THE CORRECT ARMS of the STATE OF XEW YORK. 



Second Paper. 

 By Henky a. Homes, LL. D. 

 [Read before the Albany Institute, May 24, 18S1.] 



I shoald not presume to address you a second time regarding the 

 State Arms, if I did not hope that I had some thoughts to present to 

 you, which were both new and true and worthy of yonr consideration. 

 1 have some important additions to make to the statements on the 

 subject, which I made in this place eighteen months since, and of 

 such a nature that in listening to them, I hope they will explain and 

 justify to your minds my willingness and desire to bring them under 

 your notice. 



I am not an enthusiast for this one idea of a correct Arms for the 

 State ; but I have a strong persuasion that the restoration of the true 

 insignia of this great State to their proper place is an object wortli 

 accomplishing, and that it will not be accomplished without steady 

 exertion to that end, and that when completed it is desirable there 

 should be a prevailing sentiment that it is well that it has been done, 

 and that the immense majority should be satisfied with the result 

 obtained. Yet I believe that there never will exist that prevailing 

 sentiment that it has been well done, if the matter is abandoned to 

 the taste and arbitration of any one man to decide alone on what is 

 the true representation of our original Arms. 



Before calling your attention directly to my topic, I desire to be in- 

 dulged in a few preliminary remarks, on the relations which the 

 science of heraldry holds to the insignia or Arms of our American 

 States. The occasion for making them is that during the year I have 

 met with persons who were ready to decide questions regarding the 

 Arms of this State, by the rigorous application of the laws of heraldry; 

 while the making this rigorous application would entail results to 

 which in my opinion New York ought not to assent. 



The relations of heraldry to our State Arms will be better appre- 

 hended after I shall have read a short extract from T. C. Banks' pre- 

 face to a fresh edition of the work of the great antiquarian Dug- 

 dale, on the ancient usage of Arms. 



'•'The original design of heraldry was to discriminate persons and 

 families, and to illustrate the histories of nations in general ; to rep- 

 resent the martial deeds of our ancestors, to perpetuate their mem- 



