!;■■■( (-^ii.^:;. •; v/*'' • -r . .■ v 'i .■'■'".*■ •'jj'ii'.'t 1 '' qass__tl_ 3 \ Z ~ Book _.^JD HOME OF WASHINGTON; MOUNT VERNON AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS, HISTOEToAL, BIOGEAPHICAL, AJ!TD pictoeial BY BENSON J. LOSSING. ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS t CHTBIXy FEOM ORIGINAL DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOE, ENGRAVED BT liOSSING & BABBITT I*u.T3lislied. \)y Subscription only. NEW YOKK : VIRTUE & YORSTON, 12 Pet Street. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1870 by BENSON J. LOSSENG. In the Clerk's Office of the District Court, for the Southern District of New York, .jy«< ft »** TO HIS PA.XRIOTIO C OTJNT R YTVO M^KN", BY WHOSE EFFORTS ^\it fome Hwb ®;omb of Mas^ingtoo HAVE BEEN RESCUED FEOM DECAY. This Volume "is O^icated BY THE AUTHOa. PREFACE. The materials of which this volume is composed, were coL lected by the writer many years ago, during visits to Mount Vernon, and also Arlington House, the residence of the fam- ily of George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted son of Washington. Careful search was made elsewhere for memen- toes of the domestic life of Washington and of his Home on the banks of the Potomac Eiver; and faithful drawings of objects and transcriptions of documents were made, wherever found. It is believed that few of such objects of interest have escaped notice. Delineations and descriptions of these, and facts con- cerning Mount Yernon, of every kind, have been arranged in proper order in the following pages, and so present quite o complete picture of the private and domestic life of the Fathei of his Country ; for that life, from his earliest childhood, wair associated with Mount Vernon. Had the collection of the contents of this Volume been delayed a little longer, it could never have been made, foi almost every relic of Washington that remained at his Home when it passed into the possession of The Ladies Mount Yer- non Association^ was borne away by the retiring proprietor. These and many others at Arlington House were, during the the terrible storms of Civil War which frequently swept over Virginia, widely scattered, and it is believed that many per- 12 PK EF AC E. ished. And so this work lias become a most rare and precious depository of the likenesses of things once associated with the person of the Beloved Patriot, and of facts having the same relation. But for it, all semblance of such objects would have passed from the memory of men and been lost forever. The reader will bear in mind that when persons or things are spoken of in the body of the work, in the present tense, the time is the year 1859, when the collection and arrange- ment of the materials were first made. The writer revisited Mount Vernon and Arlington House early in 1870, and has added many pages of interesting matter to the original collec- tion, making,it is believed, a complete reliquary of Washington and his Home. He found the aspect of Mount Vernon very little changed. But the beautiful grounds around Arlington House had been converted into a burial place for many thou- sands of the young men of the Country who perished while striving to save the imperilled life of the Kepublic. 3. J. L. Thb Eidge, Dover, N. Y, April, 1870- CONTENTS. PAGE. Description of tlie Arms of tlie Washington Family 27 The Washington Family in England 28 A Baronial Residence of the Family 30 Washington's Seals, and Books in his Library 31 Reference to his Birth-Place 32 The Family of Washington's Mother. His Birth 33 His Birth-day and Change in the Calendar 34 Home of the Washington Family on the Rappahannock 34 Place of Washington's Birth described 36 Letters of Washington and- Richard Henry Lee, in childhood 37 Death of Washington's Father 38 Lawrence Washington. Admiral Vernon 39 Lawrence with Admiral Vernon on a Naval Expedition 40 Siege of Carthagena ; Lawrence Washington at Home 41 Lawrence Washington's Mansion. Mount Vernon Estate 42 The first Mansion at Mount Vernon 43 The Surroundings of George Washington's Boyhood 43 Account of Lord Fairfax's Life and Death 44 Society at Mount Vernon. Young Washington prepares for Sea 45 His Mother interferes, and he returns to School 46 Washington's first Love. Temptation and Constancy 47 His Early Sports and regular Occupation 48 Experience as a Surveyor and in Wood-craft 48 Appointed a public Surveyor. Disposition of his implements 49 Washington's Military Genius awakened 50 Lawrence and George Washington in Barbadoes. Lawrence dies 51 George inherits Mount Vernon and Paternal Estate 51 Conflicting interests of the English and French in America 52 Washington, a Virginia Major, performs a Perilous Errand 53 Major Washington leads an Expedition against the French 54 Washington continued in the Public Service. Commissioned a Colonel. 55 First meeting of Washington and Braddock 56 Washington with Braddock. Battle of the Monongahela 57 His Personal Losses. His Errand to Boston 58 14: CONTENTS. jEnamored of Mary Phillips on the Banks of the Hudson 59 His rival, and their different destinies 60 Washington leads Troops toward Fort Du Qucsne 60 End of Campaign. Return -of Washington to Mt. Vernon 61 Delegate in the Virginia Assembly. His Courtship 61 Slory of his Courtship continued 63 Marriage engagement with Martha Custis 63 The Young Widow's First Husband. Her Fortune 64 The Marriage ; its Place and Circumstances 65 The Washington Family at Mount Vernon 66 Character of Mrs. Washington. Mt. Vernon Estate 67 Articles used in the House during Washington's Bachelorhood 68 Orders preparatory to the reception of a Wife 65 Articles ordered by Washington as a Husband 70 Articles used by a Virginia Lady, in 1760 7] Works of Art ordered for the Mt. Vernon Mansion 73 Articles used by a Virginia Boy a Century ago 73 Articles used by a Virginia Girl a Century ago 74 Glimpses of Domestic Arrangements at Mt .Vernon 75 Washington's daily Life revealed by his Diaries 75 Social Enjoyments, Sports and Amusements 76 Mrs. Wasliington's Equipage for the Road 76 Washington's fine Horses. His appearance on Horseback 77 The Equestrian Outfit of a Virginia Gentleman 77 Aquatic Sports. Social enjoyments abroad 73 Washington in the Civil Service. Life at the Capital 73 Washington's Home Habits. Industry, Economy and Method 79 He writes with a Gold Pen. Keeps a Diary through Life 30 His Accounts, Correspondence and attention to his Farm 81 Washington as a Farmer. His Table Habits 32 The Product of his Farm. Character of his Flour 33 The Mount Vernon Wharf 33 Shadows of coming Events 34 Washington's long training for the approaching Struggle §5 George Mason, his neighbor and Friend 36 Washington's Connection with the Church of England 36 The estalilishment of Pohick Church .'' 37 Washington as an Architect and Draughtsman 33 Ministers at Pohick Church. Mason L. Weems 39 Character and occupation of Weems 90 Washington a Vestryman in Alexandria 91 Pohick Church in decay 91 The Author's experience in Pokick Church 93 CONTENTS. 15 The interior of the Church 93 Cliarles Wilson Peale, the Painter; 94 Peale paints the first Portrait of Washington 95 Rembrandt Peale's account of Field, the Painter 96 History of the Study of Washington's Portrait 97 Peale paints a miniature Likeness of Mrs. Washington 98 Death of Mrs. Washington's Daughter 99 Tokens of the Storm of the Revolution. 100 Washington chosen a Delegate to the First Continental Congress 101 Assembling of the Delegates. Conference at Mt. Vernon 102 Washington and Friends on their journey to Philadelphia 103 Opening of the First Congress. Its Character 104 Local changes at Mt. Vernon 105 Social gathering of a Patriot Army 106 Distinguished Visitors at Mount Vernon 107 Charles Lee and Horatio Gates 108 Character and Conduct of Charles Lee 109 Character and Career of Horatio Gates 110 Washington in the Virginia Assembly. Patrick Henry Ill News at Mount Vernon of the Battle of Lexington 112 Washington departs for Philadelphia 113 Congress and a Continental Army 113 Washington Commander-in chief of the Continental Army 114 Mrs. Washington in Camp. Washington's Letters to her 114 Siege of Boston. Honors conferred on Washington 115 Hia Achievements in New Jersey. Hessian Flag 116 Washington's last Victory and last Trophy 117 Domestic and Social Life at Mount Vernon 118 Mount Vernon during the War. Temporizing rebuked 119 Arrival of Washington at Mount Vernon in 1 781 120 Greeting of the Family and Servants. Distinguished Guests 120 Public Duty regarded as parmount to Private Interest 121 Washington hastens to join Lafayette 121 The Count de Rochambeau and Marquis de Chastellux 122 Washington's playful Letter to de Chastellux 123 De Chastellux's Widow. The Family at Mt. Vernon in 1781 124 A cotemporary's description of the Person and Character of Washington. 125 Washington Visits his Mother on his way to Yorktown 126 John Parke Custis and his Family 126 Surrender of Cornwallis. Illness of J. P. Custis 127 Death of Mr. Custis. Washington adopts his Children as his own 127 Eleanor Parke and George Washington Parke Custis, Foster Children. . 128 c 16 CONTENTS. Washington again visits his Mother and his Home, Ball at Fredericks- burg 129 News of a Treaty of Peace. How Washington received it 130 Washington's Announcement of Peace. Army disbanded 131 British Evacuate New York. Washington parts with his Officers 181 He publicly resigns his Commission at Annapolis 183 His satisfaction in returning to Private Life 132 His Military Garments then laid aside 133 History of Washington's Battle Sword. Franklin wills him his Cane. . 184 Morris's Poem on the Sword and Cane 135 Washington's Camp Chest and Contents described 136 His Accommodations for a Dinner Party at West Point 137 Washington's Camp Goblet. History of his Marquee 138 His Writing-Desk and its Associations 139 The Marquee and its Revolutionary Associations 139 Its occasional Uses and Usefulness after the War 140 History of the Cincinnati Society. . . .* 141 The Object? f the Society stated 142 State Soci The Order of the Cincinnati 143 Description he jewelled Order presented to Washington 144 Description o e Member's Certificate of the Cincinnati 144 Washingto: an first President of the Society 146 A Merry and py Christmas day at Mount Vernon 147 Washington'? lerience of the Happiness of Retirement 147 He resumes th Id Social Habits of Mount Vernon . 148 Lafayette expec. 1 there. Letter to Madam Lafayette 148 Simplicity of Life at Mount Vernon. Open Hospitality 149 Enlargement of the House at Mount Vernon 149 Description of the Mansion as Washington left it 150 Surroundings of the Mansion. Washington his own Architect 151 He provides for importing Pavement Stone from England 152 He makes arrangements for the employment of English Mechanics 153 He imports the Tools for their use 154 Preparations for Ornamental Planting at Mount Vernon 154 Description of the Lawn at the West front of the Mansion 155 Description of the arrangement of the Tree-planting 156 Account of the Seed and Tool Houses, and Conservatory 157 Account of the Tropical and other Plants that survived Washington. 158 An ancient Sago Palm described and delineated 159 Destruction of Washington's Conservatory by fire. Its Ruins 160 Account of the Ice-house and Dry -well at Mt. Vernon 161 Description of the Summer House and its Surroundings 162 CONTENTS. 17 Washington's Minute Memorandum of Direction and Distances 163 Lafayette visits Mount Vernon 163 History of Lafayette's connection with the Continental Army 164 Portrait of Lafayette, by Charles Wilson Peale 164 Lafayette's arrival at New York. His Letter to Washington 165 His arrival at Mount Vernon. Crowd of Visitors there 165 Washington and Lafayette Free and Accepted Masons 166 Madam Lafayette presents Washington with a Masonic Apron 167 Subsequent History of that Apron 168 Other Masonic Regalia presented to Washington 169 Washington's Correspondence on the Subj ect 170 How the Regalia was made. Its liistoi-y 170 Public honors given to Washington. Bronze statue proposed 171 Washington's Portrait Painted by Dunlap 173 Plaster-cast taken of his Face by Wright 173 Wright's Work accidentally destroyed 173 Legislature of Virginia order a Statue of Washington 173 Account of the Statue, The Inscription 174 Public Proceedings concerning the Statue. W^ashington's 'tter 174 Methods used for procuring a good likeness 175 Houdon employed to make it. Jefferson's Letter 176 Arrival of Houdon at Mt. Vernon. His work 176 Houdon's Method of obtaining a likeness 177 Description and Delineation of the Statue 177 Gouverneur Morris the Model for the Figure 179 Pine, the Painter. His professional Visit at Mount Vernon 180 Washington dislikes sitting to Painters. Other PortraitSL by Pine 181 Elizabeth Pa;rke and G. W. Parke Custis. History of Pine's Portrait. . . 183 French Hounds sent to Mount Vernon 183 Washington's Pack before the Revolution. The French Hounds. . 184 A magnificent Chimney-piece presented to Washington 185 Description of the Chimney-piece 186 Description of the Fire-place. Ornaments on the Shelf 188 Exchange of Presents. Asses from the Royal Stud at Madrid 189 Description of the Jack Asses. Completion of the Mansion 190 Washington employs Tobias Lear as Secretary 191 Condition of the Country. Necessity for political changes 193 Washington Apprehensive concerning the Future. A Movement 193 Convention for remodelling the Government. National Constitution... 194 Col. Humphreys a Resident at Mount Vernon. His character 195 He brings a Present to Washington from the King of France 196 His Literary Labors at Mount Vernon 197 18 CONTENTS Distinguished Guests at Mount Vernon * 198 Marchioness de Brienne paints a Miniature of Washington 199 Allegorical Picture by Madam Van Berckel 200 History of the Picture. Other distinguished Visitors 201 Brisot de Warville and his Visit at Mt Vernon 202 Washington chosen to be the First President of the llepublic 203 A Glass Manufacturer welcomed at Mt. Vernon 204 Meeting of the First Congress under the Constitution 205 Washington reluctantly returns to Public Life 206 Messengers, at Mount Vernon, announce his Election 207 He visits his Mother for the last time. The interview 208 Wasliington's journey to New York. A continual ovation 209 Changes in the Aspect of Mount Vernon 210 Public Receptions on the way to New York 211 Pleasant Incidents at Philadelphia 212 Eeception of the President Elect, at Trenton 213 His Aquatic Escort, and his Reception at New York 214 Washington Caricatured. His Inauguration 215 The ceremony of administering the Oath of OtSce 21(5 Bible used at the Inauguration. Mrs. Washington at Home 217 Her Domestic Habits 218 Etiquette at the Republican Court 219 Watches purchased by Washington and his Wife 220 Account of Washington's Watch and Seals. Mrs. W's Frugality 221 Mrs. Washington's Journey to New York 222 Her recei)tion. Family Dinner. Names of Guests 223 Description of the Dinner. Mrs. Washington's Receptions ^24 The President's Receptions. His appearance on such occasions .225" Disposition of his Dress Swords used on those Occasions 226 How Visitors were received. The President's Residence in New York ... 227 The Pesidential Mansion and Furniture 228 Seat of Government changed. Washington's Voyage to Rhode Island. . 229 He and his Family set out for Mount Vernon 230 His State Barge. His Letter. Again at Mount Vernon 231 Labors of Congress. Key of the Bastile. France disturbed 232 Opening of the French Revolution 233 Perfidy in the Bastile. The People exasperated 234 Destruction of the Bastile. Lafayette at the head of the troops 235 Key of the Bastile and Drawing of the Prison sent to Washington 236 Thomas Paine's Letter on the subject. Correspondence 236 Washington's Spy-glass. Anecdote connected with it 233 Washington' Pocket Spy-glass presented to Andrew Jackson 239 Pistols presented to Washington 240 CONTENTS. 19 Bust of M. Necker presented by Count D'Estaing. Notice of Necker. . 241 Inscription on the Bust of Necker. Account of D'Estaing 242 Houdon's Bust of Lafayette at Mount Vernon 243 Virginia presents a Copy to the City of Paris 244 Ceremony of Presentation. Lafayette highly honored 245 President Washington's English Coach 246 External Decorations of the Coach. Family journey in it 247 Incompetency of the Coachman. Accidents 248 History of the Coach. Its earnings when in ruins 249 Selection of a Residence for the President considered 250 Question as to the permanent Seat of the National Government 251 Washington negotiates for a Residence. His Prudence and Caution. . . 252 He makes suggestions about Interior Arrangements 253 Description of Sevres China presented to Washington 254 Description of Sevres China presented to Mrs. Washington 255 How Sevres China is made. Seat of the National Government 256 Strife for the possession of the National Capital. Decision 257 New Yorkers dissatisfied. Caricatures and Satires 258 Philadelphians no better satisfied. Washington's Caution 259 A house hired. Washington's Journey to Philadelphia 260 A Patriotic Tavern-Keeper. President and family at Philadelphia 261 A gay Season in Philadelphia. Luxuries 262 Washington suggests Wine Castors called " Coasters " 363 They are made. Wine Coolers from France. Their History 264 Washington's Family Plate re-made 265 Description of the Plate. Washington again at Mt. Vernon 266 Use of some of the Plate at Arlington Spring 267 Washington makes a tour through the Southern States 268 His calculations as to Time. Incidents of the Tour 269 His return Journey. Site of the National Capital 270 District of Columbia. City laid out and named 271 Opening of the Second Congress 272 Earl of Buchan presents a Relic of Sir William Wallace 272 A Scoch Painter dines with Washington. The Dinner 273 Miniature mada by the Painter. Correspondence with Earl of Buchan 274 By Will, Washington recommits the Wallace Relic to Buchan 275 Washington again at Mt. Vernon. Paine's Rights of Man 276 Effects of Rights of Man, in England. Washington's Industry 277 Sickness and Death in the Mount Vernon Family 278 Washington's generosity to his Nephew's Widow 279 His love for Children and Young Company. His Foster Children 280 Training of the Foster Children 281 20 CONTENTS. A Harpsichord at Mount Vernon 282 Washington's Second Inauguration as President of the Republic 283 Simplicity of the Ceremonies on the occasion 284 An Account of the Ceremonies, and Washington's Appearance 285 Washington Sacrifices Private Interest for the Public Good 286 Yellow Fever in Philadelphia. Washington at Home 287 Unskillful Farm Management at Mount Vernon 288 The President's Family avoid the Fever, at Germantown 289 Marriage of Philadelphia Belles to Foreign Ministers 290 Washington's Farewell Address composed 290 Effect of the publication of the Farewell Address 291 Violence of Party Spirit felt by Washington 293 A specimen of the Newspaper utterances 203 Washington retires to Private Life, at Mount Vernon 294 Inauguration of John Adams as Second President 295 Farewell entertainment for Washington by Pliiladelphians 296 An eye witnesses account of the President's Table Customs 297 Account of Washington's Table Traits continued 298 Washington and his Family return to Mount Vernon. Lafayette's Son . 299 Lafayette's Misfortunes 300 Washington's Sensibility when speaking of them 301 Bradford's Lament of Washirigton, a Poem • • • • 302 Lafayette's SuflFering. His devoted Wife and Children 303 His son seeks an Asylum in America. Cautious proceedings 304 Congress takes Action concerning Young Lafayette 305 Washington takes him to Mt. Vernon under his Protection 306 Release of Lafayette. The Son returns to France. 306 Washington's Letter to Lafayette. Young Lafayette's Profile 307 Sharpk'ss the Artist 308 His Portrait of the Washington Family. Lafayette and Custis 309 Sharpless's Profiles at Arlington House 310 Washington's exquisite Enjoyment of Private Life 311 His own description of his Daily Employments 312 Washington's Inkstand. Repairs at Mount Vernon 318 Mount Vernon refurnished and beautified 314 Description of Illuminators at Mount Vernon 315 Account of Furniture once at Mount Vernon 316 Washington Relics at Arlington House 317 Elkanah Watson's account of a Niglit at ]Mt. Vernon 318 Pictures by Winstanley, at Mount Vernon 319 Presages of War with France. The French Directory 320 Relations of the United States with France. Preparations for War. . . . 321 Waaa.ngton appointed Commander-in-chief of the Army 322 CONTENTS. 21 Hamilton to be Acting General-in-cliief. Guests at Mount Vernon .. . 523 The French Directory humbled. Bonaparte in Power. War averted .. 324 Washington's nephew, Lawrence Lewis, a resident at Mt. Vernon 324 Nelly Custis andher Suitors 325 Correspondence on the Subject. Nelly's Confessions 326 Mairiage of Lawrence Lewis and Nelly Custis 327 Incidents of the Marriage. Mrs. Macauly Graham 328 Washington's allnsion to his own Death. Makes his Will 329 His exposure to Wet and Cold 330 Sudden and severe Inflamation of the Throat and Chest 331 Home Remedies applied without effect • • • • 333 Physicians sent for. Critical Situation. His Wills 333 Washington's Directions about his Papers. Death near 334 His Consideration for every one. His last Words 335 His death. Mrs. Washington at his Bedside • 33G The Room in which Washington died, and its Furniture 337 The Spectators of Washington's Death 338 Notice of Dr. Craik his Friend and Physician 339 Preparations for Washington's Burial. The Coffin 340 The Funeral at Mount Vernon 341 The Funeral Procession 34,.. The Bier and Vault ^^^ The old Family Vault at Mt. Vernon. A villainous act 344 Washington's Death announced to Congress. Proceedings 345 Funeral Oration by General Henry Lee, at the request of Congress. . . . • 346 Lee at Mt. Vernon. His Oration. Guard of Honor 347 Mrs. Washington's Letter about the removal of the Remains 348 Mrs. Washington in Affliction, Public Honors to Washington abroad. . 349 Death of Mrs. Washington. Busluod Washington heirs Mt. Vernon 350 A survivor of Washington's Slaves. Bushrod Washington 351 Account and Portrait of that Survivor 352 Billy. Lafayette at the Tomb of Washington 353 A Ring containing Washington's Hair presented to Lafayette 354 Re-entombment of Wshington and his Wife 354 Account of that re-entombment by an Eye-witness 355 The Bodies put in Marble Coffins 356 The new Tomb and Vault ; ^^'^ Disposition of Washington's Personal Property 358 Account of a Relic of Washington in a Boston Family 359 A few Mementoes of Washington, at Mount Vernon H60, 361 Washington's Address and Dinner Cards 262 Works of Art that long remained at Mount Vernon 363 22 CONTENTS The Pitcher Portrait and Enlogy of Washington 364 History of the Pitcher Portrait 365 Copy of the Eulogy on the back of the Pitcher Portrait 366, 367, 368 A Retrospect. Late Condition of Mount Vernon 369 Mount Vernon purchased by American Women 370 Mount Vernon Ladies Association control it 371 Reflections 373 POSTSCRIPT. The English Home of the Washington Family , 373 Washington's Library , , 375 The Grounds about Mount Vernon 394 Washington as a Free Mason 396 Houdon's Likeness of Washington 397 Shadow Portrait of Washington 399 How the Mansion at Mount Vernon was furnished 400 Washington's Great Barn , 410 Posthumous Honors 411 Washington's Will 420 Present Condition of Mount Veruon , . . . 425 ILLUSTRATIONS. FAOa 1. Portrait of Washington (steel). 2. Rear View of Mount Vernon in 1'786 (steel). 3. Frontispiece — View of Mount Vernon. 4. Washington's Book-plate 27 5. Cave Castle 29 6. Washington Mortar 30 7. Washington's Seal 31 8. Washington's Seal-ring 31 9. Washington's Watch-seals 31 10. Fac-simile of signatures of Jane and Mary Washington 32 11. Dutch Tile — half the size of the original 34 12. Residence of the Washington Family 35 13. Washington's Birth-place 36 14. Lawrence Washington 39 15. Admiral Vernon 40 16. The Vernon Medal 42 17. Washington's Telescope 50 18. Pack-saddle 53 19. Leathern Camp-chest 53 20. Washington's first Head-quarters 55 21. The Carey House in 1859 56 22. Mary Phillips 59 23. Morris's House 60 24. Daniel Parke Custis 64 25. Mrs. Custis's Iron Chest 64 26. Mrs. Washington's Children 66 27. Mrs. Washington at the time of her Marriage 67 28. Chairs once at Mount Vernon 69 24 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE 29. Custia Arm3 71 30. 'Washington's Gold Pen with Silver Case 80 31. Fac-similo of Page-headings in Washington's Diary 80 32. Fac-simiie of Entry in "Washington's Diary 81 33. Mount Vernon Landing 83 34. Ground-plan and Elevation of Pohick Church , 88 85. Mason L. Weems 90 36. Christ Cliurch, Alexandria 91 37. Pohick Church in 1859 93 38. Pulpit in Pohick Church 9-3 39.. Charles Willson Peale 95 40. Washington's Military Button 95 41. Washington as a Virginia Colonel, at the age of forty 9G 42. Fac-simile of Peale's Receipt 97 43. John Parke Custis 98 44. Patrick Henry 103 45. General Charles Lee 108 46. General Horatio Gates 110 47. Gold Medal awarded to Washington for the Deliverance of Boston 116 48. Hessian Flag taken at Trenton 117 49. British Flag taken at Yorktown 118 50. Count de Rochambeau 121 61. Marquis de Chastellux 123 52. Eleanor Parke Custis 128 53. Washington's Military Clothes 133 54. The Sword and Staff 135 55. Washington's Camp-chest 136 56. Silver Camp-goblet 138 67. Washington's travelling Writing-case 139 58. Washington's Tents in their Portmanteaux 140 69 Order of the Cincinnati 143 50. Order presented by French Officers 144 51. Cincinnati Society — Member's Certificate 145 62. Western Front of Mount Vernon in 1858 151 63. Section of shaded Carriage-way 154 64. General plan of the Mansion and Grounds at Mount Vernon 155 65. Garden-house 157 66. Century-plant and Lemon-tree 158 67. View in the Flower-garden at Mount Vernon — the Sago Palm 159 68. Ruins of the Consf^rvatoiy at Mount Vernon 160 69 Ice-house at Mount Vernon ICl ILLUSTRATIONS. 25 PAOB 70. Summer-house at Mount Vemon 163 71. Lafayette.— Painted by C. W. Peale, in 1778 166 72. Masonic Apron wrought by the Marchioness Lafayette .... 167 73. Houdou's Bust of Washington I77 74. Houdon's Statue of Washington 178 75. Ehzabeth Parke Custis 183 76. Gr. W. P Custis when a chOd Ig3 77. Italian Chimney-piece 186 78. Tablet on the left of Chimney-piece 187 79. Centre Tablet 187 80. Tablet on the right of Chimney-piece 187 81. Porcelain Vases 188 82. Colonel David Humphreys 195 83. Engraving of Louis XVI 196 84. Washington and Lafayette I99 85. Washington's Destiny 200 86. Charles Thomson 207 87. Travelling Boot-jack 009 88. Ancient entrance to Mount Vernon in 1858 210 89. Bible used at the Inauguration of Washington 216 90. Washington's Lepine Watch, Seal and Key '. 221 91. Washington's last Watch-seal 221 92. Washington's Dress Sword 225 93. Secretary and Circular Chair 229 94. Destruction of the Bastile 235 95. Key of the Bastile 237 96. Washington's Spy-glass 238 97. Washington's Pistol 240 98. Bust of M. Necker 243 99. Bust of Lafayette 244 100. Washington's English Coach 346 101. Emblazoning on Washington's Coach 247 102. Picture of a Panel on Washington's Coach 248 103. Cincinnati China 254 104. Mrs. Washington's China 255 105. China Butter-bowl and Dish 256 106. Wine-coolers and Coaster 265 107. Specimens of Washington's Plate 266 108. The Presidential Mansion , 267 109. Martha Washhigton 275 1 10. Nelly Custis's Harpsichord 283 26 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAG* 111. George 'Washington Lafayette 300 112. G. W. P. Custis at the age of seventeen years g03 113. Crayon Profile of "Washington 310 114. Crayon Profile of Mrs. Washington glj 115. "Washington's Inkstand 314 116. Mural Candelabra 3I5 117. Ancient Lantern o^g 118. Sideboard, Tea-table and Punch-bowl 317 119. Washington's Silver Candlestick 3I7 120. Morning — a Landscape by Winstanley 3I9 121. Evening — a Landscape by Winstanley 319 122. Dr. James Craik 332 123. Bed and Bedstead on which Washington died 337 124. Room in which Washington died 338 125. Silver Shield on Washington's Coffin ' 341 126. Washington's Bier , 343 127. The Old Vault in 1858 344 128. General Henry Lee 34Q 129. McPherson's Blue 348 130. Bushrod Washington 35I 131. Westford 352 132. Washington's Marble Coffin 356 133. Lid of Washington's Coffin 356 134. Washington's Tomb 357 135. Washington's Liquor-chest 361 136. Washington's Mirror 361 137. "Water-mark 363 138. Washington's Address Card 362 139. Pitcher Portrait 364 140. Postscript 373 141. The Washington House, Brington 373 142. Inscription in the Washington House 374 143. Fac Simile of Washington's Memorandum 395 144. Masonic Portrait of Washington 397 145. Houdon's Mold from Washington's Face S98 146. Shadow Portraits , 399 147. Washington's Circular Barn 411 148. Lutheran Church in Philadelphia 412 149. Washington Medal , 412 150. Mrs. Washington's Signature 435 V 21 1683 ^Qlorthe'\t^\^^-' f^/ MOUNT VERNON AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. #1^ K many an ancient »^ volume in the lib-- rary at Mount Yer- *^ non, while the man- sion remained in the possession of the "Washington family, was the engraved book-plate of the il- lustrious proprietor, which displayed, as usual, the name and armorial bearings of the owner. Tlie lan- guage of heraldry learnedly describes the family arms of Washington as " argent, two bars gules in chief, three mullets of the second. Crest, a raven, with wings, indorsed jprojper, issuing out of a ducal coronet, w." All this may be in- interpreted, a white or silver shield, with two red bars across Washington's book-plate. 28 MOUNT "VERNON it, and above them tliree spur rowels, the combination ap pearing veiy much like the stripes and stars on our national ensign. The crest, a raven of natural color issuing out of a golden ducal coronet. The three mullets or star-figures indi- cated the filial distinction of the third son. Back into the shadowy past six hundred years and more we may look, and find the name of "Washington presented with "honorable mention" in several counties in England, on the records of the field, the church, and the state. They were generally first-class agriculturists, and eminently loyal men when their sovereigns were in trouble. In that trying time for England's monarch, a little more than two hundred years ago, when a republican army, under the authority of a revo- lutionary parliament, was hunting King Charles the First, Sir Henry "Washington, a nephew of the Duke of Buckingham, is observed as governor of Worcester, and its able defender during a siege of three months by the parliamentary troops under General Fairfax. And earlier than this, %vhen Charles, as Prince Royal, was a suitor for the hand of the Infanta of Spain, we find a "Washington attached to his person. The loyal James Howell, who suffered long imprisonment in Fleet-street Jail because of his attachment to Charles, was in the train of the Prince while at Madrid ; and from that city he wrote to his " noble friend. Sir John North," in the sum- mer of 1623, saying : " Mr. Washington^ the Prince his page is lately dead ot a Calenture, and I was at his buriall under a Figtree behind my Lord of Bristol's house. A little before his death one Bal- lard, an English Priest, M^ent to tamper wdth him, and Sir AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 29 Edmund Yarney meeting liim coming down the stairs ont of Washington's chamber, they fell from words to blows : but they were parted. The business was like to gather very ill blond, and com to a great hight, had not Count Gondamar quasht it, which I beleeve he could not have done, unless the times had bin favorable ; for such is the reverence they bear to the Church here, and so holy a conceit they have of all Ecclesiastics, that the greatest Don in Spain will tremble to offer the meanest of them any outrage or affront." CAVE CASTLE. From this loyal family came emigrants to America nine years after King Charles lost his head. These were two 30 MOUNT VERNON brothers, true Cavaliers, who could not brook the rule of Cromwell, the self-styled Lord Protector of England. They left their beautiful residence of Cave Castle, north of the Ilumber, in Yorkshire, and sought more freedom of life in the virgin soil of the New World. And in later years the repre- sentatives of the Washingtons and Fairfaxes, who were neigh- bors and friends in Virginia, found themselves, in political positions, opposed to those of their ancestors; that of the former being the great leader of a republican army, and of the latter a most loyal adherent of the crown. The "VVashingtons who first came to America seem not to have been possessed of nmch wealth. They brought with them no family plate as evidences of it ; for the heiress of the family had given her hand and fortune to an English baronet, the master of the fine estate of Studley Eoyal, where now the eldest son of the late Earl of Eipon resides. It is believed that there is only one relic of the old Washington family in this country, and that is a small bronze mortar, having the letters " C. W." (the initials of CmoN Washington) and the date, "1664," WASHINGTON MORTAR. cj^g^ npou It. That mortar is in In- dependence Hall, in Philadelphia. . The [Northamptonshire family, from whom George Wash- ington was descended, wore the motto seen upon his book- plate — ExiTUS actaprobat: "The end justifies the means;" and it was borne and heeded by the line from generation to generation, until the most illustrious of them all had achieved the greatest ends by the most justifiable means. