Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-10-01
CONTINENTAL SILVER DOLLAR.

the legend, "Somer Island" and ga hogge on one side, i'll memory of the abundance of hoggcs which were found on their landing" On the reverse was ship under sail, from which a gun was being fired In 1645 the assembly of Virginia, whose inhabitants had heretofore been obliged to depend wholly upon tobacco as n circulating medium, having mat,rely weighed and considered how advantageous a quuinc current would bc to this col lony, decided to issue copper coins of varying values from twOpence to nine- pence, but for some reason the coins never appeared. Seven years later, in 1852, the colony of Massachusetts did actually issue a coinage, tho mint ! hOwsc, at which the pieces were made, being established at Boston by an order of the general court promulgated on May 27 of that year. The details of the regulations for this coinage wcre very quaint, it being provided that the ''pecccS" should be of XII d, VI q and III d" which should 'be of formo flatt and stamped on ono side with N E. ."-for New England-and on the other with the proper notation showing the value of the coin.
 They were to bo like new sterling English money i'll finencss, each shilling piece ito weigh thrccpcnny, troy weight, and lesser pccccs propOrtiona- bly," For some reason these coins were not at all satisfactory, and on Oct l9 of the same year provision was made for the famous "Pine Tree coinage" each piece of which was to bear "a double ring on each side, with thc inscription, Massachusetts, and tree in the center on one side and New England and the date of the year on the other side" Ten years later twopenny piece was added to the series, which lasted for 34 years though none of the coins bore any date save I5G2 and 1862, only two sets of dies appearing to have been made.
 In lGG2 Maryland provided for the getting up of q mint within the prov incC, v but thc mint never matCrialiZCd and the same is true as tn the colonial mint of New Hampshire, which was authorized in lsGG. During much of this time coinage for the colonies was issued iu tn" old country. Ono series of coins so put forth was made by man named William Wood. who secured a royal patent for coining small money flor the plantations" out of the combi- nations of metals known as pinch beck. One old timO ChrOniClCr records indignantly that Wood had the con science to mako I3 shillings out of a pound of brass. This money was so little liked by the coloni>ts that it had to be withdrawn.
 Subsequent to the Declaration of In dependence, and especially during the nine years from IFS to 11S7 inclusive, coins were isSued by direction both of | the continental congress and several of the individual states, including Yer mont, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts. In l7S2 plan for a na- tional coinage was formulated and sub mittcd to congress by Robert Morris, the head of the finance department, though the authorship of this plan is claimed by his relative, Gouvcrneur Morris. The establishment of a mint was approved by congress during the following year, but nothing further was done i'll the matter till 1885, when the scheme for national coinage presented by Thomas Jefferson was adopted.
 Eagles and halt eagles of gold, dol lars, half dollars, double dimes and dimes of silver and cents and half cents of copper were the pieces authorized. An ordinance for the establishment of a mint was adopted by congress in l7S6, but it was not till the next year that anything more was done, when the board | of treasury, on the authority of cen