been appointed commissioners by the U.S. Govern- 

 ment to conclude the treaty. On July 8, 1814, 

 General Harrison read to the Indians a message from 

 the President of the United States, and afterward he 

 presented to the Wyandotte, Delaware, and Shawnee 

 Indian tribes large silver pipes elegantly ornamented 

 and engraved with emblems signifying the protection 

 and friendship of the United States.^ 



The pipe presented to the Delaware Indians has an 

 urn-shaped bowl with a bead-edged cover bearing 

 acanthus-leaf decorations. The S-shaped stem is 21 

 inches long and only one-fourth inch in diameter. 

 The great length of the stem was necessary to cool 

 the smoke; the S-shape added rigidity to the silver. 

 The piece undoubtedly is the work of a competent 

 craftsman but it bears no identifying mark." 

 * * * 



Although not exactly a pipe of peace, another pipe 

 in the collections of the Museum represents a gesture 

 of friendship between nations. It is a meerschaum 

 pipe " with a silver lid on the bowl and with a silver 

 mouthpiece. The lid bears this inscription: 

 This pipe was presented to Sir Frederick Hankey by che 

 Grand Vizier of Turkey at Constantinople in the year 1830 

 and to Thomas Hankey Esq" by the Daughter of Sir 

 Frederick and by him to Charles Alexander Esq'" 9th 

 March, 1873. 



The only information that has been obtained about 

 Hankey is that he held an official position as Chief 

 Secretary of Malta for the British Government. 



FOR POLITICS 



In 1838 the Whig Young Men of New York City 

 presented to Robert Charles Wetmore a ]5air of large, 

 ornate, silver pitchers ^ inscribed : 



To Robert Charles Wetmore their late Chairman from the 

 General Committee of Whig Young Men of the City of 

 New York a Memorial of political fellowship, a token of 

 personal esteem and a tribute of patriotic service 1838. 



The bases of the pitchers are engraved: 



5 "The Journal of the Proceedings of the Commissioners 

 Plenipotentiary, Appointed on Behalf of the United States to 

 Treat with the Northwestern Tribes of Indians," American 

 State Papers . . . Indian Affairs, vol. 1 , pp. 826-836. 



* G. Carroll Lindsay, "The Treaty Pipe of the Delawares," 

 Antiques (1958), vol. 74, no. 1, pp. 44-45. 



' Gift of Thomsen H. .Alexander (ace. 63880, cat. 22995), 

 Division of Political History, USNM. 



8 Bequest of Amy Wetmore May (ace. 190331, cat. 387945), 

 Di\-ision of Political History, USNNL 



Presented to Chas Fredk Wetmore by his father, January ist, 

 1840. 



These pitchers were made by Geradus Boycc, a New 

 York silversmith who worked in the first half of the 

 19th century. 



FOR SERVICE IN THE MEXICAN, 

 CIVIL, AND INDIAN WARS 



Most of these pieces, like the pitchers mentioned 

 above, are not so pleasing aesthetically as the earlier 

 ones, and they are much more closely allied with the 

 exuberance of the Victorian era than they are with 

 the classical lines of the Federal period. 



* * * 



A large, elaborate vase ' with two handles and a 

 cover was presented to Major General Silas Casey, 

 U.S.A., in recognition of his services during the 

 Mexican War. The vase is inscribed: 



To Capt. Silas Casey, 2 inf. U.S.A. For his bravery and 

 skill at Contreras, Churubusco and other battles of Mexico; 

 for his gallant leading of the storming party of Regulars at 

 Chapultepec where he was severely wounded. The gift of 

 citizens of his native town and others, E. Greenwich, Rhode 

 Island, August 1848. 



The vase is marked on the bottom with box-enclosed 

 letters "G & H" and "1848." The letters probably 

 refer to Gale and Hughes, New York silversmiths, or 

 perhaps to Gale and Hayden, who were in business 

 about the same time. 



Casey, a graduate of the U..S. Military Academy, 

 received votes of thanks from the Rhode Island 

 legislature for his services in both the Mexican and 



Civil Wars. 



* * * 



Lieutenant Colonel John Bankhead Magruder was 

 given a silver pitcher by his friends in Baltimore for his 

 Mexican War service. The pitcher '" is urn-shaped, 

 has a long, narrow neck, and stands on a tall base. 

 The entire pitcher is elaborate repousse in a design of 

 roses, sunflowers, and grapes. An arched and turreted 

 castle is depicted on each side, and on the center front 

 is the inscription: 



Presented to Lt. Col. J. Bankhead Magruder by his Balti- 

 more friends as a token of their appreciation of his Meri- 

 torious .Services in the Mexican War, October i6, 1849. 



« Gift of Estate of Sophie P. Casey (ace. 171620, cat. 44364), 

 Division of Political History, USNM. 



'"Bequest of Henry R. Magruder (ace. 47577, cat. 10793), 

 Division of Political History, USNM. 



P.A.PER 47: PRESENTATION PIECES 



89 



