nothing further to add, but the strongest assurances of my being your Honor's most obedient and most humble servant."

CAPTAIN STOBO.

This personage, who was with Washington at the time of the surrender of Fort Necessity, and who was then given up as a hostage to the French, has always been a subject of interest and curiosity to us. His letters written from Fort Duquesne while he was a prisoner, the fearless spirit which he displayed in those letters, his great anxiety that the place should be recaptured, reckless of its effect upon himself, has always excited a strong interest in our mind for further information about him. We have made many inquiries about him, but have never until recently heard a word more about him. We had never found any person of the name of Stobo, so that we could not even learn what countryman he was.

A short time since, however, we were on a visit to our aged mother in the country, who has a very respectable old fashioned library, and while there happened to pick up an early volume of the "Port Folio," and upon opening it, the very first words that met our eyes were Captain Stobo." Our attention, of course, was arrested, and we found the following extract of a letter from David Hume to Dr. Tobias Smollet, dated:

"RAGLEY, 21st September, 1768.

"I did not see your friend, Captain Stobo, till the day before I left Cirencester, and only for a little time: but he seemed to be a man of good sense, and has surely had the most extraordinary adventures in the world. He has promised to call on me when he comes to London, and I shall always see him with pleasure."

We were struck with the singularity of the whole matter. We entertain no doubt that this was our Captain Stobo, and are equally confident that he was a Scotchman: so we are a little wiser than we were. Perhaps if we could get the correspondence of Smollet, we could learn something more about him. Will not some of our Scotch friends give us some aid in the search after the gallant Captain Stobo's adventures? He appeared "extraordinary" to the great historian Hume, and would surely be interesting on the site of Fort Duquesne.

THE PEACE OF 1764.

The treaty made by Colonel Bouquet, with the Indians, at Muskingum, was an important event, a marked era in the history of our city and the country around. A little more than ten years had elapsed, since at this place the first blow was struck in the war which extended its ravages into every quarter of the world. In that period of ten years, the French had not only been driven from the Forks, but from their vast possessions in Canada and Louisiana, and the crowning act of the glorious successes of British arms was performed on the banks of the Muskingum. From that event Pittsburgh dates her beginning as a regular town. In 1764, John Campbell laid out into regular streets and lots, that part of our present city which lies between Ferry and Market streets and between the Monongahela river and Second street. We have never seen any notice of the au thority by which he undertook to act, nor do we know precisely at what season of the year 1764, the division into streets and lots was made.

At this particular point, in the notices of the country around the head of the Ohio, we mean to pause a short time to look around, to collect various matters connected with the early history of this region, to introduce some matters which may have been previously omitted, and to post up our "notices" fairly and correctly before we advance further. Our original plan allows us pretty wide scope and room enough, and we mean to avail ourselves of our privilege, always, however, keeping in view our great design to familiarise our readers with every matter relating to the earliest history of our country and its settlement and gradual improvement. We flatter ourselves, that we have already accomplished something, and that there are perhaps within the entire number of the patrons of the Olden Time, not a half a dozen, who have not gained some information by our labors; and even if there should be a few persons who have gained nothing new from this publication, they have at least the whole amount of the intelligence collected together in a convenient and accessible form.

The Olden Time, simply as a memorial of the early connection of the Father of his Country with our location and the country round us, must be desirable to every man having a patriotic heart, and we feel confident that no reader or subscriber can regret the time or money spent upon it.

To the editor the work has been the fruit of no little research and labor, but it has really been a labor of love.

FORBES' ROUTE.

We republish the following letter from Robert Munford to Theodorick Bland, senior, which we find in the "Bland Papers," as a specimen of the temper of the Virginians in relation to the proposed road from Raystown to Fort Duquesne :

"CAMP, NEAR FORT CUMBERLAND, AUGUST 4TH, 1758. "Hon'd Sir: If 't is honorable to be in the service of one's country, 't is a reputation gain'd by the most cruel hardships you can imagine, occasioned more by a real anxiety for its welfare, than by what the poor carcase suffers. Every officer seems discontented in camp, happy on command, so deep is the interest of our country implanted in the minds of all. Sometimes the army wears a gloomy, then a joyous aspect, just as the news either confirms our stay here, or immediate departure. The General,* with the small-pox in one, the flux in the other division of our forces, and no provision ready, are indeed excuses for our being here at present; yet all might have been prevented. A few hearty prayers are every moment. offered up for those self-interested Pennsylvanians who endeavor to prevail on our General to cut a road for their convenience, from Raystown to Fort Duquesne, that a trifling good to particulars, should retard what would conduce to the general welfare! 'Tis a set of dirty Dutchmen, they say, that keep us here! It would be impertinent to condemn, yet I must [think] our leaders too deliberate at this important juncture, when all are warm for action, all breathing revenge against an enemy that have even dared to scalp our men before our eyes. The amusement we have in the mean time is only following the brave dogs over the mountains for some miles, and our sole satisfaction sufficient fatigue to make us sleep sound. An old scoundrel has intimated to the General that the Virginians have bribed the guides, for 'tis practicable to go the new road, contrary to their report. We have lost all our Indians by the assistance of a man, the [aforesaid] old dog, who interposed through some dirty views he has of superseding Mr. Atkin. Thus are officers in a manner ruin'd by persons whose souls scorn a thought that tends not immediately to their own advantage. I'm sorry to live upon.

