Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-08-08

Curious Old Bonds and Notes-Eng1and'e Check For Damages Done by the Ala bama-Rare Old Colonial Netes-An In-
 teresting Array.
 Register J Fount Tillman of the United States treasury will send from his bureau to the Atlanta exposition one of the most interesting and attract i've exhibits to be furnished for that oc- casion by the United States government The exhibit--then rather incomplete in some of it's details-attraeted widespread attention at the Columbian exposition in Chicago.
 Since then many new features have been added until now it forms the most complete collection of all issues of money of this government in existence. It is not only valuable to those interest ed in the financial history of this coun- try, but it serves as well to illustrate the great and rapid advance made in the art of engraving. The first attempts to engrave notes were crude and rough, while the later efforts are the beautiful works of art with which every one is familiar
 The exhibit contains specimens of treasury issues of every form. made on account of the various loans, since the foundation of the government, grouped and arranged in chronological order Added to this is full and we'll pre- served collection of colonial money, which is valuable as we'll as interesting The government was compelled to pur- chase this collection by pieeemeal from various persons who were holding the money as souvenirs, and good price was paid for the necessary pieces to complete the collection One of the fea- lures of the exhibit is the continental money. All the issues of the 13 original states are represented, embracing all dates, denominations and conditions of payment. The exhibit includes conti- mental money, colonial money, specimens of the issues of the late Confederate States, both currency and bonds United States bonds, United States currency, national bank notes, bills of broken wildcat banks in active operation before the civil war, and the check which Eng land made out in favor of this country i for depredations committed by the steamer Alabama on the commerce of the United States.
 The earliest issue of bonds, then known as "loan office certificates, ," as shown ill the exhibit, was made in 1776 on account of the first loan this govern ment negotiated with France. Then fol | ICxx Sv1 4sl%z z1aA l4 la issued to replenish the treasury from time to time during the progress of the Revolutionary and civil wars down to the present time, the last loan being that of 1895, redeemable in 1925. AS shown by the specimens, the earliest coupon bonds were issued in 1e42. 1t was then that this government adopted the two forms of bonds, now so popular, the coupon and registered. The speci- mems of the bonds, notes, fractional cur rency and other evidences of debt under all acts of congress issued on account of the heavy loans entailed by the civil war form fine and historic collection of the reminders of those stirring times.
 The .'loan office certificates" are probably as interesting as any other fea ture of this collection. Many have the interest figured out on the edge of the note, showing that the holders had pug zled their heads to find out what Uncle Sam owed them. On one of the colonial notes, issued i'll 1774, are inscribed the words, "To counterfeit is death. Some severe penalty was necessary, for any ordinary schoolboy with quill pen could have reproduced the note exactly, so crude and rough was it's execution. Among the bonds are found great number of District of Columbia notes of indebtedness, issued for all sorts of pur- poses. The bonds of the large per cent loan of the late war times have place i'll the exhibit, and they take up quite good deal of space. They are both eou- pon and registered bonds, the highest denomination of the former being $1, l 900, and that of the latter being $50, 900. The $50, 900 registered bond is the largest ever issued by this government. No coupon bond is issued with higher denomination than 1000. The last loan, that of 1e95-1935, is per cent one, and the bonds are beautiful works of art They are made in the shape of a United States flag, with the coupons taking the place of the stripes, and one of these bonds takes up the entire space on a single leaf of the exhibit.
 The check which England paid to this country on account of the Alabama claims is gold certificate and is made out in the sum of $15, 500. 900. On the back it is indorsed by many names, the most prominent of which are those of Edward Thornton, then the English minister to this country; Hamilton Fish, secretary of state, and William A. Richardson, secretary of the treasury.