc     
,stat41 #cid71 #a1jjj 8to enable the    
,secretary of ,state to obtain dies  of 
the obverse and reverse of the seal of  
the ,united ,states1 and  appliances    
necessary for making impressions of the 
same40    ,mr4 ,theodore ,f4 ,dwight1   
,chief of the ,bureau of ,rolls and     
,library of the  ,department of ,state1 
supervised the work of designing the new
 seal4 ,he  called into consultation the
 eminent historical scholar1 ,justin    
,winsor1  and ,prof4 ,charles ,eliot    
,norton1 of ,harvard2 ,william ,h4      
,whitmore1 the  genealogist1 author of  
,elements of ,heraldry 7,new ,york1     

#ahff71 at that  time the only work on  
heraldry by an ,american2 ,john ,denison
 ,chaplin1  jr41 an authority on        
engraving1 associate editor of the      
,american  ,cyclopdia and later of      
,scribner's art cyclopdias2 and ,james  
,horton  ,whitehouse1 chief designer of 
,messrs4 ,tiffany  ,co41 ,new ,york4    
,the  subject was thus considered from  
the three points of view of history1    
heraldry1 and art4 ,professor ,norton   
wrote3        ,a4 ,it is greatly to be  
regretted that the device adopted by    
congress    in #aghb is of so elaborate 
and allegorical a character4 ,the most  
skilful treatment of it could hardly    
make it satisfactory as the    design   
for the seal of a great nation4 99 99 99
      ,b4 ,but as this is now the       
established device1 the best way1 ,i    
believe1    to deal with it1 would be to
 treat it as conventionally as          
possible1--giving it a strictly heraldic
 character4 99 99 99      ,as to the    
reverse1 the device adopted by ,congress

 is practically    incapable of         
effective treatment2 it can hardly      
7however artistically    treated by the 
designer7 look otherwise than as a dull 
emblem of a    masonic fraternity4 99 99
 99      ,mr4 ,winsor commented upon    
,professor ,norton's notes4 ,he agreed  
that the  seal was not a good coat of   
arms4 ,he thought1 however1 that it had 
not  been the purpose of ,congress 8to  
show an heraldic bird0--that 8the       
,american eagle displayed proper0 could 
not be an heraldic eagle4  8,whether    
present authorities10 he continued1 8can
 venture to correct  their the          
,congress' bad taste1 may be a          
question40 ,of the reverse1 he  declared
 it was 8both unintelligent and         
commonplace4 ,if it can be kept  in the 
dark as it seems to have been kept1 why 
not keep it so80 ,on  ,january #b1      
#ahhd1 he wrote to ,mr4 ,dwight3        
,when you say 8,it might be best to     
reproduce the original die10--you       
suggest what is really my opinion4      

,there is a certain navely ,archaic     
look about it which is honest and covers
 a multitude of artistic sins1    in a  
way that will not be easy to do by a    
modernization of it4 ,i like    to      
preserve such original devices4         
,mr4 ,whitmore did not agree with ,mr4  
,winsor4 ,he wrote ,december #cj1 #ahhd3
        ,i feel assured that the        
treatment should be heraldic4 ,an eagle 
displayed must be an heraldic one4 ,the 
term ,american eagle1 ,i infer1    means
 a bald-headed eagle1 not the ,european 
type which shows in    heraldry a tuft  
or crest on his head4 ,this is          
allowable1 just as a    double-headed   
eagle is4      ,the best examples give  
the wings raised to the shoulder and    
then    dropping1 which is more graceful
 and natural4      ,as to the reverse he
 said3 8,it is a thankless task to      
arrange it1 as  ,prof4 ,norton says2 use
 it as little as possible40 ,mr4        
,whitmore submitted  designs which were 
intended to be an improvement           

heraldically on those  under            
consideration1 which he criticised1     
especially with reference to  the       
arrows1 the form of which had been      
changed under ,mr4 ,dwight's  direction 
so as to represent a distinctively      
,american ,indian arrow4 ,mr4  ,dwight  
conformed to ,mr4 ,whitmore's           
suggestion1 and 8the technical form  of 
barb0 arrow was restored4 ,of the die of
 #aghb ,mr4 ,dwight wrote to ,mr4       
,whitmore ,january #f1 #ahhe3 8,is not  
that die to be regarded as in some      
sense sanctioned by long use1 in view of
 its origin1 as entitled to the  same   
authority as a law80 ,in regard to the  
crest ,mr4 ,dwight said3 8,on  referring
 to the order of #aghb on this point1 it
 seems that we have no  liberty to      
depart from that form1 as it reads3 #8,a
 glory1 or1 breaking  through a cloud   
proper1 and surrounding thirteen stars4'
 ,it has been  advised that an          
appearance of more splendor would be    
gained by allowing  the rays of the     

glory to extend beyond the clouds1 as   
though piercing  them2 but to that      
advice ,i do not feel warranted in      
agreeing1 as the old  die gave no       
authority therefor40 ,of the reverse he 
said3 8,for the  present purposes we    
shall not order the reverse2 as ,mr4    
,winsor remarks1  it has been so long   
kept in the dark1 a few months more of  
shade will do  it no harm4 ,i would like
 to have your opinion if adverse to the 
cutting  of that side4 ,the law         
distinctly specifies it and it was not  
cut  presumably at the same time as the 
obverse1 because the latter was         
urgently needed1 even as to day4 ,the   
subject was probably lost sight of  at  
that time1 when all the thoughts of the 
fathers were engaged in the  foundation 
of the ,republic4 ,i do not expect that 
the reverse can be  conveniently used   
for the purpose of sealing documents1   
but it is not in  my opinion improper   
that the device should be determined and
 cut40    ,december #ac1 #ahhd1 ,messrs4

