MEDAL OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY.

By the kindness of Mr. Henry A. Whitney, one of the trustees of "The Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," we are enabled to place before our readers an engraving of the new Medal just struck for presentation by this body, which is well known as one of the oldest charitable societies in America. It was instituted in 1786, nearly a century ago, in consequence of a suggestion made to several prominent citizens of Boston, by Dr. Moyes, an English gentleman, who was familiar with the work of the British Royal Humane Society. The Marine Society, founded in 1742, the Massachusetts Congregational Charitable Society, incorporated in 1786, and one or two others, are all that antedate the Humane Society. It was organized at the "Bunch of Grapes Tavern," in Boston, January, 1786, and its first premium was awarded the same year to Mr. Andrew Sloan, who saved a lad from drowning. Three years later the society awarded a gold medal to Lieut. Scott, for a similar gallant deed; in 1792 a silver medal was awarded to Mr. Richard Hall, who risked his own life to save that of a young student at an academy in Medford.

The custom thus early adopted by the society has been continued ever since, and the pages of its records are filled with lists of awards made for like gallant and successful exertions in saving life, from drowning, when in peril at sea, in shipwrecks on our rock-bound coasts, and in other situations of danger; or for brave and noble efforts in manning life-boats to rescue the crews of vessels stranded amid breakers on the beaches, where so many lives have been lost. These medals have ever been regarded as most honorable prizes, and the certificate that accompanies them is pointed out with pardonable pride as it hangs on the wall of many a hardy seaman's cottage, on the shores of 'Sconset or Orleans beach, testifying as it does to the quick response and successful efforts of its recipient when the tempest was raging and the lives of fellow men were in danger.

From its foundation, in 1786, to 1849, it conferred one hundred and sixteen gold medals. In that year the trustees caused a new silver medal to be prepared and struck, "as the highest award in their power to give," which is equivalent to the gold medal of former times, as a mark of honor. It is voted

only when a rescuer shows uncommon courage and perseverance in saving human life at the risk of his own.

This medal was used for nearly forty years, and that of which we give an engraving in this number, is now awarded.

EPHESUS AND ITS COINAGE.

THE following is from an article in the Saturday Review, from Head's "Ephesus and Its Coinage," and serves to show the importance numismatics occupies as a key to historical problems :

The mythological interest of the coins is very considerable. The Ephesian Artemis appears throughout, either in person or represented by a symbol. There is scarcely a coin from first to last (except the cistophori) whereon the bee, the special symbol of the Ephesian goddess, does not appear; and we find the stag, or two stags, (like those of silver which encompassed the gold Artemis, dedicated by Salutaris,) and the bow, bow-case, and quiver, on many of the coins, as the bust of the goddess, and finally her full figure. It is interesting to trace the gradual development of these symbols and representations. At first the bee alone appears with monotonous regularity, though Mr. Head's quick eye contrives to extract hints for arrangement out of the shape of its wings; then, as Greek influence waxed stronger, the stag, probably a concession to the Greek idea of the goddess, is placed on the reverse; and under Lysimachus the actual bust of the huntress-goddess herself, “chaste and fair," and no Asiatic at all, occupies the principal side, yet with a little bee (pace Mr. Newton) on the reverse. The return to autonomy and Asiatic proclivities restored the bee to its old position on the obverse; and, under the protection of Mithridates, the Ephesian mint even issued pieces with the full, mummy-like figure of the Asiatic goddess on one side, retaining, however, the Greek bust on the other. These variations of mythological type are peculiarly interesting when considered in relation to the changeful history of the city; and the only fault we have to find with Mr. Head is that he does not make quite enough out of them, and does not sufficiently explain their meaning.

Historically the coins of Ephesus are of unusual interest. From them alone do we learn the existence of the monetary league which followed the Lacedaemonian defeat off Cnidus, and which is signalized by the issue of a uniform type of reverse- Hercules strangling two serpents-by all the cities of the league. The conquest of Ephesus by Lysimachus is marked by the appearance for the first time of the face of the Greek Artemis, and the bow and quiver, on the coinage; and when Lysimachus presented the city to his wife Arsinoe, and called it by her name, the facts are substantiated by the head of Arsinoe, veiled as a queen. Later on we find evidence that the Attalid attempt to establish a pan-asiatic currency was supported at Ephesus by the appearance of Ephesian cistophori, with the cista mystica on one side, and on the other, two serpents coiled about a bow-chest. But the most important historical evidence supplied by the coins, consists in the names of magistrates which are generally found inscribed on them after the fifth century B. C. There has been considerable doubt as to who these magistrates were,

and how long each held his office. Curtius regarded them as archons, but on grounds which have since been demolished; Lenormant took them to be high priests of Artemis; Mr. Head holds them to have been prytaneis, officers corresponding in some respects to the archon eponymus of Athens, and places their tenure of office at one year. The argument by which he supports these points seems irrefragable. În 274 years, 238 magistrates' names occur on the coins of Ephesus; the office, therefore, cannot well have been held for longer than one year. If it were half-yearly, we should require 548 names; but, as Mr. Head shows, from a comparison with the dated coins of Aradus, it is extremely improbable that our series is so incomplete as this would make it, and much more likely that there are not many years that are not represented in the collections of Europe. In many of the periods into which the coinage and history of Ephesus fall, the number of names nearly equals the number of years, but in no case are there more names than years. After a consideration of these data, it is difficult to see any alternative to the conclusion that these magistrates held an annual office. That the magistrate whose name thus appears of the coinage was the eponymus of the city, the first Prytanis, or President on the Council of Prytaneis, who superintended the execution of the decrees of Boule and Demos, ordered the public sacrifices, looked to the taxes, inspected the markets and harbors and highways, and gave his name to the year, is demonstrated by a series of historical confirmations which signally attest the present high development of the science of numismatics. An Ephesian inscription published by Mr. Wood, and attributed to the years 324 to 319 B. C. gives the names of four prytaneis who were the eponymi of four successive years. Turning to Mr. Head's corresponding period, arranged, let it be understood, simply on general principles of style and palaeography and the like, with no dates to guide him, we find three of these four names actually occurring on the coins. The fourth will doubtless be found in time. Another inscription mentions a certain Badronius-a name which appears on a coin of the corresponding period in Mr. Head's arrangement, and is nowhere else to be found in Greek literature or antiquities.

THE NEGLECT OF POLITICAL PIECES.

WHILE We are passing through the exciting events of another Presidential canvass, it seems an appropriate time to turn our attention to that class of American Medals known as Politicals, and to find out, if we can, why this most interesting field of study has of late years become woefully neglected. It is unnecessary to enlarge, to the readers of the Journal, upon the value of these political pieces in connection with the history of the country, if their issue could have been kept out of the hands of some of the unprincipled parties who seemed to have controlled many of the dies.

During the time (a long way ago now) when the fever for Politicals was at its height, the owners of dies were tempted by the offers of eager collectors to strike "mule" pieces without end. Now you may find a pair of dies put together to make a medal, and it may produce a perfectly correct piece in all respects, but as dealer and collector in those days were anxious only for the