Governor Pattison, and held that position until October, 1887. ASSAYERS. JACOB R. ECKFELDT, Sixth Assayer, was born in Philadelphia, 1846. He entered the Assay Department as Second Weigher, in 1865. By regular promotions he reached the position of Assistant Assayer, in 1872, and upon the death of his superior he was appointed and confirmed as Assayer, December 21, 1881. The position of Assayer is one of great responsibility, and demands not only scientific training but wide and special knowledge and experience upon subjects relating to the history and arts of Coinage. Since the foundation of the Mint there have been but six official heads of this department. WILLIAM MCINTIRE was born in Delaware in 1831. He entered the Assay Department of the Mint as an assistant in September, 1853, which position he held, with the exception of a short interim while he was engaged in mercantile business, until October, 1887, when by regular promotion he was appointed Assistant Assayer. JACOB R. ECKFELDT. EXTRACT FROM AN OBITUARY NOTICE BY MR. DU BOIS. (_Read before the American Philosophical Society, Oct. 4th, 1872._) Jacob R. Eckfeldt, late Assayer of the Mint, was the son of Adam and Margaretta Eckfeldt, and was born in Philadelphia, March —, 1803. He was, therefore, in his seventieth year, at the time of decease, August 9th, 1872. In the Spring of 1832, Mr. John Richardson, who had been Assayer about one year, and did not find the employment congenial to his tastes, informed Mr. Eckfeldt that he intended to resign, and wished him to prepare to take the place. Mr. E. shrank from this responsibility, and declined. But some of his friends who had influence with President Jackson, presented his name with a strong recommendation and he was appointed without being asked as to his party preferences. This occurred on the 30th of April, 1832. He therefore held the office _over forty years_. When he entered upon the work, he had to encounter some embarrassments. The apparatus was old-fashioned, and not calculated for nice results. The silver assay had been well performed, without going to a close figure, for many years; but gold was little known in the country or at the Mint, and it is not surprising that its assay was incorrectly performed. Add to this, there was the coarse and cumbrous nomenclature, brought from the old country, of carats and grains for gold fineness, and so many grains to the pound for silver fineness.