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 31 The annexed engraidng is from an impression of General Washington's seal, bearing his family arms, attached to the death-warrant of a soldier executed at Morristown, in 1780. Below it is an engraving of the face of his seal-ring, which also bears his arms and motto ; and also of two watch-seals which he wore together in early life. Upon each of the last two is eno-raved his mono- WASHINGTON S SEAL. SEAL-RING. gram, one of them being a fac-simile of his written initials. One of these was lost by "Washington himself on the bloody field of Monongahela, where Braddock was defeated in 1755 ; and the other by his nephew, in Yirginia, more than twenty-five years ago. Both were found in the year 1854, and restored to the Washington family.* Of all the volumes in the Mount Vernon library which contain Washington's book- plate none appears more interesting than Sir Matthew Hale's Contemplations^ Moral and Divine^ printed at the beginning of the last century. It is well worn by frequent use ; for it was from that volume that Washington's mother drew many of those great maxims which she instilled into the mind of her Washington's T 1 . 1 1 1 /» 1 • n . WATCH-SEALS. son, and wliicli had a poweriui miiuence m * This statement is made on the authority of Charles J. Bushnell, Esq., of New York, whose investigations in numismatic science and kindred subjects have been careful and extensive. The engravings of tlie seals are copied, by his permission, from a work of his now in preparation for the press. 32 MOUNT VERNON moulding liis moral character. Upon a fly-leaf of the volume are written, in bold characters, the names of the two wives of Augustine Washington, the father of our be- loved Friend. These were Jane Butler and Mary Ball. Their names were written by themselves, the first with ink that retains its original blackness, and the second with a color that has faded to the tint of warm sepia. 'an^/'j^oj/m^m^ 1^ 7U(U/ry J^}^/ufid^Sn^ FAC-SIMILE OF SIGNATURES. These signatures send the thoughts on busy retrospective errands to tlie pleasant mansions and broad and fertile plant- ations of Virginia, when the Old Dominion w^as as loyal to the second King George of England as to the second King Charles in the days of Berkeley, almost a hundred years before ; or when royal governors held vice-regal courts at Williamsburg, the capital of the Commonwealth twenty years after repub- lican Bacon's torch had laid old Jamestown in ashes. Espe- cially do they send the thoughts to the beautiful spot near the Potomac, halfway between Pope's and Bridge's .Creek, in Westmoreland, where stood a modest mansion, surrounded by the holly and more stately trees of the forest, in which lived Mary, the mother of the great Washington. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 33 hi the i^ossession of an old Virginian family may be seen a picture, in which is represented a rampant lion holding a globe in his paw, -a helmet and shield, a vizor strong, and coat of mail and other emblems of strength and courage; and for a motto the words, from Ovid, Coslumqice tueri. On the l)ack of the picture is written : "The coat of arms of Colonel William Ball, who came from England with his family about the year 1650, and settled at the mouth of Corotoman River, in Lancaster county, Yir- ginia, and died in 1669, leaving two sons, William and Joseph, and one daughter, Hannah, who married Daniel Fox. William left eight sons (and one daughter), five of whom have now (Anno Domini 1779) male issue. Joseph's male issue is extinct. General George Washington is his grandson, by his youngest daughter, Mary." Here we have the Amer- ican pedigree of the mother of Washington. In that modest mansion near the Potomac, of which we have just spoken, a great patriot was born of a mother eight- and-twenty years of age, when the popular William Gooch was royal governor of Virginia ; and in an old family Bible, in Hanover county, of quarto form, dilapidated by use and age, and covered with striped Virginia cloth, might have been seen, a few years ago, the following record, in the handwriting of the father of that Patriot : " George Washington, son to Augustine and Mary his wife, was born y* 11th day of February, 1731-2, about ten in the morning, and was baptized the 3d of April following; Mr. Beverly Whiting and Captain Christopher Brooks, godfathers, and Mrs. Mildred Gregory godmother." Almost three hundred years ago Pope Gregory the Thir- 34 MOUNT VERNON teenth ordained tliat ten days should be added to the tally of all past time since the birth of Jesus, to make up some frac- tional deficiencies in the calendar ; and twenty years after the above record was made, the British government ordered the Gregorian calendar, or new style, as it was called, to be adopted. Tlie deficiency was then eleven days, and these were added. So we date the birth of Washington, and cele- brate its anniversary, on the twenty-second instead of the eleventh of February. Washington's birth-place was a " four-roomed house, with a chimney at each end," perfectly plain outside and in. The DUTCH TILE. — HALF THE SIZE OF THE ORIGINAL. only approach to ornament w^as a Dutch-tiled chi.nney-p'iece in the best room, covered with rude pictures of Scriptural scenes ; but around the mansion there were thrift and abun- dance. George was the eldest of his mother's six children. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 35 and only his infant years were passed under the roof where he first saw the light ; for fire destroyed the house, and his father removed to an estate in Stafford county, near Tredericksburg, and dwelt in an equally plain mansion, pleasantly seated near the north bank of the Eappahannock Kiver. EESIDENCE OP THE WASHINGTON FAMILY. Of the birth-place of Washington nothing now remains but a chimney and a few scattered bricks and stones ; and around it, where the smiles of highest culture were once seen, there is an aspect of desolation that makes the heart feel sad. Some decayed fig-trees and tangled shrubs and vines, with here and there a pine and cedar sapling, tell, with silent eloquence, of neglect and ruin, and that decay has laid its blighting fingers 36 MOUNT VERNON Upon every work of man there. T]ie vault of the "Washington family, wherein many were buried, is so neglected that some of the remains exposed to view have been carried away by plunderers. All around it are stunted trees, shrubs, and briers ; and near it may be seen fragments of slabs once set up in commemoration of some of that honored family. •WASHINGTON S BIRTU-PLACB. On the spot where Washington was bom, the late George Washington Parke Custis, a grandson of Mrs. Washington, placed a piece of freestone in 1815, with the simple inscrip- tion: Here, ON THE llxn OF rEBKUAET, 1733, Geokge Washington was born "We gathered together," says Mr. Custis, in a published account, " the bricks of the ancient chimney that once formed the hearth around which Washington, in his infancy, had played, and constructed a rude kind of pedestal, on which we AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 37 reverently placed the first stone, commending it to the re- spect and protection of the American people in general, and the citizens of Westmoreland in particular." But such re- spect and protection have been withheld, and that stone ia now in fragments and overgrown with brambles. In this vicinity lived some of the Lees, always a distin- guished family in Yirginia ; and one of the most intimate of WasJiington's friends, in his earliest childhood, was Richard Henry Lee, afterward the eminent statesman and patriot. They were very nearly of the same age, Lee being one month the oldest. I have before me 'a copy of a letter written by each when they were nine years old, and which are supposed to be among the earliest, perhaps the very first, epistles penned by these illustrious men. They were sent to me a few years ago, by a son of Kichard Henry Lee (who then possessed the originals), and are as follows : RICHAED HENKY LEE TO GEORGE WASHINGTON. " Pa brought me two pretty books full of pictures he got them in Alexandria they have pictures of dogs and cats and tigers and elefants and ever so many pretty things cousin bids me send you one of them it has a picture of an elefant and a little Indian boy on his back like uncle jo's sam pa says if I learn my tasks good he will let uncle jo bring me to sec you will you ask your ma to let you come to see me. " Richard henry Lee." GEORGE Washington's reply. " Dear Dickey I thank you very much for the pretty pic- ture book you gave me. Sam asked me to show him the 38 MOUNT VERNON ^ictmeb and I showed him all the pictures in it ; and 1 read to him how the tame Elephant took care of the master's little boy, and put him on his back and would not let any body touch his master's little son. I can read three or four pages sometimes without missing a word. Ma says I may go to see you and stay all day with you next week if it be not rainy. She says I may ride my pony Hero if Uncle Ben will go with me and lead Hero. I have a little piece of poetry about the picture book you gave me, but I mustnt tell you who wrote the poetry.* " G. "W.'s compliments to E. H. L., And likes his book full -vvell, Henceforth will count him his friend, And hopes many happy days he may spend. "Tour good friend, " George "Washington. " I am going to get a whip top soon, and you may see it »nd whip it." Augustine Washington died in the spring of 1743, when his son George was eleven years of age, and by his last will and testament bequeathed his estate of Hunting Croek, upon a bay and stream of that name, near Alexandria, to Lawrence Washington, a son by his first wife, Jane Butler. It was a * In a letter to me, accompanying the two juvenile epistles, Mr. Lee writes • " The letter of Richard Henry Lee was written by himself, and, uncorrected, was sent by him to his boy-friend, (ieorge Washington. The poetical ettasion was, 1 have heard, written by a Mr. Howard, a gentleman who used to visit at tne house of Mr. Washington." AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 39 noble domain of many hundred acres, stretching for miles along the Potomac, and bordering the estates of the Fairfaxes, Masons, and other distinguished families. 1383 ^ trf ^s<^ LAWKENCE WASHINGTON. Lawrence, who seems to have inherited the military spirit of his family, had lately been to the wars. Admiral Vernon, commander-in-chief of England's navy in the West Indies, had lately chastised the Spaniards for their depredations upon British commerce, by capturing Porto Bello, on the isthmus of Darien. Tlie Spaniards prepared to strike an avenging blow, and the French determined to help them. England and her colonies were aroused. Four regiments, for service in the "West Indies, were to be raised in the American col- 40 MOUNT V H R N N onies ; and from Massachusetts to the Carohnas, the fife and drum of the recruiting sergeant were heard. Lawrence, then a spirited young man of twenty-two, was among the thou- sands wlio caught the infection, and obtaining a captain's ADMIK&L VKRNON. commission, he embarked for the West Indies in 1741, with between three and four thousand men under General Went- worth. That officer and Admiral Vernon commanded a joint expedition against Carthagena, in South America, which re- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 41 suited in disaster. According to the best authorities not less than twenty thousand British soldiers and seamen perished, chiefly from a fatal sickness that prevailed, especially among the troops who were commanded by General Wentworth. To that scourge Thompson, in his " Summer," thus touchingly alludes • " You, gallant Vernon, saw The miserable scene ; you, pitying, saw- To infant weakness sunk the warrior's arm ; Saw the deep-racking pang, the ghastly form, The lip pale-quivering, and the beamlcss eye No more with ardor bright ; you heard the groans Of agonizing ships, from shore to shore ; Heard, nightly plung'd amid the sullen waves, The frequent corse — while on each other fixed, In sad presage, the blank assistants seemed. Silent, to ask, whom fate would next demand." In the midst of that terrible pestilence the system of Law rence Washington received those seeds of fatal disease as-ainst whose growth it struggled manfully for ten years, and then yielded. Lawrence returned home in the autumn of 1742, the provincial army in w^hich he had served having been dis banded, and Admiral Yernon and General Wentworth re- called to England. He had acquired the friendship and confidence of both those officers. For several years he kept up a correspondence with the former, and received from him a copy of a medal struck in commemoration of the capture of Porto Bello by Admiral Yernon. This was preserved at Mount Yernon until Washington's death, and is probably in possession of some member of the family. The only speci- 42 MOUNT VERNON men of tlie medal I have ever seen is in my own possession, from which the engraving was made. THE VERNON MEDAL. Lawrence intended to go to England, join the regular armj, and seek preferment therein ; but love changed his resolution and the current of his life, for " Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, Aud man below, and saints above." ^ Beautiful Anne, the eldest daughter of the Honorable "Wil- liam Fairfax, of Fairfax county, became the object of his warm attachment, and they were betrothed. Their imptials were about to be celebrated in the spring of 17-1:3, when a sudden attack of gout in the stomach de])rived Lawrence of his father. But the marriage took place in July. All thoughts of military life as a profession passed from the mind of Lawrence, and, taking possession of his Hunting Creek estate, he erected a plain, substantial mansion upon the highest eminence along the Potomac front of his domain, and named the spot Mount Veenon, in honor of the gallant admiral. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 43 I In that mansion Lawrence resided until bis death, and but little change was made in its appearance from the time when it came into the possession of his brother George by inheri- tance, until the close of the Old War for Independence. It has been described as a house of the first class then occupied by thrifty Virginia planters; two stories in height, with a porch in front, and a chimney built inside, at each end, con- trary to the prevailing style. It stood upon a most lovely spot, on the brow of a gentle slope which ended at a thickly- wooded precipitous river bank, its summit nearly one hundred feet above the water. Before it swept the Potomac with a magnificent curve, its broad bosom swarming with the grace- ful swan, the gull, the wild duck, and smaller water-fowl; and beyond lay the green fields and shadowy forests of Mary- land. When Lawrence was fairly settled, with his bride, in this new and pleasant home, little George was a frequent and much-petted visitor at Mount Yeruon. His half-brother loved him tenderly, and after their father's death he took a paternal interest in all his concerns. Tlie social influences to which he was subjected were of the higliest order. Tlie Fair- faxes held the first rank in wealth and social position, both in England and in Yirginia ; and the father-in-law of Law- rence, who occupied a beautiful country seat not far from Mount Yernon, called Bel voir, was a man of distinction, having served as an officer of the British army in the East and West Indies, and officiated as governor of New Provi- dence, one of the Bermudas. He now managed an immense landed estate belonging to his cousin. Lord Fairfax, a tall, gaunt, rawboned, near-sighted man, upon whom had fallen ^ MOUNTVERNON the snows of sixty winters, and who, made shy and eccentric by disappointed love in early life, was now in Virginia, and living at Belvoir, but secretly resolving to go over the Blue Mountains of the West, and make his home in the de§p wilderness, away from the haunts of men. Tliither he went a few years later, and in the great valley of Yirginia took up his abode in a lodge at a spot where he resolved to build a manor-house, in the midst of ten thousand acres of arable and grazing land, call it Green way Court, and live, a solitary lord over a vast domain. But the mansion was never built, and in that lodge (which remained until a few years ago) the lord of the manor lived during all the stormy days of the French and Indian war, and as a stanch loyalist throughout the struggles of the Americans for independence, until the news came one day that his young friend Washington had caj^tured Corn- wallis and all his army. Then, says tradition, he called to his servant and said, " Come, Joe, carry me to my bed, for I'm sure it's high time for me to die ! " " Then up rose Joe, all at the word, And took his master's arm, And to his bed he softly led The lord of Greenway farm. Then thrice he called on Britain's name, And thrice he wept full sore, Then sighed — '0 Lord, thy wi^ -^e douel' And word spake never more.' It was early in 1Y82, at the age of ninety-two years, that Lord Fairfax died at Greenway Court, loved by many for his generosity and benevolence. Lawrence Washington was also distinguished for his wealth AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 45 and intelligence. He was adjutant-general of liis district, witli the rank and pay of major, and at this time was a popu- lar member of the Yirginia House of Burgesses. At Mount Yeriipn and at Belvoir the sprightly boy George, who was a favorite everywhere, became accustomed to the refinements and amenities of English social life, in its best phases, and this had a marked influence upon his future character. There were other influences there which made a deep im- Dression upon the mind of the thoughtful boy. Sometimes the companions-in-arms of his brother, or officers from some naval vessel that came into the Potomac, would be guests at Mount Vernon, and perils by field and flood would be related. In these narratives Sir "VYilliam Fairfax often joined, and related his esperience in the far-off Indies, in marches, battles, &ieges, and retreats. Tliese fired the soul of young "Wash- ington with longings for adventure, and accordingly, we find him, at the age of fourteen years, preparing to enter the English navy as a midshipman, a warrant having been pro- cured. His brother and Mr. Eairfax encouraged his inclina- tion, and his mother's reluctant consent was obtained. A vessel-of-war was lying in the Potomac, and the lad's luggage was on board, when his mother received the following letter from her brother, in England, dated Stratford-by-Bow, 19th May, 1747 : " I understand that you are advised and have some thoughts of putting your son George to sea. I think he had better be put apprentice to a tinker, for a common sailor before the mast has by no means the common liberty of the subject ; for they will press him from a ship where he has fifty shillings a 46 MOUNT VERNON month and make liim take twenty-three, and cut, and slash, and use him like a negro, or rather like a dog. And, as to any considerable preferment in the navy, it is not to be ex- pected, as there are always so many gaping for it here who have interest, and he has none. And if he should get to be master of a Virginia ship (which it is very difficult to do), a planter that has three or four hundred acres of land and three or four slaves, if he be industrious, may live more comfort- ably, and leave his family in better bread, than such a master of a ship can. * «• -x- -» jjg must not be too hasty to be rich, but go on gently and with patience, as things will naturally go. This method, without aimmg at being a fine gentleman before his time, will carry a man more com- fortably and surely through the world than going to sea, unless it be a great chance indeed. I pray God keep you and vours. " Your loving brother, "Joseph Ball." This letter, without doubt, made the mother decide to act according to the desire of her heart, for already a friend had written to Lawrence, " I am afraid Mrs. Washington will not keep' up to her first resolution. * ^t * * I find that one word against his going has more weight than ten for it." She could not expose her son to the hardships and perils of the British navy, so vividly portrayed by his uncle. Her consent was withdrawn, and George Washington, with dis- appointed ambition, returned to school, fell desperately in love with a " lo ,^^land beauty" (who reciprocated not his pas- sion, but became the mother of General Henry Lee), indited AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 47 eentimeiital verses, as young lovers are apt to do, sighed for a time in great unhappiness, and then went to live with his brother at Mount Yernon, in partial forgetfulness that he had once dreamed that / " She was his life, The ocean to the river of his thoughts, Which terminated all." Now it was that young "Washington's real intimacy with the Fairfax family commenced, and an attachment was formed ^between himself and George "William Fairfax, his senior by six or seven years, who had just brought his bride and her sister to Belvoir. Young "Washington's heart was tender and susceptible, and that bride's beautiful sister tried its constancy to his first love very sorely. To his young friend " Robin," he wrote : " My residence is at present at his lordshij)'s, where I might, was my heart disengaged, pass my time very pleasantly, as there is a very agreeable young lady lives in the same house (Colonel George Fairfax's wife's sister) ; but as that is only adding fuel to fire, it makes me the more uneasy, for by often and un- avoidably being in company with her, revives my former passion for your Lowland Beauty ; whereas, was I to live more retired from young women, I might in some measure alleviate my sorrows, by burying that chaste and troublesome passion in the grave of oblivion." Thus wrote George "Wash- ington before he was sixteen years of age. He was soon taken from these temptations. He was a tall, finely-formed, athletic youth, and Lord Fairfax, wlio was a passionate fox-hunter, though old in years, invited him one day 48 MOUNT VERNON to join liim in the cliase. His lordship was so charmed witli his young friend's boldness in the saddle and enthusiastic pursuit of the hounds and game, that he took him to his bosom as a companion; and many a hard day's ride this young and old man had together after that, in the forests of Virginia. But a more noble, because a more useful pursuit than the mere pleasures of the chase, now offered its attractions to the lad. Master Williams had taught him the mysteries of sur- veying, and the old Lord Fairfax, having observed his prac- tice of the art at Mount Yernon, and his extreme care and accuracy, proposed to him to go to his broad possessions beyond the Blue Hidge, where lawless intruders were seated, and prepare his domain for settlement, by running boundary lines between large sections. Tlie lad gladly acceded to the proposition, and just a month from the time he was sixteen years of age, he set off upon the arduous and responsible enterprise. And to this day a little log-house, near Battle Town, in Clarke county, is pointed out to the traveller, wberein the young surveyor lodged ; and in the same county, not far from Winchester, stood, a few years ago, the lodge of Green way Court. In the wilderness, around the south branch of the Potomac, the future Leader received those lessons in wood-craft — that personal knowledge of tlie country and its dusky inhabitants, and, above all, that spirit of self-reliance which was ever a most marked and important trait in his character — wliich fitted him for the great duties of a commander. So satisfactory were young Washington's services on that occasion, that lie received, soon after his return, the appoint- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 49 ment of public surveyor, and upon the records of Culpepper county may be read, under date of July 20tli, 1749 (O. S.), that " George "Washington, Gent., produced a commission from the President and Master of "William and Mary College, ap- pointing him to be surveyor of this county, which was read, and thereupon he took the usual oaths to his Majesty's person and government, and took and subscribed the abjuration oath and test, and then took the oath of a surveyor, according to law." Part of each year he was beyond the Alleghanies, with no other instruments than compass and chain, acquiring strength of limb and purpose for future great achievements, and put- ting money in his purse at the rate of a doubloon and some- times six pistoles a day. These expeditions he alwaj^s remem- bered as the greatest pleasures of his youth. -After "Washington's death, more than fifty years later, the simple compass and chain and other mathematical instru- ments of his earlier and later years, were distributed among his family connections, but only one of them, a small library instrument, was mentioned in his will, as follows : " To David Stuart I give my large shaving and dressing table, and Tny telescojpeP Dr. Stuart married the widow of John Parke Custis, the son of Mrs. Washington. The telescope is now in possession of his granddaughter, wife of the Eeverend A. B. Atkins, of Germantown, Pennsylvania. And now another and more extended field of action opened before the young resident at Moimt Yernon. Beneath the roof of tliat pleasant mansion, toward the spring of 1751, he received from acting Governor Burwell the commission of adjutant of his military district, with the rank and pay of 4 50 MOUNT VERNOK major. It was an acceptable honor. His military spirit was kindling; for it had been fanned by old Major Muse, a fellow-soldier with Lawrence at Carthagena, who was a fre- WASHINGTON S TELESCOPE. quent and welcome guest at Mount Vernon, and by the stout Dutchman, Van Braam (who afterward figured ingloriously in history), who had taught him the art of fencing. Young Washington had scarcely taken his initial steps in the performance of his new duties when he was drawn from public life. Dark and ominous shadows were alternating with the sweet domestic sunlight that smiled so pleasantly around Mount Vernon. Tliey were cast by the raven wing of the angel of disease. A hectic glow was upon the cheeks AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 51 of Lawrence Wasliington, anc" liis physicians advised him to go to the more genial climate of Barbadoes in search of health. George went with him. It was in bright September, 1Y51, when they sailed, and in dark and stormy January he returned to tell the anxious wife of his brother that her lovea one must go to Bermuda in the spring ; for the hectic glow was growing brighter and his manly strength less. She was preparing to join him there, when word came that hope's promises had faded forever, and that her husband was coming home to die. He came when the bloom of May was upon the land, and before the close of July he was laid in the grave, at the early age of thirty-four years, leaving a wife and infant chUd. And now George Washington, a noble youth of twenty, his fine manly face a little scarred by the smallpox, that seized him while he was in Barbadoes, was at Mount Yernon as the faithful executor of the last will and testament of his brother. He was also prospective heir of that whole beau- tiful domain, Lawrence having left it to his daughter, with the proviso that in the event of her death that and other lands should become the property of George. That contingency soon occurred. Little Jenny died, and George "Washington became the owner of Mount Yernon. Already, by the will of his father, he was the proj)rietor of the paternal estate on the Rappahannock. Now he ranked among the wealthier of the planters of the Old Dominion. The development of great and stirring events soon called Washington to the forests, not with compass and chain, and field-book, but with sword and pistol, and diplomatic com- mission. Then his hero-life began. 