 ,tiffany  ,co4 submitted the designs4  
,after having studied carefully the     
description of the devices as    adopted
 by ,congress in #aghb1 and considered  
also the suggestions and    remarks that
 we have of late seen and received      
regarding the same1 we    have carried  
them out strictly according to the rules
 of    heraldry4 99 99 99      ,the     
eagle is the ,american bald eagle and   
has been drawn after careful    studies 
and made as natural as the rules of     
heraldry will permit4 ,we    have       
decided that the third feather shall be 
the one extending to the    end of the  
wing4 ,the escutcheon on the eagle's    
breast is drawn as    described1 the    
direction of the lines indicating the   
colors4 ,as no    stars are mentioned in
 the chief1 they have not been          
introduced here4    ,the suggestion to  
suspend the shield from the neck of the 
eagle by a    ribbon or cord1 we have   
not carried out1 as it would not be     
proper and    would rob the whole arms  

of its dignity4      ,the rays are      
purposely not extended beyond the       
clouds4 ,all that is    desirable in    
that direction has been done1 but to    
allow them to    project in the manner  
spoken of and as we often see them cut1 
would be    to convey a wrong and very  
weak idea of the original intention4 ,we
    have used the classical olive and   
have decided not to introduce the       
flowers2 the fruit 7#ac7 and the #ac    
leaves speak for themselves in a    very
 clear and positive manner1 but the     
flowers1 while they suggest a    growing
 and fruitful future1 would as no       
special number could be used1    give an
 uncertainty not desirable1 as it would 
always be supposed that    the          
particular number of flowers used must  
have a meaning while that    meaning is 
not there4      ,indications of color   
should not be given in the olive branch1
 fruit1    arrows1 scroll1 etc42 they   
should be represented as termed in      
heraldry    #8proper'4      ,regarding  

the reverse the pyramid is drawn to the 
scale of the great    pyramid2 the side 
seen in perspective to the right means  
,east1 this    view being desired4 ,the 
eye and the date on the foot of the     
pyramid    should not be incised2 on    
ancient monumental work and work of that
    character the die is sunk1 or the   
impression it of course would be in     
relief4      ,the letters used in the   
,latin are the simple and particular    
,roman    letters used1 and in fact is  
the best letter used for the purpose4   
,regarding the scroll containing the 8,e
 pluribus unum0 we consider the         
present form altogether the best to use 
as the sheet scroll mentioned    would  
interfere with the eagle1 while the old 
form of scroll falls in    well with the
 general design4 ,the dies will be cut  
in steel4      ,this letter may be said 
to be the argument for the ,whitehouse  
designs4  ,they were submitted to ,mr4  
,champlin1 who wrote1 ,january #g1      
#ahhe3        ,it seems to me useless to

 regret that ,congress did not adopt in 
#aghb a    different device for the     
great seal of the ,united ,states4 ,the 
present    device was legally adopted   
and all we can do is to follow the      
provisions of the act1 having an eye1 of
 course1 to general heraldic            
propriety2 but even if the laws of      
heraldry are transgressed in some       
minor particulars1 ,i think we still are
 bound to follow the letter of    the   
law1 despite the rules of heraldry4 ,if 
we must have a strictly    heraldic     
seal1 let us go to work ab initio and   
change the law4      ,if this be1 as ,i 
believe it to be1 the true way of       
dealing with the    question1 let us see
 whether the designs furnished by       
,tiffany  ,co4    fulfill the provisions
 of the law4      #a4 ,the law reads    
8,paleways of thirteen pieces1 argent   
and gules1 a    chief1 azure04 ,the     
drawing marked ,a is correct in this    
particular4    ,this differs from the   
order of the stripes on the national    

ensign4 99 99 99 ,the pales should all  
be of the same width4      #b4 8,the    
escutcheon on the breast of the         
,american eagle displayed    proper40   
,in ,mr4 ,barton's device of ,june #ac1 
#aghb1 of which that    adopted by the  
committee is a modification1 the        
,american ,eagle is    expressly called 
8the bald-headed eagle01 so there can be
 no question    on that point4 ,the     
eagle must be an ,american eagle and not
 the    ordinary heraldic eagle4 ,it    
must be displayed1 not with wings       
displayed 7in which case it would be    
represented perched71 but               
displayed--that is1 with both wings and 
talons extended4 ,in my opinion    the  
drawing is correct1 though ,i would     
suggest that the treatment1             
especially the wings1 might be a little 
less realistic1 and still    comply with
 the law4      #c4 8,holding in his     
dexter talon an olive branch1 and in his
 sinister a    bundle of thirteen       
arrows1 all proper1 and in his beak0    

