﻿5^ 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  the 
  Indians 
  used 
  to 
  bring 
  in 
  their 
  medals 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  made 
  over 
  

   into 
  gorgets 
  and 
  armlets. 
  McLachlan, 
  2:4 
  

  

  Mr 
  McLachlan 
  quotes 
  the 
  earliest 
  mention 
  of 
  medals 
  in 
  Canada, 
  

   in 
  1670-71, 
  from 
  volume 
  4 
  of 
  the 
  Archives 
  of 
  that 
  country: 
  

  

  A 
  savage 
  of 
  the 
  Sault, 
  (Caughnawaga), 
  named 
  Louis 
  Atouata, 
  

   godson 
  of 
  the 
  King, 
  who 
  preserves 
  as 
  a 
  precious 
  thing 
  the 
  medal 
  of 
  

   which 
  his 
  Majesty 
  made 
  a 
  present 
  to 
  him. 
  

  

  A 
  medal 
  was 
  struck 
  about 
  1670, 
  for 
  the 
  friendly 
  Indians 
  of 
  Vir- 
  

   ginia, 
  but 
  had 
  no 
  relation 
  to 
  New 
  York, 
  while 
  most 
  French 
  medals 
  

   came 
  there 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  or 
  another. 
  

  

  Mr 
  McLachlan 
  also 
  describes 
  a 
  medal 
  of 
  1693, 
  in 
  five 
  sizes. 
  The 
  

   obverse 
  has 
  " 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Louis 
  14, 
  with 
  flowing 
  hair, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   reverse 
  those 
  of 
  his 
  son 
  the 
  dauphin 
  and 
  the 
  three 
  sons 
  of 
  the 
  latter.'* 
  

   But 
  one 
  original 
  is 
  known, 
  but 
  restrikes 
  have 
  been 
  made. 
  This 
  

   writer 
  also 
  quotes 
  an 
  account 
  of 
  medals 
  used 
  in 
  Canada 
  in 
  1723, 
  and 
  

   placed 
  after 
  death 
  on 
  the 
  biers 
  of 
  Indian 
  chiefs. 
  

  

  In 
  another 
  paper 
  in 
  the 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Numismatic 
  al 
  

   and 
  Archaeological 
  Society 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  1883, 
  p. 
  17-20, 
  he 
  gave 
  two 
  

   quotations 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  O'Callaghan's 
  New 
  York 
  colonial 
  docu- 
  

   ments. 
  Governor 
  Vaudreuil 
  wrote 
  thus 
  Sep. 
  21, 
  1722: 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  received 
  the 
  letter 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  council 
  has 
  honored 
  me, 
  

   and 
  the 
  twelve 
  medals 
  bearing 
  the 
  portrait 
  of 
  the 
  King; 
  eight 
  small 
  

   and 
  four 
  large. 
  I 
  have 
  continued 
  to 
  be 
  careful 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  lavish 
  

   with 
  this 
  favor 
  among 
  the 
  Indians, 
  and 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  only 
  to 
  those 
  

   who 
  by 
  their 
  services 
  to 
  the 
  nation 
  deserve 
  them, 
  and 
  to 
  those 
  whom 
  

   I 
  desire 
  to 
  bind 
  to 
  our 
  interest 
  by 
  this 
  mark 
  of 
  honor. 
  

  

  The 
  reference 
  is 
  to 
  an 
  established 
  custom. 
  He 
  quotes 
  also 
  from 
  

   Beauharnois 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  Aug. 
  25, 
  1727: 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  M. 
  de 
  Vaudreuil, 
  the 
  Rev. 
  Father 
  Jesuits 
  have 
  

   not 
  asked 
  medals 
  for 
  the 
  chiefs 
  of 
  the 
  settled 
  Indians, 
  for 
  whom 
  it 
  

   was 
  customary 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  ask 
  some. 
  The 
  Rev. 
  Father 
  de 
  la 
  Chasse, 
  

   to 
  whom 
  the 
  Marquis 
  de 
  la 
  Vaudreuil 
  had 
  given 
  one, 
  tells 
  me 
  it 
  is 
  

   absolutely 
  necessary 
  to 
  provide 
  some 
  more. 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  proof 
  

   of 
  this. 
  The 
  Indians 
  from 
  above, 
  when 
  they 
  come 
  down 
  to 
  

   Montreal, 
  would 
  not 
  relieve 
  me 
  from 
  promising 
  them 
  to 
  several 
  who 
  

   have 
  served 
  us 
  well 
  among 
  their 
  tribes. 
  I 
  pray 
  you 
  to 
  enable 
  me 
  to 
  

   satisfy 
  these 
  savages, 
  and 
  to 
  send 
  me 
  a 
  dozen 
  small 
  medals 
  and 
  six 
  

   large 
  ones. 
  

  

  