, 1879-05-03
ENGLISH HISTORICAL MEDALS.

! ENGLISH HISTORICAL MEDALS.
| London FINES, ADri' II.
The numtsmatic treasures preserved in thu
| British Museum will bear comparison witt
| those Of any other in the world. Starting witt
the handsome nucleus formed By by the cabinets
OF itsrfounder, Sir Hans Sloan, and Sir Robert
| Cotton, it has been enriched from time to time
by many valuable purchases and gifts, especially
by the bequests Of the Rev. G. n. Cracherode,
Mr.. R. F. Knight, Miss Banks, and others, the
Marsden donation, George lV.'s presentation Of
his fathers library and its contents to the coun-
try, and BY the annual .parIiamentary grants,
until its money value is now estimated at more
than e3,0o0,000. No wonder that the medal
room Of the British Museum, in which are
hoarded, besides medals properly so-called,-
j. t., metal memorials struck, not for purposes
OF commerce, but solely in commemoratiop OF
historical personages and events,-coins, an
cient and modern, home and foreign,
many Of them Of extreme rarity. and
is, guarded with hardly less jealousy than
the bullion cellars Of tile Bank Of England or
the Mint. To the public at large this interest
ing and Instructive department Of our national
collection has long been a sealed book. no visit
ors being admitted within the mysterious pre-
clncts OF the medalroonl without soccial per-
mission. Numismatic students, however, ind
no difficulty in obtaining this, whether natives
of the British Empire or foreigners. Once prop
crly introduced, all vino require to examine the
cabinets can OF course, reckon upon receiving the
most courteous attention and most efficient help
in their learned researches from the keeper OF
the coins and medals, Mr.. R. S. Poole, or, In his
absence, from his assistants. This distinction
there is no intention Of breaking down. But al
though the general public will not bc ad-
mitfa6 the tnpffnt-rnh;1 fnn 1v11 IN
flock at this holiday SEASON to the museum
will find as they eEter the Kings Library four
glass cases on the left-hatlu side filled with an
Invaluable selection OF uedals illustrating tho last
four centuries OF our sdhtfonal history. This
first step i'll the popuIaiKation Of our numis.
matte collections is not the least interesting and
hopeful OF the valuable reforms for which the
nation has TO thank the new principal Librarian
and Secretary TO The Trustees, Mr.. Edward Au-
gustus Bond. That ttaisstcp is to be followed
by others in the same direction will be seen bv q
glance at the cases on the right side, where
beginning has been made Of a similar italian se-
ries of medals. Higher than 400 years ago the
''MedaNic History Of England " does not as
cend, as the learned John .Pinkerton observed
in bis work thus cutit1ed, which was published
in 1SU2. His series does not reach beyond the
Revolution, whereas the last of the 500 or so
shown in the Kings Library commemorate our
Crimean and even later. victories. The
earliest medal communicating an English
man, although it was produced in italy,
is one bearing, besides the Cross Of St.
John, the name, arms, and bust of john Kendall,
knight OF st. Johu of Jerusalem, and Grund
Prior Of the Order In England, in the reign Of
Edward ". uc was 'rurcopcllier of Rodes, an
office said to answer to that Of General OF In
fant5y, which was annexed to that Of Grand
Prior Of England, and was ordinarily held By
Enclishmcn. The medal, which is cast, not |
struck, in copper, is dated sin the time Of the
siege b. the Turks, 1850" This is the eyer
siege which began on the 23d OF !
May in that year and ended on the 10th Of |
August, when the Knights Of Rhodes, under |
their Grand Master, Pierre d 'AubussoD, who re- !
.eiyed five wounds, rcpulsed. after the total dis
nantling Of the fortlifeations by the Turkish |
artillery, the Christian renegade, Nisach ]
Palnologus Pasha, with his fleet of 160 |
ships and q land army Of 100000, OF |
whom 1900 were slaughtered, and $1,000 Carried !
-een illustrated In the Museum series is that OF
Henry Viii. of whom there nre several medals,
me in copper gilt irving fine medallion por
rait after Holbein. Another, in gold, here |
represented BY an clectrotype. as in all similar
Instances, commentaries the Kings assertion
II his supremacy in the Church. 1t bears date
n 1915. 4 medal OF Anne Boleyn is in lead.
Then follow medals OF Thomas Cromwell. Earl
II Essex, dated 1883, two years before bis ex-
cution; the Chancellor, Sir Thomas More;
'ir Michael Mercator, Chancellor Of the Duchy
his last is in silver, and is very naturally con
cctured to have been struck in Holland. This
rill give at idea of the general arrangement.
'ir6t come medals Of the Sovereign; then those |
the great events OF the reign;
astly, its courtiers, statesmen, aud Generals. |
rom Henry VIII. downward thcreis no further
iatus in the reigns.