etc4 ,the olive    branch and arrows    
should1 of course1 be of the            
conventional form as no    other is     
specified4      #d4 ,crest--8,a glory1  
or1 breaking through a cloud1 proper1   
and    surrounding thirteen stars       
forming a constellation1 argent1 on an  
azure field40 ,this is bad1 very bad1   
heraldically1 but ,i see no way    out  
but to reproduce the original1 which ,i 
think is done in the    drawing4        
,reverse4 8,a pyramid unfinished40 ,the 
law does not call for a pyramid    of   
thirteen courses of stone4 99 99 99     
,mr4 ,champlin did not give an opinion  
on the propriety of cutting the         
reverse1 but so general was the         
criticism of it1 and so palpable were   
its shortcomings1 that it was determined
 not to cut it1 and ,mr4  ,whitehouse's 
design of it was not accepted4 ,its fate
 has been singular4  ,it was prescribed 
as part of the seal by the act of #aghb1
 but went  unnoticed4 ,the act of       
,september #ae1 #aghi1 continued the    

seal as  prescribed in #aghb1 but no    
effort was then made to design or cut   
the  reverse4 ,when the seal of #ahda   
was made it was still ignored1 and in   
#ahhc it was definitely determined1     
after designs had been drawn1 to        
abandon it4    ,the act of ,july #g1    
#ahhd1 made appropriation 8to obtain    
dies of the  obverse and reverse0 of the
 seal1 the act following the ,state     
,department's request1 and it had       
undoubtedly been the intention of the   
,department1 when the appropriation was 
asked for1 to cut the reverse2  but its 
purpose was changed after fuller        
consideration1 and it felt at  liberty  
to leave this part of the new law       
unexecuted1 as the law of #aghb  had    
remained in part unexecuted for a       
hundred years4 ,it may be added  that   
when the exhibit of the ,state          
,department was prepared for the        
,chicago ,exposition in #ahib1 large    
emblazonments of the obverse and        
reverse of the seal were painted1 but   

the appearance presented by the  reverse
 was so spiritless1 prosaic1 heavy1 and 
inappropriate that it was  never hung4  
,the design of the obverse of the seal  
of #ahhd was determined upon1 as we     
have seen1 with great care4 ,it was an  
enlargement with some  modifications of 
the seal of #aghb1 the modifications    
being in the  direction of a closer     
adherence to the law creating the seal4 
,for  example1 the eagle's head bears no
 crest1 as in the ,european type and as 
advised against by ,mr4 ,whitmore for   
the ,american eagle specified by the    
law4    ,illustration3      ,,the ,,seal
 7#aijb7      ,face p4 #fc              
,,viii                                  
,,the ,,fourth ,,seal      ,in #aijb1   
,john ,hay being the ,secretary of      
,state1 it was determined that  the     
seal1 which had been in constant use for
 eighteen years1 required  recutting1   
and that the press and stand which held 
it could be improved  upon4 ,an act was1
 accordingly1 passed by ,congress 7,july

 #a1 #aijb7  appropriating #a1bej 8,to  
enable the ,secretary of ,state to have 
the ,great  ,seal of the ,united ,states
 recut40 ,some discussion arose among   
the  officers of the ,department as to  
whether the design then in use must be  
adhered to strictly or could be improved
 upon1 and1 after examination of  the   
question1 it was determined that the    
careful investigation which had         
preceded the acceptance of the design of
 #ahhd rendered a reconsideration  of   
the decision then arrived at unwise1 and
 that the design should be  preserved   
with absolute accuracy4 ,the work of    
recutting not having been  done before  
the appropriation had expired1 it was   
renewed the following  year 7act of     
,march #c1 #aijc7 and the act settled   
definitely any remaining  doubts about  
the design1 besides making the          
appropriation cover the  necessary      
accessories for the seal4 ,it read3     
,to enable the ,secretary of ,state to  
have the ,great ,seal of the ,united    

,states recut from the original model1  
and to purchase a suitable press    for 
its use and a cover to protect the same 
from dust1 the sum of one    thousand   
two hundred and fifty dollars1          
appropriated by the deficiency    act   
approved ,july first1 nineteen hundred  
and two1 8,to enable the    ,secretary  
of ,state to have the ,great ,seal of   
the ,united ,states recut10    is hereby
 reappropriated for the purposes above  
mentioned4      ,the words 8original    
model0 in the law precluded any change  
in the  device1 and the new seal was    
accordingly cut as a precise copy of the
  seal then in use1 the work being done 
by ,messrs4 ,bailey1 ,banks  ,biddle1   
of ,philadelphia4                       
,,ix                              ,,uses
 ,,of ,,the ,,seal      ,when the       
,continental ,congress made the obverse 
of the great seal the  national arms it 
intended that the device should pass    
into common use  among the people1 as   
the flag has done1 and like the flag the

