The Van Buren press., 1897-06-19
rHF SEAL OF NEW YORK.
y,yo Hundred Years Ola ana i. Hi"s
lie Laid Away Forever.

y.,yo Hundred Years Old ana 1. Hias
De Laid Away Forever.
In September, 1855, Thomas Dengah,
governor of the province OF New YORK,
wrote to England that "a new sea- oi
this province was very much Wahted'
and We people extraordinary desirous 10
have We kings seal to their patents ana
other napers that concern them. Not-
withstanding this recommendation, no
seal was provided for the province OF
New York until August ii, 1857, TWO
years later, when warrant was issuea
for ii by King James II. The seal III
This warrant was described as "engraven
on the one side with our royal effigles,
on horseback, in arms, over a landsklp
Of land and sea, with rising sun ana
serole." On the other side were the
royal arms with the garter, crown, sup
porters and motto with this inscription
on the circumference: 'Siglum Now
Eboraei." Such was the seal OF the city
of New York during the period OF the
English supremacy, but prior to thal
time the original and NOW restored seal
was used-the Dutch seal of Dutch New
York. 1t had its origin in Dutch times
when the chief commercial activity OF
the townsmen of old New York was DIS
played in the purchase of furs from the
Indians and nothing was 50 potent IN
bringing about a trade as gunpoWdef,
whisky. or beads. The contracting par
ties were sailors and Indians. Hence
there are on the seal sailor and an In
dian, representing the traders, and two
beavers and two barrels, representing
articles traded in. The windmills OF
Holland, celebrated in the seventeenth
as well as in the nineteenth century,
also are represented and the four arms
serve for the quarterings. An eagle SUR
mounts the shield.
The first seal for New Amsterdam
was granted in 1854, the city having
been incorporated the preceding year.
For this the seal of the duke of York
was substituted under Gov. Nicolls, in
1860, and it was continued in use until
| 1856, when the first acknowledgment OF
| the Dongan letter was made from Lon
| don, the warrant authorizing the seal
following the year after. When Thomas
Dongan resigned his office he turned
over the seal of the city to Sir Edmund
Andres, who afterWard filed with the
colonial secretary Of state in London an
extract from the published direction ot
James II. Though antiquarians do not
observe it, grammarians will remark
that the spelling of this letter of in
struction is somewhat primitive, par
tieularly as regards the word 1--WE"
"And, whereas, since cur accession t6
the crown, wee have appointed new
seal for our colonies OF New England
as also another seal for our province
of New York, which being now united
under one government, Wee do hereby
direct and require that the seal ap
pointed for the said colony of New Eng
land, be henceforth made use for al
that our territory and dominion in 1t
largest extent and boundaries afore
mentioned, and that the seal for oui
province OF New York be forthwith
broken and defaced in your presence"
Such was the ignoble end of what wa
known as the English seal of New Yorl
and later on the Dutch seal was restored
but it is now a question whether for tn
Greater New York, it will not be neces
sary to establish a new seal for the ney
city. Though Brooklyn was original
settled by IIollanders, as New York was
Brooklyn makes no claim to the Knick
erbocker descent and there has recent
been some talk of the establishment @
Greater New York seal designed t
have representation upon it of the tw
large cities in the new municipality an
perhaps some representation for Queen
and Richmond counties.-N. y. Sun.