52 MOUNT YERNON For a tliousand years a national feud had existed between Gauls and Britons — Frencli and English; and their colonists, seated a little way apart in the New World, cherished this sentiment of utter dislike. It was intensified by jealousy ; for they were competitors for a prize no less than that of supreme dominion in America. The English were planters — the French were traders; and while the stations of the latter were several hundred miles in the interior, away from the settlements of the former, on the seaboard, the equanimity of both parties was quite undis- turbed. But when, after the capture of Louisburg by the English, in 1745, the French adopted vigorous measures for opposing the extension of British power in America; when they built strong vessels at the foot of Lake Ontario ; made ti'eaties of friendship and alliance with the Delaware and Shawnee tribes of Indians ; strengthened then* fortress at the mouth of the Niagara River, and commenced the erection of a cordon of fortifications, more than sixty in number, between Montreal and ISTew Orleans, the English were aroused to immediate and effective action, in defence of the territorial rights conceded to them in their ancient charters. By virtue of these, they claimed absolute dominion westward to the Pacific Ocean, south of the latitude of the north shore of Lake Erie; while the French claimed a title to all the territory watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries, because they had made the first explorations and settlements in that region. The claims of the real owner — the Indian — were not consid- ered. It was a significant question, asked by a messenger sent by sachems to Mr. Gist, agent of the "English Ohio Com pany — "Where is the Indian's land? The English claim i1 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 53 all on one side of the river, tlie French on the other. Where does the Indian's land lie ? " At length English traders who went to tlie Ohio redon were driven aM^ay or imprisoned by the French, and the latter commenced building forts south of Lake Erie. Governor Dinwiddle, of Virginia, thought these proceedings rather in- solent, and he sent Major Wasliington, then less than twenty- two years of age, to carry a letter of remonstrance to the French eommander in that region. Seven persons besides Major "Washington composed the expedition, and among them was Van Braam, Washino-ton's Dutch fencing-master, who could speak French fluently, and went as interpreter. They assembled at Williamsburo-, and made every preparation for a journey of several hundred miles on horseback, through an unbroken wilderness. Tliey were furnished by the governor with horses, pack-saddles, tent, arms, ammunition, a leathern camp-chest, provisions. PACK-SADDLE. LEATHERN CAMP-CHEST. and every other necessary, and on the 31st of October, 1753, departed for the head-waters of the Ohio. Tliey made a most 54 MOUNT VERNON perilous jom-ney, and, after an absence of seven weeks, Major Washington again stood in the presence of Governor Din- widdic, his mission fulfilled to the satisfaction of all. Two days afterward he returned, first to his mother's home, near Fredericksburg, then to Bel voir, and finally to Mount Vernon, where he spent a greater portion of the winter and spring of 1Y54. But Major "Washington was not allowed to remain long in seclusion. In the late expedition he had exhibited qualities too great and useful to be suffered to repose. "War with the French appeared inevitable. The latter continued their hos- tile preparations in the Ohio region, and a colonial military force, to be sent thither, was organized in the spring of 1754. Colonel Joshua Fry was appointed its commander, and Major "Washington his lieutenant. For a while Mount "Vernon appeared like a recruiting station. At length all preparations were completed, and on the 2d of April, Major "Washington, with the advanced corps, marched from Alexandria toward the Ohio. After a toilsome journey of eighteen days, over the Blue Ridge, they reached the mouth of "Wills' Creek (now Cumberland), where "Wash- ington, for the first time, occupied a house for his head- quarters as a military commander. It was the dwelling of a pioneer. It has long since passed away, but the pencil has preserved its features, and now, at the distance of time of more than a hundred years, we may look upon the portrait of "Washington's first Head-Quarteks. It is not our purpose to trace the events of "Washington's life in their consecutive order. "We propose to give delinea- tions of only such as held intimate relations with his beautiful AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. / 55 Washington's first head-quabtees. liome on the Potomac, which, for more than forty years, was to him the dearest spot on the earth. During the war between the French and English, that com- menced in earnest in 1755, when Braddock came to America as commander-in-chief of the British forces, until the close of the campaign of 1Y58, when the French and their dusky allies were driven from the forks of the Ohio, Washington was almost continually in the public service, and spent but little time at Mount Yernon. He had been promoted to Colonel in 1754, but, on account of new military an-ange- ments by the blundering, wrong-headed, narrow-minded Gov- ernor Dinwiddle, he had left the service with disgust, and retired to the quiet of private life at Mount Yernon, with a determination to spend his life there in the pursuits of agricul- ture — pursuits which he always passionately loved, and longed for most earnestly when away from them.f General Braddock, an Irish officer of forty years' experience 56 MOUNT VERNON in the army, came to America with, two regiments early in 1755, and called a council of royal governors at Alexandria, to arrange a regular campaign against the French. Brad- dock soon heard, from every lip, encomiums of the character of Colonel Washington, and he invited him to Alexandria. Mount Yernon was only a little more than an hour's I'ide distant, and Washington, whose military ardor was again aroused by pre2:)arations for conflict, was swift to ol)ey the summons. From Mount Yernon he had looked upon the ships-of-war and transports upon the bosom of the Potomac that bore Braddock and his troops, and the thought that only a few miles from his dwelling, preparations were in j)rogress for a brilliant campaign, under the command of one of the most ex- perienced generals of the British army, stirred the very depths of his soul, and made him yearn to go again to the field. At the residence of Jonathan Carey, where Braddock made his head-quarters, the young provin- cial colonel and the veteran gen- eral first met, at the close of March. Carey's was then the finest house in Alexandria, sur- rounded by a noble lawn that was sliaded by lofty forest trees, and its gardens extending down a gentle slope to the shore of the Potomac. Now it THE CAEET HOUSE IN 1859 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 57 stands within the city, hemmed in by buildings and paved streets, and forms a part of Newton's Hotel. The con\'ention of governors met in it in April, and there the ensuing cam- paign was planned. Braddock invited Washington to join his military family, as aid, with the rank he had lately borne. The mother of the young colonel hastened to Mount Yernon to persuade him not to accept it. She urged the claims of his and her own affairs upon his attention, as strong reasons for him not to enter the army again, and for two days she held his decision in abey- ance, for filial obedience was one of the strongest sentiments of Washington's nature. But it was not strong enough to restrain him on this occasion — or, rather, God's will must be obeyed — and he left Mount Yernon for Alexandria, after her departure for the Eappahannoek, and was welcomed into Braddock's family with joy by Captains Orme and Morris. On the 9th of July following we behold him upon the bloody field of the Monongahela, shielded by God's provi- dence, untouched by ball or bayonet, arrow or javelin, while carnao-e was lavino; its scores of victims around him, and his commander was borne mortally wounded from the field — we behold him riding from j)oint to point, bringing order out of confusion, and leading away from that aceldama the shattered battalions of the proud army of the morning to a place of safety and repose. Then he returned to Mount Yernon, weak from recent sickness and exposure in the field. In his little library there he wrote to his brother, then a member of the House of Burgesses at Williamsburg, and thus summed up bis military career : " I was employed to go a journey in the winter, when 1 58 MOUNT VERNON believe few or none would have undertaken it, and what did I get by it? My expenses borne! I was then appointed, with trifling pay, to conduct a handful of men to the Ohio. What did 1 get by that? Why, after putting myself to a considerable expense in equipping and providing necessaries for the campaign, I went out, was soundly beaten, and lost all ! Came in, and had my commission taken from me ; or, in other words, my command reduced, under pretence of an order from home. I then went out a volunteer with General Braddock, and lost all my horses, and many other things. But this being a voluntary act, I ought not to have mentioned it ; nor should I have done it, were it not to show that I have been on the losing order ever since I entered the service, which is now nearly two years." But what wonderful and necessary lessons for the future had Washington learned during that time ! Mount Yernon saw but little of its master during the next four years ; for the flame of war lighted up the land from Acadia, and along the St. Lawrence, away down to the beau- tiful Cherokee country, in Western Georgia and Carolina, and Washington was most of the time in camp, except from December, 1Y5Y, until March, 1T58, when he was an invalid at home. In February, 1756, we find him, accompanied by two aides, journeying to Boston, to confer with General Shirley con- cerning military rank in Yirginia. Little did he then think that twenty years later he would again be there directing a siege against the New England capital, in command of rebels against the crown lie was then serving ! We find him lingering in 'New York, on his return. The AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 69 young soldier, apparently invincible to the mortal weapons of war, was sorely smitten there by the " sly archer" concealed in the bright eyes, blooming cheeks, and winning ways of Mary Phillipse, the heiress of a broad domain, stretching many a mile along the Hudson, Tlie young soldier lingered MART PHILLIPSE. in her presence as long as duty would permit, and he would fain have carried her with him to Virginia as a bride, but his natural diffidence kept the momentous question unspoken in his heart, and his fellow aide-de-camp in Braddock's family, Roger Morris, bore away the prize. Mary Phillipse did not become the mistress of Mount Yernon, but reigned, as beau- teous queen, in a more stately mansion on the bank of the 60 MOUNT VERNON Harlem River, where, twenty years later, Washington, as leader of a host of Americans, in arms against the king, held his head-quarters, the master and mistress of the mansion being proscribed as " enemies to their country ! " MORRIS S HOUSE. But, three years later, tliere was a presiding angel over the mansion on Mount Vernon. Meanwhile the tramp of steeds, the clangor of arms, and every sound betokening warlike prep- arations, were heard tliere, and the decisive campaign ot 1758 was opened. "Washington went to the camp as soon as his health would permit ; and toward Fort du Quesne, at the confluence of the forks of the Ohio, quite a large army made its way. Wasting delays and weary marches consumed the summer time ; and late in autumn, having traversed deep forests and rugged mountains, the invading army found rest, beyond the Alle- ghanies. Colonel Washington, with an advanced guard, took possession of all that was left of Fort du Quesne, where Pitts- burg now stands. It had been the prize for which Braddock contended — the nest from which came the vultures that AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 61 preyed upon the frontier settlements. Over its smoking ruins the red cross of St. George was nnfurled, where for four years had waved the lilies of France. Then French dominion ceased southward of Lake Erie ; and the young hero, whose wisdom, skill, and valor had contributed so largely toward the accomplishment of that result, returned to Mount Yemon sick and wearied, fully resolved to leave the army forever, and seek repose and happiness, usefulness and fair fame, in do- mestic and civil life. For these Washington was now prepared. During the previous spring, while on his way to "Williamsburg, from his camp at Winchester, he had been taught to love one of the best of Virginia's daughters ; and in the autumn, while he was making his toilsome march toward Fort du Quesne, he had been elected a delegate to the Yirginia House of Burgesses. The story of Washington's love and courtship is simple, yet full of the elements of romance. !N"o words can better tell that story than those used for the purpose, in after years, by a grandson of the lady.* "It was in 1758," he says, "that Washington, attired in military undress, and attended by a body servant, tall and militaire as his chief, was crossing William's Ferry over the Pamunkey Kiver, a branch of the York Kiver. On the boat touching the southern or !N^ew Kent side, the soldier's progress was arrested by one of those personages who give the beau ideal of the Yirginia gentleman of the old regime — the very soul of kindliness and hospitality. * The late George "Washington Parke Custis, tlie adopted son of Washington See Custis's Recollections of Washington, New York, 1869 62 MOUNT VERNON It was in vain the soldier urged his business at Williamsburg, important communications to the governor, etc. Mr. Cham- berlayne, on whose domain the militaire had just landed, would hear of no excuse. Colonel Washington's was a name and character so dear to all the Virginians that his passing by one of the old castles of the Dominion without calling and partaking of the hospitalities of the host was entirely out of the question. " The colonel, however, did not surrender at discretion, but stoutly maintained his ground, till Chamberlayne bringing up his reserve, in the intimation that he would introduce his friend to a young and charming widow, then beneath his roof, the soldier capitulated, on condition that he should dine — only dine — and then, by pressing his charger and borrowing of the night, he would reach Williamsburg before his Excel- lency could shake oif his morning slumbers. Orders were accordingly issued to Bishop, the Colonel's body-servant and faithful follower, who, together with the fine English charger, had been bequeathed by the dying Braddock to Major Wash- ington, on the famed and fatal field of the Monongahela. Bishop, bred in the school of European discipline, raised his hand to his cap, as much as to say, ' Your honor's orders shall be obeyed.' " Tlie colonel now proceeded to the mansion, and was intro- duced to various guests (for when was a Yii'ginian domicile of the olden time without guests?) and, above all, to the charming widow. Ti-adition relates that they were mutually pleased on this their first interview. Nor is it remarkable. They were of an age when impressions are strongest. The lady was fair to behold, of fascinating manners and splon- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 63 didly endo-wed with worldly benefits. The hero, fresh from his early fields, redolent of fame, and with a form on which " ' Every god did seem to set his seal, To give the world assurance of a man.' " The morning passed pleasantly away ; evening came, with Bishop, true to his orders and firm at his post, holding the favorite charger with one hand, while the other was waiting to offer the ready stirrup. " The sun sank in the horizon, and yet the colonel appeared not. And then the old soldier marvelled at his chief's delay. "Twas strange, 'twas passing strange — surely he was not wont to be a single moment behind his appointments, for he was the most punctual of all punctual men.' Meantime, the host enjoyed the scene of the veteran on duty at the gate, while the colonel was so agreeably employed in the parlor, and proclaiming that no guest ever left his house after sunset, his military visitor was, without much difiiculty, persuaded to order Bishop to put up the horses for the night. " The sun rode high in the heavens the ensuing day, when the enamored soldier pressed with his spur his charger's side, and speeded on his way to the seat of government, where, having dispatched his public business, he retraced his steps, and, at the "Wliite House, a marriage engagement took place." That " charming widow" was Martha Custis, daughter oi John Dandridge, whose husband, Daniel Parke Custis, had been dead between two and three years. He had left her with two young children and a very large fortune in lands and money, the legal evidence of which, in the form of deeds, mortgages, bonds, and certificates of deposit in the Bank of u MOUNT VERNON DANTEL PAItKE CUSTIS. England, were contained in a strong iron box, wliicli is care- fully jjreserved by her de- scendants, at their beau- tiful seat at Arlington, on the Potomac, opposite Washington City. "And much," continues the writer we have quoted, " hath the biographer heard of that marriage of Washington, from the grayhaired domestics who waited at the board where love made the feast and the Virginia colonel was the guest. MRS. CUSTIS S IRON CHEST. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 65 " * And so you remember,' I said to old Cull j, mj grand- mother's servant, when in his hundredth year — 'and so you remember when Colonel Washington came a-courting your yoimg mistress ? ' " ' Ay, master, that I do,' said Cully. ' Great times, sir, gi*eat times — shall never see the like again.' " ' And Washington looked something like a man — a proper man, hey. Cully?' " 'Never seed the like, sir — never the like of him, though I have seen many in my day — so tall, so straight, and then he sat on a horse and rode with such an air ! Ah, sir, he was like no one else! Many of the grandest gentlemen, in the gold lace, were at the wedding ; but none looked like the man himself.' " The marriage of Washington occurred on the 17th of January, (6th Old Style), 1759, at the "White House," the residence of his bride, in Netf Kent county, not far from Williamsburg. Tlie officiating clergyman was the Reverend David Mossom, who, for forty years was rector of the neigh- boring parish of St. Peter's. Washington was then an attend- ant member of the House of Burgesses, and for three months, while official duties detained him at Williamsburg, he resided at the " White House." When the session had ended, he returned to Mount Yemon, taking with him the future mis- tress of the mansion, and her two children, John Parke and Martha Parke Custis. Then commenced that sweet domestic life at Mount Yemon, which always possessed a powerful charm for its illustrious owner. He early wrote to his friend, Kichard Washington, in London ; 66 :OUNT VEKNON MRS. WASHINGTON S CHILDREN. " I am now, 1 believe, fixed in this seat with an agreeable partner for life, and I hope to find more happiness in retire- ment than I ever experienced in the wide and bustling world." He was then seven-and-twenty years of age, and over six feet two inches in height, and admirably proportioned. His hair was a rich dark-brown ; his eyes grayish-blue and expressive of deep thought ; his complexion florid, and his features regular and rather heavy. "Washington's wife was three months younger than himself. She was a small, plump, elegantly formed woman. Her eyes were dark and expressive of the most kindly good nature ; her complexion fair ; her features beautiful ; and her whole face AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 67 beamed with intelligence. Her temper, though quick, was sweet and placable, and her manners were extremely winning. She was full of life, loved the society of her friends, always MRS. WASHINGTON AT THE TIME OP HER MARRIAGE. dressed with a scrupulous regard to .the requirements of the best fashions of the day, and was, in every respect, a brilliant member of the social circles which, before the revolution, composed the vice-regal court at the old Virginia capital. Washington, at this time, possessed an ample fortune, in- dependent of that of his wife. His estate of Mount Yemon he described as most pleasantly situated in " a high, healthy country ; in a latitude between the extremes of heat and cold, on one of the finest rivers in the world — a river well stocked with various kinds of fish at all seasons of the year, and in 68 MOUNT VERNON the spring with shad, herrings, bass, carp, sturgeon, etc., iu abundance. The borders of the estate," he continued, " are washed by more than ten miles of tide-water ; several valuable fisheries appertain to it ; the whole shore, in fact, is one entire fishery." Such was the delightful home to which Washington took his bride in the spring of 1759. At that time, almost every manufactured article for domestic use, was imported from England. It is amusing and interest- ins to observe the diftcrence in the items of orders sent out to London from Mount Yernon within the space of two years. First, as a bachelor, Washington orders : " Five pieces of Irish Linnen. 1 piece finest Cambric. 2 pr. fine worked ruffles, at 205. a j)r. 2 setts compleat shoe brushes. ^ doz. pr. thread hose, at 5^. 1 compleat Saddle and Bridle, and 1 sett Holster caps, and Housing of fine Blue Cloth with a small edging of Em- broidering round them. As much of the best superfine blue Cotton Yelvet as will make a Coat, Waistcoat, and Breeches for a Tall Man, with a fine silk button to suit it, and all other neces- sary trimmings and linings, together with garters for tlie Breeches. 6 prs. of the very neatest shoes, viz : 2 pr. double channelled pumps ; two pr, turned ditto, and two pair stitched shoes, to be made by one Didsbury over Colonel Boiler's last, but to be a little wider over the instep. 6 prs. gloves, 3 pairs of which to be proper for riding, and AND ITS- ASSOCIATIONS. 69 to have slit tops; the whole larger than the middle size." A little later, in apparent expectation of a wife at some future day, the careful bachelor prepares the mansion for her reception. In September, 1757, he wrote to Eichard Wash- ington, saying: " Be pleased, over and above what I have wrote for in a letter of the 13th of April, to send me 1 doz. Strong Chairs, of CHAIRS ONCE AT MOUNT VEENON, about 15 shillings a piece, the bottoms to be exactly made by the enclosed dimensions, and of three different colors to suit the paper of three of the bed-chambers, also wrote for in my last. I must acquaint you, sir, with the reason of this request. 1 have one dozen chairs that were made in the country ; neat, 70 MOUNT VERNON but too weak for common sitting. I therefore propose to take tlie bottoms out of those and put them into these now ordered, while the bottoms which you send will do for the former, and furnish the chambers. For this reason the workmen must be very exact, neither making the bottoms larger nor smaller than the dimensions, otherwise the change can't be made. Be kind enough to give directions that these chairs, equally with the others and the tables, be carefully packed anji stowed, "With- out this caution, they are liable to infinite damage." In 1Y59 (the year of Washington's marriage), we have the order of a husband instead of that of a bachelor. The items are quite different, and were evidently dictated by the sweet little wife, leaning lovingly, perhaps, upon the broad shoulder of her noble lord. He directs his friend in London to send him : " 1 Salmon-colored Tabby [velvet] of the enclosed pattern, with Sattin flowers ; to be made in a sack and coat. 1 Cap, Handkerchief, and Tucker [a piece of lace or linen pinned to the top of women's stays] and Ruffles, to be made of Brussells lace or Point, proper to be worn with the above negligee ; to cost £20. 1 piece Bag Holland, at Qs. a yard. 2 fine flowered Lawn Aprons. 2 iouble handkerchiefs. 2 prs. women's white silk hose. 6 pr. fine cotton do. 4 pr Tliread do. four threaded. 1 p. black and 1 pr. white Sattin Shoes of the smallest tivea 4 pr Callimanco do. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. ' 71 I fashionable Hat or Bonnet. 6 p. Women's best Kid Gloves. 6 pr. ditto mitts. ^ doz. Knots and Breast EJnots. 1 doz. round Silk stay laces. 1 black Mask. 1 doz most fashionable Cambrick Pocket Handkercliiefs. 2 pr. neat Small Scissors. 1 lb Sewing Silk, shaded. Real Miniken pins and hair pins, and 4 pieces Binding Tape. Six lbs perfumed powder. 3 lbs best Scotch Snuff. 3 lbs best Yiolette Strasbourg Snuff. 1 pr narrow white Sattin ribbon, pearl edge. A puckered petticoat of a fashionable color. A silver Tabby velvet petticoat. 2 handsome breast flowers. Hair pins — sugar candy. 2 pr. small silver Ear-rings for servants. 8 lbs Starch. 2 lbs Powdered Blue. 2 oz. Coventry Thread, one of which to be very fine. 1 case of Pickles to consist of Anchovies, Capers, Oiivest Salad Oil, and one bottle Indian Mangoes. 1 Large Cheshire Cheese. 4 lbs Green Tea. 10 gross best Corks. ^5 lbs best jar Raisins. 25 lbs Almonds, in the Shell 72 MOUNT YERNON 1 hhd best Porter. 10 loaves double and 10 single refined Sugar. 12 lbs best mustard. 2 doz. Jack's best playing cards. 3 gallons of Rhenish in bottles. 100 lbs white Biscuit. 1^ doz. Bell glasses for Garden. 1 more Window Curtain and Cornice. 2 more Chair bottoms, such as were written for in a fonner invoice." Such were "Washington's orders for his house at that time. These items were followed by others pertaining to his farming operations and the servants upon his estate ; and also medi cines for family use. And now, the mansion at Mount Yernon having an accom- plished mistress to preside over its hospitalities, and to receive and entertain some of the best society of Virginia, articles of taste were introduced to embellish it. In the handwriting of the master we find the duplicate of an order, as follows : " Derections for the Busts. — One of Alexander the Great ; another of Julius Caesar ; another of Charles XII. of Sweden ; and a fourth of the King of Prussia. " N. B. These are not to exceed fifteen inches in height, nor ten in width. " 2 other Busts of Prince Eugene and the Duke of Marl- borough, somewhat smaller. " 2 Wild Beasts, not to exceed twelve inches in height, nor eighteen in length, " Sundry ornaments for Cliimncy-piece." AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 73 These items indicate the military taste of Washington at that time, and show his reverence for the great military leaders of whom history had made her enduring records. Many years later, when Washington had become as renowned as they, the Great Frederick sent him a portrait of himself, accompanied by the remarkable words — " From the Oldest General in Eu rope to the Greatest General in the World !" Two years after his marriage, Wasbington sent the following order to Kobert Carey, Esq., in London : " For Master Custis, 8 tears old. " 1 handsome suit of Winter Cloathes. A suit of Summer ditto, very light. 2 pieces Nankeens with trimmings. 1 silver laced hat. 6 pair fine Cotton Stockings. • 1 pr fine worsted ditto. 4 pr. Strong Shoes. 1 pr. neat Pumps. 1 p. gloves. 2 hair bags. 1 piece ribbon for ditto. 1 p. silver Shoe and Knee buckles. 1 p. Sleeve buttons. A Small Bible neatly bound in Turkey, and John Parke Custis wrote in gilt letters on the inside of the cover. A neat Small Prayer Book bound as above, with John Parke Custis, as above. 1 piece Irish linen, at Is. 3 pr shoes for a boy 14 y'rs old. l^ 74 MOUNT VERNON CUSTIS S ARMS. 3 p. Coarse Stockings for do. 2 pr Women's Strong Shoes, size 8. 2 p'r Stockings for do. 50 ells Osnaburgs. A suit of livery Cloatlies for the above boy of 14. A hat for do. "!NoTE. — Let the livery be suited to the arms of the Custis family." " FoK Miss Custis, 6 teaks old. " A coat made of fashionable Silk. A fashionable Cap or Fillet with bib apron. Ruffles and Tucker — to be laced. 4 fashionable dresses to be made of Long lawn. 2 fine Cambric frocks. A Sattin Capuchin hat and neckatees. A Persian quilted coat. 1 pr. pack thread Stays. 4 p. Calamanco Shoes, 6 pr leather ditto and 2 p'r Sattin do. with flat ties. 6 pr fine Cotton Stockings, 4 pr "White "Wors'd Do. 12 p'r Mitts. 6 p'r Gloves, white Kids. 1 p'r Silver Shoe buckles. 1 pr. neat sleeve buttons. 6 handsome Egrets* different sorts. 6 yds Ribbon Do. * An Egreite or Aigrette was an ornament for the bead then much used by people of fashion. They were sometimes made of tufts of feathers, diamonds, etc., but more frequently of ribbons. In the above invoice both kinds were ordered. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 75 1 pr. little Scissors. 3 M (thousand) large pins. 3 M short whites. 3 M Minikens. 1 Fashionable dressed Doll to cost a guinea. 1 Do. at 5*. A box Gingerbread, Toys & Sugar Images and Comfits. A neat Small Bible, bound in Turkey, and Martha Parke Custis wrote on the inside in gilt letters. A Small Prayer Book, neat and in the same manner. 12 yards coarse green Callimanco. The above things to be put into a Strong Trunk — separate from J. P. Custis's, whose will likewise be put into a, Trunk, each having their names. 1 very good Spinet [a small harpsichord], to be made by Mr. Plinius, Harpsichord Maker, in South Audley Street, Grosvenor Square. " It is begged as a favor that Mr. Carey would bespeak this instrument as for himself or a friend, and not let it be known y' is intended for exportation. " Send a good assortment of spare strings to it. "Books according to the enclosed List — to be charged equally to both John Parke Custis and Martha Parke Custis — likewise one Beam of Writing paper." Tliese specimens of orders which were sent out annually to England, are given as glimpses of the domestic arrangements at Mount Yernon, and the style in which the wealthier Yir- ginia families, of cultivated tastes, lived before the Bevolution It is evident that "Washington and his family indulged in aD the fashionable luxuries (not extravagances) of the day, per- taining to the table and the wardrobe ; and in the absence of positive proof, these invoices would afford the strongest infer 76 MOUNT VERNON entia. evidences that tliey spent mucli of tlieir earlier years in the enjoyment of social pleasures. "Washington's Diaries bear still stronger, because positive testimony to the fact. During some months, two or three times a week he records the result of a day's sport thus: " "Went a hunting with J.acky Custis, and catched a fox, after three hours chase. Found it in the creek :" or, " Mr. Brvan Fairfax, Mr. Grayson and Phil. Alexander came home by sun- rise. Hunted and catched a fox with these, Lord Fairfax, his brother, and Colonel Faii'fax — all of whom with Mr. Fairfax and Mr. "Wilson of England, dined here." Afterward, two days in succession: "Hunted again with the same com- pany." Still more frequently he noted the arrival and departure of guests. One day the Fairfaxes, or Masons, or Thurstons, or Lees would be there ; and the next day he and " Mrs. "Wash- ington, Mr. and Miss Custis " would " dine at Belvoir." And so the round of visiting went on. Mount Vernon was seldom without a guest. The hunting day, which occurred c-o fre- quently, generally ended in a dinner there or at Belvoir, a little lower on the Potomac — more frequently at the former ; and the hospitalities of the house were kept up in a style which none but a wealthy planter could afford. " Would any one believe," "Washington says in his diary of 1768, " that with a liundred and one cows, actually reported at a late enumera- tion of the cattle, I should still be obliged to buy butter for my family 2:" For Mrs. "Washington and her lady visitors he kept a chariol and four horses, with black postillions in livery; and these wM-e frequently seen and admired upon the road between AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. ^T Mount Yemon and Alexandria, or the neighboring estates. He took great delight in horses. Those of his own stable were of the best blood, and their names, as well as those of his dogs, were registered in his household books. When abroad, he always appeared on horseback ; and as he was one of the most superb men and skilful horsemen in Virginia, he must have made an imposing appearance, especially when fully equipped for the road, with the following articles, which were ordered by him from London, in one of his annual invoices : " 1 Man's Eiding-Saddle, hogskin seat, large plated stirrups, and everything complete. Double-reined bridle and Pel ham Bit, plated. A very neat and fashionable Newmarket Saddle-Cloth, A large and best Portmanteau, Saddle, Bridle and Pillion Cloak-Bag Surcingle ; checked Saddle-cloth, holsters, &c. A Riding Frock of handsome drab-colored Broadcloth, with plain double-gilt Buttons. A Riding Waistcoat of superfine scarlet cloth and gold Lace with Buttons like those of the Coat. A blue Surtout Coat. A neat Switch Whip, silver cap. Black Velvet Cap for Servant." Thus attired, and accompanied by Bishop, his favorite body servant, in scarlet livery, Washington was frequently seer. upon the road, except on Sunday morning, when he always rode in the chaise, with his family, to the church at Pohick or at Alexandria. Like other gentlemen living near the Potoma(j. Washington was fond of aquatic sports. He kept a handsome barge, which. 