 arms at  first met with general        
approval1 which soon gave place to an   
acceptance  of it as an emblem of the   
power and sovereignty of the ,united    
,states1  which placed it above         
criticism4    ,not all of the fathers of
 the ,republic1 however1 were pleased   
with the  selection of the eagle as the 
national emblem4 ,when the badge of the 
,order of the ,society of the           
,cincinnati was made in ,france in #aghd
 it was  objected to by some because the
 displayed eagle resembled a turkey4    
,for my part wrote ,benjamin ,franklin  
,january #bf1 #aghd1 to his    daughter1
 ,i wish the bald eagle had not been    
chosen as the    representative of our  
country2 he is a bird of bad moral      
character2 he    does not get his living
 honestly2 you may have seen him perched
 on    some dead tree1 where1 too lazy  
to fish for himself1 he watches the     
labor of the fishing-hawk2 and1 when    
that diligent bird has at length        
taken a fish1 and is bearing it to his  

nest for the support of his    mate and 
young ones1 the bald eagle pursues him1 
and takes it from    him4 ,with all this
 injustice he is never in good case2    
but1 like those    among men who live by
 sharping and robbing1 he is generally  
poor1 and    often very lousy4 ,besides1
 he is a rank coward2 the little        
kingbird1    not bigger than a sparrow1 
attacks him boldly and drives him out of
    the district4 ,he is therefore by no
 means a proper emblem for the    brave 
and honest ,cincinnati of ,america1 who 
have driven all the    kingbirds from   
our country2 though exactly fit for that
 order of    knights1 which the ,french 
call ,chevaliers d',industrie4      ,i  
am1 on this account1 not displeased that
 the figure is not known as    a bald   
eagle1 but looks more like a turkey4    
,for in truth1 the turkey    is in      
comparison a much more respectable bird1
 and withal a true    original native of
 ,america4 ,eagles have been found in   
all countries1    but the turkey was    

peculiar to ours2 the first of the      
species seen in    ,europe1 being       
brought to ,france by the ,jesuits from 
,canada1 and served    up at the wedding
 table of ,charles the ,ninth4 ,he is1  
besides1 7though    a little vain and   
silly1 it is true1 but not the worse    
emblem for    that17 a bird of courage1 
and would not hesitate to attack a      
grenadier    of the ,british guards1 who
 should presume to invade his farmyard  
with    a red coat on4#cb      ,the seal
 itself has1 of course1 a very limited  
use1 which is strictly  guarded by law4 
,the ,secretary of ,state is its        
custodian1 but even he has  no authority
 to affix it to any paper that does not 
bear the ,president's  signature4    ,in
 #ahjc ,chief ,justice ,marshall1 in    
delivering an opinion of the ,supreme   
,court1 used the following language     
relative to the seal4 ,it may be        
considered applicable to all instruments
 to which the seal is affixed4          
,the signature of the ,president is a   

warrant for affixing the great    seal  
to the commission1 and the great seal is
 only to be affixed to an    instrument 
which is complete4 ,it attests1 by an   
act supposed to be of    public         
notoriety1 the verity of the            
presidential signature4      ,it is     
never to be affixed till the commission 
is signed1 because the    signature     
which gives force and effect to the     
commission1 is    conclusive evidence   
that the appointment is made4      ,the 
commission being signed1 the subsequent 
duty of the ,secretary of    ,state is  
prescribed by law1 and not to be guided 
by the will of the    ,president4 ,he is
 to affix the seal of the ,united       
,states to the    ,commission1 and is to
 record it4 7#a ,u4 ,s4 ,reports1 #cgd47
      ,as the duties of the ,government 
have expanded1 the impracticability of  
having the seal of the ,united ,states  
attached by the ,department of ,state   
to the commissions of officers who are  
under some other ,department has  been  

recognized by ,congress4 ,by the act of 
,march #ah1 #ahgd1cc the  commissions of
 postmasters were directed to be made   
out under the seal  of the ,post-,office
 ,department2 the act of ,march #c1     
#ahge1cd placed the  commissions of     
officers of the ,interior ,department   
under that  ,department2 by act of      
,august #h1 #ahhh1ce all judicial       
officers1  marshals1 and ,united ,states
 attorneys were ordered to be appointed 
under  the seal of the ,department of   
,justice2 and by an ,executive order of 
,june  #af1 #ahic1 ,president ,cleveland
 directed that all warrants of pardon   
and  commutations of sentence granted to
 offenders convicted in the courts of   
the ,united ,states should thereafter be
 made out under the seal of the         
,department of ,justice4    ,at the     
present time the seal of the ,united    
,states is affixed to the  commissions  
of all ,cabinet officers and diplomatic 
and consular officers  who are nominated
 by the ,president and confirmed by the 

