AMEEICAN AND EUROPEAN SWORDS 145 



niatic representatives of the United States in foreign countries. 

 These swords belong to the period of the nineteenth century, and 

 they are all very similar in design. 



SWORD OWNED BY SIDNEY MASON, 1829 TO 1835 



The earliest sword of this type in the National Museum collection 

 is one worn by Sidney Mason when he was United States consul at 

 St. Johns, Porto Rico, during the period from 1829 to 1835. The 

 blade of this sword ^^ is triangular in shape. The top and bottom 

 of the 4-sided grip are covered with gold strips decorated with wave- 

 like designs ; the sides are covered with tortoise-shell strips with the 

 central portion exquisitely decorated with an inlaid floral pattern in 

 mother-of-pearl. The pommel is in the form of a flattened globe 

 decorated with a small oval shield and scroll design. The guard is 

 a gilt strip decorated in the same manner and continued to form a 

 quillon of the same type. A large oval shield decorated with ornate 

 arabesque design is attached to the obverse of the blade, and the 

 scabbard is made of black leather and decorated with brass tips. 

 This sword was bequeathed to the Museum in 1923 by Mrs. Julian 

 James. 



SWORDS OWNED BY WILLIAM [L. DAYTON, SR., AND WILLIAM L 

 DAYTON, JR., 1861 TO 1865 



The collection also includes a diplomatic sword that was worn in 

 Paris by William L. Dayton, sr., United States minister to France 

 during the period of the American Civil War. This sword ^^ is very 

 similar in design to the one just described, but the grip is plain 

 mother of pearl and the shield on the obverse of the blade is almost 

 entirely covered by a large eagle. The owner was born in Basking- 

 ridge, N. J., in 1807, and was graduated at Princeton University in 

 1825. He studied law in Litchfield, Conn., and began to practice in 

 Trenton, N. J., in 1830. He became associate judge of the supreme 

 court of that State in 1838, and in 1842 he was appointed to fill a 

 vacancy in the United States Senate. He was subsequently elected 

 to the Senate and served as a member from 1842 to 1851. He was 

 appointed minister to France in 1861 and held this position until 

 his death in Paris in 1864. His sword was presented to the Na- 

 tional Museum in 1918 by Miss A. L. Dayton, who at the same time 

 presented a similar diplomatic sword ^* that was owned by William 

 L. Dayton, jr., who served as secretary to the American legation in 

 Paris during the period of his father's incumbency as minister to 



82 Length, 95.2 cm. Blade, 81 cm. long, 1.7 cm. wide. PI. 45, fig. 2. 

 ^ Length, 92 cm. Blade, 78 cm. long, 1.5 cm. wide. PI. 46, fig. 2. 

 »* Length, 91.2 cm. Blade, 76.5 cm. long, 1.5 cm. -wide. PI. 46, fig. 3. 



