HER 



HER 



of peace and war, which is exclusively 

 vested in Congress. 



" The crest or constellation denotes a 

 new state taking its place and rank among 

 other sovereign powers. 



" The escutcheon borne on the breast 

 of an American eagle, withoutjany other 

 supporters, to denote that tne United 

 States of America ought to rely on their 

 own virtue. 



" The pyramid on the reverse signifies 

 strength and duration. 



" The eye over it, and the motto (' an- 

 nuit cceptis,' * he prospers our endea- 

 vours') allude to the many signal inter- 

 positions of Providence in favour of the 

 American cause. 



" The date underneath is that of the 

 Declaration of Independence, and the 

 words under it signify the beginning of 

 the New American JEra, which commen- 

 ces from that date." 



The preceding description of arms and 

 device is taken from a copy of the same, 

 inclosed in a letter from Charles Thomp- 

 son, Esq. formerly secretary of Congress, 

 to William Barton, Esq. of which letter 

 the following is a true copy : 



*' Sir, I am much obliged for 'the pe- 

 rusal of the Elements of Heraldry, which 

 I now return. I have just dipt into it so 

 far, as to be able to be satisfied that it 

 may afford a fund of entertainment, and 

 may be applied by a state to useful pur- 

 poses. I am much obliged for your very 

 valuable present of Fortesque de laudibus 

 legum Anglica, and shall be happy to have 

 it in my power to make a suitable return. 

 " I enclose you a copy of the device, 

 by which you have displayed your skill 

 in heraldric science, and which meets 

 vith general approbation. 

 " I am, Sir, 



Your obedient humble servant, 

 CHARLES THOMPSON." 

 To WILLIAM BABTOST, Esq. 



June 24, 1782. 



The originals of the above letter and 

 preceding " copy of the device," both in 

 the hand writing of Charles Thompson, 

 Esq. are now in the possession of Dr. Wil- 

 Kam P. C. Barton of Philadelphia, the 

 professor of botany in the University of 

 Pennsylvania, and from these manuscripts 

 we have been permitted to give the fore- 

 going copies, and account of the arms of 

 the United States, &c. 



Dr. Barton has likewise favoured us 

 with the following facts, relative to his 

 father's claim to the merit of designing 



the device and armorial achievement of 

 the United States, the taste, skill, and 

 heraldric knowledge of which reflect in- 

 finite credit on the inventor. 



In June, 1782, when Congress were 

 about to form an armorial device for a 

 great seal for the United States, Charles 

 Thompson, Esq. then secretary, with the 

 honourable Dr. Arthur Lee, and Elias 

 Boudinot, members of Congress, called 

 on Mr. William Barton, and consulted 

 him on the occasion. The great seal, for 

 which Mr. Barton furnished those gentle- 

 men with devices, (as certified by Charles 

 Thompson, Esq. in the above letter), was 

 adopted by Congress, on the 20th of June, 

 1782. Mr. Thompson informed Mr. Bar- 

 ton four days after (see the above letter) 

 that they met with " general approba- 

 tion." 



HERB, in botany, is that part of the 

 plant which rises from the root, and is 

 terminated by the fructification. It com- 

 prehends the trunk and stem ; the 

 leaves ; the fulcra, or supports ; and the 

 buds, or, as they are sometimes denomi- 

 nated, the winter quarters of tke future 

 vegetable. 



HERBACEOUS plantain botany, are those 

 which have succulent stems that die 

 down to the ground every year; those 

 are annual that perish stem and root every 

 year ; biennial, which subsist by the 

 roots two years; perennial, which are 

 perpetuated by their roots for a series of 

 years, a new stem being produced every 

 spring. 



HERCULES, in astronomy, a constel- 

 lation of the northern hemisphere. See 

 ASTRONOMY. 



HEREDITAMENTS, all such things 

 immoveable, whether corporeal or incor- 

 poreal, as a man may leave to him and his 

 heirs, by way of inheritance ; or which, 

 not being otherwise devised, naturally 

 descend to him who is next heir of blood, 

 and not to an executor or administrator, 

 as chattels do. It is a word of large ex- 

 tent, and much used in conveyances ; for 

 by the grant of hereditaments, isles, seig- 

 niories, manors, houses, and lands of all 

 sorts, charters, rents, services, advow- 

 sons, commons, and whatever may be in- 

 Jherited, will pass. Hereditaments are of 

 two kinds, corporeal and incorporeal. 

 Corporeal hereditaments consist wholly 

 of substantial and permanent objects, all 

 which may be comprehended under the 

 general denomination of land only ; for 

 land comprehends, in its legal significar 

 tion, any ground, soil, or earth whatsoe- 

 ver, as arable, meadows, pastures, woods, 



