PEDIGREE OF THE FAMILY OF READ. 256 Philip Reade, of Mary, daughter of John Barron, of Deborah, daughter Watlington, co. West Dereham, of Norfolk; buried buried 26th May, 29 Nov. 1683. 1707. T Thomas Barron, of West Mary Wil Mary Barron, liams, ma. married 12th 4th July, July, 1698 to Mary Read, George Read, of West Dereham, baptised 7 May, T Robert Read, baptised at Charlotte Green, fourth daugh- T John. TT John Barron Read, Mary Read, baptised at Hit- Wm. Curtis. ר Anne, daughter of John Green, of *Exactly one hundred years after the death of her grandfather, George Read. 7 Mary. ר Deborah Read, bap- Anne Read, baptised at Hit- R. S. NOTICES OF HAYTI UNDER CHRISTOPHE, A.D. 1820. While George Augustus Sainthill was First Lieutenant of H.M.S. Parthian, under the flag of Admiral Sir Home Popham, at Jamaica, he accompanied the admiral to Hayti (I believe in January, 1820,) on a visit Sir Home paid to Christophe, then King of Hayti, who had previously sent some persons on business to the admiral at Jamaica; and I regret that I have only a fragment of a letter my brother wrote to me on his return, which, as the remarks of an intelligent and observing officer, who had the best means of seeing everything, (the attention paid to the English visitors being unbounded, by the king's commands,) will be found extremely interesting. My brother told me that everything seemed to be modelled as closely as possible on the English court and customs, and this is very apparent in the "Almanach Royal D'Hayti, pour l'Année 1818, quinzieme de l'Independence, et la septieme du regne de Sa Majesté, presenté au Roi, par Buon. (Arms of Hayti.) A Sans-Souci. De l'Imprimerie Royale." This work is published by authority of, and from documents furnished by, "Le Secrétaire d'Etat, Ministre des Affaires Etrangeres, etc. S.E. Monsieur Le Comte de Limonade," and I make one extract, which may be useful to some future histiorian. "ROYAUME D'HAYTI. "CHAPITRE PREMIER. "De la Famille Royale. "Sa Majesté Henry, Roi d'Hayti, né le 6 Octobre, 1767, sacré et couronné au Cap-Henry, le 2 Juin, 1811, marié le 15 Juillet, 1793, a Sa Majesté Marie Louise, Reine d'Hayti, née le 8 Maii, 1778, sacrée et couronnée au Cap-Henry, le 2 Juin, 1811. Du marriage de leurs Majestés: "S. A. R. Monseigneur Jacques-Victor-Henry, né le 3 Mars, 1804, Prince Royal d'Hayti. "S. A. R. Madame Françoise-Amethiste-Henry, Madame Premiere, née le 9 Mai, 1798. "S. A. R. Madame Anne-Athenaire-Henry, née le 7 Juillet, 1800." I cannot resist one more extract, respecting the Mint, at page 114, section III.: "Administration des Monnaies, Poids et Mesures. L'administration des monnaies surveille, sous l'inspection du Ministre des Finances et de l'Intérieur, l'execution des lois monetaires, la fabrication des monnaies, les directeurs des monnaies, l'entretien des hotels des monnaies et ateliers monetaires. "Elle verifie le titre des monnaies, juge le travail des directeurs de la fabrication, redige les tableux servans a determiner le titre et le poids d'apres lesquels les especes et matières d'or et d'argent seront echangées dans les hotels des monnaies. "Elle fait procéder a la verification du titre des espéces etrangères importées dans le royaume. "Elle est chargée de la surveillance du titre et des matières d'or et d'argent, de l'etalonnage des poids et mesures dans toute l'etendue du royaume." "Section IV. "Hotels des Monnaies. "Il y a pour le royaume trois hotels des Monnaies, un a SansSouci, un au Port-au-Prince, et le troisieme aux Cayes, pour la fabrication des espéces d'or et d'argent. "Chacun de ces trois hotels a un directeur de la fabrication, et un etalonneur juré des poids et mesures; qui rendent compte a l'administration des monnaies. "Hotel des Monnaies de Sans-Souci. "M. Rigaud, directeur de la fabrication. 