The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 Part 43

_April 30, 1790._

To Peace and Commerce. [Rx]. The United States of America.

THE DIPLOMATIC MEDAL.

TO PEACE AND COMMERCE. To the left, America, personified as an Indian queen, seated, facing the right, and holding in her left hand the cornucopia of abundance (_Peace_), welcomes Mercury (_Commerce_) to her sh.o.r.es, and with her right calls his attention to her products, packed ready for transportation. In the background, to the right, the sea, and a s.h.i.+p under full sail. Exergue: IV JUL. MDCCLXXVI. (_4 Julii, 1776: July 4, 1776_).

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The arms and crest of the United States of America. Arms: Paleways of thirteen pieces, argent and gules, a chief, azure. The escutcheon on the breast of the American eagle, displayed proper, holding in his dexter talon an olive branch, and in his sinister a bundle of thirteen arrows,[64] all proper, and in his beak a scroll inscribed with this motto, E PLURIBUS UNUM (_One out of many_). Crest: Over the head of the eagle, which appears above the escutcheon: a glory, or, breaking through a cloud, proper, and surrounding thirteen stars forming a constellation, argent, on an azure field.[65]

[Footnote 64: The thirteen original States.]

[Footnote 65: See INTRODUCTION, pages x, xxix and x.x.x.]

Only two of these Diplomatic medals have thus far been awarded, one to the Marquis de la Luzerne and the other to the Count de Moustier.

CeSAR ANNE DE LA LUZERNE was born in Paris in 1741. He was (p. 116) graduated at the Chevau-legers school, became aide-de-camp to the Duke de Broglie; was appointed major-general of cavalry in 1762; and colonel of the French grenadiers in 1776. Quitting the army, he entered the diplomatic service, and was envoy to the court of Maximilian Joseph, Elector of Bavaria, in 1766, and minister to the United States in 1779-1784. He contracted, under his own responsibility, a loan to relieve the distress of the American army in 1780; received from Harvard College the degree of LL.D. in 1781, and the same from Dartmouth College in 1782. He was appointed amba.s.sador to England in January, 1788. Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of State, wrote to him, April 30, 1790, by order of President Was.h.i.+ngton, conveying to him an express acknowledgment of his services, and of the high appreciation of them by the government and people of America, informing him also that, by order of the President of the United States, a medal and a chain of gold would be prepared and delivered to him by the charge d'affaires of the United States at the court of France. The Marquis de la Luzerne died in London, September 14, 1791, before the medal was finished.

eLeONORE FRANcOIS eLIE, COUNT, AFTERWARD MARQUIS, DE MOUSTIER, was born in Paris, March 15, 1751. He entered the army when but fourteen years of age, and at sixteen was sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navarre cavalry; captain in the Dauphin dragoons 1771; mestre-de-camp, 1777, and soon after marechal-de-camp; and lieutenant-general, 1816.

Entering the diplomatic service in 1771, he first served as gentilhomme d'amba.s.sade in Lisbon, then as conseiller d'amba.s.sade in London, 1772; was charge d'affaires at Naples, and in 1777, minister to the court of Treves, He was sent on a special mission to England in 1783, and as minister to the United States in 1787. In 1790 he declined the mission to the court of St. James, and went as amba.s.sador to Berlin. Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of State, informed him, March 2, 1791, by order of President Was.h.i.+ngton, that a medal and a chain of gold would be presented to him by Mr. Short, in the name of the United States of America. In September, 1791, he declined the ministry of Foreign Affairs, emigrated in 1792, and came back to France with Louis XVIII. in 1814. The Marquis de Moustier died at Bailli, near Versailles, February 1, 1816.

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ORIGINAL DOc.u.mENTS. (p. 117)

_John Adams to the President of Congress._

To His Excellency John JAY, Braintree, August 3, 1779.

President of Congress.

Sir: The Chevalier de la Luzerne is a Knight of the Order of St.

John of Jerusalem, of an ancient and n.o.ble family, connected by blood with many characters of princ.i.p.al name in the kingdom; a grandson of the celebrated Chancellor de la Moignon; a nephew of Monsieur Malesherbes, perhaps still more famous as first President of the Court of Aids, and as Minister of State, a brother of the Comte de la Luzerne, and of the Bishop of Langres, one of the three Dukes and Peers who had the honour to a.s.sist in the consecration of the King; a near relative of the Marshal de Broglie, and the Comte his brother, and of many other important personages in that country; nor is his personal character less respectable than his connections. As he is possessed of much useful information of all kinds, and particularly of the political system of Europe, obtained in his late Emba.s.sy in Bavaria; and of the justest sentiments of the mutual interests of his country and ours, and of the utility to both of that alliance which so happily unites them, and at the same time divested of all personal and party attachments and aversions, Congress and their const.i.tuents, I flatter myself, will have much satisfaction in his negotiations, as well as in those of the Secretary to the Emba.s.sy, Monsieur Marbois, who was also Secretary to the Emba.s.sy in Bavaria, and is a Counsellor of the Parliament of Metz, a gentleman whose abilities, application and disposition cannot fail to make him useful in this momentous office he sustains.

I have the honour to be with great respect, Sir, Your most obedient and most humble servant, John ADAMS.

