144 BULLETIN 16 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The third in this group is a naval officer's sword ^^ having a heav^ 

 blade with a convex overhanging back. The obverse bears the 

 Spanish arms surmounted by a crown and floral designs. Within 

 a cartouch is the inscription in relief, " Fabrica de Toledo, 1875." 

 The revei-se bears a foul anchor below a crown, floral designs, and 

 the inscription " Marina Espanola." The grip is covered with white 

 fishskin and wound vertically with eight turns of brass wire. The 

 pommel is a bronze lion's head. The guard is a solid bronze plate, 

 which widens into a solid oval counterguard bearing a foul anchor 

 below a crown and two oval scrolls. The scabbard is made of black 

 leather with three brass mounts. 



OFFICER'S PRESENTATION SWORD 



There is a Spanish officer's sword of a very handsome and expen- 

 sive type in the National Museum collection, a gold-mounted dress 

 sword ^° designed in 1898. The blade is of the same general shape 

 as those just described and is decorated in high relief with floral 

 and scroll designs. The gold-mounted grip is encircled at each 

 end by a band of small diamonds, and the remainder of its surface 

 is decorated with various designs. The circular guard bears on the 

 obverse a coat of arms within a laurel wreath. The circular quillons 

 are tipped with miniature balls and decorated with palm-leaf cones. 

 The gold-mounted counterguard is oval and is decorated with the 

 arms of Spain and Cuba. This sword was presented to the National 

 Museum in 1919 by Maj. Gen. John E,. Brooke, United States Army. 



NINETEENTH CENTURY CAVALRY SABERS 



This series closes with a number of Spanish cavalry sabers of the 

 nineteenth century. These may be divided into two groups with 

 reference to the designs of the hilt : Those having guards formed of 

 brass strips with three brandies and those having solid basket-shaped 

 guards of steel plate. The National Museum collection contains 

 several sabers of the first type made between 1840 and 1875 and 

 several of the second group made during the last quarter of the 

 nineteenth century .^^ 



DIPLOMATIC SWORDS, 1824 TO 1900 



The Museum collection includes, in addition to the foreign swords 

 of a military or naval character, a very interesting series of diplo- 

 matic swords of foreign manufacture, which were worn by diplo- 



»9 Length, 87 cm. Blade, 73.5 cm. long, 2.5 cm. wide. PI. 43, fig. 7. 

 0" Length, 91.7 cm. Blade, 76 cm. long, 2 cm. wide. Marked " Toledo, 1868." 

 81 These sabers vary in length from 100 to 104 cm. The blades are 85 to 89 cm. long 

 and 2.7 to 3.3 cm. wide. PI. 43, figs. 10-12. 



