could possibly have survived from Washington's army, and the amount required to be paid during the first year was eleven times what had been estimated, and in the second year seventeen times. Acts of 1836, 1848, and 1853 provided pensions for all widows of Revolutionary soldiers whenever married. A curious result was that in 1868, when all the Revolutionary pensioners were dead, there remained 888 widows of such soldiers; in 1893 thirteen remained. The early records of the Westchester County Bar show that procuring pensions was an important part of the practice of many lawyers. To obtain a pension it was necessary to tell the story of the applicant's service. Itis unlikely that any advocate would minimize the importance of the client's record. It is from this source that many of the stories have come and have also been preserved by this means. Until the "Macdonald Interviews" are published, and it is to be hoped that this date will not be deferred longer than is necessary, it will be impossible to state authoritatively how much really new material he secured. It is safe to say, how-ever, that for the first time an historically trained mind recorded the tales and by cross-examination undoubtedly amplified and developed many details. The value of the "Interviews" in illuminating historical description is well shown by comparing the account of "Mosier's Fight" given by Judge Tompkins on pp. 61-62 and the description of the same affair prepared by Otto Hufeland, pp. 65-72. If as Emerson says there is no history, only bio-graphy, then the preservation of the reminiscences of the various participants in the Revolution is invaluable source material. It must be conceded that the Hufeland description of Mosier's defense is far superior to any other account of that event previously available, and the Macdonald "Interviews" are credited as the source of the enlightening information.