78 MOUNT VERNON on special occasions, was manned by black oarsmen in livery. Pleasant sailing-boats were frequently seen sweeping along tlie surface of tlie river, freiglited with ladies and gentlemen going from mansion to mansion on its banks — Mount Yernon, Gun- ston Hall, Belvoir, and other places — on social visits. Washington and his wife frequently visited Annapolis and Williamsburg, the respective capitals of Maryland and Vir- ginia. For fifteen consecutive years he was a member of the Virginia Ilouse of Burgesses, and Mrs. Washington spent much of her time with him at Williamsburg during the sessions. Both fond of amusements, they frequently attended the theat- rical representations there and at Annapolis, that entertainment being then a recent importation from England, the first com- pany of actors, under the direction of Lewis Ilallam, having first performed in the Maryland capital in 1752. They also attended balls and parties given by the fashionable people of Williamsburg and Annapolis, and fi-equently joined in the dance. But after the Revolution Washington was never known to dance, his last performance being in a minuet, of which he was very fond, on the occasion of a ball given at Fredericksburg in honor of the French and American oflficers then there, on their way north, after the capture of Cornwallis, toward the close of 1781. But it miTst not be supposed, that during these years of his earlier married life, Washington's time was wholly, or even chiefly, occupied in the pleasures of the chase and of social intercourse. Far from it. He was a man of great industry and method, and managed his large estates with signal indus- try and ability. He did not leave his farms to the entire care of his overseers. He was very active, and continually, even AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 79 when absent on public business, exercised a general supervision of his affairs, requiring a carefully prepared report of all oper ations to be transmitted to him weekly, for his inspection and suggestions. He was very abstemious, and while his table always fur- nished his guests with ample and varied supplies for their appetites, he never indulged in the least excess, either in eating or drinking. He was an early riser, and might be found in his library from one to two hours before daylight in winter, and at dawn in summer. His toilet, plain and simple, was soon made. A single servant prepared his clothes, and laid them in a proper place at night for use in the morning. He also combed and tied his master's hair. "Washington always dressed and shaved himself. Tlie im- plements he then used have been preserved, as interesting relics, in the family of Doctor Stuart, who, as we have ob- served, married the widow of John Farke Custis, the son of Mrs. "Washington. Though neat in his dress and appearance, he never wasted precious moments upon his toilet, for he always regarded time, not as a gift but as a loan, for which he must account to the great Master. Washington kept his own accounts most carefully and me- thodically, in handwriting remarkable for its extreme neatness and uniformity of stroke. This was produced by the constant use of a gold pen. One of these, with a silver case, used by Washington during a part of the old war for independence, he presented to his warm personal friend, General Anthony Wal- ton White, of New Jersey, one of the most distinguished and patriotic of the cavalry officers of that war in the southern campaigns. It is now in the possession of Mrs. Eliza M. 80 MOUNT VERNON Evans, near Brunswick, Kew Jersey, tlie only surviving child of General "White. In one end of the silver pen-case is a sliding tube for a common black-lead pencil, the convenient " ever-pointed " pencil being unknown in Washington's time. That was invented by Isaac Hawkins, and patented by him, in London, in 1802. Washington's gold pen with silvee case. From his youth "Washington kept a diary. For many years these records of his daily experience were made on the blank leaves of the Virginia Almanac, " Printed and sold by Purdie 'uy7t-e On Wednesday morning, the 31st of August, 1774:, two men approached Mount Vernon on horseback. One of them was a slender man, very plainly dressed in a suit of ministers' gray, and about forty years of age. Tlie other was his senior in years, likewise of slender form, and a face remarkable for its expression of unclouded intelligence. He was more carefully dressed, more polished in manners, and much more fluent in conversation than his companion. Tliey reached Mount Yer- non at seven o'clock, and after an exchange of salutations with Washington and his family, and partaking of breakfast, the three retired to the library and were soon deeply absorbed in the discussion of the great questions then agitating the people of the colonies. The two travellers were Patrick Henry and Edmund Pendleton. A third, the silver-tongued Cicero of "Virginia, Pichard Henry Lee, was expected with them, but he had been detained at Chantilly, his seat in Westmoreland. All day long these three eminent Yirginians were in council ; and early the next morning they set out on horseback for Phila- delphia, to meet the patriots from other colonies there. Will Lee, Washington's huntsman, and favorite body servant, now that AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 103 PATRICK HENRT. Bishop had become too old and infirm to be active, was the only attendant npon his master. Thej crossed the Potomac at the Falls (now Georgetown), and rode far on toward Balti- more, before the twilight. On the 4th of September, the day before the opening of the Congress, they breakfasted at Chris- tina Ferry (now "Wilmington), and dined at Chester ; and that night Washington, according to his diary, " lodged at Doctor Shippen's, in Philadelphia, after supping at the New Tavern." At that house of pubhc entertainment he had lodged nearly two years before, while on his way to New York to place young Custis in King's (now Columbia) College^. S^ At ten o'clock on Monday morning, the 5th of September, 17Y4, the First Continental Congress commenced its sessions 104 MOUNT VERNON in Carpenter's Hall, in Philadelphia. The members first assembled at the City Tavern, and marched in procession to the Hall. They organized the congress by choosing Peyton Ran- dolph — a large, fleshy, good-looking Yirginian, five-and-forty years of age — as president ; and for secretary they appointed Charles Tliomson, a lean man, with hollow, sparkling eyes, hair quite thin and gray, and a year younger than the president, though bearing marks of premature old age. Thomson was an accomplished Pennsylvanian ; and, notwithstanding he ap- peared so old at the age of forty-four, he lived fifty years longer, while the florid, healthful-looking Randolph died the very next year, within an hour after eating a hearty dinner at Richard Hill's country seat, near Philadelphia. The business of the congress was opened by Patrick Henry, and the session continued until the 26th of October, when they had laid the foundations of a new Republic, deep in the principles of Truth and Justice. They debated great questions with the dignity and wisdom of sages, and, by a large majority adopted the following resolution — a resolution which reaffirmed all pre- vious resolves of the Americans to fight for freedom rather than submit to inglorious political servitude : " Resolved,, — ^That this Congress approve the opposmoN of THE DTHABrrANTS OF MASSACHUSETTS BaT TO THE EXECUTION OF THE LATE AcTS OF PARLIAMENT ; AND IF THE SAME SHALL BE AT- TEMPTED TO BE CARRIED INTO EXECUTION BY FORCE, IN SUCH CASE, Ai.L America ought to support them m their opposition. Tlie Congress closed their irajjortant labors by putting forth some of the most remarkable state papers that ever appeared AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 105 in tlie annals of the nations. The perusal of them drew from the Earl of Chatham the most enthusiastic encomiums, in a speech in the House of Lords. " When your lordships," he said, "look at the papers transmitted to us from America; when you consider their decency, firmness, and wisdom, you cannot but respect their cause, and wish to make it your own. For my- self, I must declare and avow, that in all my reading and study of history (and it has been my favorite study — I have read Thucydides, and have studied and admired the master states of the world), that for solidity of reasoning, force of sagacity, and wisdom of conclusions, under such a complication of cir- cumstances, no nation or body of men can stand in preference to the Congress at Philadelphia." It was in a congress composed of such men that "Washington distinguished himself. Although he did not engage in the public debates (for he had no talent for extempore speaking), and his name does not appear in the published proceedings of the Congress as a member of any committee during the session, his diary shows that he was assiduous in his attendance at Carpenter's Hall ; and there is ample evidence that his mind had much to do in the general conduct of the business, and especially in the preparation of the state papers alluded to. When Patrick Henry was asked, on his return from Phila- delphia, whom he considered the greatest man in the congress, he replied : " If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina is by far the greatest orator; but if you speak of solid information and sound judgment. Colonel Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on that floor." When the Congress adjourned, Washington returned to Mount Yemon, full of desires for a reconciliation with the 106 MOUNT VERNON' parent government, and for peacefulness hi tlie bosom of his family ; yet without any well-grounded hope. The hand of inexorable circumstances was then making many and great changes in and around his beautiful home. The sunshine upon the fields, the forests and the river were as bright as ever; and the flowers bloomed as beautifully, and the birds sang as sweetly as ever, when another spring came, like the angel of the resurrection, to call forth the sleepers in the bosom of mother earth. But in the mansion death had left the memorial footsteps of its recent visit; and the discord of clashing 023in- ions had almost hushed into silence the sweet voices of the social circle in which he had been accustomed to move. His friend of Belvoir was a loj^alist and beyond the ocean ; and that fine mansion, wherein the Washingtons and Fairfaxes had held generous intercommunication for a quarter of a century, was soon afterward consumed by fire. Its owner never re- turned to America, and the social intercourse of two long-tried friends was closed forever. George Washington and George William Fairfax never met again on the earth. The Congress of 1774, doubtful concerning reconciliation with Great Britain upon terms to which the colonists could accede, adjourned, to meet again at the same place on the tenth of May following, unless the desired redress of grievances should speedily take place, and render another national coun- cil unnecessary. But the people, taught by long and bitter experience, expected no justice from a blinded jninistry, and prepared for inevitable war. They aroused themselves, and organized into military companies for the purpose of discipline. Suddenly, as if by magic, a vast army was formed. It was, as we have elsewhere observed, "strong, determined, gene^'ous. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. lOY and panting for action, yet invisible to the superficial observer. It was not seen in the camp, the field, nor the garrison. No drum was heard calling it to action ; no trnmpet was sounded for battle. It was like electricity, harmless when latent, but terrible when aroused. It was all over the land. It was at the plough, in the workshop, and in the counting-room. Almost every household was its head-quarters, and every roof its tent. It bivouacked in every chamber ; and mothers, wives, sisters, and sweethearts made cartridges for its muskets, and supplied its commissariat. It was the old story of Cadmus repeated in modern history. British oppression had sown dragon's teeth all over the land, and a crop of armed men were ready to spring up, but not to destroy each other," * "Washington, always covetous of rural pursuits and the quiet of domestic life, returned from Philadelphia with the intention of resuming them. But urgent calls to public duty drew him from them. The volimteer companies of his state sought his counsel, and offered him the general leadership ; and he went from place to place, reviewing the assembled troops, and imparting wisdom which he had learned from his military experience. Meanwhile, his old companions in arms came frequently to Mount Yernon, for they snuffed the smoke of war from afar. Among these. Doctors Hugh Mercer, of Fred- ricksburgh, and James Craik, of Alexandria, were the most welcome, for these Washington loved much. Other men more distinguished also made frequent visits to Mount Yernon. Among the most famous of these were Gen- eral Charles Lee and Major Horatio Gates, both of whom had * Lossing's lAfe of Washington, i. 470. 108 MOUNT VERNON been officers of distinction in the British army, and were tnen residents in Virginia. These frequently accompanied "Wash- ington in his military excursions; and during the spring of 1775, they spent much time under his roof. GENERAL CHARLES LEE. Lee was a Welshman, and a year younger than Washington. He possessed fine manly physical proportions, and a fiery spirit which nothing, at times, could control. He had been engaged in the war with the French and Indians in America, in 1756 and a few succeeding years ; and the Mohawks, who created him a chief among themselves, gave him the signifi- cant name of Boiling Water. Restless and ambitious, he engaged in the continental wars of Europe, wherever he could find employment. At one time we find him an aide to the AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 109 king of Poland, and then a companion of that king's ambas- sador to Constantinople. Then we see him in England assail- ing the British ministry with his sarcastic pen, and by his ill nature and perverse judgment, shutting every door to his own advancement. Disappointed and still restless, he came to America in 17Y3, and travelled through most of the English provinces. In Yirginia he met Major Gates, and was induced by that gentleman to purchase an estate near him, in Berkeley county. There he was residing when the war for independence was fairly kindling, and he espoused the cause of the patriots with a zeal that commanded their greatest admiration. He entered the army as the first major-general under Washington, became very popular with the great body of the people, and for awhile disputed a place in their attachment with Washing- ton himself. His ambition soon conquered his prudence, and he became insolent and insubordinate toward, his superiors. With apparent collusion with the enemy, he became a prisoner ; endeavored, while a captive, to betray his adopted country ; was restored to the army by exchange, but soon afterward was suspended from command' because of bad conduct on the field of Monmouth ; and died in Philadelphia in comparative poverty, in the autumn of 1Y82, at the age of fifty-one years. He was a brilliant man in many things, but his life exhibited few commendable traits of character. He was bad in morals and manners ; profane and extravagant in language, and feared and loved neither God nor man. In his will he bequeathed his soul to the Almighty and his body to the earth, saying : "I desire most earnestly that I may not be buried in any church or churchyard, or within a mile of any Presbyterian or Anabaptist meeting-house; for, since I have resided in this 110 MOUNT VERNON country", I have kept so mucli bad company when living, that I do not choose to continue it when dead." Major Gates was three years the senior of Washington, and is supposed to have been a natural son of Horace Walpole. He was an officer in the British army during the French and Indian war, and was with Braddock in the battle of the Monongahela, where he w^as severely wounded. lie accom- GENBRAL HORATIO GATES. panied General Mockton to the West Indies as his aide-de- camp, and expected great preferment after the campaign was over, as he was the bearer to the king of the tidings of the English victory at Martinico. He was disappointed, and, in 1772, he sold his commission of major, came to America, and purchased an estate in Berkeley county, Yirginia, beyond the Blue Kidee. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. Ill Gates was the opposite of Lee in his social qualities, being a perfect gentleman in his deportment. He, also, espoused the republican cause at the kindling of the war, was appointed the first adjutant-general of the continental army, and arose to the rank of major-general. He was ambitious and vain ; and, during the first half of the war, was seeking to take the place of Washington as supreme commander of the American armies. His last active military command was in South Carolina, in the summer of 1780, where he lost his whole army. He returned to his estate in Yirginia, where he lived until 1790, and then removed to a farm on Manhattan Island, near the city of New York. He was a member of the IS^ew York legislature one term, and died in the spring of 1806, at the age of seventy-eight years. Washington was at Mount Yernon only a few weeks at a time, from the summer of 1774 until his retirement from the army in 1783. He was in the first continental Congress, as we have observed, during the autumn of 1774; was absent upon military services much of the time during the winter of 1775, and was a member of the Yirginia Assembly in the spring, when Patrick Henry made his famous war speech, which was closed with the burning words : " What is it that gentlemen wish ? What would they have ? Is life so dear or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery ? Forbid it, Almighty God ! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me llbeety oe give me DEATH !" With these words of Henry ringing in his ears, Washington returned to Mount Yernon, and prepared for a journey to riiiladelphia, there to take his seat as a member of the Second 112 MOUNT VERNON Continental Congress. Just at the close of a mild April day, while he and his neighbor, Bryan Fairfax, with Major Gates, were discussing the stirring events at "Williamsburg, connected with the seizure of powder belonging to the colony, by the royal governor, and the bold stand taken by Patrick Henry — events which were then arousing every republican heart in Virginia to action — a messenger came in haste from Alex- andria, bearing intelligence of bloodshed at Lexington and Concord. Tliat intelligence made a deep but widely diflerent impression upon the minds of tlie three friends. The gentle Fairfax, even then inclined to enter the gospel ministry, which he afterward adorned, was drawn, by the ties of consanguinity and ancestral reverence, to the side of the parent country. He was much distressed by the tidings from the east, for he per- ceived the gathering of a cloud of miseries for his country, and the peril of all pleasant social relations. Gates, ambitious of military glory, and eagerly looking for the honors and emoluments of office, for which he had long played the sycophant in London, was delighted by this opening of an avenue to a field of action wherein they might be won ; while Washington, communing with the intuitions of his loftier spirit, became thoughtful and reserved, and talked little, but wisely, on the subject. But he resolved nobly and firmly to go zealously into whatever conflicts might arise for the defence of the liberties of his country. All regarded the event as the casting away of the scabbard, as the severing blow to colonial allegiance. These friends parted company on the following day, and to- ward the evening of the 4th of May, Benjamin Harrison, one of the immortal fifty-six who afterward signed the Declaration AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 113 of Independence, came to Mount Vernon, supped, lodged, and breakfasted, and departed with Washington, earlj in the morn- ing of the 5th, for Philadelphia. They arrived at Chester on the 9th, and, while riding toward Philadelphia, with other southern delegates, were met, five or six miles from the city, by a cavalcade of five hundred gentlemen. Kearer the city, they were met by military companies, and by these, with bands of music, were escorted into and through the city " with great parade." On the following day, the new England delegates were received in a similar manner ; and thus, in the midst of the homage and acclamations of the people, the representatives of thirteen viceroyalties assembled to confederate in the great work of constructing a new republic. "With the sword of defence in one hand, and the olive-branch of reconciliation in the other, the Congress went on in their solemn labors. The military genius and experience of Wash- ington were continually acknowledged by his being placed as chairman of all the committees appointed for the conduct of military afiairs ; and to him was entrusted the important task of preparing rules and regulations for an army, and devising measures for the general defences Meanwhile, a large, but crude and ill-regulated army, had gathered around Boston, and was keeping the British reo-ulars in close confinement upon that little peninsula. It possessed no other cohesion than that derived from a sense of mutual danger. The Congress perceived this, and resolved to con- solidate and organize it by adopting it as a Continental army, with a commander-in-chief and assistant general officers. That adoption was formally made ; and on Thursday, the 15th of June, two days before the battle of Bunker's Hill. George 114 MOUNT VERNON Washington was chosen commander-in-chief of " all the con« tinental forces raised or to be raised, for the defence of Amer- ican liberty." The appointment was officially announced to him on the following day, and modestly accepted ; and on the 18th he wrote a touching letter to his wife on the subject, tell- ing her he must depart immediately for the camp ; begging her to summon all her fortitude, and to pass her time as agree- ably as possible ; and expressing a firm reliance upon thai Providence which had ever been bountiful to him, not doubt- ing that he should return safe to her in tlie fall. But he did not so return. Darker and darker grew the clouds of war ; and, during more than seven years, Washington visited his pleasant home upon the Potomac but once, and then only for three days and nights. Mrs. "Washington spent the winter in camp with her husband ; and many are the traditions concerning he'' beauty, gentleness, simplicity, and industry, which yet linger around the winter-quarters of the venerated commander-in-chief of the armies of the Revolution. For many long years she was remembered with aflfection by the dwellers at Cambridge, Morristown, Valley Forge, Newburgh, and New Windsor. Wlien, on each returning spring, she departed for her home on the Potomac, the blessings of thou- sands — soldiers and citizens — went with her, for she was truly loved by all. Pleasant would it be to read the scores of letters written by Washington to his charming wife during all that campaigning period, and his subsequent services in civil life. That pleasure can never be enjoyed. Only one letter to her — the message informing her of his appointment to the command of the army — is known to be in existence, and that, with one to her son on AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 115 tte same subject, written on the following day, is carefully preserved at Arlington House, by her great-granddaughter, Mrs. Mary Custis Lee. Mrs. Washington destroyed all of her husband's other letters to herself, a short time before her death. It is not our design to follow Washington in his career as a soldier, or even as a statesman, for in these his field of action was far away from Mount Yernon — the object of our illustra- tions. His career in each was noble ; and even in his defeats in battle, he never lost a particle of the dignity of his char- acter, nor the esteem of his countrymen. His caution and prudence were sometimes misunderstood, but they were always found to be the guaranties of success. For nearly nine months he cautiously watched the British army in Boston, and waited for strength sufficient to attack it with success, while the people, and even tlie Congress, became impatient and clamored for battle. . At length the proper time came, and with skill and energy he prepared to strike an annihilating blow. The enemy saw their peril, fled to their ships, and escaped to Halifax, while the whole continent rang with the praises of Washington. Tlie Congress decreed a gold medal to the victor, Duvivier, of Paris, cut the die ; and to Mount Vernon the glittering testimonial of a nation's gratitude was afterward borne, upon which was inscribed : " The Ameeican Congress TO George Washington, commander-in-chief of ns armies, THE assertors OF Freedom : The enemy for the first tevie PUT TO flight — Boston recovered, 17th March, 1776," Although excessively prudent, Washington was ever ready to strike a blow in the presence of greatest peril, when hia judgment and inclination coalesced in recommending the per 116 MOUNT VERNON GOLD MEDAL AWARDED TO WASHINGTON FOR THE DELIVERANCE OF BOSTON. formance of the act. We see him with a handful of ill-dis- ciplined, ill-fed, ill-clad soldiers, after a prudent flight of three weeks before a strong pursuing enemy, crossing a rapid river in the midst of floating ice, and darkness, and driving storm, and smiting a band of mercenary Germans at Trenton, who had been hired out by their avaricious princes to aid the British soldiery in butchering their fellow subjects. Yictory followed the blow, and a few days afterward that victory was repeated at Princeton. Again the praises of Washington were upon every lip. The great Frederick of Prussia declared that the achievements of the American leader and his compatriots, between the twenty-fifth of December 1776, and the fourth of January, 1777 — a space of ten days — were the most brilliant of any recorded in the annals of military action. A splendid flag, taken from the Hessians at Trenton, composed of two pieces of heavy white damask silk, bearing devices embroid- ered with gold thread, and the words fok ouk pkince and COUNTRY, in Latin, exquisitely wrought in needlework, was AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 117 presented to Washington. It was afterward hung up in the great hall at Mount Yemon, but only on one occasion, for Washington was careful never to make even the most trivial display of me- mentos of his own valor. This flag was his first trophy of the kind in the war for independence. And all through the war, prudence, sagacity, skill, energy, and great wisdom, marked the acts of Wash- ington. His last battle was at Yorktown, where another trophy, similar to that at Trenton, was se- cured. It was the flag of the seventh British regiment, made of lieavy twilled silk, six feet in length and five feet four inches in width. The ground was blue ; the cen- tral stripe of the cross red ; the marginal ones white. In the centre was a crown, and beneath it a garter, with the usual inscription in Norman French — Evil he to him who evil thinketh — enclosing a full-blown rose, the floral emblem of England. This flag, with another, was presented to Washing- ton by a resolution of the Congress, passed ten days after the victory, and was hung in the hall at Mount Yemon on the single occasion referred to. It had been sadly tattered during HESSIAN FLAG TAKEN AT TEENTON. 118 MOUNT VERNON the conflict. Until lately it occupied a place near the Hessian flag, in the Museum at Alexandria, where thej were de- posited by the late George Washington Parke Custis, and BRITISU FLAG TAKEN AT YORKTOWN. ^: appropriately labeled Alpha and Oinega—tliQ first and the last of the trophies won b}^ Washington. Lonely was the mansion at Mount Yernon without the master during the seven years and more that the war lasted. Yet it was by no means deserted. The only child of Mrs. Washington, John Parke Custis, with his wife and growing family, were there much of the time, for Washington had written to him a few days after his appoint- ment to the command of the army : "At any time, I hope it is unnecessary for me to say, that I am always pleased with your and Nelly's abidance at Mpunt Yernon, much less upon this occasion, Avhen I think it absolutely necessary for the peace and satisfaction of your mother ; a consideration which I have no doubt will have due weight with you both, and require no arguments to enforce." Neighbors and friends also came frequently to cheer the temporary widowhood of the mistress. Lund Washington, the master's relative and friend, was the faithful manager of the estate, and he scrupulously obeyed the injunction of the owner, who said : " Let the hospitality of the AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 110 house, ^-^th respect to the poor, be kept up. Let no one go away hungry. If any of tliis kind of people should be in want of corn, supply their necessities, provided it does not encourage them in idleness." ISTothing of importance, aside from the routine of plantation life, occurred at Mount Yernon after the summer of 1775, until 1781. At the former period. Lord Dunmore and his marauding followers, ascended the Potomac as far as Occo- quan Falls, with the intention of making Mrs. Washington a prisoner, and desolating the estates of Gunston Hall and Mount Yernon. The Prince "William militia gathered in large numbers to oppose him, and these, aided by a heavy storm, frustrated his lordship's designs, and he sailed down the river, after destroying some mills and other property. Early in September, 1781, there was great commotion at Mount Yernon, greater than when, a few months before, small British armed vessels had come up the Potomac, plundering and destroying on every hand. One of these, on that occasion, had approached Mount Yernon with fire and sword, and Lund Washington had purchased the safety of the estate by giving the commander refreshments and supplies. For this the mas- ter of Mount Yernon rebuked him, saying, "It would have been a less painful circumstance to me to have heard that, in consequence of your non-compliance with their request, they had burned my house and laid my plantation in ruins." Oi\ the 9th of September, 1781, there was an arrival more startling to the dwellers upon the Mount Yernon estate than that of an armed enemy upon the neighboring waters. It was the unexpected arrival of the master himself. The allied French and American armies were then on their march toward 120 MOUNT VERNON Virginia, to assist Lafayette and his compatriots in driving tlie invading Cornwallis from that state. Washmgton came from Baltimore late at night, attended only by Colonel Humphreys (one of his aides) and faithful Billy. They had left the Count de Rochambeau and the Marquis de Chastellux — one at Alex- andria, and the other at Georgetown — to follow them in the morning. Yery soon the whole household was astir, and the news flew quickly over the estate that the master had arrived. At early dawn the servants came from every cabin to greet him, and many looked sorrowfully upon a face so changed by the storms of successive campaigns, during more than six years that he had been absent. ITone came earlier than Bishop, the venerable body-servant of the master in tlie old French war, who was now too old to go to the camp. He lived near the mansion, the Nestor of the plantations, and was overseer of one of the farms. JSTo doubt he fcame, as was his custom on great occasions, fully equipped in his regimentals, made after the fashion of George the Second's time, to greet the man he so much loved. Bishop was then almost eighty years of age, with deep furrows upon his cheeks, a few gray locks upon his temples, and his once manly form bent gently by the weight of years, and slirunken by the suns of nearly fourscore summers. On the morrow, the French noblemen, with their suites, ar- rived — jRochambeau first, and De Chastellux afterward — and all but the chief made it a day of rest. For him there was no repose. He was not permitted to pass even an hour alone with his wife. Public and private cares were pressing heavily upon him. He was on his way to measure strength with a poweiful enemy, and his words of affection were few and hurried. AJ] AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 121 COUNT DE EOCHAMBEAU. the morning of the 10th he was closeted with his manager, and before dinner he wrote to Lafayette the first letter that he had dated at Mount Yernon since early in May, 1775, saying, '•• We are thus far on our way to you. The Count de Rochambeau has just arrived. General Chastellux will be here, and we pro- pose, after resting to-morrow, to be at Fredericksburg on the night of the 12th. Tlie 13th we shall reach New Castle ; and, the next day, we expect to have the pleasure of seeing you at your encampment." These calculations were correct ; they arrived at the camp of Lafayette, at Williamsburg, on the evening of the 14th. Rochambeau and Chastellux were guests worthy of such a host. The former was of a ' noble Vendorae family. He was 122 MOUNT VERNON- of medium height, slender in form, and then fifty-six years of age. He had been aide-de-camp to the Duke of Orleans, five- and-thirty years before, and had gained many laurels on the fields of battle, especially on that of Minden, which occurred a few months after "Washington had taken his bride to Mount Vernon. A fine picture of that battle hung upon the walls at Mount Yernon for many years, and is now at Arlington House. Whether it was there to delight the eyes of Rochambeau on this occasion is a question that may not now be solved. Rochambeau had come to America at the head of a large army, to assist the struggling colonists to cast off the British yoke. He came with the title of lieutenant-general, but, according to previous arrangement by the French court, he was to be second to Washington in command. He assisted nobly at the siege of Yorktown, where, little more than a month after this visit at Mount Yernon, Cornwallis and a large army surrendered to the allied forces. He returned to France, was made a field-marshal by the king, but was called to much suffering during tlie French Revolution. Bonaparte granted him a pension and tlie cross of grand ofiicer of the legion of honor, in 1803. Four years afterward he died at the age of eighty-two. De Chastellux was a much younger man than Rochambeau, heavier in person, very vivacious, fond of .company, and exhib- ited all the elegances of manner of the older French nobility, to which class he belonged. He came to America with Roch- ambeau, but seems not to have been confined to the army, though bearing the title of major-general ; for during the two years he was here, he travelled very extensively, and made notes and observations. These he printed on board the French AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 123 fleet — only twenty-four copies — ^for distribution among his friends ; but a few years afterward the}^ were translated and