The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1841-06-23
THE ffNE-TREE SHILLING.
BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORN.

BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORN.
Captain John Hull was the mint mas
ter of Massachusetts, and coined all the
money that was made there. Hiswas
new line of business, for, in the earlier
days of the colony, the current coinage
consisted ofthc go!4 urr,i silver. money, of
England, Portugal, and Spain. These
coins being scarce, the people were often
forced to barter their commodities instead
of selling them.
For instance, ia man wanted to buy
coat he perhaps exchanged a bear skin
for it. Ifhc wished for a barrel molasses
he might purchase it with pile of pine
boards. Musket bullets were used instead
of ffarthings. The Indians had a sort Of
money called wampum, which was made
of clam shells; and this strange sort Of
specie was likewise taken in payment of
debts by the English settlers. Bank Bills
had never been heard of. There was moi
money enough of any kind, in many parts,
OF the country, to pay their ministers, 81
that they had sometimes to take quintals
Of fish, bushels of corn, or cords Of wood.
instead of silver or gold.
AS the people grewmore numerous, and
their trade with one another increased,
the want Of current money was still more
sensiblv felt. To supply the demand, the
general court passed law for establishing
a coinage ofshllings, sixpences, and three
Pences. Captain John Hull was appoint
ed to manufacture this money, and was to
have about one shilling out of every twen-
ty, to pay him for his trouble of making
them.
Hereupon all the old silver in the colony
was handed over to Captain John Hull.
The battered silver cans and tankards ]
suppose, and silver buckles, and broken
spoons, and silver buttons of worn out
coats, and silver hilts of swords that had
figured at court, all such curious old arti-
cles were doubtless thrown into the melt
ing pot together. Bit by far the greater
part of the silver consisted of bullion from
mines of South America, which the En-
glish buccaneers, (who were little better
than pirates) had taken from the Span
iards, and brought to Massachusetts.
All this old and new silver being melted
down and coined, the result was an i'm
mcnse amount of splendid shilIings, six
pences, and threepences. Each had the
date 1852, on the one side and the figure
of pine-tree on the other side. Hence
they were called pine tree shilIings. And
for every twenty shillings that he coined,
you will remember, Captain John Hull
was entitled to put one shilling in his own
pocket.
The magistrates soon began to suspect
that the mint-master would have the best
ofthe bargain. They offered him large
sum ofmoney, if he would give up that
goth shilling, which he was continually
dropping into his own pocket. But Cap
tain Hull declared he was perfectly salts
fed with the shilling. And well he might
be: for SO diligently did he labor, in a few
years his pockets, his money bags andhis
strong box were overAowng with pine-trec
shillings. This was probably the case,
when he came into possession of Grand
fathers chair; and as he had worked so
hard at the mint, it was certainly proper
that he should have comfortable chair to
rest himselfon.
When the mint-master had grown very
rich, young man, Samuel Sewel by
name, came a courtng his only daughter.
His daughters name l do not know; but
we will call her Betsy. Betsy was fine.
hearty damse, by no means as slender as
some young ladies' of our own days. On
the contrary, having always fed heartily
on pumpkin pies, doughnnts, In;lian pud-
dngs, and other puritan dainties, she was
as round and plump as a pudding. with
this round rosy Miss Betsy did Samne
Sewel fall in 1--we. AS he was.a young
man of good character, industrious to bu.
sness, and member Oft church, the
mint master very readily gave his consent.
"Yes-you may take her." said he, in
his rough way and you will find her a
heavy burden enough"
On the wedding day we may suppose
that honest Hull dressed himself in II;
plain coloreds coat all, the buttons ofwhich 1,
we're made Of pinc-trce shillings. The 4
buttons of his waistcaal were slxpences; +
andthe knees of-his small clothes wereH'
buttoned with silver three pences. Thus i
a., r,c,, !, l,,x,, 70 y, -, ri