The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-12-10

size, afterwaTd finishing them In water-colOrs.
The result was so attractive that commenced
n separate collection of pOWderhOrn fac-similes.
This / am now engaged in. and have extended
my field all over the world. taking pictures Of
all those that are ornamented, and consequently
historical.
- have now 600 such pictures. Of which 2S
are fae-similes of horns preserved in tho British
Museum &C London; others l have arc from
the Dresden Museum, Germany. One Of the
latter belonged formerly to King Christian Of
Saxony.
" Besides my American horns i have from
Zulnland, South America, Norway, Den
mark, France, China aud Japan. Many Of
my sketches, those representing horns owned
in foreign lands and distant States Of this
country, l obtained from correspondence with
antiquaTians finishing the sketches afterward
In water-cOlors myself
81 reproduce the horns not in the battered
and defaccd condition which | find them, but
bright aud intact rs they were when new. An
tiquarians assure me that my collection IS the
| only one Of its kind in existence"
From the wide field covered by Mr. Order
in his collection Of drawings, one can imagine
the variety and interest attached thereto. not
only in regard to individual horns, but ethnO-
logically as a comparative study.
There Is n Spanish horn upon which are
shown two figures seated at a table on which
Itsls u how'll n servant anu u ulluSLTbl are Also
shown. The horn is not dated. but its age is
determined by the shape of the mandolin
carved by the minstrel, and the absence Of
knives and forks. Ii was probably made about
1850 Another drawing shows specimen OF
French manufacture, the original of which IS
| in the British Museum. IL is made Of a three
pronged deer antIer. bas-reief Of Mars is
carved thereon in a remarkably delicate man
ner.
The most interesting Of all to Americans. es-
peeially the American soldier, are the horns Of
the Indian and Revolutionary wars. These
are almost without exception engraved more
or less deliberately with figures, designs and
notices generally Of patriotic character, and
not infrcquently with poetic iDjunctions to the
world at large to restrain their thieying ten
| denotes. The measure is like this:
The man who steals this horn
Will 20 to He'll so sure as he Is born
And more Of like order, being more vigor-
Gus than elegant.
The elaborate decorating Of powderhorns
in this country. according TO Mr. Grider was
the Outgrowth of a military order issued in the
middle Of the last century, THAT every nan
should engraye his horn with his initials"
| This led to more extensive decorations until
horn engraving became an important and re-
| muneratiye business.
After q horn was engraved it was generally
| given n bath in yellow eOloring matter,
which was indelible. After this the objects Of
| the oTnamentation were cOlored in brown, red,
| green and other bright colOrs, making finish
sometimes CANDY, but decidedly picturesque.
The decorations were often Of practical ma
ture, as in the ease Of the geographical horns
| these being marked with maps and charts
which were doubtless Of great value to the
owners in a campaign. One Of the most elabo-
rate Of this class is inscribed with "a new map
OF the River ST. Lawrence From LOuisburg
to Lake Superior" This is a splendid speci-
| men. 1t embraces far more territory than is
/ found usually on such horns, and was executed
| by an experienced engraver. 10 belonged to
/ the period Of the French and Indian war, and
was probably made in the army and In camp,
| for the end piece was fastened on with white
| thorns in the absence Of nails.
Another OF these horns is engraved with a
map giving the names and relative distances
OF all fortified posts from Quebec 10 Albany.
! The owner, Lieut.. Charles Grant. was an Off
Ger Of the First Royal Highlanders. and il was
probably borne by him in the year 1859 at Fort
| Duquesne and at TicOnderOga in the French
war, and subsequently, in the services of his
regiment in this country down to the Burgoyne
| Expedition Of l777, in which he was finally
| killed in battle.
studied for sometime the drawings Of two
horns. one bearing on the side the simple in
scription Of "John Stark" surrounded by
scroll work; on the other side a medallion
portrait Of the patriot and dragon-like ami
NAL probably typifyiBg war. This horn was
made for Gen. Stark aud presented to him by
his soldiers after Bennington.