*General Forbes.

†See Spark's writings of Washington, vol. 2, p. 302.

my country when I've so small a prospect of repaying her by any service. We shall march to Raystown shortly, thence to the Fort,* if permitted. I shall embrace the next opportunity of writing you our transactions, and am as always, dear sir, your most Aff'te nephew, &c.

"P. S. By express, we have an acc't that some of the enemy Indians have joined the Pennsylvanians."

We take the following description of this noble work from The New York Rail Road Journal, a valuable periodical which we cannot pass by without an acknowledgment of its merits.

The account of the bridge is from the pen of our fellow citizen, John A. Roebling, the enterprising engineer and constructor of the bridge.

We rejoice at the opportunity of publishing this description, and thus giving our aid to make more generally known this admirable species of bridges, which is destined, as we think, to supersede all others.

"The new Suspension Bridge over the Monongahela river, at Pittsburgh, was commenced in June, 1845, and opened for travel in February, 1846. The piers and abutments of the old wooden structure, which was destroyed by the great fire, required extensive repairs to be fitted for the reception of the new superstructure. The whole length of the work between the abutments, is exactly 1,500 feet, and is divided intoe ight spans of 188 feet, average distance from centre to centre. The piers are 50 feet long at bottom, 36 feet high, and 11 feet wide on top, battering 1 inch to the foot.

"Two bodies of substantial cut stone masonry, measuring 9 feet square and 3 feet high, are erected on each pier, at a distance of 18 feet apart. On these the bed plates are laid down for the support of the cast iron towers, to which the wire cables are suspended by means of pendulums. Each span being supported by two sepaarte cables, there are therefore, 18 cables suspended to 18 towers.

"The towers are composed of four columns moulded in the form of a two sided or cornered pilaster; they are connected by four lattice pannels, secured by screw bolts. The pannels up and down stream close the whole side of a tower, but those in the direction of the bridge form an open doorway, which serves for the continuation of sidewalks from one span to the other.

* Duquesne.

"On top of the pilasters or columns, a massive casting rests, which supports the pendulum to which the cables are attached. The upper pin of the pendulum lies in a seat which is formed by the sides and ribs of a square box occupying the centre of the casting. For the purpose of throwing the whole pressure upon the four colums underneath, 12 segments of arches butt against the centre box, and rest with the other end upon the four corners.

"The pendulums are composed of four solid bars of 2 feet 6 inches long, from centre to centre of pin, 4 inches by one inch-the pins are three inches in diameter. To the lower pin, the cable of one span is attached directly and the connection formed with the next cable by means of four links of 3 feet 6 inches long and 4 inches by 1 inch.

"The opposite cables, as well as the pendulums, are inclined towards each other-the distance between being 27 feet at the top of the towers, and 22 feet at the centre of a span. The pendulums on the abutments, however, occupy a vertical position.

"The two sidewalks are outside of the cables, and 5 feet wide. The roadway is contracted to 20 feet, and separated from the sidewalks by fender rails, which are raised from the floor by means of blocks of 6 inches high, 8 feet apart. The total width of the bridge between the railings is 32 feet.

"The anchor chains which hold the cables of the first and last span, are secured below the ground in the same method which was applied to the aqueduct their oxidation is guarded against in the same manner.

"The cables are 4 inches in diameter, and protected by a solid wrapper; they are assisted by stays, made of 14 inch round charcoal iron; the suspenders are of the same material, 11⁄2 inch diameter, and placed 4 feet apart. "The peculiar construction of the Monongahela bridge was planned with the view of obtaining a high degree of stiffness, which is a great desideratum in all suspension bridges; this object has been fully attained. The wind has no effect on this structure, and the vibrations produced by two heavy coal teams, weighing seven tons each, and closely following each other, are no greater than is generally observed on wooden arch and truss bridges of the same span. This bridge is principally used for heavy hauling; a large portion of the coal consumed in the city of Pittsburgh passes over it in four and six horse teams.

"As a heavy load passes over a span, the adjoining pendulums, when closely observed, can be noticed to move correspondingly-the extent of this motion not exceeding one half inch. By this accommodation of the pendulums, all jarring of the cast iron towers is effectually avoided. Another object of the pendulums is to direct the resultant of any forces to which the work may be subjected, through the centre of the towers, as well as of the masonry below.