Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-05-05
The Pine Tree Shilling.
BY NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

Captain John Hull, was the mint
master of Massachusetts, and coined all
the money that was made there. This
Was new line Of business; for, in the
cnlly days oflhe colony, The currency
coinage consisted of gold and silver
money of England, Portugal and Spain
These COINS being scarce, the people
were often forced to barter their comno-
dnies instead of selling them
For instance il a man wanted 10 buy
a coat, he perhaps exchanged bear
skin for It, III he wished for barrel of
n,oIasses, he might purchase il with pile
of pine boards. Nuskel bullets were
used instead Of larthings. The Indians
had sort of money, called wampum.
which was made of clam shells: aud THE
strange sort OF specie was likewise tn.
ken in payment of debts, by the English
settlers. Bank bills had never been
thought Of. There was not money e.
nough of any kind, in many parts Of the
country, 10 pay their ministers; 81 that
they sometimes had TO take quntals of
fish, bushels of corn, or cords Of wood
insea ad of silver OF gold.
As the people grew more numerous,
aud their trade one with another increas-
I'd, the want Of current money was still
more scnsibly felt. To supply the De.
mnnd, the general court p sscd a law
for establishing n Coinage Of shillings,
sixpcnces and threepcnces. Capt. John
Hull was appointed to manufacture this
money, and was to have about one shiIl.
Ing out Of every twenty, to pay him for
the trouble Of making them.
liereupon, all the old silver in the col
ony was handed over to Captain John
Hull. The battered silver cans and
tankards, | suppose, and silver buckles,
and broken spoons, and silver buttons Oi
worn out coats, and silver hits of swords
that had figured at court, all such GU
rinus old articles were doubtless thrown
in,o the melting pit together. But by
far the greater part Of the silver CONSISTED d
of bulions from the mines Of Soul,
America, which the Englsh buccaneers
(who were little better than pirates, hnl
taken from the Spaniards, and brought
To Massachusetts.
All this old and new silver being melt.
cd down and coined, the result was az
Immense amount of splendid sbillIngs
sixpences and threePenceS. Each had
the date OF 1862, on the one side, and
tue figure Of pine tree on the other
Hence they were called pine tree shil
lings. Aud for every twenty shilling,
that he coined you will remember, Cap
tain John Hull was entitled to put one
shilling into his pocket.
The magistrates soon began TO sus.
pect that the mint master would have tn,
best of the bargain. They offered hiu
large sum Of money, if he would bu
give up that twentieth shilling, which IL
was continually dropping into his ow
pocket. But Captain Hull declare
himself perfectly satisfied with the shil
ling And well he might be ; for $
diligently did he labor, that in fe,
yeas, his pockets, his money bags, an
strong box, were ovorllowing with pin
tree shlllngs. This was probably tn
ease, when he came into possess ssion q
Grandiathcr's chair, aud as he had work
ed 50 hard nt the mint, il was ceiiainl
proper that he should have a comfortably
char to res, himself on.
When the mini-must r had grown yer
rich, u young man, Samuel Sewall b
name, came counting to his only daugl
- ter. Hls daughier-w hose name d
not know, but We will call her Betsey-
was a fine hearty damsel, by no meaI
80 slender as some young ladies' Of OF
own days On lhe contrary, having a
ways fed heartily on pumpkin pies, doug
The fret money being coined in 1862, d
came date was continued upon all that w
struck Cor thirty. years afterwards. No 9th
colony every presumed TO coin metal nj
money. a very large sum coined, an
the mint. npnsier made lsrge fortune by IL,
he was SLOWED ~ take dfeon pence out
every twenty sbillings for the trouble OF colt
ing, DC. II was commonly reported that N
Eewall, who married bis only daughter, recsi'
ed thirty thousand pounds N New EngI4a