,senate2 all  ceremonious communications
 from the ,president to the heads of    
foreign  governments2 all treaties1     
conventions1 and formal agreements of   
the  ,president with foreign powers2 all
 proclamations by the ,president2 all   
exequaturs to foreign consular officers 
in the ,united ,states who are          
appointed by the heads of the           
governments which they represent2 to    
warrants by the ,president to receive   
persons surrendered by foreign          
governments under extradition treaties2 
and to all miscellaneous  commissions of
 civil officers appointed by the        
,president1 by and with  the advice and 
consent of the ,senate1 whose           
appointments are not now  especially    
directed by law to be signed under a    
different seal4    ,illustration3       
,fleuron                                
,,glossary ,,of ,,heraldic ,,terms4     
,argent--silver1 represented in         
engraving by plain surface4             
,atchievement or achievement--a complete

 heraldic composition4                  
,azure--blue1 represented in engraving  
by horizontal lines4      ,barways or   
barwise--horizontally4                  
,barry--divided into bars4              
,bearing--a charge on a coat of arms4   
,blazonment or blazon--a correct        
heraldic description4      ,canton--a   
part of the chief cut off on the left or
 right hand corner4                     
,charged--bearing a charge or figure    
upon the escutcheon4                    
,chevrons--bars1 as the rafters of a    
roof1 leaning against one another4      
,chief--upper part of escutcheon4       
,counter flory--flowers divided and     
separated by the whole width of the     
bearing4      ,coup--cut off evenly4    
,crest--the part of the achievement     
outside of and above the escutcheon4    
,damasked--decorated with an ornamental 
pattern4      ,dignity1 cap of          
dignity--a symbol of dignity4           
,displayed--with expanded wings4        
,emblazon4 ,see ,blazon4                

,ensigned--distinguished by mark or     
ornament4      ,entoire--charged with   
bearings not living creatures4          
,ermine--fur represented by black spots 
on a white ground4      ,escutcheon--the
 shield4      ,exergue--the part of the 
reverse of a medal below the main       
device4      ,fess-point--the central   
point of the escutcheon4      ,flory or 
fleury--decorated with fleur-de-lis4    
,gules--red1 represented in engraving by
 close vertical lines4      ,or--gold or
 yellow1 represented in engraving by    
dots on a white ground4                 
,ordinary--a common bearing bounded by  
straight lines4      ,pale--a           
perpendicular stripe on the escutcheon4 
,paleways1 palewise1 or paly--divided   
into equal parts by perpendicular       
lines4      ,parti 7party7--divided into
 parts4      ,proper--of natural color  
or colors4      ,quarters--the various  
smaller escutcheons within the larger   
escutcheon4      ,sable--black1         
represented in engraving by a network of

 vertical and      perpendicular lines4 
,saltier--in the shape of a ,st4        
,andrew's cross4                        
,sanguinated--blood stained1 or blood   
color4      ,scutcheon--escutcheon4     
,sem--covered with small bearings4      
,tenants--supporters4                   
,tinctures--the metals or colors4       
,tressure--a double border within the   
escutcheon1 and not reaching the        
edge4      ,vert--green1 represented in 
engraving by diagonal lines4            
,,index       ,,adams1 ,,john1 on first 
committee1 #g2     describes device1 #h2
     design of1 #i1 #aj2     connection 
with ,prestwich1 #ch4     ,,alden1      
,,roger1 keeper of the seal1 #de4       
,,arms ,,of ,,england1 changes in1 #ej4 
,,bailey1 ,,banks  ,,biddle1 cut fourth 
seal1 #fd4     ,,barton1 ,,thomas1      
father of ,william ,barton1 #bc4        
,,barton1 ,,william1 called into        
consultation on design1 #bc2     first  
design1 #bd2     second design1 #bh2    
claims paternity of arms1 #cb2          

improves ,thomson's design1 #ce2        
credit due to1 #cg4     ,,boudinot1     
,,elias1 on seal committee1 #bc4        
,,bradshaw1 ,,john1 supposed epitaph on1
 #ad1 #ae1 #af4       ,,champlin1 ,,john
 ,d41 ,jr41 opinion of1 on seal1 #dh1   
#ed1 #ei4     ,,chicago ,,exposition1   
illustrations of seal at1 #fa4          
,,cincinnati1 ,,order ,,of1 eagle on    
badge of1 #fe4     ,,coat ,,of ,,arms   
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states4 ,see ,seal
 of the ,united ,states4       ,,dwight1
 ,,theodore ,f41 ,chief1 ,bureau of     
,rolls and ,library1 superintends       
new seal1 #ed2     opinion on designs1  
#ef4     ,,deane1 ,,silas1 complains of 
want of seal1 #ah4       ,e ,,pluribus  
,,unum1 motto1 first suggested1 #ab2    
by whom1 #ac2     origin of1 #ad2       
adopted1 #da4     ,,eagle1 first        
suggestion of1 #bd1 #bh2     ,thomson's 
treatment of1 #cc1 #cd2     adopted as  
emblem1 #da2     ,franklin's opinion of1
 #fe4     ,,ellery1 ,,william1          
recommends that seal be considered1 #ah4

