sir, your most obedient servant,
R. SMITH.

No. 24. (p. 151)
PLATE XXV.

_March 4, 1809--March 4, 1817._

James Madison President of the U. S. A. D. 1809. [Rx]. Peace and
friendship.

PRESIDENT JAMES MADISON.

[_Fourth President of the United States of America._]

JAMES MADISON PRESIDENT OF THE U. S. (_United States_) A. D. (_Anno
Domini: The year of our Lord_) 1809. Bust of President Madison, facing
the left. On ring, R. (_Reich_).

PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP. Two hands clasped, in token of amity; on the
cuff of the left wrist three stripes and as many buttons with the
American eagle on them; the other wrist bare; above the hands, a
calumet and a tomahawk crossed--Indian emblems of peace and war.[74]

[Footnote 74: See INTRODUCTION, page xxiv.]

The dies of the reverse of this medal served for all the Indian
Presidential medals struck previous to July, 1846, when new ones had
to be made, as will be seen from the following extracts from
despatches of R. M. Patterson, director of the Mint, to William
Merrill, commissioner of Indian affairs, bearing date, Philadelphia,
July 18, 1846:

"As the dies for the Indian medals belong to the War Department,
it is proper that I should mention that the reverses are no
longer in a condition to be employed. They have been used for all
the medals struck since the time of President Jefferson, and it
was with difficulty that they could be made to answer for those
which we have just completed. A new set will be absolutely
necessary, and it seems not unreasonable that they should be paid
out of the appropriation made for these medals, in striking which
they have finally failed."

And Philadelphia, December 5, 1846: (p. 152)

"In a letter which I addressed to you on the 18th of July last, I
stated that the reverses used for the Indian medals were no
longer in a condition to be again employed. I mentioned that the
cost of a new set would be $300, and I asked your authority to
have them made without further delay. This authority you gave me
in your letter of the 21st of July. I have now to report that
complete sets both of hubs and dies have been made, and that the
hubs will put it in our power to replace a die, at any time, if
it