A Literary & Historical Atlas of America. J. G. Bartholomew
ribbon, and the same head is seen on the Ten-Dollar piece wearing a high cap (Plate IV., Fig. 24). The Quarter Eagle of 1836 (Plate IV., Fig. 26) shows the hair dressed in thick curls and bound by a fillet inscribed "Liberty," and on the Half Dollar of the same year (Plate V., Fig. 31) she wears also a small cap. On the Half Eagle of 1845 (Plate IV., Fig. 25) the hair is tied up in three curls at the back of the head and a stephane takes the place of the fillet; on the Cent of 1856 (Plate V., Fig. 35) the head is similarly treated, but a double coil takes the place of the curls; on the gold Dollar of 1862 (Plate IV., Fig. 27) the hair again hangs loose and she wears a crown of plumes. On the Quarter Dollar of the following year (Plate V., Fig. 32) the full figure is represented seated supporting a shield and holding a staff and cap, and on the Trade Dollar (Plate V., Fig. 30) a similar figure is seen holding an olive spray and seated among goods of commerce. On the small Cent of the same year, 1878 (Plate V., Fig. 36) the head again is shown wearing a fillet and Indian feathers; on the Dime of 1892 (Plate V., Fig. 33) the hair is tightly bound in a cap wreathed in laurel. The reverse of the gold and silver coins bears an eagle sometimes supporting the shield, except the gold Dollar, which, like the copper coins, has simply the denomination within a wreath. The small nickel Cent was introduced in 1857 bearing an eagle on the obverse, which was changed in 1859 to the head of Liberty as seen on Plate V., Fig. 36; in 1864 the nickel Cent was supplanted by a copper coin of the same type.
PLATE III.
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PLATE IV.
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PLATE V.
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The Five Dollar gold piece figured in Plate V., No. 37, illustrates the settlement of the Mormons under Brigham Young in Utah on the Salt Lake in 1847. This private issue includes pieces of 20, 10, 5, and 2½ dollars. On the obverse is seen the Eye of Providence with the inscription "Holiness to the Lord," and on the reverse the clasped hands of friendship, above which are the letters G.S.L.C.P.G. (Great Salt Lake City Pure Gold).
PLATE VI.
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The coinage of Mexico and Central and South America takes us back to the sixteenth century, when American mints were opened and struck Spanish colonial coins, which, as we have seen above, formed the chief currency of the American continent for nearly three centuries. On Plate VI. are shown an Eight Real piece, or "Piece of Eight," struck in Peru by Philip IV. of Spain in 1677 (Fig. 38), and a Two Real piece struck by Charles IV. in 1795 (Fig. 39). The landing of Fernando Cortez in 1518 resulted in the complete reduction of Mexico within four years; Plate VI., Fig. 40, a Two Real piece of the Emperor Charles V. (Charles I. of Spain), is one of the earliest coins struck at the Mexican mint after it was opened in 1535. Until the end of the eighteenth century the Spanish colonies in America remained under the control of Spain, and the chief cause of their disaffection was the exposure of the weakness of Spain in the Napoleonic wars. Mexico was one of the earliest to revolt; the rebels were led by the priest Hidalgo in 1810 and, on his execution in the following year, by another priest, Morelos, under whom were struck coins of the type figured on Plate VI., No. 41, bearing on the obverse the date and mark of value, and on the reverse a bow and arrow and the word "Sud" implying his command of the southern army. Independence was declared in 1813, but Spanish control restored in 1820, and the country finally won its independence in the following year under Augustin Iturbide, who was later declared emperor. An Eight Real piece with a fine portrait of Augustin as Emperor of Mexico is shown on Plate VI., Fig. 42. In 1823 a federal republic was formed which received recognition from Spain ten years later.
Brazil is interesting as the seat of Portuguese colonisation in America. Originally annexed to Spain by Pinzon, it was accidentally discovered a second time in 1500 by the Portuguese admiral Cabral, who, in an attempt to follow Vasco da Gama's course by the Cape of Good Hope to India, so greatly exaggerated the circuit which was necessary to avoid contrary winds and currents that he struck the coast of Brazil; it was then found that it lay within Portuguese territory by the agreement of 1494, and a few years later Vespucci was sent by Portugal to colonise it. After the middle of the sixteenth century it passed into Spanish and Dutch possession and was recovered by Portugal in 1640. On the invasion of Portugal by Napoleon in 1807, John VI. fled to Brazil, and it became the seat of government till 1821, when, on his father's return to Portugal, Pedro was left regent, and became emperor by a revolution in the following year; its independence was recognised in 1825. Plate VII., Fig. 43, shows a silver coin of Brazil struck in 1749 by John V.; the sphere on the reverse was the emblem adopted by Manoel about the year 1500 to typify the large additions to Portuguese dominions at that time. Fig. 44 is a gold piece of 4000 Reis with portrait of Pedro I. as emperor in 1824 and Fig. 45 a gold 10,000 Reis piece (the Reis having greatly depreciated by this time) struck in 1889, the first year of the Brazilian Republic.
French colonisation is seen in the island of Haiti, in which, though discovered by Columbus, a French colony settled in 1690, and by the treaty of Ryswick in 1697 the part of the island known as San Domingo was ceded to France. After long fighting between French and natives independence was declared under Dessalines, who took the title of James I.; after his assassination in 1806, Christophe seized power and in 1811 became king of the largest part of the island; his portrait and assumed title of Henry I. are seen on the silver coin figured on Plate VII., No. 46. Pétion, ruler of the other part, was succeeded by Boyer who united the whole island in 1822. In 1844 it was again divided as at the present time.
PLATE VII.
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Plate VII., Fig. 47, shows an English Shilling countermarked by the Republic of Costa Rica, a practice which was much in vogue in Central America to supply the lack of small silver. Having become independent in 1821 Costa Rica joined in 1824 the Confederation of Central America and separated again in 1840. A gold Escudo of 1849 is seen on Plate VII., Fig. 48, on which is continued the type in use during the Confederacy. Guatemala, the head republic of this Confederacy, won its independence also in 1821; the Peso, or Eight Real piece, of the first year