meda's on behalf of his Government."" The first 

 donation of niunisniatic material received for the 

 cabinet of the National Institute came from the 

 United States consul at Malaga, G. Read. It consisted 

 of 24 Roman, Moorish, and Arabic coins.'" 



Charles Rhind, former United States Commissioner 

 to Turkey, gave a group of Russian coins and medals 

 as well as several Turkish coins and some ancient 

 pieces.''" \V. B. Hodgson, United States Consul in 

 Tunis, also contributed a significant group of ancient 

 mintings.'^' Certainly among the most assiduous 

 donors was John P. Brown, "First Dragoman" in 

 Constantinople, who contributed a large number of 

 Turkish issues."^ 



A letter characteristic of the inspired interest of that 

 period is preserved in an extract in the "Proceedings." 

 It was written by Lieutenant .Andrew A. Harwood, 

 USN, from the New York Navy Yard on November 

 16, 1841, wherein he pointed out that "officers, 

 particularly of the Mediterranean Squadron, may 

 render very essential service to the Institution, the 

 interests of which I feel assured they will all take a 

 pride in advancing. '^'^ 



"By means of that simple apparatus the Electro- 

 type, perfect fac-similes of the choicest medals, both 

 ancient and modern, may be collected; "'^ and if the 

 apparatus of Daguerre could be placed on board one 

 of the ships, perfectly accurate views of the 

 most interesting sites and monuments of classic 

 history obtained." The record shows that Lieuten- 

 ant Harwood donated in 1841 four clectrotyped 

 medals."' 



The Institute maintained close ties with the Phila- 

 delphia Mint. Director R. \L Patterson was a cor- 

 responding member, as was Joseph Saxton, the 

 ingenious inventor and constructor of the Mint's pre- 

 cision scales. 



""Second BuUetm, pp. 122, 127. 



'5' On December 14, 1840, see First Bulletin, p. 14. 



'" Third Bulletin, p. 331. 



'" Ibid., pp. 235, 262. 



'3* Ibid., pp. 274, 286; Fourth Bulletin, pp. 486, 493. 



^" Second Bulletin, pp. I27f. 



"' Electrotyping was in vogue at that time and frequently 

 referred to as Professor Jacobi's process. In fact, it had been 

 described by Dr. M. H. Jacobi of Dorpat, Russia, in The 

 London and Edinburgh Philosophical .Magazine and Journal oj 

 Science (London, 1839), vol. I.'), pp. 161-163 ("On the Method 

 of Producing Copies of Engraved Copf>er-plates by Voltaic 

 .Action"). 



"'' Second Bulletin, p. 121. 



The numismatic collections of the young institution 

 were also enhanced by Professor C. A. Holmboe, of 

 Norway, who sent copies of his own publications to the 

 library and donated 1 76 medieval coins, mostly Nor- 

 wegian from the cabinet of Christiania L'niversity 

 where he was teaching. He also sent duplicates for 

 exchanges to be made by the National Institute.'^' 



Characteristic of the wide support of numismatic 

 endeavors was the donation by a "club of members'" 

 of copies of medals of French and English sovereigns, 

 from William the Conqueror to Queen Victoria and 

 Louis Philippe. These were clectrotyped by Professor 

 Wyatt and presented on May 18, 1843, by B. Ogle 

 Tayloe of \Vashington.'^' 



The Institute's medal collection benefited also from 

 Alexander Vattemare's exchange arrangements be- 

 tween France and the United States. Through his 

 eflforts, the National Institute received numerous 

 medals presented by eminent men in France, as well 

 as works of art and books. Prominent French medal- 

 lists joined the Institute as corresponding members; 

 among them Jean Jacques Barre, Graveur General de 

 Me'dailles at the Paris Mint from 1842 to 1855; Jean 

 Frangois .'\ntoine Bovy, the well-known medal 

 engraver of Swiss extraction ; the celebrated medallist 

 Andre Galle, as well as his prolific colleague Jacques 

 Edouard Gatteaux. Several of these medallists con- 

 tributed examples of their work, through the good 

 offices of Vattemare, to the collections.'*" 



The records of the Institute yield the names of many 

 prominent foreign numismatists of that period, such as 

 the Polish Count Edouard Raczynski, the famous 

 Frangois Lenormant of France, and Count F. 

 Szecheny from Hungary. Closer contacts were estab- 

 lished with the noted medievalist Joachim Lelewel. 

 living as a Polish expatriate in Brussels. .\ number of 

 his publications were in the Institute's library.'*' 



Official numismatic donations to the National In- 

 stitute are listed in Bulletins of the early years (the 

 original spelling and pimctuation is preserved) : 



'3* Ibid., p. 98; Third Bulletin, pp. 340f.; Fourth Bulletin, pp. 

 487f, 496. 



"9 Third Bulletin, pp. 302, 306. In the United .States Mint 

 records presersed at the National .\rchives, "Correspondence," 

 there are letters dated March 2 and 9, .\pril 26, and May 19, 

 1843, concerning VVyatt's request to obtain impressions in tin 

 of medals, that should enable him to present medals in silver 

 by the elect otype process to the National Institute. 



'*» Third Bulletin, pp. 34.5, 347, 348, 380f; Fourth Bulletin, 

 pp. 489, 494. 



'<' Second Bidletin, pp. 80, 99; Third Bulletin, pp. 271, 274. 



68 



BULLETIN 2 29: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY .AND TECHNOLOGY 



