2'he Correct Arms of the State of Neiu York. 



263 



offices has a picture of a castellated and barred entrance to a prison, 

 and the only trace of the Arms of the State upon the seal is the in- 

 scription as if upon the doorstep, with a certain grim humor, of the 

 motto, Excelsior ! In many of the current pictures, each of the two 

 supporters is on the opposite side of the shield to the one for which 

 they were originally designed. Justice is seated upon some of them, 

 and both Liberty and Justice are seated upon others. Liberty upon 

 one has the cap of Liberty upon her head with the word "Liberty" 

 upon the cap ; upon another the cap has disappeared, both from the 

 staff and from the head. Upon another Liberty is seated in a posture 

 as if she were overcome with other spirit than the spirit of liberty. 

 Upon a letter-head used in the Executive department as late as 1850 

 and perhaps later, there is the shield, the eagle and the motto, but the 

 globe and the supporters have disappeared ; and the legitimate sym- 

 bols of Liberty and Justice have their places supplied by two figures 

 symbolizing Science and Industry. Tlie engraved letter-head in use 

 in the office of the Trustees of the' State Library has no unauthorized 

 additions to the Arms, but rejects the crest and both of the sup- 

 porters. 



When by a movement of some one who has a fair knowledge of 

 what are the Arms of the State, a picture of them, most of it correct, 

 has been made, all that has been gained may be lost in the next picture 

 drawn. Thus in 1849, the State struck a gold medal in honor of 

 Lt.-Col. Bliss for gallantry in the Mexican war. The picture of the 

 Arms on the reverse side was not only most attractive and graceful but 

 in almost all respects was conformed to the original device. And yet 

 five years later, on a gold medal struck by the State in honor of Lt. 

 Hartstene's services in the Arctic regions, the design for the State 

 Arms falls back upon all sorts of liberties and eccentricities, of which, 

 recalling what I have said on the usual presence of it, the absence of 

 the motto Excelsior is perhaps as noteworthy as any of them. 



There is a change, much to be regretted, which has been introduced 

 upon quite a number of the semblances for the State Arms, that the 

 eyes of Justice are not blindfolded, the scales of justice, and the 

 sword have been withdrawn from her hands, and in place of a sword 

 is a roll of parchment. All these emblems belong to the original 

 picture of the Justice of 1778, and constitute a part of the mytho- 

 logical emblems to signify that justice is an avenger of evil acting 

 with impartiality. In another case, the avenging sword remains, but 

 without the balance or covering to the eyes. And yet the statue of 

 mere carved wood on the top of the cupola of the Old Capitol from 

 1806 until a late period, had been declaring, by the presence of the 



