The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1865-06-01
massachusetts, Scott, Of Virginia, and
Houston, of Georgia, were appointed .

Houston, Of Georgia, were appointed .
committee to make another device.
d" on the 10th Of May following they re.
ported IN seal four inches in diameter,
one side Of which should be composed Of
shield with thirteen disgoual stripes,
alternate red and white. Supporters, .
warrior, holding a sword, on one side,
and on the other, the figure of peace,
bearing an olive branch, The crest, .
radiant constellation Of fifteen stars.
Motto: Bella Ee! Ptace-"For War or
Peace" and the legend, "seal of the
United States On tho reverse tho
figure Of Liberty, seated in chair, hold.
ing the staff cap Motto, 4Stmper-
"Forever"-and underneath, MDCCLX.
XVI. This report was re.commistsd,
and again submitted with some slight
notifications (substitutipg the figure of
au Indian with bow and arrows in his
right hand for that Of awnrrior) Just a
year afterward; but it was not accepted,
and the matter rested untilApril, 1882,
when Henry MiddIstop, Elias Boudinot,
and Edward Rutledgo were appointed
third committee to prepare seal
They reported on thco.h Of May follow.
ing, substantially the same as tho COM
mittee of l779 and 1880; but, this
not being satisfactory to Congress-, on
the 18Th Of June, the whole matter was
referred to Charles Thomson, its secrets.
ry.
He in turn procured several devices,
among which was one by William Barton,
of Philadelphia, consisting of an escut-
chcon, with blue border, spaueled with
thirteen stars, and devided in the centre,
perpendlcularly, by gold bar. On each
side of this division, within tho blue
border, thirteen bars or stripes, alternate
red and white, like the American fag
adopted on tho lith Of june, 1777.
Over the gold bar an eye surrounded
with glory, and in the gold bar Dorio
column, resting on the base of the escut.
chcon having a displayed eagle on ito
summit, The crest, helmet Of bur-
nished gold, damssked, grated with sir
bars, and sur,nounted by rcd cap Of dig.
nifty, such as dukes wear, with black
lining, aud cock ornamented with gaffs.
Supporters, on one side the Genius Of
America, with loose auburn tresses, hay
ing on her head radient crown of. gold,
encircled with a sky .blue tiIet, spangled
with silver stars, aud clothed in long,
loose, white garment bordered with green.
From the righ, shoulder to tho left side,
q blue scarf with stars, the cinctures
being tho same as in the border. Around
her waist, a purple girdle, friused with
gold, and the word VIRTUE embroidered
in white. Her interior hand rested on
the cscutcheon, and the other rested On
the American standard, on the top Of
1 which a white dove was perched. The
supporter on the other side was man in
Il complete ormor; his sword belt blue, frin
ged with gold; his helmet encircled with
a wreath of laurel, and crested with one
white and two blue piumcs; his left bspd
supporting the escutcheon, and his right
holding lance with bloody point
Upon an unfurled green banner was .
golden harp with silver strings, a bril-.
liant star, and two lily flowers, with two
crossed swords below. The two figures
stood upon s scroll, on which was the
motto, Dec Farente-:With Gods Fa.
yor'--in aIlusop to the eye Of Provi.
dence in the arms. On the crest, in .
scroll, was the motto Virtus solo Mricsi
--"Virtuc alone is invincible."
After vainly striving to perfect q seal
which should meet the approval of Con.
grcss, Thomson finally received from
John Adams, then in London, an ex-
ceedDsly simple and appropriate device,
suggested by Sir John Prestwich, bar
onet of the West Of England, who was 4
warm friend of America, and an accom-
! plished antiquarian. It consisted Of an
escutcheon bearing thirteen pcrpendic.
ular stripes, white and red, with the
chief blue, and spapgled with thirteen
stars and, to give it greater consequence,
he proposed to place it on the breast Of
an America eagle, displayed, without
supporters, as embematic of self reliance.
1t met with general appreciation, in and
out of Congress, and was adopted in
June, 1882; so it is manifest, although
the fact is not extensively known that
we are indebted for our national arms to
a titled aristocrat of tho country with
which We were then at war. Eschewing
all horaldic technicalities, 1t may be thus
: described in plain English: Thirteen
perpendicular pieces, white and red
{ blue field the escutcheon on the breast
Of the American eagle displayed, proper,
! holding in his right talon an olive
/ branch, and in his left bundle Of thir.
| teen arrows, all proper, and in his beak
scroll, inscribed with the motto, r Hur.
sbus Unun,. For the crest, over tho
head of the eagle, which appears above
the escutcheon, golden glory breaking
through cloud, proper, and surrounding
! thirteen stars, forming constellation Of
white stars op blue field.
Reverse "A pyramid unfinished. In
the zenith, an eye in triangle, surroun.
ded with glory, proper. Over the eye,
the words Annut Coptis God has fav.
! ored the undertaking" On the base Of
! the pyramid, are the numerical Roman
/ letters, MDCCLXNVI; and underneath