Page:The Book of Orders of Knighthood and Decorations of Honour of All Nations.djvu/583

268 who are already in possession of the silver, in which case the latter is returned, and the owner receives for it a gratuity of 25 thalers.

After the death of the owner, the medal is restored to the War Chancellory, and the widow, children or parents of the deceased, receive in return a gratuity of 100 thalers for the gold, and 25 thalers for the silver medal.

ORDER OF MERIT.

After the battle of Leipsic, King Frederick Augustus remained for twenty months a prisoner in the hands of the allied powers, while Saxony was, during that period, governed partly by Russia and partly by Prussia. He was at last, on the 7th of June, 1815, allowed to return to his capital, and resume the independent government of his now greatly curtailed kingdom. On the same day, he founded the Order of Merit, the first distribution of which took place on the 23rd December in that year.

Representations of the cross are given in Plate 79, Tab. II., Nos. 6 and 7, and that of the medal of the fourth class, either gold (weighing 8 ducats) or silver, will be found in No. 8 of that Table. If the cross is presented to foreigners, it bears the simple inscription: 'Dem Verdienst' (To merit).

The right of conferring the Order, belongs exclusively to the King.

Every subject who has rendered useful services to the state, or otherwise distinguished himself by civil virtues may aspire to the Order. Nor are foreigners who have claims on the acknowledgment of the King or state, excluded.

The Order consists of three classes: Knights of the Grand