The leader., 1899-03-29
CONFEDERATE TREASURY SEAL

Boteler, of Virginia, who was at that
time serving as major in the conted-
crate army; but who subsequently
served as one of the law officers of
the department of justice in the ma
tional capital. The design was sent
to the confederate minister at London,
who caused the great seal to be made
of pure silver by an artificer named
Wyatt, who was famed for work of
that character.
The best authenticated rumor about
the seal is that it was thrown into a
well by President Davis, while he was
trying to escape from the country, but
nobody knows where to locate the well,
and the great seal will probably never
be discovered
Along with other things of historic
value, there was sent to the war de-
partment all of the confederate money
that was captured with the taking of
Richmond: and its face value amount
ed to almost fabulous millions. Be
sides, there were other millions of
confederate bonds, all of them now
worthless, save as relies. This paper
money has been preserved, however.
and specimens have been pasted into
scrap book by clerks, and that scrap
book is carefully guarded, for 1t Is
worth. as a curio more than its weight
in gold, diamonds and precious stones.
A singular bit of history is narrated
by one of the veteran clerks at the
department, concerning these relics.
There is in the archives confederate
silver half dollar. On the face of 1t
is the goddess of liberty. surrounded
by 10 stars, and the figures 1861 on the
rim. On the reverse side is shield
surrounded by seven stars. Above the
shield there is helmet cap, with stalks
of sugarcane and cotton twined about
it. On the rim are the words: Con
federate States of America" The ID
stars on the face of the silver piece
represent the 10 states of the confed-
eracy; and the seven stars on the re-
verse side represent the seven original
seeding states. The stalks of sugar
and cotton represented the principal
industries of the newly founded repub-
lie. In those days the sugar cane and
cotton of the south were great wealth
producers, and a common commercial
phrase was Cotton is king"
But the bit of history to which ref
erence has been made is that there were
only four of those silver half dollars
made by the New Orleans mint, and
one of them is in possession OF our
government.
1t seems that while the soil of the
south produced cotton and sugar in
boundless mea sure all of the gold and
silver bullion of this continent was
wedged in the mountains of the west
and north. Consequently, after the
mint accepted design and began to
strike off half-dollar coins, an order
came from the confederate secretary
of the treasury. Mr.. Memminger, to
cease coming. This order was re-
ceived just as the fourth half dollar
was taken from the die. One of the
four coins is here, but nobody seems to
know what has become of the other
three.
Here is a chance for political econom-
lists to moralize and start an argu-
ment, in which the writer will not join.
The people of the south had plenty of
produce, but no gold or silver out of
which to make money. They made
money out of paper, and it deprecated
and became worthless. The United
States also issued paper money, which
deprecated. Gold and silver sought
hiding places, and did not come out un
til long after the civil war.
SMITH d. FRY.