       ,,franklin1 ,,benjamin1 on first 
committee1 #g2     design of1 #i1 #aj2  
suggests motto1 #ad1 #af2     criticises
 eagle1 #fe4     ,,frelinghuysen1       
,,theodore ,f41 ,secretary of ,state1   
seal cut by order of1      #ea2         
writes about seal1 #ec4     ,,flag ,,of 
,,the ,,united ,,states1 adopted1 #ah4  
,,great ,,seal ,,of ,,the ,,united      
,,states4 ,see ,seal of the ,united     
,states4     ,,gribelin1 engraving by1  
#i1 #aj4       ,,hay1 ,,john1 ,secretary
 of ,state1 fourth seal cut by direction
 of1 #fc4     ,,hollis1 ,,thomas1 gives 
motto1 ,rebellion to ,tyrants is        
,obedience to ,god1      #ad4           
,,houston1 ,,william ,,churchill1 on    
seal committee1 #ai2     writes report1 
#ba4       ,,jefferson1 ,,thomas1 on    
first committee1 #g2     design of1 #i1 
#aj2     connection with motto1 #ac2    
suggestion of1 #ac1 #ad2     adopts     
motto1 #ad4       ,,lee1 ,,arthur1 acts 
with seal committee1 #bd4     ,,lewis1  
,,samuel1 jeweler1 keeps seal for       

treaties1 #eb4     ,,lovell ,,committee1
 appointed1 #ah2     reports1 #ai2      
report recommitted1 #bc4     ,,lovell1  
,,james1 on seal committee1 #ai4        
,,marshall1 ,,john1 ,chief ,justice1    
opinion of1 on use of seal1 #ff4        
,,math,,is1 ,,paulo ,,de1 picture by1   
#aj4     ,,middleton1 ,,arthur1 on seal 
committee1 #bc4       ,,norton1         
,,charles ,,eliot1 opinion of1 on seal1 
#ed1 #ef4       ,,prestwich1 ,,sir      
,,john1 connection of1 with seal1 #ch4  
,,rebellion ,,to ,,tyrants ,,is         
,,obedience ,,to ,,god1 motto proposed1 
#i1 #aj2     origin of1 #ad1 #ae1 #af4  
,,rutledge1 ,,edward1 on seal committee1
 #bc4       ,,scott1 ,,john ,,morin1 on 
seal committee1 #ai4     ,,seal1        
,,great1 of ,england1 #h4     ,,seal1   
,,great1 of ,france1 #g1 #h4     ,,seal 
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states1 first     
committee to design1 #g2     first      
designs for1 #h2     motto for1 #ac2    
need of1 #ah2     second committee for1 
#ai2     ,barton's designs for1 #bd1    

#bh1 #ce2     ,thomson's designs for1   
#cd1 #cg2     ,sir ,john ,prestwich's   
connection with1 #ch2     adopted1 #da2 
cutting of1 #dc2     proposed less seal1
 #dd2     correct name for1 #df2        
second seal1 #dh2     correction of1    
#di2     treaty seal1 #eb2     reverse  
of1 #ec1 #ef1 #fa2     seal of #ahhd1   
#ec2     the fourth seal1 #fc2          
device criticised1 #fe2     uses of1    
#ff4     ,,secretary ,,of ,,state1      
keeper of the seal1 #de4                
,,shaftesbury1 ,,earl ,,of1 engraving in
 ,treatise1 #aj4     ,,simiti,,re1      
,,eug,,ne ,,pierre ,,du1 consulted by   
first committee1 #h2     design of1 #i1 
#aa1 #ab1 #ag4     ,,snowden1 ,a4       
,,louden1 ,director of the ,mint1 seal  
medal struck by1 #ej4     ,,stabler1    
,,edward1 cuts second seal1 #dh4        
,,thomson1 ,,charles1 consults ,barton1 
#ca2     ordered to prepare design1 #cc2
     submits design1 #cd2     design    
improved1 #ce2     credit due to1 #cg2  
has charge of seal1 #dd4     ,,tiffany  

,,co41 submit designs1 #eg4             
,,totten1 ,c4 ,a4 ,l41 writes about     
seal1 #ej4       ,,webster1 ,,daniel1   
,secretary of ,state1 seal cut under1   
#di4     ,,whitehouse1 ,,james ,,horton1
 consulted about seal1 #ed2     submits 
designs1 #ef2     argument for1 #ei4    
,,white1 ,,alexander1 proposes less     
seal1 #dd4     ,,whitmore1 ,,william    
,h41 consulted relative to seal1 #ed2   
opinion on design1 #ee2     submits     
designs1 #ef4     ,,winsor1 ,,justin1   
consulted concerning seal1 #ed2         
gives opinion1 #ee4    -----            
,footnote #a3      ,journals of         
,congress 7,w4 ,c4 ,ford1 editor71      
#aijf1 ,v1 #eag4    ,footnote #b3       
,benson ,j4 ,lossing1 in ,harper's      
,magazine1 #ahef1 vol4 #ac1 p4 #agh et  
seq4    ,footnote #c3      ,it so       
appears attached to the exchange copy of
 the treaty of peace    with the ,united
 ,states4    ,footnote #d3      ,the    
,great ,seals of ,england1 by ,alfred   
,benjamin and ,allen ,wyon1 ,london1    