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_Thomas Jefferson to William Short._

To William SHORT, Esquire, New York, April 30th, 1790.

Charge d'Affaires of the United States of America, Paris.

Dear Sir: It has become necessary to determine on a present proper to be given to diplomatic characters on their taking leave of us; and it is concluded that a medal and chain of gold will be the most convenient. I am therefore to ask the favour of you to order the dies to be engraved with all the despatch practicable.

The medal must be of 30-lines diameter, with a loop on the edge to receive the chain. On one side must be the arms of the United States, of which I send you a written description, and (p. 118) several impressions in wax, to render that more intelligible; round them as a legend must be "The United States of America."

The device on the other side we do not decide on; one suggestion has been a Columbia (a fine female figure) delivering the emblems of Peace and Commerce to a Mercury, with the legend "Peace and Commerce" circ.u.mscribed, and the date of our Republic, to-wit: IV Jul. MDCCLXXVI, subscribed as an Exerguum; but having little confidence in our own ideas in an art not familiar here, they are only suggested to you, to be altered, or altogether postponed to such better device as you may approve on consulting with those who are in the habit and study of medals. Duvivier and Dupre seem to be the best workmen, perhaps the last is the best of the two.

I am with great and sincere esteem, Thomas JEFFERSON.

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_Thomas Jefferson to the Marquis de la Luzerne._

To His Excellency THE MARQUIS DE LA LUZERNE. New York, April 30th, 1790.

Sir: When in the course of your Legation to the United States your affairs rendered it necessary that you should absent yourself a while from that station, we flattered ourselves with the hopes that that absence was not final. It turned out in events that the interests of your Sovereign called for your talents, and the exercise of your functions in another quarter.

You were pleased to announce this to the former Congress through their Secretary for Foreign Affairs, at a Time when that body was closing its Administration, in order to hand it over to a Government, then preparing on a different model. This Government is now formed, organized and in action, and it considers among its earliest duties and a.s.suredly among its most cordial, to testify to you the Regret which the People and Government of the United States felt at your Removal from among them; a very general and sincere regret, and tempered only by the consolation of your personal advancement which accompanied it. You will receive, Sir, by order of the President of the United States, as soon as it can be prepared, a Medal and chain of gold, of which he desires your acceptance, in token of their Esteem and of the sensibility with which they will ever recall your Legation to their memory.

But as this compliment may hereafter be rendered to other missions, from which yours was distinguished by eminent circ.u.mstances, the President of the United States wishes to pay you the distinguished tribute of an express acknowledgment of your services, and our sense of them. You came to us, Sir, through all the perils which encompa.s.sed us on all sides. You found us struggling and suffering under difficulties as singular and trying as our situation was new and unprecedented. Your magnanimous nation had taken side with us in the conflict and yourself become the center of our common councils, the link which connected our common operations.

In that position you laboured without ceasing, till all labours were crowned with glory to your nation, Freedom to ours, and Benefit to both. During the whole we had constant evidence (p. 119) of your Zeal, your abilities, and your good Faith; and we desire to convey this Testimony of it home to your own Breast and to that of your Sovereign, our best and greatest Friend, and this I do, Sir, in the name and by the express Instruction of the President of the United States.

I feel how flattering it is to me, Sir, to be the organ of the public sense on this occasion, and to be justified by that office in adding to theirs, the homage of those sentiments of respect and esteem with which I have the honour to be,

Your Excellency's most obedient and most humble servant, Thomas JEFFERSON.

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_William Short to Thomas Jefferson._

To the Honourable Paris, June the 14th, 1790.

Thomas JEFFERSON, Secretary of State.

Dear Sir: - - - - -

I received three days ago the first letters which have come to my hands from you since your arrival in New York. That of the latest date was April 30th. I communicated to Mr. de Montmorin[66] also the copy of the letter to Mr. de la Luzerne, which he desired I should allow him to retain.

I shall employ Dupre to execute the medal you mention, after having consulted with the Abbe Barthelemi, respecting those parts which are left undecided, and no time shall be lost in forwarding the business.

- - - - - Wm. SHORT.

[Footnote 66: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Louis XVI.]

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_Thomas Jefferson to William Short._

To William SHORT, Esquire, New York, July 26th, 1790.

Charge d'Affaires of the United States of America, Paris.

Dear Sir: - - - - -

As I presume the die will be finished by the time you receive this, I am to desire you will have a medal of gold struck for the Marquis de la Luzerne, and have put to it a chain of 365 links, each link containing gold of the value of two dollars and a half, or 13 livres 10 sous, the links to be of plain wire, so that their workmans.h.i.+p may cost as it were nothing. The whole will make a present of a little more than a thousand dollars, including the medal and chain. As soon as done, be pleased to forward them by a safe hand to the Marquis de la Luzerne, (p. 120) in the name of the President of the United States, informing him that it is the one spoken of in my letter to him of April 30th, 1790. Say nothing to anybody of the value of the present, because that will not always be the same in all cases. Be so good as to have a second medal of gold struck in the same die, and to send this second, together with the dies, to Philadelphia by the first safe person who shall be pa.s.sing. No chain to be sent with it.

I am with great and sincere esteem, Th: JEFFERSON.

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_Thomas Jefferson to the Count de Moustier._