Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1841-05-20
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE P.NE-TREE SHILLING.
BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORN.


Captain John Hull was the mint-maser of
Massachusetts, and coined all the money that was
made there His was new line of business, for,
IN the earlier days of the colony, the current
coinage consisted of the gold and silver money
| of England, Portugal and Spain These coins
being scarce, the people often forced to bar
ter their commodities instead of selling them.
For instance, if man wanted to buy coat,
he perhaps exchanged bcar-skin for it. If he
wished for barrel Of molasses, he might purchase
it with pile of pine boards. Musket bullets
were used instead of farthings. The Indians had
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 not money enough of any
kind, in many parts of the country, to pay their
ministers, SO that they had sometimes to take
quntals of fish, bushels of corn, or cords of
wood, instead of silver or gold
As the people grew more numerous, and their
trade with one another increased, the want of
| current money was still more sensbly felt. To
supply the demand, the general court passed
law for establishing coinage of shillings, six
pences, and thrcepences, Captain John Hull
was appointed 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 and tankards, ! suppose, and silver
buckles, and broken spoons, and silver buttons Of
WORKOUT coats, and silver hits of swords that
had figured at court, all such curious old articles
were doubtless thrown into the melting pot to-
gether. But by far the greater part of the silver
consisted of bullion from the mines of South
America. which the English buccaneers, (who
were little better than pirates,) had taken from
the Spaniards, and brought to Massachusetts.
All this old and new silver being melted down
| and coined, the result an immense amount OF
splendid shllings, sixpences, and thrcepences-
Each had the date Of 1862, on the one side, and
the figure of pnc-tree on the other side. Hence
they were called pne-tree shllings. And for cv-
cry twenty shiliings that he coined, you will re-
member, Captain John Hull was entitled to put
one shilling in his own pocket.
The magistrate soon began to suspect that the
mint-master would have the best of the bargain.
They offered him large sum OF money. if he
would give up that Goth shilling, which he was
continually dropping into his own pocket. But
Captain Hull declared he was perfectly satisfied
with the shilling. And well he might be for so
diligently did he labor, in few years, his pock-
cts, his money bags, and his strong box were
overlooking with pine-tree shillings. This was
probably the case, when he came into possession
of Grandfather's chair; and as he had worked so
hard at the mint, it was certainly proper that he
should have 1 comfortable chair to rest him
self on.
| When the mint-master had grown very rich, a
young man, Samuel Sewel by name, came a
counting his only daughter His daughter
whose name I do not know but we will call her
Betsey--was fine, hearty damsel, by no means
so slender some young ladies' of our own days.
On the contrary, having always fed heartily on
pumpkin pies, doughnuts, Indian buildings, and
other puritan danties, she was as round and
plump as pudding. With this round rosy Miss
Betsey, did Samuel Sewell fall in love- As he
young man of good character, industrious
in business, and member the 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 heavy bur-
den enough"
On the wedding day VIC may suppose that hon
est Hull dressed himself in plain colored coat,
all the buttons of which were made of pine-tree
shillings. The buttons of his wastcoat were six
pences and the knees of his small clothes were
buttoned with silver threepences. Thus attired,
he sat with great dignity in his grandfather S
chair and being portly old gentleman, he com
pleely filled it from elbow to elbo W. On the OPP
posite side of the room, between her bridesmaids,
sat Miss Betsey. She was blushing with all her
might. and looked like full bloom peony, great
red apple. or any other round and scarlet object.
There too was the bridegroom, dressed in a
fine purple coat, and gold lace waistcoat, with as
much other finery as the Puritan laws and Gus
toms would allow him to put on. His hair was
cropt close to his head, because Gev. Endicott
had forbidden any man to wear it below the ears.
But he was very personabe young man and
so thought the bridegroom, and Miss Betsey her.
self.
The mint-master also was pleased with his new
son-in-law; especially as he had said nothing