Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/465

202 the first class of the Red Eagle, consisting of a silver cross with an eagle in relief, and worn at the button-hole suspended by the ribbon of the third class.

An ordinance of the 22nd January, 1832, provides that the Knights raised from the fourth to the third class, shall have attached to the ring, a rosette or a bow (No. 7), instead of an oaken leaf, as is the case for the first and second classes; the same decree also provides that no one is admissible to the latter classes with the oaken leaf, without being already in possession of the bow or rosette.

THE ORDER OF MERIT.

(Tab. III. No. 13).

Prince Charles Emil founded, in 1665, an 'Order de la Générosité,' conferring the Grand Mastership on his brother, the Elector Frederick III. The Order came, however, officially into force only in 1685. The decoration consisted of an octagonal cross enamelled sky blue, with small golden balls on the points, and with the golden letter F within the upper wing, surmounted by an Electorate hat, but this Frederick I. afterwards converted into a crown, while in the three other wings was distributed the word ' Générosité." The corners of the cross were filled out by gold eagles with expanded wings; the reverse was simply blue, and the ribbon on which the cross was suspended, was black and watered.

On his accession, in 1740, Frederick II. converted the Order into that of 'Pour le Mérite,' leaving the decoration, however, entirely unaltered, and allowing the possessors of the old cross to wear it for life. The Order consisted of only one class, both civil and military, until 1810, when it was reduced to one strictly military. It is now worn round