406
NOTES AND QUERIES. [ [12 s. m. SEPT., 1917.
legal tender, and were finally suppressed
by statute. While residing in Alabama
fifty years ago I had occasion to verify a
statement of account that had been made
out, according to ancient custom, in dollars
and bits, or eighths. There was another
and smaller coin in use, the half of a bit,
dear to darkies and little children, useful
for the purchase of candy, and known to
common speech as the " picayune." Hence
the name of a famous New Orleans news-
paper, and its price.
The dollar-mark, from the cancelled 8, passed by an easy transformation to a cancelled S, and gave rise to a very in- genious, but totally mistaken, theory con- cerning one Uncle Sam, or the plausible, but equally baseless, idea that it represents the initials of the words United States. Some refer the vertical lines to the pillars on the reverse of the Pillar Dollar, the ribbon or fillet represented by the 8 or S. See the article ' Dollar ' in ' The Century Dictionary.'
The eagle has been the emblem of the United States since the days of the Con- federation, immediately following Inde- pendence. Benjamin Franklin is said to have recommended that the turkey be chosen as more representative of America, but his suggestion was not adopted. By an Act of the First Congress at its first session, Sept. 15, 1790, the seal of the United States which had been in use under the Confederation was declared to be the Great Seal of the United States under the new order of things. See articles ' Eagle ' and ' Seal ' in ' Century Dictionary.'
The white-headed eagle is the badge of the Order of the Cincinnati ; it is also shown on the badge of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion.
During the War for the Union, 1861-5, a live eagle was carried by the 8th Wisconsin Regiment along with the regimental colour and the national standard, and was affec- tionately known as Old Abe. He took part in many battles. At the close of the war this eagle became a guest of the State, had quarters in the Capitol at Madison, and was shown with pardonable pride, as an exhibit of the State, at the Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia during the summer of 1876. He died full of years and honours, and his stuffed skin is preserved in his former home.
JOHN E. NORCROSS.
Brooklyn, New York.
PORTSMOUTH DOCKYARD IN 1756.
(See ante, p. 221.)
MAY I add some notes on persons and ships referred to by the diarist, which I have compiled from Clowes' s ' History of the Navy ' ?
The diarist found at " Buckler's Hard. . Mr. Adams . . .Building the Coventry of 28 Guns by Contract." This was no doubt the " H. Adams " who had built or was building in the same year the Gibraltar at Beaulieu. Buckler's Hard was apparently at Beaulieu perhaps there is a wharf there still known by this name. The Coventry was in several sea-fights under Hawke and Vernon from 1759 until her capture by the French off the Orissa coast on Jan. 11, 1782. She seems, however, to have been re- captured, for on Aug 12 in the same year she fought an indecisive action with the Bellone, while on her way from Bombay to join Admiral Hughes' s squadron off Ceylon, and that is the last we hear of her from Clowes at least.
The diarist also found the Resolution of 74 guns "... .building by Contract by Mr. Henery Bird, Junr." Of Mr. Bird and her building there is no mention, but like the Coventry she took part in the action of Nov. 20, 1759, when Hawke defeated Conflans in Quiberon Bay. In this fight she captured the Formidable carrying the French rear- admiral's flag, but the same night ran ashore in the Bay. This ended her career.
On the other hand, the Royal Sove- reign, which was built in 1728 (not 1729, as incorrectly given in the note on p. 222 ante), and which the naval inspector of 1756 saw in the " great Dock," had a very long period of service, but no fighting it would seem, until near the end of it She was in Lord Howe's victory of June 1 (1794) as flagship of Vice -Admiral Sir Thomas Graves, engaging the Terrible, and is last heard of in 1799 with Vice- Admiral Sir Alan Gardner in the Tagus. She had mutinous crews at Spithead and the Nore. The question suggests itself was this the Royal Sovereign that was built in 1728, or a successor ? Nothing is told us of either Royal Sovereign between 1728 and 1794. The ship of 1728 was of 100 guns, the ship of 1794 and 1799 of 90.
The " Biddeford " (this was the spelling of the time) that was " in the Bason Dock " was the last ship of that name in the Navy,