#ahhh4 ,review in ,the ,spectator1 #fa1 
#agc4    ,footnote #e3      ,familiar   
,letters of ,john ,adams and his ,wife1 
#baj4    ,footnote #f3      ,journals of
 the ,continental ,congress 7,w4 ,c4    
,ford1 editor71 #aijf1 ,v1    #fij n4   
,footnote #g3      ,our ,great ,seal1 by
 ,c4 ,a4 ,l4 ,totten1 #a1 #be1 gives a  
reproduction of the    frontispiece4    
,footnote #h3      ,reports of          
,committees relating to ,congress1 vol4 
#bc1 ,continental    ,congress ,,mss4   
,all the committee reports bearing on   
the seal are in    this volume4         
,footnote #i3      ,see note at the end 
for a glossary of heraldic terms used4  
,footnote #aj3      ,delaware counties4 
,footnote #aa3      ,journals of        
,congress 7,w4 ,c4 ,ford1 editor71      
#aijf1 ,v1 #fhi4    ,footnote #ab3      
,see1 however1 ,historic ,side-lights1  
by ,howard ,payson ,arnold1 p4 #bhd4    
,footnote #ac3      ,writings of        
,jefferson 7,p4 ,l4 ,ford71 edition of  
#ahib1 ,i1 p4 #dbj4    ,footnote #ad3   

,the first use of the motto is traced in
 ,preble's ,history of the    ,american 
,flag1 p4 #fid4    ,footnote #ae3       
,memoirs of ,thomas ,hollis1 ,esq41 ,f4 
,r4 and ,a4 ,s4 ,s42 ,london3           
,,mdcclxxx2    vol4 #b1 p4 #ghi4        
,footnote #af3      ,randall's ,life of 
,jefferson1 #c1 #ehe4      ,this would  
seem to be conclusive1 but since the    
writer prepared his    brochure on the  
great seal in #ahib several people whose
 opinions are    entitled to            
consideration have expressed a doubt    
whether the    inscription does not1 or 
at any rate did not1 exist4 ,bradshaw   
died    during the closing years of the 
,commonwealth and was buried in         
,westminster ,abbey4 ,upon the          
,restoration his body was disinterred   
and    hanged1 when several other       
regicides were executed1 after which the
    trunk was thrown into a hole at the 
foot of the gallows and the head        
publicly displayed1 as the custom was in
 those times4 ,some members of    the   

court of which he was president are said
 to have gone to ,jamaica1    and it was
 declared by some that ,bradshaw spread 
the report of his    death and retired  
secretly to that island4 ,there is even 
a surviving    rumor that he and his    
colleagues were in this country1 and a  
well-known landmark near ,new ,haven is 
the 8,regicides' ,cave40 ,in all of     
this we see merely an example of one of 
those myths which so often    surround  
the death of one whose life was         
peculiarly conspicuous4 ,in             
,bradshaw's case his double burial in   
,england would still not render         
impossible a third burial in ,jamaica1  
and even if he was not buried    there  
an inscription upon a cannon in his     
commemoration might possibly    have    
once existed4 ,but the whole story was  
investigated in the    beginning of the 
last century by ,bryan ,edwards1 the    
historian of the    ,west ,indies1 whose
 work is an authority4 ,in the fifth    
edition 7,london1    #ahai7 of his      

,history of the ,west ,indies 7vol4 #a1 
p4 #bac7 he says3      8,some of these  
men who sat as judges at the trial of   
,charles ,i are    said to have become  
peaceable settlers here1 and to have    
remained    after the restoration4 99 99
 99 ,it is reported also1 that the      
remains of    ,president ,bradshaw were 
interred in ,jamaica2 and ,i observe in 
a    splendid book1 entitled #8,memoirs 
of ,thomas ,hollis1' an epitaph which   
is said to have been inscribed on the   
president's grave2 but it is to    my   
own knowledge a modern production40     
,it may be added that the author made   
inquiry of ,louis ,a4 ,dent1 esq41      
lately ,register of ,wills of the       
,district of ,columbia1 when he was     
,united ,states consul at ,kingston1    
concerning traditions of this           
epitaph1 and he declared he knew of     
none4 ,as his knowledge of ,jamaica     
was thorough such traditions would      
hardly have escaped him if    existent4 
,that anyone should seize upon the      

rumors surrounding ,bradshaw's death    
and make them the basis of a fictitious 
epitaph is a cause of wonder1    until  
we remember that the author was         
,benjamin ,franklin1 whose unique       
imagination was amused by constructing  
epitaphs and kindred    compositions4   
,his object in this case may easily have
 been the very    effect of inflaming   
public opinion which ,hollis noticed had
 resulted4    ,the statement that the   
epitaph was on a cannon at ,martha ,bay 
was    presumably attached to the copies
 ,hollis saw and accepted by him in     
good faith4    ,footnote #ag3           
,preble's ,history of the ,flag1 #bei et
 seq4    ,footnote #ah3      ,journals  
of ,congress 7,w4 ,c4 ,ford1 editor71   
#aijg1 ,,vii1 #ei4    ,footnote #ai3    
,austin's ,life of ,elbridge ,gerry1    
vol4 #a1 p4 #ccf4    ,footnote #bj3     
,when the committee was appointed from  
which emanated in #aghb the seal        
finally accepted1 a memorandum1 endorsed
 8proceedings respectg4 a    seal of the