published in two volumes, by an English traveller. iS^'^ MARQUIS DE CHASTELLUX. De Chastellux was the life of every company into which he was introduced, while in this country, and he left a very pleasant impression at Mount Yernon. In the library there, where he was entertained in the autumn of 1781, Washington wrote to him a playful letter in the spring of 1787, after receiving from the marquis an account of his marriage to an accomplished lady, a relative of the Duke of Orleans. "I saw," wrote Washington, " by the eulogium you often made 124 MOUNT VERNON on tlie happiness of domestic life in America, that you had s"w allowed the bait, and that you would as surely be taken, one day or another, as that 3'ou were a philosopher and soldier. So your day has at length come. I am glad of it, with all my heart and soul. It is quite good enough for jou. Now you are well served for coming to fight in favor of the American rebels, all the way across the Atlantic ocean, by catching that terrible contagion — domestic felicity — which, like the smallpox or plague, a man can have only once in his life." De Chastellux died in 1793, in the midst of the terrible storm of the French Revolution, and by it the fortunes of himself and wife seem to have been sw^ept away, for his widow applied to "Washington, two years afterward, for an allowance from our government, on account of the services of her husband, who was in active military duty near New York, and was in the siege at Yorktown. Her application was unsuccessful. On the second day after Washington's arrival at Mount Vernon — the eleventh of September — the fourth anniversary of the battle of Brandywine — the mansion, then not nearly so large as now, was crowded with guests ; and at dinner were met gentlemen and ladies from the country for miles around, who had not been at the festive board with the master of the feast since the war broke out. And there were children, too — tiny children, whom the master loved as his own, for they were the gj andchildren of his wife. There were four of these. The eldest was a beautiful girl, five years old, who afterward married a nephew of Lord Ellenborough ; and the youngest was a boy-baby, only six months old, who was afterward adopted as the child of Washington, became one of tho AND ITS ASSOCIAriONS 125 executors of his will, and lived until 1857. Tliese were the children of John Parke Custis and his fair young wife, Eleanor Calvert, and had all been born during the absence of the master from his home at Mount Yernon. Here let us pause a moment and look with the eye of faith in the words of a fellow man, upon the person of the great patriot who sat at the head of the feast on that day. The year before, a writer in the London Chronicle (an anti-ministerial paper), who had seen Washington, thus vividly described him : " General Washington is now in the forty-seventh year of his age. He is a tall, well-made man, rather large-boned, and has a genteel address. His features are manly and bold ; his eyes of a bluish cast and very lively ; his hair a deep brown ; his face rather long, and marked with the smallpox ; his com- plexion sunburnt, and without much color. His countenance sensible, composed, and thoughtful. There is a remarkable air of dignity about him, with a striking degree of gracefulness. He has. an excellent understanding, without much quickness; is strictly just, vigilant, and generous; an affectionate husband, a faithful friend, a father to the deserving soldier ; gentle in his manners, in temper reserved; a total stranger to relig- ious prejudices; in morals irreproachable; and never known to exceed the bounds of the most rigid temperance. In a word, all his friends and acquaintances allow that no man ever united in his own person a more perfect alliance of the virtues of a philosopher with the talents of a general. Candor, sin- cerity, affability, and simplicity seem to be the striking features of his character; and, when occasion offers, the power of display- ing the most determined bravery and independence of spirit." Domestic felicity and social enjoyment were, at that time. 126 MOUNT TBRNON Becondaiy considerations witli Washington, and, on the morn- ing of the 12t]i of September, he departed, with all his mili- tary gnests, from his delightful dwelling-place, jom*neyed to Fredericksburg to embrace his aged mother and receive her blessing, and then hastened on toward Yorktown, where Corn- wallis had intrenched himself with a view of overrunning Yirginia. There was great sorrow at Mount Yernon on the morning of the departure of the master. It was a grief to the devoted wife to part so soon from her husband, who was on his way to battle, perhaps to death ; but more poignant was her grief as a mother, for John Parke Custis, her only surviving child, in whom her fondest earthly affections were centred, followed Washington to the field as his aide-de-camp. He was then in the flush of manhood, eight-and-twenty years of age, and full of promise. He was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and very popular wherever known. He now went out to battle, for the first time, leaving his wife and children and his fond mother in the pleasant home at Mount Yernon, with every material comfort around them, but with hearts filled with sadness, and spirits agitated with anxiety and apprehension. Oh, how eagerly did those wives and mothers at Mount Yer- non watch for the courier who daily brought intelligence from the camp! At length there came a messenger with tidings which produced mingled joy and alarm. He came to tell of a triumph at Yorktown, and of mortal sickness at Eltham, thirty miles from the field where victory had been won. At Yorktown, the allied armies, after a siege of twelve days, had compelled Cornwallis to surrender, with all his army, seven thousand strong. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 127 Joj was awakened all over the land as intelligence of this glorious event was spread, by swift couriers, from hamlet to hamlet, from village to village, from city to citj. The name of "Washington was upon every lip, as the Benefactor, the Lib- erator, the Saviour of his country. And there was peculiar joy and pride at Mount Yernon, when, at early dawn on a frosty morning, a messenger brought the intelligence that prophesied of peace and the speedy return of the loved ones to the safety and repose of domestic life. But, as we have said, the same messenger brought intelligence that produced serious alarm, and preparations were immediately made at Mount Yernon, for a journey. Young Custis was very sick with camp fever at the house of Colonel Bassett, the husband of his mother's sister, at Eltham. His mother and wife were soon upon the road ; and, in an agony of suspense, they urged the postillion to increase the speed of his horses. When they arrived at Eltham, • all hope for the loved one's recovery had vanished. Washington had sent his old and faithful friend, Doctor Craik, to attend the sufferer, and as soon as his arrangements at Torktown could be completed, the chief followed. He arrived at Eltham " time enough" he wrote to Lafayette, " to see poor Mr. Custis breathe his last." In that hour the young wife was made a widow, and the mistress of Mount Yernon a childless Moman. The great man bowed his head in deep sor- row, while his tears flowed freely. Then he spoke soothing words to the widowed mother, and said, " Your two younger children I adopt as my own." These were Eleanor Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis, the former two years and six months of age, and the latter only six months. 128 MOUNT VERNON Tliey botli lived beyond tlie age of threescore and ten, and Eleanor was considered one of the most beautiful and brilliant women of her day. She married Lawrence Lewis, the favorite nephew of Washington. The nuptials were celebrated on the ELEANOK PARKE CUSTIS. chiefs birthday, 1Y99. Tliree days before, Washington, as her foster-father, wrote from Mount Yernon to the clerk of Fairfax county court, saying: " Sir : You will please to grant a license for the marriage of Eleanor Parke Custis with Lawrence Lewis, and this shall be your authority for so doing." The portrait of this beautiful lady, from which our engraving AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 129 is copied, was painted at Philadelphia by Gilbert Stuart. It adorned the mansion at Mount Yernon for several years, an? is preserved with care among the Washington treasures of Arlington House. Late in the autumn of 1Y81, "Washington again visited Mount Yernon for a brief season. It was when he was on his journey to Philadelphia, in November, bearing the laurels of a victor. He was accompanied as far as Fredericksburg by a large retinue of American and French officers ; and there, after an interview with his mother, he attended a ball given in honor of the occasion. The aged matron went with him to the assembly, and astonished the French officers by the plainness of her apparel and the quiet simplicity of her manners, for they expected to see the mother of the great chief distinguished by a personal display such as they had been accustomed to be- hold among the families of the great in their own country. Tliey thought of the Dowager Queen of France, of the brilliant Marie Antoinette, and the high-born dames of the court of Louis the Sixteenth, and could not comprehend the vision. Washington- retired with his mother from the gay scene at an early hour, for there was gi'ief in his heart because of the death of his beloved Custis ; and, the next morning, attended by two aides and Billy, he rode to Mount Yernon. His stay there was brief. Public duties beckoned him forward. " I shall remain but a few days here," he wrote to General Greene, " and shall proceed to Philadelphia, when I shall attempt to stimulate Congress to the best improvement of our late success, by taking the most vigorous and effectual measures to be ready tor an early and decisive campaign the next year." Happily for the country, no other campaign of active mili- 130 MOUNT VERNON taiy operations was needed ; and, in tlie course of a few months, the war was virtually at an end. The desire for peace, which had long burned in the bosom of the 'British, peoj^le, now found such potential expression, as to be heeded by the British ministry. The intelligence of the fate of Cornwallis and his army had fallen with all the destructive energy of a bomb- shell in the midst of the war party in parliament. When Lord Korth, the premier, heard of it, he paced the room violently, and, throwing his arms wildly about, exclaimed, " O God ! it is all over ! it is all over !" The stoutest declaimer in favor of bayonets and gunpowder, Indian and German mercenaries, as fit instruments for enslaving a free people, began to talk of the exjpediency of peace ; and at length, by mutual consent, com- missioners were appointed by the contending parties to treat for peace on the basis of the independence of the United States. Tliey were successful; and, early in the spring of 1783, the joyful news, that a treaty had been signed at Paris, reached America, by the French ship Triomphe, sent for the purpose, by Count d'Estaing, at the request of Lafayette. Washington was then, with his wife, at IST ewburgh, the head- quarters of the continental army, happy in having just frus- trated a scheme of some officers to produce a general mutiny among the discontented soldiers. Tlie intelligence came to him in dispatches from Robert R. Livingston, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and also in a letter from Alex-ander Hamilton, and other New York delegates in Congress. It was hailed by the chief with joy, and he immediately wrote the fol- lowing letter to Governor Clinton, which is copied from the original manuscript, now in the archives of the state of New York : AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 131 "Head-Quarters, March 2*i, 1783. " Dear Sik : — I take the first moment of forwarding to your Excellency the dispatches from the Secretary of Foreign A.ffairs, which accompany this. They contain, I presume, all the intelligence respecting Peace, on which great and glorious event permit me to congratulate yo.u with the greatest sincerity." Upon the envelope bearing the superscription, "Washing- ton wrote in large letters, with a broad dash under it — Peace. What a glorious word ! What joy must have filled the heart of the commander-in-chief when he wrote that word! What dreams of repose upon the Potomac, in the quiet shades of his beautiful home must have been presented to his vision at that time ! But many weary months were yet to intervene before he could see his beloved Mount Yernon. It was not until the 1st of ITovember following that all ar- rangements for the departure of the British army from our shores were completed. The American army, by a general order of Congress, on the 3d of November, was disbanded, except a small force retained under a definite enlistment, until a peace establish- *t. ment should be organized ; and, on the 25tli of that month, the British evacuated the city of IN'ew York — their last resting-place upon the soil of the United States — went on board their ships, and sailed for Nova Scotia and Europe, with a large number of loyalists. On the 4th of December Washington parted with his officers at Fraunces' tavern in New York, and then proceeded 132 MOUNT YERNON toward Annapolis, where Congress was sitting, to resign into their hands his commission as commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States, wliich had been given him eight years and six months before. He stopped at Philadelphia, and presented his accounts to the proper fiscal officers, and amved at Annapolis on Frida}^, the 19th, where he was Joined by Mrs. "Washington and many warm personal friends. On Monday he was present at a dinner ordered by the Con- gress, at which more than two hundred persons were seated ; and that evening he opened a grand ball given in his honor, with Mrs. James Macubbin, one of the most beautiful women of her time. At twelve o'clock on the 23d Washington entered the hall of Congress in the old State House at Annapolis, ac- cording to previous arrangement, and, in the presence of a great concourse of people, presented his resignation to General Tliomas Mifflin, the president of that body, accompanying the act by a brief speech. This was responded to by Miiflin. The great Leader of the Continental Armies, now a private citizen, retired, followed by the audience ; and the curtain fell upon the last solemn act in the great drama of the war for independ- ence. Washington now hastened to Mount Yernon, accompanied by many friends, as an escort of honor, among whom was Colonel Walker, one of the aides of the Baron Steuben, by whose hand he sent a letter to Governor Clinton, the first M'hich he wrote at his home after his retirement. In it he said : " The scene is at last closed. I am now a private citizen on the banks of the Potomac. I feel myself eased of a load of public care. I hope to spend the remainder of my days in AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 133 cultivating the affections of good men, and in the practice of the domestic virtues." It was on Christmas eve, 1783, that Washington, a pri^te citizen, arrived at Moimt Vernon, and laid aside forevei the WASHINGTON S MILITAET CLOTHES military clothes which he had worn perhaps through more than half the campaigns of the war just ended. Around them clus- tered many interesting associations, and they were preserved with care during the remaining sixteen years of liis life. And they are still preserved, in a condition almost as perfect as when the illustrious owner hung them in his wardrobe for the 134 MOUNT VERNON last time. They are in a glass case, witli other mementos of the Father of his Countky, in the great model hall of the Patent Office at Washington city. The coat is made of deep blue cloth, faced with a yellow called buff, with large plain gilt buttons. The waistcoat and breeches are made of the same kind of buff cloth as the facings of the coat. On the same occasion, "Washington laid aside his battle- sword which he had worn throughout all the later years of the war. It, too, hung at Mount Yernon for almost twenty years, and is carefully preserved in the same glass case in the Patent Office. It is a kind of hanger, incased in a black leather scabbard, with silver mountings. The handle is ivory, colored a pale green, and wound in spiral grooves with thin silver wire. It was manufactured by J. Bailey, in Fishkill, Duchess county, New York, and has the maker's name engraved upon the blade. The belt is of white leather, mounted with silver, and was doubtless used by Washington in the old French war, for upon a silver plate attached to it is engraved " 1757." With this sword is a long, knotty, black cane, with a golden head, which was bequeathed to Washington by Doctor Frank- lin, in the following clause in the codicil to his will : " My fine crab-tree walking-stick, with a gold head curiously wrought in the form of a cap of liberty, I give to my friend, and the friend of mankind. General Washington. If it were a sceptre, he has merited it, and would become it. It was a present to me from that excellent woman, Madame de For- bach, the dowager Duchess of Deuxponts, connected with some verses which should go with it." These "verses" have been lost, and for them we will substi- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 135 tute the beautiful ode, by Morris, alluding to these precious relics, entitled "THE SWORD AND THE STAFF. THE SWORD AND THE STAFF. " The sword of the Hero I The stafif of the Sage I "Whose valor and wisdom Are stamp'd on the age ! Time-hallowed mementos Of those who have riven The sceptre from tyrants, ' The lightning from heaven.' n. "This weapon, Freedom! Was drawn by thy son, And it never was sheath'd Till the battle was won! No stain of dishonor Upon it we see ! 'Twas never surrender'd — , Except to the free 1 ni. " While Fame claims the hero And patriot sage, Their names to emblazon On History's page, No holier relics Will Liberty hoard. Than Franklin's staff, guarded By Washington's sword." In the same glass case are other interesting relics of "Wash- ington, the most conspicuous of which is his camp-chest, an old-fashioned hair trunk, twenty-one inches in length, fifteen in width, and ten in depth, filled with the table furniture used by the commander-in-chief during the war. The compart- 136 MOUNT VERNON ments are so ingeniously arranged, that they contain a great number of articles in a small space. These consist of a gridiron ; a tea and coffee pot ; three tin saucepans (one WASHINGTON'S CAMP-CHEST. movable handle being used for all) ; five small glass flasks, used for honey, salt, coifee, port-wine, and vinegar ; three large tin meat dishes ; sixteen plates ; two knives and five forks ; a candlestick and tinder-box ; tin boxes for tea and sugar, and five small bottles for pepper and other materials for making soup. Washington alluded to the tin plates in this camp-chest, in the following letter to Doctor John Cochran, surgeon-general of the northern department of the continental army, written at West Point on the 16th of August, 1779 : AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 137 ''Deak Doctoe: — I have asked Mrs. Cochran and Mrs, Livingston to dine with me to-morrow ; but am I not in honor bound to apprise them of their fare? As I hate deception, even where the imagination only is concerned, I wilh It is needless to premise that my table is large enough to hold the ladies. Of this they had" ocular proof yesterday. To say how it is usually covered is rather more essential ; and this shall be the purport of my letter. "Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a ham, sometimes a shoulder of bacon, to grace the head of the table ; a piece of roast beef adorns the foot ; and a dish of beans, or greens, almost imperceptible, decorates the centre. "When the cook has a mind to cut a figure, which I presume will be the case to-morrow, we have two beef-steak pies, or dishes of crabs, in addition, one on each side of the centre dish, dividing the space and reducing the distance between dish and dish to about six feet, which, without them, would be nearly twelve feet apart. Of late he has had the surprising sagacity to dis- cover that apples will make pies ; and it is a question if, in the violence of his eiforts, we do not get one of apples, instead of having both of beef-steaks. If the ladies can put up with such entertainment, and will submit to partake of it on plates once tin hut now iron (not become so by the labor of scouring), I shall be happy to see them ; and am, dear doctor, yours, (fee, " Geo. Washustgton." Later in the war, Washington had a pair of plain silver goblets, with his crest engraven upon them, which he used in his tent. Tliese were the only examples of a departure from that rigid economy which he exhibited in all his personal 138 MOUNT VERNON arrangements while in the army, not because he was parsimo- nious, but because he wished to set an example of plainness and self-denial to all around him. These goblets are now used in the family of Colonel Lee at Arlington House. What a contrast do these simple table arrangements, and, indeed, all the movements and appointments of the great Re- publican Leader, present to i- ^ those of the generals of the old -r^^^rsj^; ^ — j^ world, and of those of antiquity SILVER CAMP-GOBLKT. • j.' 1 1 ^ • m particular, Avhose achieve- ments for the benefit of mankind, placed in the scale of just appreciation, are small compared with his. After the victory at Yorktown, the marquee and tent used by Washington were folded up and placed in the leathern portmanteau in which they were carried, and were never again spread npon the field in camp, siege, or battle. Tliey were made by Captain Moulder, of Philadelphia, who commanded a corps of artillery in the battle at Princeton. The marquee was used for general purposes — for the reception of visitors, consultations of ofiicers, dining, et cetera — and tlie smaller tent was for more private uses. Li the latter Washington retired for meditation, and wrote his letters and dispatches for his secretaries to copy ; and in one part of it was a dormitory, wherein he slept. It composed the private apartment of his canvas dwelling upon the field, and few were allowed to enter it. What a history is involved in the experience of that tent ! AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 139 How many important dispatches were written within it, npon the little writing-case, or portfolio, that was preseiited to President Taylor by Washington's adopted son, and by him deposited, with other mementos of the great Leader, in the WASHINGTON S TEAVELLING WEITING-CASE. Patent OflBce, where it is well preserved ! How many anxious hours did that great Leader pass beneath the narrow canopy of that tent? How often, during that long war, did the forms of Reed, and Harrison, and Hamilton, and Tilghman, and Meade, and Humphreys darken the door of that tent as they passed in and out with messages and dispatches to and from the illustrious chief ! And in the large marquee, what a noble band of mighty men — mighty in moral force — among the noblest the world ever saw — were gathered in council from time to time, and determined those movements which achieved the independence of these states ! Li it, too, many distinguished men sat at the table of the chief — members of the old congresses ; foreigners of note in diplomacy and war ; and last, Cornwallis as captive and guest, after his humiliation at Yorktown. It was quite spacious, and, when fully spread, one hundred guests might conveniently dine beneath its ample roof, Tliat marquee and tent, wrapped in the old portmanteau,^ with the poles and cords as they were taken from the battle- 140 MOUNT "VERNON field, are at Arlington House. The former lias been spread occasionally for peaceful purposes. For several years Mr. Custis, who was much interested in the improvement of the breeds of sheep, had annual gatherings of the friends of agriculture and manufactures at a fine spring on his estate, near the banks of the Potomac, in the early days of May. On washington's tents in their portmanteaux. these occasions the old marquee would be erected, and some- times nearly two hundred guests would assemble under it to partake of refreshments. These " sheep-shearings at Arlington Spring " are remembered with pleasure by the surviving parti- cipants. "When Lafayette was in this country, in 1824 and '25, as the guest of the nation, that marquee was used at Baltimore by the Society of the Cincinnati, for the purpose of receiving the Illustrious Friend as the guest of that fraternity — a fraternity of which he had been a member ever since its formation on the banks of the Hudson, more than forty years before. On that occasion Colonel John Eager Howard, one of the heroes of the Cowpens, presided ; and Charles Carroll, who soon after- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 141 ward liad the proud distinction of being the last survivor of tlie signers of the Declaration of Independence, was a guest. And twice since that memorable reception, that war-tent, so often spread upon the line of march and on the battle-field, has been used in the service of the Prince of Peace. On these occasions it was pitched in green fields in the midst of beauty and repose, and thousands came and willingly paid liberal tribute for the privilege of sitting under the Tent of Washing- ton. Two churches were erected with the proceeds. We have just alluded to the Society of the Cincinnati. It is a fraternity originally composed of officers of the Revolution, and was formed a little while before the disbanding and dis- persion of the Continental Army. Its chief object was the perpetuation and occasional renewal of the long-cherished friendship and social intercourse which had existed between the officers of the army. The idea originated with General Knox. He communicated it to Washington, who not only approved of it, but gave the efforts to form a society upon such a basis of feeling, his cordial co-operation. It was in the spring of 1783 that the Society of the Cincin- nati was formed. The head-quarters of the army were then at Newburgh. A committee, composed of Generals Knox, Hand, and Huntington, and the accomplished Captain Shaw, was appointed to arrange a plan ; and, on the 13tli of May, at the quarters of the Baron Steuben, in Fishkill, nearly opposite Newburgh, they reported a form which was adopted as the constitutional organization of the society. After referring to the war for. independence, and the separation of the colonies from Great Britain, the objects of the society were stated in the following words : 142 MOUNT VERNON " To perpetuate, therefore, as well the remembrance of this vast event, as the mutual friendships which have been formed under the pressure of common danger, and in many instances cemented by the blood of the parties, the officers of the Amer- ican army do hereby, in the most solemn manner, associate, constitute, and combine themselves into one society of friends, to endure so long as they shall endure, or any of their eldest male posterity, and in failure thereof, the collateral branches, who may be judged worthy of becoming its supporters and members." As the officers of the army were chiefly Americans, and were about to return to their citizenship, they appropriately named the society, in honor of the illustrious Roman, Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus, whose example they were about to imitate. They resolved that the following principles should form the basis of the society : 1. "An incessant attention to preserve inviolate those ex- alted rights and liberties of human nature for which they have fought and bled, and without which the high rank of a rational being is a curse instead of a blessing. 2. " An unalterable determination to promote and cherish, between the respective states, that unison and national honor so essentially necessary to their happiness and the future dig- nity of the American empire. 3. "To render permanent the cordial affection subsisting among the officers, this spirit will dictate brotherly kindness in all things, and particularly extend to the most substantial acts of beneficence, according to the ability of the societj^, toward those officers' and their families who unfortunately may be under the necessity of receiving it." AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 143 For tlie sake of frequent communication, the association was divided into state societies, to meet annually on the 4th of July, or oftener if they should find it expedient. The society also adopted an Order by which its members should be known and distinguished. It is composed of a medal of gold with proper em- blems, " suspended by a deep-blue ribbon two inches wide, edged with white, descriptive of the union of America with France." A representation of the Order^ full size, is seen in the engraving. The leaves of the olive branches are of gold and green enamel ; the head and tail of the eagle gold and white enamel ; and the sky in the centre device (which is a fac- simile of one of the medallions on the certificate of membership), is blue enamel. The French officers who served in the continental army presented to Washington an elegant Order ^ studded with precious stones, about two hundred in number. The leaves of the olive branches and wreaths are composed of emeralds, the berries of ruby, and the beak of the eagle amethyst. Above the eagle is a group of military emblems — flags, drums, and cannon — surrounding a ORDER OF THE CINCINNATI. 144 MOUNT VERNON ribbon, upon wliich are inscribed the words : " Presented, in THE NAJVIE OF THE FeENCH SOLDIERS, TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE General "Washington." Tliis also is studded with precious stones. Above it is a bow of moire antique ribbon, of light-blue color, with white edges. This jewel is at present [1859] in the possession of the Honorable Hamilton Fish, of ]^ew York, president of the Society of the Cincinnati. The Society had a certifi- cate of membership engraved in France, by J. J. Le Yeau, from a drawing by Aug. Le Belle. It occupies a space thirteen and a half inches in width and twenty inches in length, and was printed on fine vellum. The engraving upon the next page is a fac- simile on a reduced scale. The design represents Amer- ican liberty as a strong man armed, bearing in one hand the Union flag, and in the other a naked sword. Beneath his feet are British flags, and a broken spear, shield, and chain. Hovering by his side is the eagle, our national emblem, from whose talons the lightning of destruction is flashing upon the British lion. Bi'itannia, with the crown falling from her head, is hastening toward a boat to escape to a fleet, which denotes the departure of British ORDER PRESENTED BY FRENCH OFFICERS. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 145 10 146 MOUNT VERNON power from our shores. Upon a cloud, on tlie right, is an angel blowing a trumpet, from which flutters a loose scroll. Upon the scroll are the sentences : Palarn nuntiata liheo'tas^ A. D. 1776. Foedus sociale cum Gallia, A. 1). 1778. Pax: lihertas parta, A. D. 1783 — " Independence declared, A. D. 1776. Treaty of alHance with France declared, A. D. 1778. Peace ! independence obtained, A. D. 1783." Upon the medallion on the right is a device representing Cincinnatus at his plow, a ship on the sea, and a walled town in the distance. Over his head is a flying angel, holding a ribbon inscribed : Virtutis jpromniurn • " Reward of virtue." Below is a heart, >Vith the words: Eato iMriJetaa', "Be thou perpetual." Upon the rim is the legend : Societas Cincinna- toncm Instituta A. D. MDCCLXXXIII. ; "Society of the Cincinnati, instituted 1783." The device upon the medallion on the left is Cincinnatus, with his family, near his house. He is receiving a sword and shield from three senators : an army is seen in the distance. Upon the rim are the words : Omnia reliTiqui tservare renvpublicatn / " He abandons every thing to serve his country " (referring to Cincinnatus). Washington was chosen the first president-general of the Society of the Cincinnati, and General Henry Knox the secre- tary. The former remained in ofiice until his death, a period of sixteen years, and was succeeded by General Alexander Hamilton. All of the certificates given to the original mem- bers, like the one delineated in the engraving, were filled up and signed by "Washington, at Mount Yernon. We have observed that it was Christmas eve when Wash- ington arrived at Mount Yernon from Annapolis, once more a private citizen. What a glad Christmas was that for all in AND ITS ASSOCIA.TIONS. 