HULL
HL'LL
qiarters, bore down on the enemy and not till
witliin a few hundred yards of each otlier did
tlie order come from Captain Hull to open fire.
Meantime several of the crew of the Constitution
Jiad been killed or wounded and Lieutenant
Morris liad tliree times asked permission to begin
the action, but was met with the " Not yet, sir,"
of Captain Hull. The Coustitation's first broad-
side was fired into the Guerriere when only fifty
yards parted the two ships. In thirty minutes
the affair was over and the Guerriere, Captain
Dacres, a prize. This contest, the first naval
victory of the war, won for the Constitution the
name of " Old Ironsides, bj* reason of her com-
ing out of the action with so little injury, the
enemy's shot not having even indented the sides
of the ship. The Americans lost seven killed
and seven wounded, while the enemy had
seventy-nine killed and wounded. The Guer-
riere was so badly injured that Captain Hull de-
cided to destroy her and she was burned. He
carried his prisoners into Boston and was re-
ceived with great demonstrations of rejoicing.
A public banquet was given to the captain and
his officers in Faneuil Hall and the different
cities passed resolutions of thanks and presented
the freedom of the city, and several of them
voted swords to the gallant commander. New
York ordered a full-length portrait painted by
Jervis. Congress gave him a gold medal and
voted $."50,000 to be distributed as prize money.
This exploit, proving successful, was duly praised
and re%varded ; had it been disastrous, even
under the same conditions as to valor, patriotism
and devotion to duty, it would have cost Captain
Hull his commission if not his life. He had dis-
obeyed orders in undertaking it and knowingly
accepted the issue. He was succeeded in the
command of the Constitution by Commodore
Bainbridge, his superior in rank, and became a
member of the naval board. He afterward com-
manded the navy yards at Boston and Wasliiug-
ton and the squadrons in the Mediterranean and
the Pacific. He commanded the ship of the
line Oliio, flagship of the European squadron,
1839-41 . He was then retired and made his home
in Pliiladelpliia, Pa. His last words were, " I
strike my flag." He was buried in Laurel Hill
cemetery. Pliiladelpliia, and an altar tomlj of
Italian marble, a copy of one he had admired in
Rome, marks his grave. He died in PJiiladel-
phia. Pa., Feb. 13,1843.
HULL, John, goldsmith, was born at Market Harljorougli. Leicestershire, England, Dec. 18, 16-24; son of Roliert and Elizabetli Storer Hull. He attended schord in England and in 103.") ac- companied his parents to New England, arriving in Boston, Nov. 7, 103.5. He attended for a sliort time the first school in Boston, established by
Philemon Pormort, April 23, 1G35 ; but was then
taken out to help his father plant corn, and he
aided him in farm-work for seven years. He
tlien learned the goldsmith's trade. He was
married. May 1, l{i47. by Gov. Jolin Winthrop, to
Juditli, (laugliter of Edmund and Jiulitli Quincy.
She was born in England, Sei)t. 3, 1G2G, and came
to New England with her parents in 1633. John
Hull was cliosen corpoi-al under the command of
Major Gibbons in 1G48, and was made a sergeant
in 1G.")2. In tliat year the general court, in direct
defiance of the Mixt Moneys Case decision of 1G04
that the Crown of England had the sole riglit to
coin monejs ordered a mint to be set up in Bos-
ton for the coining of shillings and their fractions,
every shilling to be 66| grains of fine silver, and
in form flat, and .square on the edges, stamped on
one side with
"N. E.," and
on the other
"XIId."and the
fractional coins
" VId." and
"Illd." The is-
sue for forty
^^'j'ff-'^^Sl^'^,^
FINE TREE SHILLING.
jears bore the one date " 1652," except the
"lid." pieces first issued in 1662. On Oct. 19,
1652, it was ordered that, to prevent " clip-
ping or washing," they should have a double
ring on either side with the inscription " Massa-
chusetts " and a tree in the centre on the obverse
and " New England " and the year on the re-
verse. John Hull was named for the employ-
ment and took his oath of office, June 11, 1652,
having Robert Sanderson as a partner in the en-
terprise. He held the position of mint-master
until his death, and received as payment one out
of every twenty sliillings coined and made a large
fortune at that rate, computed at from £30.000 to
£40.000. It was also subsequently claimed tliat
the .shilling pieces whicli he coined contained
onlj- about 60| grains of fine silver, in which case
he also made a profit of 6 grains of silver on every
shilling coined. In 1686 silver coinage was sus-
pended and colonial bills of credit were issued.
The royalists of the colony called the issue the
money of trea.son and claimed that it was made
from silver stolen from the Spaniards, that it
was dishonest money, that it lowereil the royal
standard, inflated the colonial currency and that
the seigniorage was exorbitant. The contest
over the Pine Tree money was more inten.se when
bills of credit were issued. Hull was chosen en-
sign of the South Military company in 16.54, and
was selected by the sergeant major and military
officers to keep the records of their proceedings
in 16.56. He was one of the seven selectmen
of Boston, 1657-63. and treasurer of the board,
1660-63, He became a member of the artillery
