394 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



xemained in the keeping of the Penn family. In March 1857, it 

 -was presented to the Pennsylvania historical society by Granville 

 John Penn, a great grandson of William Penn." — Holmes, p. 253-54. 

 So much for its history. In his address on its presentation 

 Mr Penn said its dimensions were greater than those used on 

 ordinary occasions, being 18 rows deep, that the two figures clasp- 

 ing hands signified a treaty, that one of these wears a hat and must 

 be a European, and that its long continuance in the family leaves 

 no doubt of its genuineness. The last is the only strong point. 

 It is a fine but moderate sized belt of less than 3000 beads, shown 

 in fig. 173, and many larger and wider ones are on record in un- 

 important councils. A treaty is signified, but the supposed hat ap- 

 pears as an undoubted Indian's head on another belt, whore similar 

 ■figures are seen joining hands. Aside from its history there would 

 l)e no hesitation in placing it in the middle of the i8th century, to 

 which both figures and sloping lines belong. Besides its preserva- 

 tion two other points in its favor may be mentioned. One of 

 these is the relative proportion of purple and white beads, though 

 the Onondaga-United States covenant belt is of the same character 

 in this and other things. The other is that Conrad Weiser de- 

 scribed a similar belt in 1748, as already stated, which he was then 

 told belonged to the end of the preceding century. Evidently the 

 Penn belt had never been shown him. However these facts may 

 afifect its history incidentally, there can be little doubt it is the 

 oldest wampum belt but one now in America, and it may well be 

 prized as such. 



Fig. 171 shows an earlier belt now in the county clerk's office 

 in Kingston (N. Y.) of which a small picture appears in the History 

 of Kingston, by Marius Schoonmaker, p. 40. It was given by the 

 Esopus chiefs at a treaty in 1664, and is laid up with the record. 

 There are three gaps in it, and it has no pattern, being made en- 

 tirely of white beads. It is six rows deep and about 130 beads long. 



The style of belts of which the Penn and the Onondaga covenant 

 belt are among remaining examples became somewhat frequent 

 -about the middle of the i8th century. The supply of wampum and 

 the use of belts seem to have lessened for a time, but revived won- 



