The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-06
By RUDOLPH DE zAPP.

a year afterward; but it was not ac- cepted. and the matter rested until April, 17S2 when Henry Middleton, Elias Boudinot, and Edward Rutledge were appointed a third committee to prepare a seal. They reported on the 9th of May following, substantially the same as the committee of 1779 and 17S0, but, this not being satisfactory to Congress, on June 13 the whole matter was referred to Charles Thomson, it's secretary.
 Like the American Flag.
 He in turn procured, several devices, among which was one by William Bar ton of Philadelphia consisting of an escutcheon with a blue border, span gfed with 8 stars and divided in tn e center, perpendicularly, by a gold ba~. On each side of this division, within the blue border, 13 bars or stripes al ternate red and white, like the Ameri- can flag adopted on June IA, 1777. Over the gold bar an eye surrounded with a glory, and in the gold bar a Doric column resting on the base of the escutcheon, having a displayed eagle on its summit. The crest, a helmet of furnished gold, damasked, grated with six bars, and surrounded by a red cap of dignity, such as dukes wear with black lining, and a cock armed with gaffs.
 Supporters, on one side the Genius of America, with loose auburn tresses. having on her h cad a radiant crown of gold, encircled with a sky-blue fllet, spangled with silver stars, and clothed in a long. loose white garment, bor- dered with green. From the right shoulder to the left side, blue scarf with stars, the cinctures being the same as in the border. Around her waist, purple girdle, fringed with gold, and the word Virtue embroidered in white Her interior hand rested on the escutcheon, and the other held the American standard, on the top of which a white dove was perched.
 The supporter on the other side was , man in complete armor his sword belt blue, frInged with gold; his helmet en- circled with a wreath of laurel, and crest ed with one white and two blue plumes his left hand supporting the escutcheon, and his right holding a lance with a bloody point.
 "With Gods Favor"
 Upon an unfurled green banner was n golden harp with silver strings, bril- liant star, and two lily-fiowers, with two crossed swords below. The two figures stood upon a scroll on which was the motto, Dec Favente-'With Gods Favor in allusion to the eye of Providence in the arms. On the crest, in a scroll, was the motto, Virtus sola Invicta-"Virtue alone Invincible."
 After vainly striving to perfect a seal which should meet the approval of Con- gress, Thomson finally received from John Adams, then in London an ex- ceedingly simple and appropriate device, suggested by Sir John Prestwich, a bar onet of the West of England, who was a warm friend of America and an accom- plished antiquarian. It consisted of an escutcheon bearing 13 perpendicular stripes, white and red, with the chief blue, and spangled with 13 stars; and to give 1t greater consequence, he proposed to place It on the breast of an American eagle displayed, without supporters, as emblematic of self-reliance.
 It met with general approbation, in and out of Congress and was adopted in June, 1i82, so it is manifest, although the fact is not extensively known, that we are in- debted for our national arms to titled arlstocrat of the country with which we were then at war.
 Description of Seal.
 Eschewing all heraldic technicalities, 1t may be thus described in plain English: Thirteen perpendicular pieces white and red; a blue field; the escutcheon on the breast of the American eagle display ed proper, holding in his right talon an olive branch and in his left a bunch of 13 ar rows. all proper and in his beak a scroll inscribed with the motto, "E Pluribus unum" For the crest over the head Of the eagle, which appears above the es cutcheon, golden glory breaking through a cloud, proper and surrounding 13 stars forming a constellation of white stars on blue field.
 The design for the reverse, which has never been executed, is a pyramid, unfn- ished. In the zenith, an eye in triangle, surrounded with a glory, proper. Over the eye the words "Annuit Coeptis" has favored the undertaking" On the base of the pyramid are the numeral Roman letters MDCCLXXVI, and underneath the motto, "Novus Ordo Seclorum"-'A new series of ages" denoting that new order of things had commenced in the western hemisphere.
 It is said that this motto was probably adopted from two passages in Virgil: "Au- dacibus Annue coeptis' flavor my daring undertaking) and .Magnus alb integro se- clorum nacitur ordo' the great series of ages begins anew). The former is found in the Aeneid, book g, verse 625 (also in Georgies, 1:4O, and the latter in the fourth eclogue, fifth verse. Although the form "seclorum" was adopted, the more approved form is ''saeculorum," the word being spelled with the "ae" and "u' be- tween the "c' and '1," in all, or nearly all, the best modern editions of Latin authors.
 The pyramid signifies strength and duration; the eye over it, as well as the motto, allude to the many signal inter- positions of Providence in favor of the American cause. The date underneath is that of the Declaration of Independ- ence, and the words under it signify the beginning of the new American era, which commences from that date.
 Seen By But Few.
 This great seal has been seen by com paratively few persons. It is ordinarily kept, with it's die and press, in a strong wooden box in the state department. The keys of this box are held by an em- ploye of the state department, who is known as the keeper of the great seal, position which was held by George Earth, who died two years ago, for 46 years, the seal having been intrusted to him by Daniel Webster when the latter was secretary of state.
 The great seal is placed upon commits sions of the cabinet and of diplomatic and consular officers, ceremonious conn municatiQns from the President to for eign governments, pardons, and com mutations of sentences by the chief ex-