Norwich bulletin., 1912-06-27
WROTE PRIZE ESSAY
 IN STATE COMPETITION.
Miss Marion o. Palmer of Broadway Took $to First Prize Offered by Colonial Danes.

Colonial DamoS.
 To a Norwich pupil, Miss Marion Otis Palmer, daughter of MT. and Mrs. Benjamin H. Palmer of Vergason ave- hue, went the prize of $10 in gold of fered this year for the grammar schools of the state for the best essay written in the competition conducted by the Society of Colonial Danes.
 Colonial Money and Barter was the subject of Miss Palmers winning es- say, which was in competition with over 275 others which came before the judges from all over the state. Other subjects from which the writers might choose were: The Story of the Five Nations, Washington's Career Before the Revolution, and The Pounding of the Schools and Colleges of Connecti- cut.
 The prize essay by Miss Palmer was as follows:
 Colonial Money and Barter.
 The vast amount of silver and gold coin and paper money issuing from the great hints of Philadelphia and other cities of our nation could not fail to awaken the interest and amazement of our honored forefathers.
 To the early settlers such possession would not have been riches, but per ] haps an added burden. Even the few precious coins that they brought with them into the new land proved value | less.
 The Indian corn and food products which soon became a necessity, they purchased with beads, knives and oth CT things pleasing to the Indians. Wampum.
 l A curious money used by the natives was adopted first by the Dutch, and i afterward by many other colonies ! This was wampum paege, commonly | though inappropriately known as wam- pum, for Wampum means white. Ii | consisted of the shell of a small fish | still known by its Indian name. qua l hog. There were two kinds, black be- | ing the small round spot in the shell and white, the twisted end of the shell broken off from the main part. These were brought to a smooth shape, drill ed through the center and strung into bracelets, necklaces and belsf Some oi the Indians did very beautiful work by coloring the shells or by weaving the meads into Indian designs. One war belt contained ten thousand shells In after years this custom lost it's val ue. because like ali good things, il was counterfeited:. Stones, poor shells or shells very carelessly woven were offered in place of the good ones.
 In 1645, when the United Colonies made peace with the Narragansetts they imposed upon the Indians a fint of 2,0G0 fathoms of wampum, fathon length being rated at five shillingS sterling.
 Grain or Cattle.
 In New England taxes and debts were at first paid in grain or cattle Beaver skins and musket balls were also used as money. Exchange 0. commodities was constantly carried on and after Q while a general store wa! started in some districts, where many things were kept on hand and fol which the farmer could exchange hi. products. The storexeeper found tha he could dispose of some articles bet. ter than others These he preferred tt accept and they came to be used il place of money.
 Tobacco Much Used.
 In Virginia the leading product wa. tobacco. As early as 1912 John Rolf had sent tobacco to the English marke and later the planters bought all theil necessities, such as lumber food anC clothing. with tobacco. At one tirna it bought wives for The planters. Nine ty maids were brought over in on, ship ond sixty in the other. Each maiC that came in the first company cost tn, planter 120 pounds of topaeco, and h the second 150 pounds.
 5osten's First Mint.
 The salaries of the clergymen werl liked at so many pounds of tobaccr in Virginia, and in New England the, were paid in quintals of fish, bushels O corn, or cords of wood. Over a larg portion of our country wheat was tn, barter medium. and from this come the saying, As good as wheat" II Tennessee and North Carolina raccool skins were used Even these wer oounterfeited by attaching raccool tails to oposSum skins.
 By the time thirty years had passe, after the landing of the pilgrims tn colonists had established quite larg, trade with the West Indies. They re ceived in return much Spanish bull lion, and still more entered the coun try from pirate ships. To supply tn now necessary demand for money, an, because this silver was to be obtained the general court of Massachusetts il 1852 established a mint at Boston t coin shillings, sixpences and three Dences. Captain John Hull was ap pointed mint master. and was paid on shilling out of every twenty.
 In "Grandfathers sChair," Hawthorn tells most entertainingly of how tn mint master became very wealthy, an when his daughter was married h gave her as 9 dowry her weight in sil yer. This was called pine tree money hecauEe on one side of each piece wa the representation of q pine tree. Al } though the coins were made for owe : thity years the date was never chang cd, The reason was that the mint va established without the consent of th kin, and they dared not let him knoS that they continued to make tho coini
 An amusing incident is told tha { when Sir Thomas Temple showed Kin Charles one of these shillings. the kin asked him in an unfriendIy tone q voice what kind of Il tree that was. SI Thomas told him 1t was the royal cal