The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 | Page 5

the contract between his father and Colonel Humphreys for the engraving of the medal for General Greene:[5]
[Footnote 5: For the French original see C, page xli.]
I, the undersigned, Augustin Dupr��, engraver of medals and medallist of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, bind myself to Colonel Humphreys to engrave the medal representing the portrait of General Greene. On the reverse, Victory treading under her feet broken arms, with the legend and the exergue, and I hold myself responsible for any breakage of the dies up to twenty-four medals, and bind myself to furnish one at my own expense (the diameter of the medal to be twenty-four lignes).
All on the following conditions: That for the two engraved dies of the said medal shall be paid me the sum of two thousand four hundred livres, on delivery of the two dies after the twenty-four medals which the Colonel desires have been struck.
Done in duplicate between us, in Paris, this nineteenth of November, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five (1785).
D. HUMPHREYS. DUPR��.
On November 25th of the same year, M. Dacier, the perpetual secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres, communicated another letter from Colonel Humphreys, in which he requested the Academy to compose designs for three more medals, which had been voted to General Morgan and to Lieutenant-Colonels Washington and Howard. (p.?xvii) Commissioners were appointed and designs made for these also.[6]
[Footnote 6: See B, page xxxvi.]
Colonel Humphreys having returned to America before the medals were finished, their superintendence was undertaken by Mr. Jefferson, as will be seen from the following letter:
To the Honourable John JAY, Paris, February 14, 1787. Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Sir: Mr. Morris, during his office, being authorized to have the medals and swords executed, which had been ordered by Congress, he authorized Colonel Humphreys to take measures here for the execution. Colonel Humphreys did so, and the swords were finished in time for him to carry them. The medals not being finished, he desired me to attend to them. The workman who was to make that of General Greene brought me yesterday the medal in gold, twenty-three in copper, and the die. Mr. Short, during my absence, will avail himself of the first occasion which shall offer of forwarding the medals to you. I must beg leave, through you, to ask the pleasure of Congress as to the number they would choose to have struck. Perhaps they might be willing to deposit one of each person in every college of the United States. Perhaps they might choose to give a series of them to each of the crowned heads of Europe, which would be an acceptable present to them. They will be pleased to decide. In the meantime I have sealed up the die, and shall retain it till I am honoured with their orders as to this medal, and the others also, when they shall be finished.
With great respect and esteem, Th: JEFFERSON.
In another letter to Mr. Jay, dated Marseilles, May 4, 1787, Mr. Jefferson again refers to this subject:
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I am in hopes Mr. Short will be able to send you the medals of General Gates by this packet. I await a general instruction as to these medals. The academies of Europe will be much pleased to receive a set.
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Mr. Jefferson's communication of the 14th of February was (p.?xviii) brought to the notice of Congress by Mr. Jay, and was referred back to him by Congress. The result was the following report:
OFFICE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, July 11, 1787.
The Secretary of the United States for the Department of Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred a letter from the Honourable Mr. Jefferson of the 14th of February last,
Reports, Your secretary presumes that the following paragraphs in this letter occasion its being referred to him, viz.: "The workman who was to make a medal of General Greene brought me yesterday the medal in gold, twenty-three in copper, and the die. I must beg leave, through you, to ask the pleasure of Congress as to the number they would choose to have struck. Perhaps they might be willing to deposit one of each person in every college of the United States. Perhaps they might choose to give a series of them to each of the crowned heads of Europe, which would be an acceptable present to them. They will be pleased to decide. In the meantime I have sealed up the die, and shall retain it till I am honoured with their orders as to this medal, and the others also, when they shall be finished."
As these medals were directed to be struck in order to signalize and commemorate certain interesting events and conspicuous characters, the distribution of them should in his opinion be such as may best conduce to that end. He