indness and humanity to
sick seamen on one of our men-of-war; and the others, in 1866, to three
foreign merchant captains, Messrs. Creighton, Low, and Stouffer, who,
in December, 1853, went to the aid of the steamer San Francisco, (p. x)
thereby "rescuing about five hundred Americans."

Seven of the eighty-six medals do not owe their origin to a
congressional vote: two which were struck in the United Netherlands
(1782), one to commemorate their acknowledgment of the United States
of America, and the other the treaty of amity and commerce between the
two countries; that known as Libertas Americana (1783); the two in
honor of Franklin (1784-1786); the Diplomatic medal (1790); and lastly
that struck in memory of the conclusion of the treaty of commerce
between the United States and France (1822). Although these cannot
properly be classed as official medals, their historic importance and
value as works of art entitle them to a place in our national
collection.

Nearly all of the early medals were executed by French engravers,
whose names alone are a warrant for the artistic merit of their work.
We are indebted to Augustin Dupre, who has been called the "great
Dupre" for the Daniel Morgan, the Nathaniel Greene, the John Paul
Jones, the Libertas Americana, the two Franklin, and the Diplomatic
medals; to Pierre Simon Duvivier for those of George Washington, de
Fleury, William Augustine Washington, and John Eager Howard; to
Nicolas Marie Gatteaux for those of Horatio Gates, Anthony Wayne, and
John Stewart; and to Bertrand Andrieu and Raymond Gayrard for the one
in commemoration of the signature of the treaty of commerce between
France and the United States.

Congress had not yet proclaimed the independence of the thirteen
United Colonies when, on March 25, 1776, it ordered that a gold (p. xi)
medal be struck and presented to "His Excellency, General Washington,"
for his "wise and spirited conduct in the siege and acquisition of
Boston." But this, although the first one voted, was not engraved
until after the de Fleury and the Libertas Americana pieces, both of
which were executed in Paris under the direction of Benjamin Franklin.
The following letter gives the date of the de Fleury medal:

To His Excellency
Mr. HUNTINGTON, Passy, March 4, 1780.
President of Congress.

Sir: Agreeably to the order of Congress, I have employed one of
the best artists here in cu