AMERICAN" AND EUROPEAN SWORDS 27 



Melville, the author. These are of a very crude design with short 

 straight blades, which were apparently made by grinding down 

 blades of a larger form. Each side bears a long narrow groove near 

 the back, and one is stamped near the hilt in small letters " N. Starr." 

 The grips are plain circular pieces of mahogany surmounted by 

 plain iron strips, which terminate in plain globular pommels. The 

 knuckle guards consist of plain, thin, narrow, iron strips below 

 the grip, which are continued at right angles to the blade in the 

 form of double-heart-shaped counterguards surmounted by a plain 

 flat quillon above the blade. The scabbards are made of leather 

 with iron mounts at each end. These two swords were presented 

 to the National Museum in 1912 by Mrs. Catherine Gansevoort 

 Lansing. The Alfred F. Hopkins collection contains two others 

 of similar design. 



OFFICER'S SWORD OF ABOUT 1800 



In addition to the four swords just described, the National Museum 

 collection includes a fifth sword ''' of this period of exceptionally 

 interesting design. The blade was originally somewhat longer than 

 that of the sword just described. It bears on each side a wide 

 central groove and a narrow upper groove. Tlie grip is formed of 

 a solid piece of brass Avith the pommel in the shape of an eagle's head, 

 the plumage on which is very lightly indicated by a series of shallow 

 scallops. The knuckle guard is a slender flat brass strip, which 

 terminates above the blade in a quillon of the same type with a shell- 

 shaped tip. This sword is included in the Alfred F. Hopkins 

 collection. 



OFFICERS' SWORDS, 1800 TO 1825 



The United States military officers' swords of the first quarter of 

 the nineteenth century of ornate design in the National Museum col- 

 lection may be divided into various groups, each of which includes 

 specimens of the same general type. The swords of each of these 

 groups may be distinguished from those of the period of the Eevo- 

 lution by the fact that they bear in nearly every case pommels de- 

 signed in the form of eagles' heads. The swords of Group 1 bear 

 large shields decorated with classical designs, and those of Group 2 

 bear large shields decorated with the coat of arms of the United 

 States. Those of Group 3 are distinguished by beadwork on the 

 guard and by a beaded branch on the obverse of the quillon. The 

 swords of each of the three groups are undoubtedly based on French 

 models and greatly resemble in every case the French weapons of this 

 type popularly known as court swords. These swords have light 

 straight blade s, and in the center, a single broad groove, which^in 



^Length. 82 cm. Blade, 69 cm. long, 3.2 cm. wide (point lacking). PI. 4, fig. 6. 



