A hand-carved American Eagle has been given back to the US consulate 200 years after it was believed to have be taken by British forces in the siege of Washington during the War of 1812.

This intricately carved American Eagle was presented to United States Consul General Gregory Slayton and his wife Marina Slayton by the Bermuda Historical Society a year ago and now hangs in the visitor's waiting room along with the newly constructed Friendship Wall, which depicts the longstanding friendship between Bermuda and the United States.

The donation was on behalf of the Bermuda Historical Society by way of Mrs. Clay Merrell in honour of her husband Mr. Edwin Clay Merrell, who served as US Vice Consul and Consul to Bermuda from July 1920 until January 1947.

Mr. Slayton said: "It is unclear how the Merrells came into possession of the Eagle, but it is thought to have hung in the old-American Consulate during the early and mid-20th Century."