 ,united ,states ,mr4 ,middleton ,mr4   
,boudinot ,mr4 ,lee10 was    made by    
,lovell for the committee's use1 showing
 from the papers in the    office of the
 ,secretary of ,congress what had       
already been done in the    matter of   
the seal4 ,after setting forth the      
action of #aggf it states    that the   
,lovell committee was appointed ,march  
#be1 #aggi1 and the    report is given  
as follows3      8,original ,report of  
,may #aj #aggi      the ,seal to be #d  
inches ,diametre ,on one ,side ,the arms
 of the ,united    ,states as follows   
,the ,shield charged on the ,field with 
#ac diagonal    ,stripes alternate red  
white--,supporters1 dexter1 a ,warriour 
holding a    ,sword2 ,sinister a ,figure
 representing ,peace bearing an ,olive  
,branch--,the ,crest a radiant          
,constellation of #ac ,stars--,the motto
 ,bello    vel ,paci--,the legend round 
the ,atchievement ,seal of the ,united  
,states      8,on the ,reverse--,the    
,figure of ,liberty seated in a ,chair  

holding the    ,staff  cap4 ,the motto  
,semper--,underneath ,,mdcclxxvi0       
,the memorandum also says that on ,may  
#ag 8,the ,report of the ,comtee4    on 
the ,device of a great ,seal was taken  
into ,consideration and after    ,debate
 ,ordered1 ,that it be recommitted40    
,evidently an error was made in the     
dates by ,lovell when he transcribed    
the memorandum4 ,a committee appointed  
in #aggi1 if its report had    been     
submitted ,may #aj1 #aggi1 and          
recommitted ,may #ag1 #aggi1 could      
hardly have made a second report ,may   
#aj1 #aghj1 to have it    recommitted   
,may #ag1 #aghj4 ,the ,,ms4 journal for 
,march #be1 #aghj1 says3      8,ordered1
 ,that the report of the committee on   
the device of a great    ,seal for the  
,united ,states in ,congress assembled1 
be referred to a    committee of three3 
8,the members chosen1 ,mr4 ,lovell1 ,mr4
 ,scott and ,mr4 ,houston40      ,the   
,,ms4 journal for ,may #ag1 #aghj1 says3
      8,the report of the committee on  

the device of a seal was taken into     
consideration2 and after debate1        
8,ordered1 ,that it be recommitted40    
,footnote #ba3      ,pennsylvania       
,magazine1 ,x1 #dad4    ,footnote #bb3  
,note by ,barton3 8,in the ,arms of     
,scotland1 as marshalled in the ,royal  
,atchievement1 the double ,tressure     
which surrounds the ,lion is borne      
flory and counter flory 7with           
,fleurs-de-lis72 which is in            
,consequence of a ,treaty that was      
entered into1 between ,charlemagne1     
then ,emperor  ,king of ,france1 and    
,achaius ,king of ,scotland2 to denote  
that the ,french ,lillies should guard  
defend the ,scottish ,lion40            
,footnote #bc3      ,totten1 ,i1 #ajd1  
#ajh2 ,mass4 ,hist4 ,soc4 ,proceedings1 
#ahff-ahfg1 p4 #cea4    ,footnote #bd3  
,note by ,henry ,livingston ,thomas1    
late ,translator1 ,department of ,state4
    ,footnote #be3      ,note by        
,barton3 8,as the ,pales or ,pallets    
consist of an uneven ,number1    they   

ought1 in strictness1 to be             
blazoned--,argt4 #f ,pallets gules3 but 
as the #ac pieces allude to the thirteen
 ,states1 they are blazoned    according
 to the ,number of pieces paleways40    
,footnote #bf3      ,vol4 ,,ii1 p4 #fef4
    ,footnote #bg3      ,for discussion 
of the ,prestwich claim1 see ,totten1   
,i1 #fc et seq4    ,footnote #bh3       
,journals of ,congress1 vol4 #d 7ed4    
#ahbc71 p4 #ci4    ,footnote #bi3       
,the ,department of ,state of the       
,united ,states2 ,its ,history and      
,functions 7,hunt71 #ej1 #ea4           
,footnote #cj3      ,see ,totten1 ,i1   
#bab4    ,footnote #ca3      ,totten1   
,i1 #aga et seq4    ,footnote #cb3      
,life of ,franklin 7,bigelow71 ,,iii1 p4
 #beb4    ,footnote #cc3      #ah       
,stat41 #bc4    ,footnote #cd3      #ah 
,stat41 #dbj4    ,footnote #ce3      #be
 ,stat41 #chg4                          
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        
,,transcriber',s ,,notes       ,page    

,changed from                           
,changed to       #ab the ,israelites2  
,rays from a      the ,israelites2 ,rays
 from a        pillow of ,fire in the   
,cloud      pillar of ,fire in the      
,cloud      ,typos fixed2 non-standard  
spelling and dialect retained4    ,used 
numbers for footnotes1 placing them all 
at the end of the last       chapter4   
,enclosed italics font in underscores4  
,the caret 77 serves as a superscript   
indicator1 applicable to                
individual characters 7like #b;d7 and   
even entire phrases 7like       #ast74