147 that pleasant home on the banks of the Potomac ! It was a Christmas to be specially remembered by the retired soldier. It was a day long hoped for by him when engaged in the mighty labors of his official station. Rest, rest he often sighed for, and now the elements seemed to sympathize in his great desire. An intensely severe winter closed almost every avenue to Mount Yernon, and even neighborly intercourse was sus- pended. Washington had rest in abundance. To Lafayette he wrote on the first of February following his retirement: " On the eve of Christmas I entered these doors an older man by near nine years, than when I left them. Since that period, we have been fast locked up in frost and snow, and excluded in a manner from all kinds of intercourse." " I have not only retired from all public employments," he added, " but I am retiring within myself, and shall be able to view the solitary walks, and tread the paths of private life with heartfelt satisfaction. Envious of none, I am determined to be pleased with all; and this, my dear friend, being the order of my march, I will move gently down the stream of life, until I sleep with my fathers." And yet, even in that perfect retirement, it was several weeks before Washington could entirely divest his mind of the burden of solicitude for public afi'airs. To General Knox he wrote on the 20th of February : "I am just beginning to experience that ease and freedom from public cares, which, however desirable, takes some time to realize ; for strange as it may seem, it is nevertheless true, that it was not till lately I could get the better of my usual custom of ruminating, as soon as I waked in the morning, on the business of the ensuing day ; and of my surprise at finding, after revolving many things in t4r8 MOUNT VERNON my mind, tliat I was no longer a public man, nor had any tiling to do with public transactions. "I feel now, however, as I conceive a wearied traveller must do, who, after treading many a painful step with a heavy burden on his shoulders, is eased of the latter, having reached the haven to which all the former were directed ; and from his house-top is looking back, and tracing with an eager eye the meanders by which he escaped the quicksands and mires which lay in his way ; and into which none but the all-power- ful Guide and Dispenser of human events could have prevent- ed his falling." Never had a traveller more cause for serenity of mind and perfect gratitude, in the hour of calm retrospection, than George Washington at that time ; and also twelve years later, when he resigned the helm of the vessel of state into other hands, and sought repose for the last time in the shades of Mount Yernon, And when he fully realized his relief, his social desires, so long repressed, came into full play, and renewals of old acquaintance and friendly correspondence took place. "Freed from the clangor of arms and the bustle of a camp," he wrote to the wife of Lafayette, in April, after receiving information that the marquis intended to visit America soon — "Freed from the cares of public employment and the responsibility of office, I am now enjoying domestic ease under the shadow of my own vine and my own fig-tree; and in a small villa, with the implements of husbandry and lambkins around me, I expect to glide gently down the stream of life, till I am entombed in the mansion of my fathers. * * * Come, then, let me entreat you, and call my cottage yom home ; for your own doors do not open to you with more AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 149 readiness than mine would. You will see tlie plain manner in which we live, and meet with rustic civility ; and you shall taste the simplicity of rural life. It will diversify the scene, and may give you a higher relish for the gaieties of the court, when you return to Yersailles." " My manner of living is plain," he wrote to a friend, " and I do not mean to be put out by it. A glass of wine and a bit of mutton are always ready, and such as will be content to partake of them are always welcome. Those who expect more will be disappointed." But this modest dream of quietude and simplicity of life was not realized. Washington was the central figure of the group of great men who had laid the founaations of the republic. Tc him the eyes of the nation were speedily turned for counsel and action, for that republic and all its dependent interests were soon in peril. He was too great to remain an isolated citizen, and men of every degi-ee, his own countrymen and strangers, were soon seen upon pilgrimages to Mount Vernon ; and the little " villa" was too small to shelter in comfort the many guests that often assembled under its roof. Washington now took a general survey of all his affairs, and turned his thoughts to the improvement of his farms, the en- largement of his mansion, and the adornment of the grounds around it. These improvements were commenced in the spring of 1784, and then the construction of the house, in its present form was resolved upon. Tlie mansion built by Lawrence Washington, and called a "villa" by the general, was of the old gable-roofed style, with only four rooms upon each floor, as we have observed. It was about one-third the size of the pres- ent building, and in the alteration, it was made to occupj ti' 150 MOUNT VERNOX central portion, the two ends having been built at the same time. The mansion, when completed by General Wasliington, (and as it now appears) M'as of the most substantial fi-ame- work, two stories in height, ninety-six feet in length, thirty feet in depth, with a piazza fifteen feet in width, extending along the entire eastern or river front, supported by sixteen square columns, twenty-five feet in height. Over this piazj^a is a balustrade of a light and pleasing design; and in the centre of the roof is an observatory with a small spire. There are seven dormer windows in the roof, three on the eastern side, one on each end, and two on the western or lawn side. ^ The ground floor of the house contains six rooms, with' a. spacious passage in the centre of the building, extending through it from east to west. From it a massive staircase ascends to the chambers. Tlie rooms and the passage are all wainscoted, and have large worked cornices; and they present to the eye the appearance of great solidity. On the south side of the passage is a parlor, and the library and break- . fast-room of Washington, from which a narrow "^staircase " ascends to his private study on the second floor. On the north side of the passage are a reception-room and parlor, and a large drawing-room, in which, when there was much company, the guests were sometimes entertained at table. These apartments and their present appearance and uses we will consitier else- where. Near the mansion, a substantial kitchen on one side, and store-room and laundry on the other, were built, and these were connected with the dwelling by very neat open colon- nades, each with roof and pavement ; and, at a little distance from them, two other strong buildings were erected for house- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 151 .WESTERN FRONT OP MOUNT VERNON, AS IT APPEARED IN 1858. servants' quarters. Tlie mansion, tlie kitchen and store-house, with the connecting colonnades, and the servants' quarters, all remain, and exhibit the same external appearance which they bore when "Washington left them. Tliese may be best seen from the lawn that sj^reads out before the western front of the mansion, which is first approached by visitors in carriages, there being no road for horses upon the grounds before the river-front. In the prosecution of these improvements Wasliington was his own architect, and drew every plan and specification for the workmen with his own hand. Every measurement 152 MOUNT VERNON was calculated and indicated with exactness ; and in every arrangement for his home, he appears to have made convenience and durability the prime objects of his care. The following letter to Mr. William Rumney, of Alexandria (who had been an aide to General Charles Lee at one time during the Revolu- tion), will give an idea of the carefulness and forethought of Washington in the management of his affairs. Mr. Rumney was then about to leave for England : "General Washington presents his compliments to Mr. Rum- ney — would esteem it as a particular favor if Mr. Rumney would make the following enquiries as soon as convenient after his arrival in England, and communicate the result of them by the Packet, or any other safe and expeditious conveyance to this country, " 1st. The terms upon which the best kind of Whitehaven flag-stone— black and white in equal quantities — could be delivered at the Port of Alexandria, by the superficial foot, — workmanship, freight, and every other incidental charge included. The stone to be '2^ Inches, or there- abouts, thick ; and exactly a foot square — each kind. To have a rich polished face, and good joints so as that a neat floor may be made therewith. ••' 2nd. Upon what terms the common Irish Marble (black and white if to be had) — same dimensions, could be delivered as above. '' 3rd. As tilt General has been informed of a very cheap kind of Marble, good in quality, at or in the neighborhood of Ostend, he would thank Mr. Rumney, if it should fall in his way, to institute an enquiry into this also. ''On the Report of Mr. Rumney, the General will take hia AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 153 altimate determination ; for which reason he prays him to be precise and exact. The Piazza or Colonnade, for which this is wanted as a floor, is ninety-two feet eight inches, by twelve feet eight inches within the margin, or border that surrounds it. Over and above the quantity here mentioned, if the above Flags are cheap — or a cheaper kind of hard Stone could be had, he would get as much as would lay floors in the Circular Colonnades, or covered ways at the wings of the House — each of which at the outer curve, is 38 feet in length by 7 feet 2 Inches in breadth, within the margin or border as aforesaid. " The General being in want of a House Joiner & Bricklayer who understand their respective trades perfectly, would thank Mr. Rumney for enquiring into the terms upon which such workmen might be engaged for two or three years (the time of service to commence upon the ship's arrival at Alexandria) ; a shorter term than two years would not answer, because foreigners generally have a seasoning, which with other inter- ruptions too frequently waste the greater part of the first year — more to the disadvantage of the employer than the Em- ployed. — Bed, board & Tools to be found by the former, cloth- ing by the latter. " K two men of the above Trades and of orderly and quiet deportment could be obtained for twenty-five or even thirty pounds sterling per annum each (estimating the dollar at 4s. 6d.), the General, rather than sustain the loss of Time neces- sary for communication would be obliged to Mr. Rumney for entering into proper obligatory articles of agreement on his behalf with them and sending them by the first vessel bound to this Port. " Geo. "W"Asm;NGTON "Mount Vernon, July 5, 1784 " 154 MOUNT YBRNON The pavement-stone procured HOLUfl SECTION OF SHADED CARRIAGE-WAT. tlirougli Mr. Kumnej, in ac- cordance with the foregoing order, still exists beneath the grand piazza and the colon- nades, but in a dilapidated state. Many of the blocks are gone, others are broken, and all show abrasion by footsteps and the elements. Many of the carpenter's tools, imported from Eng- land at that time by Wash- ington, for the use of his workmen, are preserved. "Washington was very fond of planting trees and shrub- bery ; and his diaries show that he was much engaged in that business in 1784 and 1785. He went to the woods almost every day to select and mark young trees for transplanting to the grounds around the mansion, and he generally superintended their removal. In the rear of the man- sion, Washington laid out a fine lawn, upon a level sur- face, which comprises about AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 155 GEPfEHAL PLAN OF THK MANSION AND GROUNDS AT MOUNT VERNON. A The Mansion. B Oval Grass-plot. C The Lawn D D Flower-garden. E E Vegetable Garden. F F Kitchen and Laundry G G House-servants' Quarters. H H Circular Colonnades. I I Water-closets. J J Seed-houses. K CaiTiage-way as finally laid out. L Outside Eoad. 156 MOUNT VERNON twenty acres. Around it he made a serpentine carriage-way ; and he planted a great variety of shade trees upon each side of it. Upon one side of the lawn lie formed a spacious flower- garden, and upon the other an equally spacious vegetable gar- den, and these were planted with the greatest care, according to the minute directions of the master. I have before me the original plan of these grounds, made by "Washington's own hands. It is very carefully drawn. Tlie exact position and the name of every tree to be planted, are laid down. With it is a section-drawing, on a larger scale, showing the proposed car- riage-way around the lawn, the names of a large number of trees that were to adorn it, and the places of others indicated by letters and numerals, which are explained by a memorandum. Directly before the western front an oval grass-plot was designed, with a dial-post in the centre, and a carriage-way around it. The lawn, the oval grass-plot, and the gardens were laid out according to the plan drawn by "Washington, and remain unchanged in form. Quite a large number of trees, planted along the margins of the carriage-way, at that time, are yet there, and are noble specimens of their kind. Many others have decayed and passed away ; and, in some instances, quite large trees now stand where others were planted by the hand of "Washington three-quarters of a century ago. In each garden "Washington erected small houses, of octag- onal form, for the storage of seeds and implements of hor- ticulture. These are yet standing. Tlie lower portion of each is of brick, and the remainder of plank, wrought so as to resemble blocks of stone. These garden-houses, and water- closets of similar form and dimensions, standing on the borders of the garden near the mansion, are now [1859] fallen into AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 157 GAKDEK-HOUSE. almost hopeless decaj. The massive brick walls around both gardens remain in perfect preservation. On the north side of the flower-garden Washington erected quite an extensive conservatory for plants, into which he col- lected many rare exotics. Some of them were presented to him as testimonials of esteem, and others were purchased at the garden of John Bartram, near Philadelphia. Bartram was a member of the Society of Friends, and an eminent botanist. He had died during the Revolution, leaving his business in the able hands of his son "William, who, in 1791, published a most interesting account of his botanical explora- tions through the Southern states of our Union. 158 MOUNT YERNON A few tropical plants found their way to the Potomac oc- casionally, upon vessels from the West Indies. Among the latter, on one occasion, were some fine lemon-trees of large CENTURY PLANT AND LEMON-TBEE. growth, and from them "Washington selected two or three. Others were propagated from these by cuttings, until, at the time of his death, they had become quite a grove in one end of the conservatory. Only one of these now remains. It was standing in the flower-garden when I was there in 1858, by the side of a fine century-plant, which was sent to Washington by a gentleman at Porto Rico, in 1798. The tree is about fifteen feet in height ; and, though bearing fruit in abundance, shows signs of decay. At the junction of two of the principal avenues in the AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 159 VIEW IN THE FLOWER-GARDEN AT MOUNT TERNON — THE SAGO PALM. flower-garden, I saw one other plant — and only one — tliat had experienced the fostering care of Washington. It was a Sago Palm, an East India production, from which is obtained the article of domestic use known as pearl sago, a species of fecula or starch. It stands in a large tub in which flowers were blooming ; and its tufted leaves, like immense feathers, growing from the heavy stem seven feet from the ground, were fresh and beautiful. Tlie Lemon Tree, the Century Plant, and the Sago Pdkn, are all that remain of the movable plants which belonged to Washington, and were taken from the green-house when it 160 MOUNT VERNON was destroyed by fire in December, 1835, the same night when the destructive element consumed more than five hun- dred buildings and other property valued at more than twenty millions of dollars, in the city of New York. The fire origi- nated in a defective flue connected with the conservatory, and RUINS OP THE CONSERVATORY AT MOUNT VERNON. that building, with the servants' quarters adjoining it, was laid in ashes in the course of a few hours. What plants were saved from the flames were mostly destroyed by the frost, for it was one of the coldest nights on record. The conservatory was never rebuilt nor the ruins removed. Tliese, now overgrown with vines and shrubs, form a pict- uresque garden wall, but lose some of their attractiveness to the eye of taste, by the presence of two tall, perpendicular chimneys, which are seen above the shrubbery from every point of view in the garden. These broken walls, too, strike the visitor unpleasantly. They are at the modern carriage AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 161 entrance to Mount Yernon, and are the first objects associated with Washington that meet the eye on approaching the man- sion from the public road ICE-HOUSE AT MOUNT VEENON. Eastward of the flower-garden, and on the opposite side of the present entrance to Mount Yernon, Washington con- structed an ice-house, after his retirement from public life, at the close of his presidency. It was som thing new in Yir- ginia ; indeed, ice-houses were not in very common use else- where at that time. It is well preserved, and is finely shaded by tall trees, which form a beautiful grove on the north side of the mansion. Previous to the erection of this ice-house, Washington had used, for the purpose of keeping meat, butter, and vegetables cool in summer, a large dry- well at the south-east corner of the lawn in front of the mansion, just on the brink of the high precipitous bank of the river. Into this a descent was made 11 162 MOUNT VERNON by a flight of steps, and over it lie erected an elegant summer- house, with a spire and iron vane in the form of a crescent. Tlie well and the summer-house are there, but a part of the walls of the former have fallen in. From the summer-house, fine views SUMMER-nOUSE AT MOUNT VERNON. of the Potomac may be obtained, but as the staircase leading to it has nearly rotted away, there is difficulty and some danger in climbing up into it over the chasm formed by the caving in of the side of the M'ell. It was from tluit summer-house that the sketch was made of the mansion, out-buildings, and lawn, with the visitors, as they appear in the frontispiece to this volume. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 163 I have bcfo/e mc a manuscript memorandum from the hand of V7ashington, in which he notes, in minute detail, the dis- tances and directions in feet and inches, and by points of compass, of various objects, such as the garden-houses, the dial-post, and the drj-well, from the " front door of the man- sion." It is interesting, as showing the extreme minuteness and accuracy with which Washington kept a record of all his operations, and might serve those who are about to restore Mount Vernon to its original form and perfection, as an indi- cator of points now lost through neglect and decay. During the spring and summer of 1784, visitors flocked to Mount Vernon in great numbers. Many of the companions in arms of the beloved chief, of all grades, from general oflicers to private soldiers, went there to pay their respects, and enjoy once again sweet intercourse with him under whom they had always delighted to serve. At length one came who was specially a man after Wash- ington's own heart — a young man whom he loved as a son or a younger brother. He had been a friend to the Americans in their struggle for freedom, and was a friend of mankind. Tliat visitor was the Marquis de Lafayette, a distinguished scion of an ancient noble family, who, in the summer of 1776, M-^hile at the table of the commandant of Mentz, in Ger- many, with other French oflicers, heard the Duke of Glouces- ter, brother to the King of England, speak of the Declaration of Independence just put forth by the Anglo-American colo- nies, and of the strong measures adopted by the British ministry to crush the rising rebellion. Tlie marquis was then just past eighteen years of age, slender in form, and a boy in personal appearance. But the heart of a patriot and hero beat ICi MOUNT VERNON beneatli Ms coat of green, and his imagination and zeal were fired by the recital of the story of a people fighting for liberty. He returned to Paris full of high resolves, and leaving there an equally enthusiastic and a cheerfully consenting young wife — the rich and beautiful daughter of the Duke de Koailles — he came to America, volunteered to fight in the cause of colo- nial emancipation, and, throughout the war, performed services in the field here, and at the court of France, of inestimable benefit to the country. Life, youth, fortune, the endearments of home, were all freely devoted to the cause, and he made the aspirations of the Americans emphatically his own, with an en- thusiasm that scorned all obstacles. "It is fortunate for the king," said the old Count Maurepas, " that Lafayette does not take it into his head to strip Yersailles of its furniture to send to his dear Americans, as his majesty would be unable to refuse it." Washington, governed by his intuitive perception of char- acter, which never deceived him, took Lafayette to his bosom on his first arrival at Philadelphia, in ITYT; and from that hour until death severed the bond, they were friends of truest character. And now, the intelligence that this dear friend was about to visit him in his quiet home at Mount Yer- non gave Washington a most exquisite pleasm'e. The portrait of the marquis, painted by Charles Willson Peale, in 17Y8, was then hanging upon the wall of his parlor : it now occupies a prominent place among the works of art at Arlington House. Lafayette arrived at New York on the 4th of August, 1784, after a passage of thirty-four days from France. There he received the congratulations of the citizens for a few days, and then hastened toward Mount Yernon. He was detained in Philadelphia two or thi'ee days, and there wrote as follows : AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 165 "Philadelphia, Tuesday Evening. " My Dear General : — I have already had the pleasure to acquaint you with my arrival in America, and am endeavor- ing to reach Mount Yernon as soon as possible. My first plan was only to stay here two days, hut the affectionate reception I have met with in this city, and the returning some compli- ments to the Assembly, render it necessary for me to stay one day longer. On Friday I will be at the head of Elk, the next day at Baltimore, and by Sunday or Monday I hope at last to be blessed with a sight of my dear General. There is no rest for me until I go to Mount Yernon. I long for the pleasure to embrace you, my dear General, and the happiness of being once more with you will be so great that no words can ever express it. In a few days I will be at Mount Yernon, and I do already feel delighted with so charming a prospect. My best respects wait upon Mrs. Washington, and not long after you receive this I shall tell you myself how respectfully and affectionately I have the honor to be, my dear General, " Your most obedient, humble servant, " LAFAYETTE. " In case your affairs call you to the Springs, I beg leave either to go there after you, or to accompany you in your jour- ney." Lafayette arrived at Mount Yernon on the ITth, and re- mained twelve days in the enjoyment of the most sincere friendship and genuine hospitality. During that time Mount Yernon was crowded with other guests, who came to meet the great benefactor of America ; and when he departed for Balti- 166 MOUNT YERNON LAFAYETTE — PAINTED BY C. W. pAaLE, IN 1778. more, quite a cavalcade of gentlemen accompanied liim far on liis waj. There was a bond of nnion, of peculiar strength, between Washington and Lafayette other than that of mere personal friendship. They were members of the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, and both loved the mystic brotherhood sin- cerely. Madame Lafayette was deeply interested in every thing that engaged the attention of her husband ; and she had learned to reverence Washington with a feeling closely allied to that of devotion. She had corresponded with him, and received from him cordial invitations to the simple delights of rural life at Mount Yernon. Slie had, no doubt, earnestly desired to present some visible testimonial of her regard to the AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 167 great patriot of the JSTew World; and when her husband resolved to visit him in his retirement at Mount Yernon, she prepared, with her own hands, an apron of white satin, upon MASONIC APRON, WEOtTGHT BY UADAMB THE MARCHIONESS LAFAYETTE; which she wrought, in needlework, the various emblems of the Masonic order. This apron Lafayette brought with him, and presented to his distinguished brother at Mount Yernon. It was kept by Washington as a cherished memorial of a noble woman ; and, after his death, his legatees formally presented 168 MOUNT VERNON it iy. the TVasliington Benevolent Society of Philadelphia, in the following words : "To THE Washingtgn Benevolent Societt. ^ " The legatees of General "Washington, impressed with the most profound sentiments of respect for the noble institution Avhich they have the honor to address, beg leave to present to them the enclosed relic of the revered and lamented Father of his Country. They are persuaded that the apron, which was once possessed by the man whom Philadelj)hians always delighted to honor, will be considered most precious to the society distinguished by his name, and by the benevolent and grateful feelings to which it owes its foundation. That this perishable memento of a hero, whose fame is more durable than brass, may confer as much pleasure upon those to whom it is presented as is experienced by the donors, is the sincere wish of the legatees. "October 2Gih, 1816." "When the society to which this apron was presented was dissolved, the precious memento of Washington and his fair friend was presented to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, and now occupies a conspicuous place upon the walls of the Grand Master's room in Masonic Hall, Philadelphia, carefully pre- served under glass, in a frame. More than two years previous to the visit of Lafayette, "Washington received from the late Elkanah "Watson, and his business partner, M. Cossoul, several Masonic ornaments, ac- companied by the following letter : AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. ^^^ "To HIS Excellency, General Washington, Amekica. ' Most Illustrious and Respected BrotJier : "In the moment when all Europe admire and feel the 'e'ffects of jour glorious efforts in support of American liberty, we hasten to offer for your acceptance a small pledge of our homage. Zealous lovers of liberty and its institutions, we have experienced the most refined joy in seeing our chief and brother stand forth in defence of a new-born nation of repub- licans. " Tour glorious career will not be confined to the protection of American liberty, but its ultimate effect will extend to the whole human family, since Providence has evidently selected you as an instrument in His hands to fulfil His eternal decrees. " It is to you, therefore, the glorious orb of America, we presume to offer Masonic ornaments, as an emblem of your virtues. May the Grand Architect of the universe be the guardian of your precious days, for the glory of the western hemisphere and the entire universe. Such are the vows of those who have the favor to be by all the known numbers, " Your affectionate brothers, y«i^V " Watson & Cossoul. "East op Nantes, 2M 1st Month, 1782." Washington replied as follows, from his head-quarters at Newburgh : X " State of New York, August IMh, 1782. " Gentlemen : — ^Tlie Masonic ornaments which accompanied yonr brotherly address of the 23d of January last, though 170 MOUNT VERNON / / elegant in themselves, were rendered more valuable by the flattering sentiments and affectionate manner in which they were presented. " If my endeavors to avert the evil with which the country was threatened, by a deliberate plan of tyranny, should be crowned with the success that is wished, the praise is due to the Grand Architect of the universe, who did not see fit to suffer His superstructure of justice to be subjected to the ambition of the princes of this world, or to the rod of oppres- sion in the hands of any power upon earth. " For your affectionate vows permit me to be grateful, and offer mine for true brothers in all parts of the world, and to assure you of the sincerity with which I am, " Yours, " Geo. "Washington. •'Messrs. Watson & Cossoul, East of Nantes." Watson says, in relation to this gift : " Wishing to pay some mark of respect to our beloved Washington, I empl.oyed, in conjunction with my friend M. Cossoul, nuns in one of the convents at Nantes, to prepare some elegant Masonic orna- ments, and gave them a plan for combining the American and French flags on the apron designed for his use." Tliey were executed in a superior and expensive style, being wrought in gold and silver tissue. This regalia was sent by Washington to Mount Yernon, and was afterward worn by him when he met his brethren in the lodge at Alexandria. The apron and collar are now in possession of Washington Lodge, Alexandria, to which they were presented by the late George Washington I*arke Custis. