Lewisburg Chronicle

Cong. Years.	Cong. Years.	Cong. Years.
1–1789,1790	12–1811,1812	23–1833,1834
2–1791,1792	13–1813,1814	24–1835,1836
3–1793,1794	14–1815,1816	25–1837,1838
4–1795,1796	15–1817,1818	26–1839,1840
5–1797,1798	16–1819,1820	27–1841,1842
6–1799,1800	17–1821,1822	28–1843,1844
7–1801,1802	18–1823,1824	29–1845,1846
8–1803,1804	19–1825,1826	30–1847,1848
9–1805,1806	20–1827,1828	31–1849,1850
10–1807,1808	21–1829,1830	32–1851,1852
11–1809,1810	22–1831,1832	33–1853,1854
		34–1855,1856

The "Difficulty" Laid.

Some weeks since, we referred to the fact that the first Congress under the American Constitution commenced its first session in the Spring of 1789; adjourned 29th Sept. that year; and second session commenced 8th of Jan. 1790. Following from this starting point, as follows -it would seem that the present is the 2d instead of the 1st session of the 34th Congress. A correspondent says this is "the half century question over again,"and raps us as follows :

Mr. Chronicle: Your seeming difficulty about whether this is the 1st or 2d session of the 34th Congress, is singular, taking into consideration the acknowledged learning of the typographical corps of the U.S. in the 19th century. As the 1st session of the 1st Congress begun on the 1st Monday of Dec. 1789, so the 1st session of the 34th must begin on the 1st Monday of Dec. 1855. Thus:

Dec. 1789
Add 66 years, to Dec. 1855
66
1855

As the 33d Congress closed 4th March, 1855, the 34th must begin on the 1st Monday of Dec. 1855."

But then Congress DID NOT "begin on the 1st Monday of Dec. 1789," for "Gen. Washington was inducted into the office of President, on the 30th of April, 1789, in the presence of Congress. 29th Sept. 1789, the 1st session ADJOURNED. And the SECOND session began 8th Jan. 1790. Every session occupying a year only, there appears clearly an overlapping or an extension of time, somewhere in the time past. Having sent our "difficulty" to Mr. Greeley, he explains it thus :

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 28. '56.

Eds. Chronicle-You are as wrong as can be. The 1st Congress commenced in 1789, and closed 4th March, 1791. The 2nd commenced Dec. 1791; the 34th of course opened Dec. 1855, as it should, and will close in March, 1857. Where is the difficulty?

Yours,
Horace Greeley.

It appears, then, that the 1st Congress extended from April (instead of Dec.) 1789. to March, 1791. The apparent error was the opening of the first two sessions nearly a year earlier than the 3d-Dec. '91-since which that is the uniform month for opening.