Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-14
INTERESTING RELlc.
British Coat of Arms Treasured at St.
John.

Perhaps few Americans know that an
Interesting relic of the Revolutionary War
| is carefully and pridefully preserved by
the citizens of st. John, New Brunswick;
vet there il is and no amount of mere
money could induce our Canadian cousins
| to part with it.
This attachment on their part, however,
is not due to love of us and joy in our in
dependence. OF course it ali happened a
long time ago and there's no hard feeling
now. and all that sort of thing; but no
one can be in St. John long without being
reminded or informed that it is. with
capitals, the City of the Loyalists.
The loyalists were the real founders of
| the city. Twenty. ship loads OF them.
1888, and began with vigor to build a
city" They came from Boston and other
New England towns. Some of them be-
lieved in the ultimate success of the
British arms, and perhaps wanted to be
on the winning side. Most of them
though were sincerely loyal to England
either from belief in monarchical form
of government or from plain love for the
old country.
Their loyalty in that day and genera
ton went by another name in the colo
MES which were struggling SO desperately
toward independence, and Tories were
as unpopular in Boston then as Copper
heads were north of the Ohio in 1853
Hence their departure in 1888 to found a
city where patriots would cease from
troubling and loyalist might rest.
One of these departing groups carried
away with them an object of veneration
to them and of something like eXecra-
This was the British coat of arms, carved
in wood which had hung in the Council
chamber of the old State House at Bos-
ton before the revolt of the colonies. 1t
St John
This is the relic which is still treasured
by the descendants of the loyalsts. 1t is
excellently carved from single block of
nd thppp
decorated in the correct colors and gid
ing and aside from it's historic. signifi-
canoe is an interesting specimen OF
eighteenth century workmanship.
When the coat of arms was rescued
from the hands of the rebellious Bos-
toniaps it's romantic career was by no
means finished. From Halifax it was
sent to st. John and given into the keep,
ing of Trinity Church. 1t was placed
above the main entrance of the inside
of the building. position it has occupied
in five successive edifceS.
During that time it has had its adven-
tures-some of them very exciting. The
first church building was small and was
erected in 1884. the year after and loyalists
and the coat of arms found new resting
place in a second church building, still
referred to as Old Trinity. erected in 1901
and consecrated the next year.
The west end of this building, the end
containing the coat of arms, was de.
stroyed by fire in 1S49, but the cherished
wooden carving was saved and was re-
stored to it's old position when the
church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1854
Thirteen years later this edifice too was
burned in what is called the great fire
This time the coat of arms was in immi-
nent danger of being destroyed. but a
Mr.. HaZen, a descendant of the Hazen
family which emigrated from Newbury-
port, Mass, rescued it.
The fifth move of the trophy was to the
present large stone building of Trinity
church, where it has remained almost
undisturbed for 30 years. The break in its
repose was when that end of the nave
was remodelled by the introduction of
new panelling and a canopied bust OF
Queen Victoria in honor of her first jubi-
lee in 1887. At present the coat of arms
is directly over the central doorway and
directly beneath the white marbel bust of
the late queen.
The st. John people are mighty proud
of their treasure. and apparently the
Americans who visit the church to look
upon the relic do not begrudge them its
loyalists have what they wanted and the
Americans got what they were fighting
for, so today the ST. John folks look at
the coat of arms tenderly. thinking of
what it means to them. and the Amer-
cans look at it with a half smile of Won
der thinking of what it did mean once
to their fathers, and then they both, the
st. John folks and Yankees, ask each
other what effect the tariff bill is going
to have on the lumber situation, and
they forget promptly about that partlcu-
lar piece of wood carved into a semblance
of a lion and unicorn.