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 171 The reverence whicli was felt for the person of Washington by individuals was expressed by public bodies, even, as in the example just given, before the close of the struggle which he conducted so nobly. The Federal Congress took the initiative in voting him honors, such as the senate of old Home was wont to decree for their heroes and sages. That body was in session at Princeton, in the summer of 1783, when arrange- ments for the consummation of the declared peace with Great Britain was in progress, and Washington, having been requested to make his head-quarters near, took j)ost at Rocky Hill, a few miles off. Before his arrival, the Congress, on the 7th of August, ^^ Resolved (unanimously, ten states being present). That an equestrian statue of General Washington be erected at the place where the residence of Congress shall be established ;" and appointed Arthur Lee, Oliver Ellsworth, and Thomas Mifflin, a committee to propose a plan for the same. The committee recommended a statue of bronze, the general to be represented in a Roman dress, holding a truncheon in his right hand, and his head encircled with a laurel wreath. The statue was to be supported by a marble pedestal, on which were to be represented — the evacuation of Boston, the cap- ture of the Hessians at Ti'enton,* the battle of Princeton, the action of Monmouth, and the surrender of Yoi'k. On the upper part of the pedestal was to be the following inscrip- tion : "The United States, in Congress assembled, ordered this statue to be erected in the year of our Lord, 1783, in honor of Geokge Washington, the illustrious commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States of America, durino' the war which 172 MOUNT VERNON vindicated and secured their liberty, sovereignty, and inde- pendence." It was resolved that this statue should be executed by the best artist in Euroj^e, under the superintendence of the min- ister of the United States at Yersailles (Doctor Franklin), at the expense of the government, and that Congress should transmit to the minister the best likeness of "Washington that could be procured. A few months after the passage of these resolutions, two young artists arrived at Kocky Hill. These were Joseph Wright and William Dunlap. The former bore a letter from Dr. Franklin to Washington, and he was permitted to paint the portraits of the general and his wife. Dunlap, then a mere lad, also painted a portrait of the chief. Young Wright was a son of Mrs. Patience Wright, who had then acquired much eminence in Europe and America for her models in wax of living men, and he inherited some of his mother's peculiar faculty. Some members of the Congress, aware of this, conceived the idea of having him make a plastei cast from the face of Washington, to be sent to Europe for the use of the sculj^tor who should execute the bronze statue. It was proposed, and Washington consented to submit to the unpleasant operation of lying upon his back and having the wet plaster laid upon his face. What a spectacle did the great Republican leader present at that moment ! Tlie operation was a most disagreeable one, for the manipu- lator was inexperienced and unskilful. He was very anxious too, to relieve Washington from his position, and, in his hastp and trepidation, an accident occurred which made his labor fruitless. After the plaster had sufficiently hardened, tlie AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. I'^S artist proceeded, as quickly as possible, to remove it, when he let it fall upon the floor, and it was dashed in pieces. The desires of Congress, strongly expressed, to have another trial, were of no avail. Washington would not consent, and the statue Voted by that body was never made. Young "Wright appears to have been unfortunate m his efforts to acquire fame and fortune in connection with the likeness of Washington. He afterward cut a die for a medal- lion profile of the chief, which was declared by all to be an exceedingly faithful picture. After striking a few impressions the die was broken, and the artist's labor was lost. An engraving on copper, of larger size, was afterward made from one of these impressions. A broadside edition of Washing- ton's Farewell Address, printed in 1796, in possession of the writer, is embellished with an impression from that engraving. Wlien Washington had become a private citizen — a plain farmer on the banks of the Potomac — neither desiring nor expecting further public employment, the hearts of his coun- trymen, beating warmly with gratitude for his services, yearn- ed to honor him with some testimonial of their profound regard. Virginia, his native state, proud to own him as her son, took the lead in the manifestation of this sentiment. On the 22d of June, 1784, the legislature of Virginia — ^'' Resolved^ Tliat the Executive be requested to take meas- ures for procuring a statue of General Washington, to be of the finest marble and best workmanship, with the following inscription on its pedestal: " ' The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia have caused this Statue to be erected as a Monument of Affec- tion and Gratitude to Geokge Washington, who, uniting to 174 MOUNT VERNON tiie Endowments of the Hero the Yirtues of the Patriot, and exerting both in establishing the Liberties of his Country, has rendered his Name dear to his Fellow Citizens, and given the World an immortal Example of true Glory,' " This inscription was written by James Madison. On the day when this resolution was adopted, the General Assembly also voted an address to General Washington, and a joint com- mittee of the two houses was aj)pointed to prepare one and present it. The committee, with Mr. Madison at the head, waited upon Washington, at; Mount Yernon, a few days after- ward, presented the address, and received the following reply : " Gentlemen : — With feelings which are more easy to be conceived than expressed, I meet and reciprocate the congrat- ulations of the representatives of this commonwealth on the final establishment of peace. " Nothing can add more to the pleasure which arises from a conscious discharge of public trust, than the approbation of one's country. To have been so happy, under a vicissitude of fortune, amidst the difficult and trying scenes of an arduous conflict, as to meet this, is, in my mind, to have attained the highest honor; and the consideration of it, in my present peaceful retirement, will heighten all my domestic joys, and constitute my greatest felicity. " I should have been truly wanting in duty, and must have frustrated the great and important object for which we re- sorted to arms, if, seduced by a temporary regard for fame, I had sufiered the paltry love of it to interfere with my country's welfare ; the interest of which was the only inducement which carried me into the field, or permitted the sacred rights of civil AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 175 authority, tliougli but for a moment, to be violated and in- fringed by a power meant originally to rescue and confirm them. " For those rewards and blessings which you have invoked for me in this world, and for the fruition of that happiness which you pray for in that which is to come, you have, gen- tlemen, all my thanks and all my gratitude. I wish I could insure them to you, and the state you represent, a hundred- fold." Benjamin Harrison was governor of Virginia when the General Assembly requested the executive to take measures for procuring a statue of Washington ; and a little more than a month after the date of that resolution, he wrote to Doctor Franklin and Mr. Jefferson, then in Paris, on the subject, requesting them to attend to the matter, and acquainting them that he had ordered Mr. Peale to send them a full-length portrait of the general, to be used as a model for the sculptor. The only method by which a perfect likeness of the great patriot might be secured, was to have the artist make a model from the living face ; and Messrs. Franklin and Jefferson ac- cordingly engaged Houdon, a portrait sculptor, then without a rival in the world, to go to America for the purpose. Houdon was a small, active, and exceedingly industrious Frenchman ; careful and prudent, and disposed to make an excellent bar- gain for himself. " The terms," Mr. Jefferson wrote, " are twenty-five thousand livres [about $4,620], one thousand Eng- lish guineas (the English guinea being worth twenty-five livres), for the statue and pedestal. Besides this, we pay his expenses going and returning, which we expect will be 176 MOUNT 7EKN0N between four and five thousand livres ; and if lie dies on tiie voyage, we pay bis family ten thousand livres. This latter proposition was disagreeable to us ; but he has a father, mother, and sisters, who have no resource but in his labor; and he is himself one of the best men in the world." To insure the state against loss in case of his death, Mr. Jefferson, through Mr. Adams, procured an insurance upon Houdon's life, in Londou, at an additional expense of five hundred livres, or about ninety-two dollars. It was more than a year after the order for the statue was given before Iloudon arrived. He came over in the same vessel tliat brought Doctor Franklin home. On the 20th of September, 1785, the Doctor gave Houdon a letter of intro- duction to Wasliington, and, at the same time, he wrote to the general to apprise him of the sculptor's arrival. Washington immediately wrote to Houdon, saying, " It will give me pleas- ure, sir, to welcome you to this seat of my retirement ; and whatever I have or can procure that is necessary to your pur- poses, or convenient and agreeable to your wishes, you must freely command, as inclination to oblige you will be among the last things in which I shall be deficient, either on your arrival or during your stay." Houdon arrived at Mount Yernon on the 3d of October, furnished with all necessary materials for making a bust of Washington. He I'emained there a fortnight, and made, on the living face of our illustrious Friend, a plaster mould, pre- paratory for the clay impression, which was then modelled into the form of a bust, and immediately, before it could shrink from drying, moulded and cast in plaster, to be afterward copied in marble, in Paris. That clay model was left at AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 177 HOUDON's bust op WASHINGTON. Mount Vernon, where it may be seen npon a bracket in the library, white-washed, so as to resemble marble or plaster of Paris. In the presence of Mr. Madison, Houdon made exact meas- urements of the person of Washington, and with ample mem- oranda concerning costume, et cetera, he returned to France^ The statue was not completed until 1789, when to the inscrip- tion upon the pedestal were added the words : " Done in the- year of Cheist one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight, and in the year of the commonwealth, twelve." Houdon's statue stands in the rotunda of the capitol at Kichmond. It is of fine Italian marble, size of life. The costume is the military dress of the Revolution. The right 13 178 MOUNT YERNON HOUDON 3 STATUE OP WASHINGTON. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 179 hand of the general rests upon a staff; the left is upon the folds of a military cloak thrown over the end of a bundle of fasces, with which are connected a sword and plough. Gouver- neur Morris, who was in Paris when the statue was executed, stood as a model for the person of Washington. " Of what use," says Dunlap, " his person could be to the artist I cannot conceive, as there was no likeness, in form or manner, between him and the hero, except that they were both tall men." Yet such was the fact. Morris, in his diary, under date of " June 5, 1789," says : " Go to M. Houdon's. He's been waiting for me a long time, I stand for his statue of General Washington, being the humble employment of a manikin. Tliis is literally taking the advice of St. Paul, to be all things to all men." The foregoing facts are presented in contrast with the creations of fancy which an orator recently put forth as the forms of real history, in the following words : " Houdon, after taking a mould of Washington's face, persisted to make a cast of his entire person. * * * * The hero and the sage — the man of supreme dignity, of spotless purity and the most veiled modesty, laid hie sacred person bare and prone before the eyes of art and affection | * * * * The cast of the body was left to the care of his workmen, but that of the head was reserved in his own hands." All this is utterly untrue. The workmen of Houdon, it is known, never joined him, and no such scene as above described ever occurred at Mount Yernon, Six months before Houdon's arrival at Mount Yernon, another artist was domiciled there. It was Robert Edge Pine, a very small, morbidly irritable Englishman, who came to America in 1784, with the rare reputation of "king's painter," and with the lofty design of procuring portraits of 180 MOUNT VERNON tlie most distinguished men of the Revolution, as materials for a series of historical paintings of the war then just ended. ITis wife and daughters, who came with him, were as diminu- tive as himself, and the family appeared almost like pigmies. Pine had been a student of art under Sir Joshua Reynolds. He was highly esteemed by that artist, and was popular with a large number of influential men in England. He brought letters of introduction to Erancis Hopkiuson, of Philadelphia ; and the first portrait that he painted after his arrival in this country, was of that gentleman. It was finished early in 1785, and was first well engraved by Longacre, and published in the American Portrait Gallery. Robert Morris also pat- ronized him, and built a studio for him in Eighth street, in Philadelphia. Pine's republican proclivities made him unpopular with the ministerial party at home, and gave him corresponding sym- pathy in America. He found constant employment for his pencil in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Annapolis, and in several places in Yirginia. He went to Mount Yernon in May, 1785, with a letter of introduction to "Washington from Francis Hop- kinson, in which the chief was requested to give the painter sittings, in furtherance of his grand design of composing scenes of the "War for Independence. He was cordially re- ceived, and remained there three weeks. During that time "Washington wrote as follows to Mr. Ilopkinson, dated at Mount Yernon, May 16, 1785 : " Dear Sir : ' In for a penny in for a pound,- is an ola adage. 1 am so hackneyed to the touches of the painter's pencil, that I am now altogether at their beck, and sit, like AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 181 Patience on a monument, whilst they are delineating the lines of my face. " It is a proof among many others of wliat habit and custom can effect. At first I was as impatient at the request, and as restive under the operation, as a colt is of the saddle. Tlie next time I submitted very reluctantly, but with less flouncing, Now no dray moves more readily to the thill than I do to the painter's chair. It may easily be conceived, therefore, that I yielded a ready obedience to your request, and to the views of Mr. Pine. " Letters from England, recommendatory of this gentleman, came to my hand previous to his arrival in America, not only as an artist of acknowledged eminence, but as one who had discovered a friendly disposition toward this country, for which it seems he had been marked." While at Mount Vernon Pine painted the portraits of two of Mrs. Washington's grandchildren. These were Elizabeth Parke Custis, then about nine years of age, who afterward married Mr. Law, a wealthy English gentleman ; and George Washington Parke Custis, the last survivor of his family, who died at Arlington House, on the Potomac, in the autumn of 1857. The pictures are exquisitely painted, and, like all of Pine's productions, the colors retain their original vividness. . Elizabeth is represented as a beautiful girl, with rich brown hair lying in careless curls, and in great profusion, upon her head and neck, her bosom covered with very light drapery, and having lying upon it the miniature of her father, John Parke Custis (printed on page 84 of this volume), suspended by a ribbon around her neck / ^ 182 MOUNT VERNON ELIZABETH PARKE CUSTIS. Tlie brother was then between four and five years of age. He is represented as a fair-haired child, with loose summer garments, and carrying in his hand a branch with two or three leaves upon it. Tliese pictures now occupy a con- spicuous place upon the walls of the drawing-room at Arling- ton House. Pine's grand design was never carried out. He died four or five years after his visit to Mount Yernon, and his family returned to England. The portraits which he had painted were sold and scattered. That of Washington was afterward found in Montreal, and purchased by the late Henry Brevoort, of Bedford, Long Island, and is now in possession of his son, J. Carson Brevoort. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 183 G. W. P. CUSTIS WHEN A CHILD. A few weeks after Pine left Mount Yernon, and while tlie plasterers were at work ornamenting the ceiling of the great drawing-room of the mansion, then just completed, there was an arrival at the home of Washington of an extraordinary character. It was a pack of French hounds, sent to him by Lafayette. On the 1st of September Washington wrote to the marquis, saying : " The hounds which you M^ere so obliging as to send, arrived safe, and are of promising appearance. To Monsieur le Comte Doilliamson (if I miscall him, your hand- writing is to blame, and in honor you are bound to rectify the error), and in an especial manner to his fair Comtesse, my thanks are due for this favor. The enclosed letter, which I 184 MOUNT VERNON give you the trouble of forwarding, contains my aeknowledg ment of their obliging attention to me on this occasion." While Washington thanked Lafayette and his friends for their kindly offices, he certainly did not feel specially thankful for the hounds. During the war, his hunting establishment, which had been perfect, had been almost broken up, and he felt no disposition to renew it. His kennel, which was situated very near the site of the present tomb of Washington, was quite dilapidated ; and the paling which enclosed it and a fine spring of water, had almost disappeared. Yulcan and Ti'ue- love, Ringwood and Sweetlips, Singer and Forester, Music and Rockwood — hounds of note on the master's register when he left Mount Vernon for the senate — were missing or were too old for service when he returned, and for only about three years afterward did he keep any hounds at all. Those sent by Lafayette were of great size and strength. Because of their fierce disposition they were kept closely confined ; and, a few months after their arrival, Washington broke up his kennel, gave away his hounds, bade adieu to the chase forever, and, for his amusement, formed a fine deer-park below the mansion, upon a beautiful slope extending to the river. The late Mr. Custis has left on record the following anec- dote : " Of the French hounds, there was one named Vulcan, and we bear him the better in reminiscence, from having often bestrid his ample back in the days of our juvenility. It hap- pened that upon a large company sitting down to dinner at Mount Yernon one day, the lady of the mansion (my grand- mother) discovered that the ham, the pride of every Virgmia housewife's table, was missing from its accustomed post of honor. Upon questioning Frank, the butler, this portly, and AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 185 at tlic same time the most polite and accomplished of all butlers, observed that a ham, yes, a very fine ham, had been prepared, agreeably to the Madam's orders, bnt lo and behold ! who should come into the kitchen, while the savory ham was smoking in its dish, but old Vulcan the hound, and without more ado fastened his fangs into it ; and although they of the kitchen had stood to such arms as they could get, and had fought the old spoiler desperately, yet Vulcan had finally triumphed, and bore ofi" the prize, aye, ' cleanly, under the keeper's nose.' Tlie lady by no means relished the loss of a dish which formed the pride of her table, and uttered some remarks by no means favorable to old Vulcan, or indeed to dogs in general ; -while the Chief, having heard the story, com- municated it to his guests, and, with them, laughed heartily at the exploit of the stag-hound.''^ Almost simultaneously with the arrival of the French hounds, came a magnificent present from Samuel Yaughan, a wealthy resident of London, who had conceived a passionate admiration for the character of Washington. The object pre- sented was a very beautiful chimney-piece, wrought in Italy, from the finest white and Sienite marbles, for Mr. Yaughan's own use. At the time of its arrival in England that gentleman was informed of the improvements in the mansion then in progress at Mount Yernon, and, without unpacking it, he sent it directly to Washington. It is exquisitely wrought in every part. Upon three tablets of the frieze, under the higlily orna- mented mantel, are sculptured, in very high relief, in white marble, pleasant domestic scenes in agricultural life. Upon the centre tablet, which is the largest, is an evening scene. A husbandman, with his wife and little child, is returning from the 186 MOUNT VERNON ITALIAN CHIMNET-PIECE. fields, driving a cow and a flock of sheep. Many of the latter are seen going into a fold for the night, and beyond the en- closure is seen the setting snn. On the left of the central tablet is represented a boy, harnessing a span of horses, to be attached to a plough. On the right is a cottage. The house- wife, having just drawn a bucket of water from the well, is pouring it into a tub for the cleansing of vegetables, which are seen lying by the side of it. Her little girl has her apron full, AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 187 TABLET ON THE LEFT. CENTRE TABLET, TABLET ON THE EIGHT. 188 MOUNT YERNON and is eating a turnip, while a pig is coming out of a rickety sty near by. Tlie fireplace is an enormous iron grate, capable of contain- ing several bushels of coal ; and the hearth is of white marble, inlaid with ornaments of polished maroon-colored marble, or encaustic tile. Upon the shelf are two small dark-blue vases, covered with flowers, delicately painted ; and between these are two bronze candelabra. The whole present a most pleas- ing picture to the eye ; and the interest is increased by the associations which cluster around these objects, for they were there sixty years ago, when Washington receivted his guests in the spacious drawing-room, of which that chimney-piece is the greatest ornament. POUCELAIN VASES. With the elegant chimney-piece Mr. Yaughan sent three larger and more beautiful porcelain vases, than those which now stand AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 189 upon the slielf. They were made in India, and ornamented in London. The ground is a dark bhie, with delicate gilt scroll and leaf ornaments, with landscapes painted upon one side and animals upon the other. These are now at Arlington House. Washington appears to have received other presents from Mr. Yanghan. On the 30th of November, 1785, he wrote to his London friend, saying : " I have lately received a letter from Mr, Yaughan (your son), of Jamaica, accomj)anied by a puncheon of rum, which he informs me was sent by your order as a present for me. Indeed, my dear sir, you overwhelm me with your favors, and lay me under too many obligations to leave a hope remaining of discharging them." He had attempted to do so in a degree, for in the same letter, he says : " Hearing of the distress in which that island, with others in the West Indies, is involved by the late hurricane, I have taken the liberty of requesting Mr. Yaughan's acceptance, for liis own use, of a few barrels of superfine flour of my own manufacturing." Two or three months later than the date of this letter, an- other present for Washington reached Mount Yernon, of more intrinsic value than all that he had received since his retire- ment from the army. It consisted of three asses, a jack and two jennies, selected from the royal stud at Madrid, and sent to him as a compliment from the king of Spain. His " Catholic Majesty" having been informed that Washington was endeav- oring to procure these animals of the best breed in Europe, for the purpose of rearing mules on his estates, made him this pi^sent, and sent over with them a person acquainted witl\ the mode of treating them, who arrived at Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, and journeyed to Mount Yernon by land. 190 MOUNT VERNON According to a statement of the late Mr. Custis, the jack, called the Royal (^ift, was sixteen hands high, of a gray color, heavily made, and of a sluggish disposition. " At the same time," says Mr. Custis, " the Marquis de Lafayette sent out a jack and jennies from the island of Malta. Tliis jack, called the Knight of Malta^ was a suberb animal, black color, with the form of a stag and the ferocity of a tiger. Washington availed himself of the best qualities of the two jacks by cross- ing the breeds, and hence obtained a favorite jack, called Compound^ which animal united the size and strength of the Gift with the high courage and activity of the Knight. The General bred some very superior mules from his coach mares. In a few years the estate of Mount Yernon became stocked with mules of a superior order, some of them rising to the height of sixteen hands, and of great power and usefulness. One wagon team of four mules sold at the sale of the Gen- eral's effects for eight hundred dollars." Washington, through Florida Bianca, the prime minister of Spain, most sincerely thanked his majesty for a present so truly valuable, in connection with his country's industrial operations ; and in answer, that functionary replied, " It will give pleasure to his majesty, that opportunities of a higher nature may offer, to prove the great esteem he entertains for your Excellency's personal merit, singular virtues, and char- acter." At the close of 1T85, Washington had completed the enlarge- ment of his house, and was prepared for tlie accommodation of the increasing number of his visitors. lie found his time so much occupied with these, and his equally increasing corre- spondence, tliat he resolved to employ a secretary, who should, AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 191 at the same time, perform the duties of instructor of his adopted children. He addressed General Lincoln on the subject, who warmly recommended Tobias Lear, a young gentleman of Portsmouth, in New Hampshire, who had recently graduated at Harvard University. In reply, Washington said : " Mr. Lear, or any other who may come into my family in the blended character of preceptor to the children and clerk or private secretary to me, will sit at my table, will live as I live, will mix with the company who resort to the house, and will be treated in every respect with civility and proper attention." A satisfactory arrangement was made, which proved a hap- py one. Mr. Lear went to Mount Yernon, and resided there much of the time afterward, until death removed the master. "Washington became very fond of him. He married, and lost his wife there; and in his will, Washington wrote: "To Tobias Lear 1 give the use of the farm which he now holds, in virtue of a lease from me to him and his deceased wife (for and during their natural lives), free from rent during his life." We shall meet Mr. Lear again under solemn circumstances beneath the roof of Mount Yernon mansion. Li his letter to General Lincoln respecting Mr. Lear, Wash- ington expressed his expectation that his correspondence would decline, for he had resolved to remain strictl}^ a private citizen. On the contrary, circumstances which speedily arose, caused his correspondence to greatly increase, and the retired soldier soon found himself borne out upon the turbulent waves of political life. He was too patriotic to shrink from duty when his country demanded his services, and therefore events soon drew him from the coveted pleasures of his quiet home. Washington, with other sagacious men, had watched the 192 MOUNT VERNON course .of public affairs since the close of the war with the deepest solicitude, for he perceived imminent dangers on every Bide. The country had become impoverished by the struggle, and was burdened with an enormous debt, domestic and foreign ; and the Congress possessed no executive powers adequate to a provision of means for the liquidation of those debts by direct taxation. For a long time it had been clearly perceived that, while the Articles of Confederation entered into by the respective states, formed a sufficient constitution of government during the progress of the war, they were not adapted to the public wants in the new condition of an independent sovereignty in which the people found themselves. There appeared abund- ant necessity for a greater centralization of power, by which the general government could act more efficiently for the pub- lic good. As early as the summer of 1782, the legislature of New Xork, on the suggestion of Alexander Hamilton, had recom- mended to each state " to adopt the measure of assembling a GENERAL CONVENTION OF THE STATES, Specially authorized to revise and amend the Confederation f and in the spring of 1786 a strong desire was felt in many parts of the country to have such convention. To a great extent the people had lost all regard for the authority of Congress, and the commercial affaii'S of the country had become wretchedly deranged. Every thing seemed to be tending toward utter chaos; and many were the anxious councils held by Washington and others under the roof of Mount Yernon, when the buds and the birds first appeared in Virginia in the spring of 1786. His correspond- A.ND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 193 ence with his compatriots in other states on the subject became quite extended ; and his letters at this time, full of the impor- tant topic, are remarkable for their words of wisdom and tone of caution. " I often think of our situation, and view it with concern," he wrote to John Jay in May. " From the high ground we stood upon, from the plain path which invited our footsteps, to be so fallen, so lost, is really mortifying." He saw the ten- dency toward ruin of the fair fabric which his wisdom and prowess had helped to raise, and his faith in public men had become weakened. " My fear is," he said, " that the people are not sufficiently misled to retract from error. To be plainer, I think there is more wickedness than ignorance mixed in our councils. Under this impression I scarcely know what opinion to entertain of a general convention." Time and circumstances work out many changes in human opinions. Washington's were modified by the logic of events, and he soon favored a convention of the states. He received letters from all parts of the country upon the subject of public affairs, and his answers, widely circulated, had a commanding influence. In his quiet home at Mount Yernon he was silently wielding the powers of a statesman, and his opinions were eagerly sought. In 1785, commissioners appointed by Yirginia and Mary- land, to form a compact relative to the navigation of the waters belonging to them in comrr.on, had visited Mount Yernon to consult with the retired soldier ; and suggestions were then made and discussed concerning a stronger federal government, which led to important results. It led, primarily, to a general discussion by the people of the subject of the inef- 13 194 MOUNT VERNON ficiency of the federal government ; then to a convention of delegates from a few states at Annapolis, in Maryland, in September, 1786 ; and, finally, to a more important conven- tion the following year, on the recommendation of the Con- gress. The latter convention, composed of delegates from every state in the union except New Hampshire and Rhode Island, commenced its session in Philadelphia toward the close of May, 1787. Washington was put at the head of the Yirginia delegation, but for some time he refused to accept the position, having solemnly declared that he would never appear in public life again. But on all occasions that great man yielded private considerations to the public good. After consultations with friends he consented to serve, and on the 9th of May he set out in his carriage from Mount Vernon on a journey tc Phila- delphia. He was chosen president of the convention by unanimous vote, and for nearly four months he presided over the deliberations of that august assembly with great dignity. The convention adjourned on the 12th of September. On that day the present Constitution of the United States was- adopted, as a substitute for the Articles of Confederation. That constitution was submitted to the people for ratification. Toward the close of 1788 the majority of the states having signified their approval of it, the people proceeded to choose a chief magistrate of the republic. For more than two years Washington kept a vigilant and anxious eye upon the movements of the public mind in rela- tion to the national constitution. Day by day his correspond- ence increased, and he found himself again upon the sea of , political life. Meanwhile the hospitable mansion at Mount AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 195 Vernon was frequently filled with visitors ; and one whom Washington loved, as a soldier and as a friend, was invited there as a guest, with a request that he should remain as long / / COLONEL DAVID HUMPHREYS. as the house should be agreeable to him. That guest was David Humphreys, a native of Derby, Connecticut, and then about thirty-five years of age. He had received the diploma of Bachelor of Arts at Yale College in 1771, when the eminent Doctor Daggett was president. His cotemporaries there were Dwight, Trumbull, and Barlow, a triad of poets, with whom he was associated in paying court to the muse of song. Hum- phreys was a tutor in the family of the lord of Phillipse's manor, on the Hudson, for awhile, and then entered the con- tinental army as a captain. He rose to the rank of lieutenant- colonel during the war, and toward the close became one of Washington's favorite aides. He went abroad in 1784, as. 196 MOUNT VERNON secretary to the commission for negotiating treaties of com- merce with foreign powers. He was abroad two years, and on his retm'n made quite a protracted visit at Mount Yernon. That was in 1Y86 ; and one evening in August, while reclining on the bank of the river, in the shadows of its wooded slopes, he began the composition of an ode entitled '•''Mount Yernon^'' commencing with the following stanza : "By broad Potowmack's azure tide, Wliere Vernon's Mount, in sylvan pride, Displays its beauties far. Great Washington, to peaceful