66 "Etalonneur des Poids et Mesures. I have never seen any of Christophe's current money larger than the 25 centimes. But my friend the late Thomas Wyon, sen. chief engraver of the seals, engraved the dies for a dollar, of which proof impressions were struck in London, and are in the cabinets of collectors. I am uncertain whether any were coined at Hayti for circulation. I have had it engraved, and it will be found in this volume, illustrating some objections I ventured to offer to our present chief engraver of her Majesty's mint, William Wyon, R.A. on a very general report that our most gracious Sovereign Lady's bust on the coinage was now to be laurelled. Mr. Thomas Wyon, sen. in speaking to me of this dollar, informed me that, being instructed to place King Christophe's bust on the coin, but, not being furnished with any portrait, he hired a negro, whom he met in the street, to sit as a model, and when he delivered the dies to the Haytian agents they were in ecstacies at its perfect resemblance, in their eyes, to his sable majesty of Hayti. Monk Lewis tells an amusing anecdote of the delight of his slaves in Jamaica on his portrait being painted there by a native artist. "Massa" wore a large bunch of seals to his watch, and so also did the "Massa" of paint and canvas, and their identity was unquestionable. Returning to our money matters, the earliest coin of independent Hayti that I have met in circulation is in silver, and was struck in the fourth year of Christophe's reign (A.D. 1815). Obverse. REPUBLIQUE D'HAYTI; and, within a circle formed by a snake with the tail in its mouth, "25 c." (centimes): below which, and between two stars, "AN 12." Reverse, as Petion and Boyer, a palm tree, &c. Of Petion I have the 25 centime, and 12 c. pieces. Each have a bust inscribed, "A. PETION, PRESIDENT, AN. 14.” The independence of Hayti in Christophe's Court Almanack is stated to be A.D. 1803, and consequently the 14th year would be 1817, when the king was reigning; this date, therefore, must have some other reference. Reverse, palm tree, &c. Of Boyer I have the 100 centimes, the 50, the 25, and the 6 centimes. The largest of these is in perfectly good preservation, and weighs 161 grains. The obverse has the bust of a negro (but without the laurel) inscribed, "J. P. BOYER, PRESIDENT, AN. 26." On the neck, "E. DEJON," and below, "F. D." The reverse of all these silver coins of Christophe, Petion, and Boyer is the same. A palm tree, surmounted by a cap of liberty, and guarded by two cannons, pointing from it right and left, with military trophies. Inscribed, "REPUBLIQUE D'HAYTI. 100 c." The spirit of this design does credit to whoever suggested it-Christophe most probably. The execution of all, as might be expected, is very coarse. Mr. Lindsay has given me the copper centime of Hayti. It weighs 50 grains. (Queen Victoria's farthing weighs 71 grains.) Obverse. REPUBLIQUE D'HAYTI; and within a wreath of palm, 82 "UN CENTIME, 1831." Reverse, the Roman fasces bearing the cap of liberty, "LIBERTE, EGALITE, AN. 28." The workmanship and coining look European. The armorial bearings assumed by Christophe for his Kingdom of Hayti are appropriately hopeful and confidently resolute-a new constellation appearing among the stars in the blue vault of heaven. Azure, semée with stars a phoenix proper, across the field in base, 66 CAUSE, ET MON EPEE," is equal to old Noll's warning, inscribed on the edges of his crowns and half-crowns, "+ HAS. NISI. PERITURUS. MIHI. ADIMAT. NEMO." I now present these arms, accurately and beautifully engraved by Mr. Martin from a "Proclamation. Le Roi aux Haytiens, de l'Ouest, |