part is now presented for the first time and the whole of it put in form to be of interest, if not of value. The recent destruction of the Columbia bridge prompted my writing a sketch of it, so that there might be a record made of its continuous history, and I will open this paper with that sketch

AN OLD LETTER. The following is an exact copy of a letter written by Colonel John Arm- strong to General Washington. The original is in the possession of the Rev. P. B. Stauffer, of St. Clair, Pa. The letter is given as it stands in the original. Not the least of its interest lies in the fact that