In accordance with the instructions of the United States Postal Department, the first issue of United States envelopes was to represent a profile of General Washington after Houdon's famous bust. No doubt the spirit of the engraver was willing, but the "flesh was woefully weak." Indeed, it is no exaggeration to affirm that the head, or heads, of Die I (or A) are as far from Houdon's masterpiece as the sun is from our planet. Moreover, on a close inspection we find a lot of curious and noteworthy details which seem to indicate that the artist, or artists, had peculiar ideas of the manly beauty of the "Father of our Country." Certainly, various national types are represented and the expression runs the gamut of meekness, aggressiveness, stolidity, stupidity and boozy hilarity. As a rule an artist would be satisfied to ornament the eye of his subject with one eyebrow, but several of the profiles of Die 1 have two, and in a position which would bewilder the student of anatomy. Another startling feature is the sidelock, which sometimes grows upon the eyebrow. And finally we are forced to conclude that the tonsorial artist who attended Washington performed queer tricks. In one die one-half of the head appears void of hirsutic covering. Well, perhaps this was the summer season! I must not forget to mention that on one side of the nostrils appears a Phrygian cap, probably an indication of the republican spirit of the United States. In conclusion the writer recalls a good joke by a gentleman prominent in philatelic circles. After a perusal of the above paragraphs he expressed himself that the bust of Washington of Die 1, instead of being "after Houdon" was a "Hoodoo", and there is a great deal of truth in the witticism. Owing to the antiquity of the first issue of Nesbitt dies, collectors must not expect to find an abundance of mint specimens. Of course they are the exception, but in many used envelopes the head is impressed with sufficient clearness to permit identification, and the cuts accompanying the dies, being photographic reproductions of pen drawings by an artist, will be found a valuable aid. Indeed, as far as the varieties of Die 1 are concerned, a thorough knowledge of, or acquaintance with, the various heads is necessary to avoid confusion, especially as the inscription in several labels is similar and not unfrequently the lettering is quite indistinct.