Page 59 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT. 57

the Thistle, or ICni,qhts of St. Andrew, was, according to some
writers, instituted by Achaius, Icing of Scots, in memory of an
appearance in the heavens of a bright cross, resembling that
whereon St. Andrew suffered martyrdom, seen by Achaius the
night before he gained a victory over Athelstan, King of Eng-
land, in the tenth century. This order after having much
declined, was revived by James I1 of England, in 1687, and
again by Queen Anne, in 1703. This ancient flag of the Thistle
Order could not have been borne aloft during the Scotch rebel-
lion of 1715, as it bears date focr years later; but it is the
distinct tradition of the family through which it has been handed
down, that it mas used in the mcnlorable Scotch rebellion of
1745, and was in the fatal defeat of Prince Charlie at Culloden:
soon after which, its early possessor, the Clarkson family,
migrated to New England, bringing this interesting relic with
them. It was presented to the Society by JOIIN LIYBERT, of
Ceresco, who obtained it from Capt. CLARI~SON of that place, a
lineal descendant of its original owner.
AN ORIBINAL DEED OB W&I. PENN.--An original parchment
deed from William Penn to Henry Litchfield, dated July 24,
1682, the next year after the settlement of Pennsylvania, for
five hundred acres of land in the Province of Pensilvania-
such is the ancient orthography, froin THOMAS I)UNCAN SMITH,
Philadelphia, son of Gen. WM. R. J~MITIT.
FAC-SIMTT~E RELIC OF CIIARLES I.-An interesting fac-simile
engraving of the death-warrant of Charles I, with all the signa-
tures of the Parliament who condcmncd him; from Cd.
A. WELLINGTON HART.
A PARDON INDIANS.-The original pardon of two Indians
OF
sentenced to be hung by Judge DOTY at Prairie du Chien in
1828, signed by John Quincy Adams as President, and Henry
Clay as Secretary of State, from Gen. WM. R. SMITE.
ANCIENT PARCHMENT MS.-Two slips of ancient MS.
parchment, found as a part of the filling of the original binding
of an old book printed in London, in 1640, and was probably
7m