sand! The placing it in the shed had been a ruse to deceive the British spies.

With the departure of the troops came nocturnal visits from the Cow-boys and Skinners, and foraging parties from both armies. And every man who wore an epaulet must be fed and lodged according to his demands. Bullets, and even cannon-balls, from the shipping, cut the air in frightful proximity, and the old man was aghast with consternation. He began to cast about him

for a place of safety. Several shots pierced the house, and bricks were dislodged in the chimney. He finally, with his family, made his way into the country to the north, far out of harm's way, and hired himself out as a daylaborer.

Many of the bullets and balls, which were planted in the grounds about the house, have been exhumed within a few years.

There was a native cherry-tree standing about a rod directly south of the front door of the mansion. It grew to immense proportions, was at least four

teen feet in circumference, and had six branches, each of which would have made a huge tree of itself. In 1870 it was cut down, and a knotty protuberance on the river-side, which had always been the subject of more or less speculation, was found to have been the harbor of a large-sized cannon-ball for almost a century. The interesting relic is carefully preserved by Mr. Archer, the present proprietor of the property.

On the 1st day of August, 1780, the main body of the American army was suddenly thrown across the Hudson, and encamped at Dobb's Ferry. Why, no one knew save the commander-in-chief. He repaired immediately to this house. His tall and well-proportioned figure nearly reached from floor to ceiling, where the heavy beams were bare and waxed smooth. He was attended by Stirling, Lafayette, Steuben, Knox, Greene, Hamilton, and other officers. It was ascer tained, August 4th, that Washington's ingenious manoeuvre had effected the object intended, that of drawing back the British expedition to Rhode Island, and the army was speedily under marching orders, and recrossed the ferry to the Jersey shore. A few troops were left, however, to erect a block-house and batteries, Dobb's Ferry having grown into a point of relative importance in the movements of armies. It was the spot first appointed for the meeting of André and Arnold; and, if the latter had not been prevented from landing by the interference of a guard-boat, the interview would have taken place in the house above described. It was here that General Greene met General Robertson in conference concerning the fate of Major André. Robertson was the chief of three commissioners sent up the river by Sir Henry Clinton in the schooner Greyhound with a flag of truce. Washington permitted Greene to meet Robertson as a private gentleman, but not as an officer of the army, as the case of an acknowledged spy admitted of no discussion.

In the summer of 1781 Washington's headquarters were again under this roof for six or more weeks. His army was encamped in two lines, with its right resting on the Hudson. The French, under Count de Rochambeau, occupied the left, a single line extending to the river Bronx. The latter had just arrived, having marched from Providence via Hartford.

The real object of the allied armies in the present campaign was the subject of much speculation and betting among the soldiers. It was apparently the capture of New York. There were great bustle and preparation. Distinguished

men from every point of the compass visited Washington, and were entertained in his rustic quarters. The French ambassador spent several days with him. Colonel Laurens, the son of the American ambassador to Holland, was also here; and nearly every general of any note in the army.

Toward the last of August there was a general order for the army to move, and it became known in course of events that it was destined to Virginia, in pursuit of Lord Cornwallis. A strong garrison was left at Dobb's Ferry, which remained until the cessation of hostilities.

It was in this same mansion that Washington and Sir Guy Carleton, and their respective suites, met to make arrangements for the evacuation of New York by the British. Washington came down from West Point in a barge. Sir Guy Carleton came up the river in a frigate. Four companies of American infantry acted as guards of honor, and escorted them from the ferry to the house.

Livingston purchased the property soon after peace was established, which, aside from the dwelling, consisted of about five hundred acres of land. After him it belonged to his son, Van Brugh Livingston, by whom the house was repaired, raised one story, and enlarged on the eastern side. A smooth, velvety lawn was extended from the front to the river-bank. An invisible wire fence protected the grounds from the post-road which seemed to pass through them. It had an air of simplicity and comfort, and impressed the passer-by as being the home of a gentleman of means and refinement. Since then the front has been added, and other changes effected. But the old square parlor is the same, and many other features of the ancient building. Two original foresttrees, a tulip and an elm, the latter of which may be seen in the sketch, tower one hundred and fifty feet high, not more than three rods from the southern entrance. They were both struck by lightning, at the same moment, about seven years ago, the marks of which they will bear to the end of their days. The house has a picturesque background of hill and forest, and commands an . extensive view of beautiful scenery on both sides of the Hudson.

"Beverley," opposite West Point, familiar to the reading public through its associations with the treason of Arnold, is a relic of the Colonial period which has undergone no material architectural alteration since its erection in 1750.

It was for many years the princely abode of a generous and courtly hospitality. Colonel Beverley Robinson, the son of Honorable John Robinson, President of the Colony of Virginia after the retirement of Governor Gooch, came in possession of one thousand acres of fine land in this region through his wife, the sister of Mrs. Roger Morris, and daughter of the lord of Philipse manor, and together they planned and built this romantic dwelling in the wilderness for their summer home. It was fashioned after the country-seats in England, with

a central hall, wide enough for a cotillon party, running through the entire building, and imposing apartments elaborately decorated. The design of the antique staircase corresponds with those to be found in the stately homes of England. The peculiar carving, however, and the curious tiles, indicate the Holland birthright of the accomplished lady who presided over its rise and progress, while the gardens, lawns, fruit-orchards, broad, cultivated fields, and

great deer-parks, were presently in accord with the refined tastes of the mili tary scholar and English gentleman.

Robinson was an officer in the British army under Wolfe, and fought with signal bravery on the Plains of Abraham. When the Revolutionary controversy commenced, he opposed the measures of the ministry, gave up the use of imported merchandise, and clad himself and his family in the fabrics of domestic manufacture. But he opposed the separation of the colonies from the mother-country. He was not a native-born citizen of America, and, although a retired officer, was liable to be called upon at any time in case of war. His idea of a soldier's first duty was obedience to superior authority. Hence, although he desired to take a neutral part when hostilities were declared, the pressure was so strong that he yielded, and removed his family to New York city, where he had a costly town-house and other property of value, whence they took refuge in Great Britain at the close of the war. His immense estates were confiscated and sold. Several of his children were born at "Beverley," all of whom attained distinction.

This dwelling has been the theatre of a score of stirring events. Shortly after it was vacated by its owner, the American officers at West Point selected it for a military hospital. Arnold soon found it convenient, and domiciled himself and his family within its walls. Here he perfected his traitorous designs; and, under the polished beams in the quaint old dining-room, he breakfasted, helping his guests to melons, grapes, and chicken in the most polite and affable manner, with his wife opposite, in pretty morning-costume, dispensing coffee and sweet smiles, on the morning when his bargain to sell his country for ten thousand pounds sterling came to naught. Every schoolboy since his time has learned the story by heart. Who does not know how he was apprised of the capture of André, and with what celerity he made his escape to the Vulture? The scheme of Arnold was the pivot upon which the prospective nation. balanced. Had André reached New York according to the programme, our grandfathers would have loomed up before us a band of rebels, instead of the founders of a great republic. We should never have known the stuff of which they were made. This ancient dwelling stands, like a triumphal flag-staff, to mark the most critical moment in American history, and it has become dear to the public heart.