File:Seal of the Northwest Territory.png

English: Seal of the Northwest Territory of the United States, bearing the inscription, "The Seal of the Territory of the U.S. N.W. of the River Ohio." Hon. William Hayden English describes the seal and its symbolism:

The coiled snake in the foreground and the boats in the middle distance; the rising sun, the forest tree felled by the ax and cut into logs, succeeded, apparently, by an apple tree laden with fruit; the Latin inscription, "Meliorem lapsa locavit," "he has planted a better than the fallen," all combine forcibly to express the idea that a wild and savage condition is to be superseded by a higher and better civilization. [1]

This image is a sketch by English based on the seal on documents furnished by President Benjamin Harrison and other authorities in Washington, D.C. Variations of this seal can be seen in w:File:OhioCompanyOfAssociates.jpg and File:MELIOREM LAPSA LOCAVIT.JPG.