The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-16
THE SEAL OF NEW YORK.
Two Hundred Years old, and 1t May
BE Laid Away Forever.
New York Sun.

New 1Olk sun.
In September, 1855, Thomas Dongan, Gov
ernor Of the province of New York, wrote
to England that "a new seal Of this prov
lnce was very much wanted, and We people
very extraordinary DESTROYS to have We
Kings seal to their patents and other pa
pers that concern them" Notwithstanding
this recommendation, no seal was provided
Tor the province of New York until Aug.
IA, 1857, two years later, when a war
rant was issued for it by King James III.
The seal in this warrant was described
as craven on one side with our royal
effigies, on horseback. in arms. over a
landskip of land and sea, with a rising sun
royal arms with the garter, crown. sup
porters and motto with this inscription on
the circumference: "Siglum Noyi Eboraci.'
Such was the seal of the city of New York
during the period of the English suprem-
acy, but prior to that 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
the Indians and nothing was so potent in
bringing about a trade as gunpowder, whis-
ky. or beads. The contracting parties were
sailors and Indians. Hence there are on
the seal a sailor and an Indian represents
ing the traders, and two beavers and two
barrels representing articles traded in. The
windmills of Holland, celebrated in the sew
enteenth century as we'll as in the nine
teenth century, also are represented, and
the four arms serve for the quarterings.
An eagle surmounts the shield.
Inc hrst seal, for New Amsterdam, was
GRANTED IN 1904, the city having been incOr-
porated the preceding year. For this the
seal of the Duke of York was substituted
under Governor Nicolls, in 1863, when the
first acknowledgment of the Dongan letter
was made from Ondon the warrant au-
thorizing 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 OF
James II. Though antiquarians do not OBJ
serve it, .-grammarians will remark that the
spelling of this letter of instructions is
somewhat primitive, particularly as regards
the word I'VE"
And, whereas, since our accession to the
crown, wee have appointed a new seal for
our colonies of New England, as also an
which being now united under one govern
ment, wee do hereby direct and require
that the seal appointed for the said colony
of New England be henceforth made use
for all our territory and dominion in it's
largest extent and boundaries aforemen-
toned, and that the seal of our province
of New York be forthwith broken and de-
faced in your presence"
Such was the ignoble end of what was
known as the English seal of New York,
and later on the Dutch seal was restored,
but it is now a question whether, for the
Greater New York, it will not be necessary
to establish a new seal for the new city.
Though Brooklyn was originally settled by
HoIlanders, as New York was, Brooklyn
cent and there has recently been some talk
Of the establishment of a Greater New
York seal designed to have representation
upon it of the two large cities in the new
municipality and perhaps some representa-
ton for Queens and Richmond counties.