It has upon its obverse the Arms of England as borne by the Stuarts with the addition of a shield of pretence in the centre, charged with the lion rampant of the house of Nassau ; and, on its reverse, full length effigies of the King and Queen, the latter holding the orb and sceptre, and kneeling at their feet an Indian man and woman, the former offering a roll of wampum, and the latter a skin of a beaver. The legend around the obverse is in Latin, signifying " The seal of our province of New York in America," that around the reverse, also in Latin, is, " William III. and Mary II. By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King and Queen, Defenders of the Faith."

It is attacbed to the fold of the vellum by a thick silken cord, is of wax, and lies in the covered metallic case originally made for it, and is three inches and one half in diameter. Upon the fold of vellum is the signature of Benjamin Fletcher, the Governor, and the countersignature of David Jamison, Deputy Secretary of the Province.

This description of the seal of William and Mary is given because it was that used in New York throughout their joint reign, the reign of William alone, and of Anne until the Gth of September 1705, on which day the new seal of that Queen was received, and this old one was defaced, and sent back to England to be broken, in accordance with the law. It authenticated every Manor-Grant and Patent in the Province from 1691 to 1705, and was appended to every Manor-Grant in the County of Westchester, except those of Fordham and Pelham, the former of which bore the seal of James as Duke of York, and the latter that of James as King, they being the two oldest Manors in the County.