Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-06-20
DELAWARE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

y u.
Interesting information Concerning the
8Eh FIRST Flag of tile Swcdes.
Tho Historical Society Of Delaware
held an interesting meeting Monday
night. Some time ago q PHILADELPHIA
firm applied TO the society for informa
tion regarding the flag Of the Swedes at
the time they settled in this country.
Samuel O, Biddle OF the Pusey & Jones
Co. heard of the application, and he
offered to write to the Stora Korpar-
hergs RergslaRs Aktrebolog of Falun,
Sweden, for which the usey Il Jones
Go. has made considerable machinery,
and learn what was the flag over 200
years neo. Last night the letter from
the swedish company was rsad II is
as follows:
Regerrine to our letter OF May 18th,
we are now in the position TO give yvn
some information relative TO the Swed-
ish merchant fac ussd prior to the
year 16a7, but regret very much that
we have not got much OF interest to tell
you in this matter. Prior TO the year
1887 there was sno strict difference be-
tween tho merchant flag and tho flag Of
the navy and army. At that time most
all Of the ships were armed With guna,
and it Is quite sure that this was tho
case with the chips who CROSSED the
ocean going 10 America in the begin.
ming of thu Sixteenth Century. The
oldest Swedish flag is said to have heen
quite blue. Later it got white crosse
and then still later the oolor Of the
GROSS was mHdo yellow. tits very hard
to lind out under which pariods those
different forms of flag were used, and
there Is nothing written about this. 1t
i "a hi thar rra i.l,.a ttsit n
yellow cross In the wars OF Eric XIV,
1860, i56S, but it is not quite proved,
still il 10 sure, that in the ware oil
/ Gustnf III Adolf 1911 1897 this flag
was used. Some Neutrality-suspicious. say
that the yellow color was more deep at
that time thar ut present, but this is
to be doubted Under separate cover ws
send you 20 lithograph of tho royal
castle and the capitol Ut Stockholm
from the time of the reign OF Queen
Kristiana il632- l654l. On this litho-
grarh you will see some ships with
flags, The ships in thu foreground be-
longing to the navy army; the ships be-
hind at the shore being some merchant
i ships. Among these latter ones you see
one with flag of square shape. the
merchant flag of that time You see
4 that the form was more square then
than at present. On tho 9th of Noyeni-
her, 1868, there was issued royal de
cree, saying that only ships belonging
to the navy army were permitted to use
flag with points, the merchant ship had
4 to use flag without points, This is all
We can tell you about the oldest Swed
ish flag, very scarce information, as you
ace, but according to what we have tnld
4 you before, there is nothing published
on these things. If you like some fur
Their Information In these matters We
! will with pleasure try to get 1t for you,
/ With the letter was very old print,
neatly mounted. It represented a
view ef harbnr In the foreground
bsing number Of vessels under full
sails, while apparently moored TO
wharyes was u feet of merchant vessels.
The distinction pointed out in the
Il letter between the kinda OF flaes was
noticeable in the print, which will be
framed and preserved by the society.
bishop Coleman. as chairman of the
committee to mark the sita Of this
birthplace of John M. Clayton, made O
final report that the committee bad ae
cured q handsome bronze plate and ha6
| 1t placed in 40 important position or
che house which now occupies the sits
upou which Clayton was born, The
!, inscription on the tablet reads. This
tablet is placed by the Historical
Society of Delaware to mara the site o
the house In which John Middleton
Clayton was horn July "a, 1896 Dice
at Dover November 8. 1850. Member
: OF the General Assembly,of the conven
tion to revise the Constitution of Della
ware, Chief Justice OF Delaware. United
( States Senator and Secretary OF Stat,
. under President Taylor. Orator, jurist
. stateaman, diplomatist, patriot. y
, The committee 90 the year book, com
Rogers and Thomas Il. Ypung, pre-
, scented its report In the shane of tn
, published boes, which 10 really worl
i of art. II 10 handsomely bound Il
! cloth with gold lettering. 1t 10 illus
. trated with picture OF the Historiea
: Spciety's building. the old Mason
Dixon Line stone, and numerous origi
I nal illustrations of some of the relics Il
y tho possession OF tbs society. TIL
, book contains q short history OF tn
( society, dehcI iptions of some of the NOR
o interesting objects in the society u DOL
y lection, the bylaws and roster OF tn
Q members. 1t was decided to presen
3 each member with copy Of the yea
9 book, and any member wishing add
Il tional copies can secure them at tn
a cost price Of 80 cents each, and non
d members can SECURE them for so cent
Y each, A vote OF thanks wRs extended I
0 the committee for preparing such an in
It teEesting book,
Among the donations reported wa
i DR.. John j. Black's book, entitle
h Forty Years In the Medical profes
b sion, = from the author specimen {
'a peculiar kind Of wood from sont
J. America from William y, Gross;
g paper chest over 100 years old froi
!, Susan Gilpin Hazard OF West Cheste
= and a shell fired by the Third Delawar
d battery into Cherry Island Marsh, frol
% Harry A, Chadwick.
?, '97 Riglit-handedness.
q 1T has been for long time undsr di,
cnssion whether 1t Is not better
70 teach right-hAnded children to us
as their left hand more, tho idea being (
IL increase summary and uniformity