shades, Wliere no unhallow'd wish invades, Retir'd from fields of war." Humphreys brought with him from France, at the special request of the king, a token of his "most Christian majesty's" regard for Washington. It was an engraving of a full-length portrait of the king, Louis XYI., in his state robes, enclosed in a superb gilt frame, made expressly for the occasion. At the top, surrounded by appropriate emblems, are the royal arms of France, and, at the bottom, the arms of the Washington family. In the corners are the monograms of the king and Washington—" L. L. XYI." and " G. W." Tliese— the arms and the emblematic ornaments — are in relief. The picture, in its original frame, is at Mount Yernon, dimmed and darkened by age and neglect. In 1788, Humphreys, as we have just observed, became a resident at Mount Yernon * and there he wrote a Life of General Israel Putnam. Humphreys had been a member of that officer's military family in the war for independence ; and AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 197 ENGRAVING OF LOUIS XVI. just before his departure for Mount Vernon, he visited the veteran at liis home in Connecticut, and received from his own Jips many of the stirring narratives recorded in that biography. At Mount Yernon Humphreys translated, from the French of M. Le Mierre, the tragedy of The Widow of Malabar^ which was first brought out at the theatre in Philadelphia, by flallam and Wignel (heads of the old American company of players), in May, 1790. Tlie prologue, written by John Trum- 198 MOUNT YERN'ON bull, author of M^Fingall, was spoken on that occasion by Mr, Hallam, and the epilogue, written by Humphreys, was spoken by Mrs. Henry. Wliile Colonel Humphreys was at Mount Yemon in the autumn of 1788, distinguished visitors were entertained there for a few days. These were the Count de Moustier, the French minister, a handsome and polite man ; his sister, the Mar- chioness de Brienne — who was illnaluredly described by Gen- eral Armstrong as a " little, singular, whimsical, hysterical old woman, whose delight is in playing with a negro child and caressing a monkey" — and her son, M. Dupont. They had made a long journey from New Hampshire, by way of Fort Schuyler (now Utica) on the Mohawk River, where they en- joyed the spectacle of an Indian treaty. The Marchioness de Brienne was quite an accomplished writer and skilful amateur artist; and in the evening of the day when "Washington was inaugurated the first President of the United States, the following year, the front of her brother's house was beautifully decorated with paintings by her own hand, suggestive of the past, the present, and the future in American history. These were illuminated by borderings of lamps upon the doors and windows. In the autumn of that year the marchioness persuaded President Washington to sit to her for his portrait >,in minia- ture. In his diary, on Saturday, the 3d of October, he re- corded : " "Walked in the afternoon, and sat about two o'clock for Madam de Brehan [Brienne] to complete a miniature profile of me, which she had begun from memory, and wLivh she had made exceedingly like the original." AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 199 The marchioness made several copies of this picture, one of which Washington presented to Mrs. Bingham, of Philadel- phia. From another, an engraving was afterward made in Paris, and several impressions were sent to Washington. She WASHINGTON AND LAFAYETTE. also painted on copper, in medallion form, the profiles of Wash- ington and Lafayette, in miniature, within the same circumfer- ence, and presented the picture to Washington. It is now at Arlington House. Another foreign ladj, the wife of Peter J. Yon Berckel, of Eotterdam, the first embassador from Holland to the United States, was a great admirer of the character of Washington, and painted an allegorical picture in testimony of her reverence for the Liberator of his country. It was executed upon copper, eighteen by twenty inches in size. Tlie design, intending to be complimentary to Washington, was well conceived. Upon the top of a short, fluted column, was a bust of Washington, crowned 200 MOUNT VERNON ■WASHINGTON S DESTINY. with a militarj and civic wreath. This stood near the entrance to a cave where the Parcse or Fates — Clotho the Spinster, Lach- esis the AUotter, and Atropos the Unchangeable — were seen, husj with the destinies of the patriot. Clotho was sitting with her distaff, spinning the thread of his life, and Lachesis was receiving it. Atropos was just stepping forward with open shears to cut it, when Immortalitj, represented as a beautiful youth, seized the precious thread, and gave it to Fame, a winged female, with a trumpet, in tlie skies, who bore it on to future ages. The latter tliought was beautifully expressed AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 201 by Thomas Moore, many years later, when he thus sang of a poet's immortality: " Even so, though thy memory should now die away, 'Twill be caught up again in some happier day, And the hearts and the voices of Erin prolong. Through the answering Future, thy name and thy song." This picture was presented to "Washington by Mr. Yon Berck- el, with tlie following lines, composed by the fair artist : "In vain the sisters ply their busy care, To reel off years from Glory's deathless heir: Frail things shall pass, his fame shall never dio Rescued from Fate by Immortality." After the death of Mrs. Washington, the painting became the property of the late G. W. P. Cnstis, who presented it to the venerable General C. C. Pinckney, of South Carolina, to whose military family he had belonged. While on a visit at Arling- ton House, a few years ago, Mr. Custis described the picture to the writer, at the same time illustrating his description by a rude pencil sketch, of which the accompanying engraving is a fac-simile on a smaller scale. Such was the impression of the picture upon the memory of that venerable man, after a lapse of fifty years. Soon after the departure of the French minister and his party from Mount Yernon, two other Prench gentlemen, with letters of introduction, visited Washington. These were M. de War- ville, and M. St. Prie, who, Washington said, were " intelligent, discreet, and disposed to receive favorable impressions of Amer- ica." Brissot de Warville was young, handsome, and full of enthusiasm. In his letter of introduction, Lafayette said, " Ho 202 MOUNT VERNON is very clever, and wishes much to be presented to you. lie intends to write a history of America, and is, of course, desir- ous to have a peep into your papers, which appears to me a deserved condescension, as he is fond of America, writes pretty well, and will set matters in a proper light." Brissot de Warville did not write a history of America, but during the French revolution that soon followed this visit, he became quite a conspicuous object in the history of his own countiy. He was intensely democratic, and when he returned to France, he appeared in the streets of Paris in the garb of a Philadelphia Quaker, with which he was enamored. In the French revolution he became a Girondist leader. He finally made himself obnoxious to Robespierre and his party by refus ing to vote for the execution of the king, and was doomed to suffer death on the guillotine. He fell on tlie 30th of October, 1793, and the surviving Girondists were called Brissotins. In his letters, Brissot de Warville spoke with enthusiasm ot America, and after his visit at Mount Yernon, he wrote of Mrs. Washington, saying, " Every thing about the house has an air of simplicity ; the table is good, but not ostentatious, and no deviation is seen from regularity and domestic economy. She superintends the whole, and joins to the qualities of an excel- lent housewife, the simple dignity which ought to characterize a woman whose husband has acted the greatest part on the theatre of human afi'airs, while possessing that amiability and manifesting that attention to strangers which makes hospitality 80 charming." As the year 1788 drew to a close, "Washington felt well as- sured that he would be called by the voice of the nation to the important position of Chief Magistrate of the Kepublic. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 203 Early in September it had been ascertained that a sufficient number of states had ratified the National Constitution, to make it the organic law of the land, and on the 13th, Congress passed an act, appointing the first "Wednesday in January, 1789, for the people to choose electors of a President, according to the provisions of that constitution; the first "Wednesday in Feb- ruary following for the electors to meet and make a choice ; and the first "Wednesday in March for the new government to be organized in the city of New York. The hearts of all were now turned toward Washington as the man to whom the helm of state should be given, and his friends, well knowing his reluctance to re-enter public life, commenced writing persuasive letters to him. To all of them he expressed sentiments such as he wrote to Lafayet,te, when he said of the proffered office — " It has no fascinating allure- ment for me. At my time of life and under my circumstances, the increasing infirmities of nature and the growing love of retirement do not permit me to entertain a wish beyond that of living and dying an honest man on my own farm. Let those follow the pursuits of ambition and fame who have a keener relish for them, or who may have more years in store for the enjoyment of them." The election was held at the appointed time, and "Washington was chosen President of the United States for four years from the 4th of March ensuing. He now again yielded his own wishes to the claims of his country, and prej^ared to leave his beloved home. Meanwhile, office-seekers were sending him letters by scores, and sometimes they came in person to solicit favor for themselves or friends. He had already expressed his fixed determination to enter upon the duties of his office " not 204 MOUNT VERNON only imfetlered by promises, but even uncliargeable with cre- ating or feeding the expectation of any man living" for his "assistance to office." By this declaration api:)licants soon learned the wisdom of silence. But there were men who sought the influence of his position, upon whom he not only looked with favor but with delight. These were they who had schemes which, though cherished by themselves for selfish purposes, would be of great advantage to the industrial interests of the country. One of these visited Mount Yernon at the close of March, 1789, to lay before the President elect some facts concerning the introduction of the manufacture of glass into America. A gentleman of Alex- dudria, in a letter to a friend, thus describes the event : " I am just returned from Mount Yernon, where I was present at a scene which made every patriotic pulse vibrate with the most pleasurable sensations. "This, sir, was a tribute of a new citizen of the United States to their illustrious President. Mr. John F. Amelung, a native of Germany, and an artist of considerable eminence, emigrated to this country with a large family and extensive fortune, and having contemplated the said commerce, etc., he selected, with great prudence, a central situation for the establishment of a manufactory of the first magnitude and importance, in which he has succeeded beyond all hope and expectation. Through his vast exertions he is now enabled to supply the United States with every species of glass, the quality of which is equal, if not superior, to that imported, while he actually undersells all foreign traders in that article in our own markets. To the testimony of the ablest connois- seurs and characters of taste and respectability, it only remain- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 205 ed for Mr. Amclung to court tlie patronage of the great patriot; and I liad the good fortune to be present at an offering to liis excellency of two capacious goblets of flint glass, exliibiting the general's coat-of-arms, etc. "The conversation naturally embraced and discussed our manufacturing interests, and was managed with such delicate address, as to pay a compliment to the ingenuity and labors of this celebrated artist, who has supported, without intermis- sion, three hundred hands these three years past, with the utmost order and character. New Bremen, which gives ap- pellation to this manufactory, is situated on Monococy, con- tiguous to the waters of the Potomac, by which he may in time supply the seaport towns of the eastern and southern states, and thus give domestic circulation to an immense quan- tity of specie remitted annually for this article alone to the foreign merchants." "Washington had already been apprised of the existence of this establishment, for in a letter to Jefferson, in February preceding, he said : "A factory of glass is established upon a large scale on Monococy river, near Fredericktown, in Mary- land. I am informed it will this year produce glass of various kinds, nearly to the amount of ten thousand pounds value." So tardily did the members of the National Congress assem- ble, that a quorum was not present at the capital in New York until the beginning of April, when the votes of the electoral collcffe were counted, and Washington was declared to be elected President of the United States by the unanimous voice of the people. That delay was a source of pleasure to him. In a letter to General Knox, he compared it to a reprieve : " for," he said, " in confidence I tell you (with the 206 MOUNT VERNON world it would obtain little credit), that my movements to the chair of government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution." " I am sensible," he continued, " that I am em- barking the voice of the people, and a good name of my own on this voyage, but what returns will be made for them heaven alone can foretell. Integrity and firmness are all I can promise. These, be the voyage long or short, shall never forsake me, although I may be deserted by all men ; for of the consolations which are to be derived from these, under any circumstances, the world cannot deprive me." The Senate of the United States was organized on the 6th of April, and John Langdon, a representative therein from New Hampshire, was chosen its president jpro iemjpore. As soon as the votes of the electoral college were opened and counted, he wrote a letter to the illustrious farmer at Mount Yernon, notifying him of the fact of his election. Tliis letter, with an oilicial certificate, was conveyed to the chief magistrate elect by the venerable Secretary Thomson, who arrived at Mount Vernon on Tuesday, the 14th, between ten and eleven o'clock in the morning. Washington was making the usual tour of his farms, and tlie secretary was cordially received by Mrs. Washington, who had enjoyed his friendship and the hospitali- ties of his house at Philadelphia. On his return from the fields at a quarter before one. Wash ington greeted Mr. Thomson with much warmth, for their friendship was most sincere. They had gone througli a long struggle for their country's liberation hand in hand, one in the field, the other in the senate; and the bond of sympathy, strengthened by retrospection, was powerful. Thomson was AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 207 soon invited to the library, where he revealed the object of his visit, and delivered the letter of President Langdon. Public affairs at once became the topic of conversation, and long -did CHARLES THOMSON. the two patriots linger at the table that day, after Mrs. Wash- ington, Colonel Humphreys, Mr. Lear, and two or three guests had withdrawn. Only for a few minutes were they separated, when Washington, in his private study in an upper room, wrote the following letter to Mr. Langdon, and placed it in the hands of a servant to be conveyed to the post-office at Alexandria : "Mount Vernon, lith April, 1789. " Sir : I had the honor to receive your official communica- tion, by the hand of Mr. Secretary Thomson, about one o'clock this day. Having concluded to obey the important and flat- 208 MOUNT VERNON tering call of my country, and having been impressed with tlie idea of the expediency of my being with Congress at as early a period as possible, I propose to commence my journey on Thm'sday morning, which will be the day after to-morrow." Toward evening Washington left Mount Yernon on horse- back, accompanied by Billy, and rode rapidly toward Fred- ericksburg, where his aged and invalid mother resided. He went to embrace her and bid her farewell before leaving for the distant seat of government. She was suffering from an acute disease, and the weight of more than fourscore years was upon her. Tlie interview between the matron and her illustrious son was full of the most touching sublimity. " The people, madam," said Washington, " have been pleased, with the most flattering unanimity, to elect me to the chief magis- tracy of the United States; but before I can assume the func- tions of that office, I have come to bid you an affectionate farewell. So soon as the public business which must neces- sarily be encountered in arranging a new government can be disposed of, I shall hasten to Virginia, and — " Here she interrupted him, saying, " You will see me no more. My great age, and the disease that is rapidly approaching my vitals, warn me that I shall not be long in this world. I trust in God I am somewhat prepared for a better. But go, George, fulfil the high destinies which Heaven appears to assign you ; go, my son, and may that Heaven's and your mother's blessing be with you always." The mother and son embraced for the last time, for before he could return to Yirginia, she was laid in the grave. Washington returned to Mount Yernon on the evening of the 15th, and found every thing in preparation for the journey TRAVELLING BOOT-JACK. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 209 toward New York the following morning, Nothing essential to the master's comfort and convenience was omitted by the faithful Billy. There was a great stir at Mount Yernon on the morning of the 16th. Before sunrise a messenger had come from Alexandria, and departed ; and that evening Washington wrote in his diary : " About ten o'clock I bade adieu to Mount Yernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity, and with a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express, set out for New York, in company with Mr. Thomson and Colonel Humphreys, with the best disposition to render service to my country in obedience to its call, but with less hope of answering its expectations." "Washington's neighbors and friends at Alexandria, had in- vited him to halt and partake of a public dinner on the way. This manifestation of friendship touched his heart ; but still deeper were his tenderest emotions awakened, when, as he and his travelling companions ascended a little hill about a mile from his home, and came in view of the lodges at his gate, he saw a cavalcade of those friends, waiting to escort him to the town. The scene was one of marvellous interest. It was the first of a series of ovations that awaited him on his journey. The sun was shining with all the warmth and brightness of mid- April in Yirginia, the smiles of cultivation were on every land, and the song of birds and the perfume of early flowers fell gratefully upon the senses. Alas ! how changed is now the aspect of that ancient entrance 14 210 MOUNT VERNON ANCIENT ENTRANCE TO MOUNT VERNON, IN 1858. to Mount Yernon ! Stately trees are near as in the days of old, but the voices of labor are no more heard. All is silence and desolation, except when the bird sings, the squirrel chirps, or the echo of the huntsman's gun startles the solitary pedestrian, for the road, tilled or gullied by the winds and rains, is scarcely passable for beast or vehicle. The old lodges, wherein once rang the merry laugh of children, are utterly deserted, and fast falling into hopeless decay ; and all around them a thick forest stands, where the wheat, the corn, and the tobacco once .bloomed. Washington was anxious to proceed to New York with as AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 211 little parade as possible, but the enthusiasm of the people could not be repressed. His journey was like a triumphal march. At Alexandria he partook of a public dinner, when the mayor ■aid, " Tlie first and best of our citizens must leave us ; our iged must lose their ornament, our youth their model, our agri- culture its improver, our commerce its friend, our infant acad- emy its protector,* our poor their benefactor." ***** " Farewell !" he said, tarnmg to Washington, " Go, and make a grateful people happy ; a people who will be doubly grate- ful when they contemplate this new sacrifice for their in- terests." Washington's feelings were deeply touched. He could say but little. " Words fail me," he said, " unutterable sensations must, then, be left to more expressive silence, while from an aching heart I bid all my afiectionate friends and kind neigh- bors — farewell." The president was greeted by the Marylanders at George- town ; and at Baltimore he was entertained by a large number of citizens at a public supper. When leaving the city the next morning, at half-past five, he was saluted by discharges of cannon, and attended by a cavalcade of gentlemen who rode seven miles with him. At the frontier of Pennsylvania, he was met early on the morning of the 19th, by two troops of cavalry, and a cavalcade of citizens, at the head of whom were Governor Mifflin and Judge Peters; and by them he was escorted to Philadelphia. Upon that frontier, Washington left his carriage, and mounting a superb white charger, he took * Washington had given funds for the establishment of an academy at Alexan- dna, and was its patron. 212 MOUNT YERNON position iu the line of procession, with Secretary Tliomson on one side, and Colonel Humphreys on the other. At Gray's Ferry, on the Schuylkill, they were joined by an immense number of citizens, led in order by General St. Clair. A triumphal arch was erected on both sides of the river covered with laurel branches, and approached through avenues of evergreens. As Washington passed under the lasi arch, Angelica Peale, daughter of the eminent artist, and a child of rare beauty, who was concealed in the foliage, let down a handsomely ornamented civic crowoi of laurel, which rested upon the head of the patriot. The incident caused a tumultuous shout. The procession moved on into the city, its volume increasing every moment. At least twenty thousand people lined its passage-way from the Schuylkill to the city ; and at every step the President was greeted with shouts of " Long live George Washington !" " Long live the Father of his country!" The President was entertained at a sumptuous banquet, given by the authorities, at the City Tavern, and the next" morning the military were paraded, to form an escort for him to Trenton But heavy rain frustrated their designs. Washington was com pelled to ride in his carriage, and he would not allow an escor* of friends to travel in the rain. When the President and suite approached Trenton in the afternoon, the clouds had disappeared, and in the warm sun- light, he crossed the Delaware amid the greetings of shouts, and cannon-peals, and the feu dejoie of musketry. His route lay across the same bridge over the little stream which flows through the town, where, twelve years before, he had been riven across by Cornwallis, on the evening previous to the AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 213 battle at Princeton. Upon that bridge, where he was thus humiliated, was now a triumphal arch, twenty feet in height, supported by thu-teen pillars twined with evergreens. It was the conception and work of the women of New Jersey, under the general direction of Annis Stockton ; and upon the side of his approach, over the arch, were emblazoned the words : "the defender of the mothers will be the peotectob op the daughters." Tlie arch was otherwise beautifully decorated, and as Wash- mgton approached, many mothers with their daughters appeare21. AVith these Lafayette enclosed a letter to Washington, dated the lYth of March, in which he gave him a general picture of affairs in France, and added : "Aftei" I have confessed all this, I will tell jon, with tlie same candor, that we have made an admirable and almost incredible destruction of all abuses and prejudices; that eveiy thing not directly useful to or coming from the peoj)le has been levelled ; that in the topographical, moral, and political situation of France, we have made more changes in ten months than the most sanguine patriots could have imagined; that our internal troubles and anarchy are much exaggerated ; and that, upon the whole, this revolution, in which nothing will be wanting but energy of government, as it was in America, will im- plant liberty and make it flourish throughout the world ; while we must wait for a convention, in a few years, to mend some defects, which are not now perceived by men just es- caped from aristocracy and despotism." He then added : " Give me leave, my dear general, to present you with a picture of the Bastile, just as it looked a few days after I ordered its demolition, with the main key of the fortress of despotism. It is a tribute which I owe as a son to my adopted father — as an aide-de-camp to my general — as a missionary of liberty to its patriarch." After considerable delay, Paine forwarded the key and drawing to "Washington, with a letter, in which he said : " I feel myself happy in being the person through whom the Marquis has conveyed this early trophy of the spoils of despot- ism, and the first ripe fruits of American principles trans- r' A.ND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 237 planted into Europe, to his great master and patron. When he mentioned to me the present he intended for you, my heart leaped with joy. It is something so truly in character, that no remarks can illustrate it, and is more happily expressive of his remembrance of his American friends than any letters can convey. That the principles of America opened the Bastile is not to be doubted, and therefore the key comes to the right place. * * •» * " I should rejoice to be the direct bearer of the marquis's present to your excellency, but I doubt I shall not be able to see my much-loved America till next spring. I shall therefore send it by some American vessel to New York. I have permitted no drawing to be taken here, though it has been often requested, as I think there is a propriety that it should first be presented. But Mr. West wishes Mr. Trumbull to make a painting of the presentation of the key to you." On the 11 til of August Washington wrote to Lafayette : "I have received your affectionate letter of the 17th of March by one conveyance, and the token of the victory gained by liberty over despotism by another, for both which testimonials of your friendship and regard I pray you to accept my sincerest thanks. In this great subject of triumph for the New World, and for humanity in general, it will never be forgotten how conspicuous a part you bore, and how much lustre you reflected on a country in which you made the first displays of your character." KEY OF THE BASTILK, 238 MOUNT VERNON Tlie key of the Bastile, and the drawing representing the demolition of the fortress, are at Mount Vernon. The former is preserved in a glass case, and the latter hangs near it, in the same relative position in which they were originally placed by Washington, in the great passage of the mansion. Directly opposite the key, in the great passage, hangs the spy-glass used by "Washington in the Revolution, and after- --A, WASHINGTON 3 SPT-QLASS. ward at Mount Vernon. This was always carried by Billy, his favorite body-servant, to be used in reconnoitring at a distance. Mr. Custis, in his Recollections of Washington^ gives the following anecdote in connection with this spy-glass, or telescope, on the field of Monmouth : " A ludicrous occurrence varied the incidents of the 28th ot June. Tlie servants of the general officers were usually well armed and mounted. "Will Lee, or Billy, the former hunts- man, and favorite body-servant of the Chief, a square, mus- cular figure, and capital horseman, paraded a corps of valets, and, riding pompously at their head, proceeded to an eminence crowned by a large sycamore-tree, from whence could be seen an extensive portion of the field of battle. Here Billy halted, and, having unslung the large telescope that he always carried in a leathern case, with a martial air applied it to his eye, and reconnoitred the enemy. "Washington having observed these uianoeuvres of the corps of valets, pointed them out to his AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 239 officers, observing, 'See those fellows collecting on yondei height ; the enemy will fire on them to a certainty.' Mean- while the British were not unmindful of the assemblage on the height, and perceiving a burly figure well mounted, and with a telescope in hand, they determined to pay their respects to the group. A shot from a six-pounder passed through the tree, cutting away the limbs, and producing a scampering among the corps of valets, that caused even the grave coun- tenance of the general-in-chief to relax into a smile." Tlie pocket telescope used by Washington throughout the war was presented to President Jackson, by the late George "Washington Parke Custis, on the 1st of January, 1830. To this interesting memorial Mr. Custis had affixed a silver plate, with the following inscription : ^''Erat Audoris, est conseriiatoris^ Libertatis. 17T5 — 1Y83." On presenting the gift, Mr. Custis observed that, "Although it was in itself of but little value, there was attached unto it recollections of the most interesting character. It had been raised to the eye of the departed Chief, in the most awful and momentous periods of our mighty conflict; it had been his companion from '75 to '83, amid the toils, privations, the hopes, the fears, and the final success of our glorious struggle for independence; and, as the memorial of the hero who triumphed to obtain liberty, it is now appropriately bestowed upon the hero who triumphed to preserve it. ' Mr. C. request- ed that, as he (the General) was childless, he would be pleased, at his decease, to leave the telescope as Alexander left hia kingdom — ' to the most worthy.' " 240 MOUNT VERNON President Jackson accepted the present and the compliment, and made a brief response. Whether he left it " to the most worthy," at his decease, or where it is now, we have no information. Washington carried with him to Mount Yernon, with the key of the Bastile, a pair of elegant pistols, which, with equally elegant holsters, had been presented to him by the Count de Moustier, the French minister, as a token of his personal regard. These weapons, it is believed, are the ones pre- sented by Washington to Col. Samuel Hay, of the tenth Pennsylvanian regiment, who stood high in the esteem of his general. Tliey bear the well-known cipher of Wash- ington, and were purchased at the sale of Colonel Hay's effects, after his death in No- vember, 1803, by John Y. Baldwin, of xTew- ark, New Jersey. His son, J. O. Baldwin, presented one of them to Isaac I. Green- wood, of New York, in 1825, in whose pos- session it remains, the other having been lost on the occasion of a fire which destroyed the residence of his mother. Our engraving represents the preserved one. Mr. Baldwin relates the following anecdote in connection with these pistols: — "Wlien I was a boy," he says, "my father Washington's pistol. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 241 would frequently take up the AiLvora^ a newspaper then pub- lished in Philadelphia, and marking oflf about twenty lines, would say, '[Now, Joseph, if you read those correctly, and without a single mistake, you shall fire off one of "Washing- ton's pistols.' Such a promise was a high incentive, and if the task was fairly accomplished, my mother would take off her thimble to measure the charge, and my father, having loaded the pistol, I would go to the backdoor with an exulting heart, and lifting the weapon on high, tightly grasped with both hands, pull the trigger." "While at Mount Yernon in the autumn of 1790, "Washington received from the Count D'Estaing a small bust of M. Necker, the French minister of finance, or comptroller-general, when the French Revolution broke out in 1789. James Necker was a native of Geneva, in Switzerland. He went to France as ambassador for the republic, where, in 1765, he obtained the oflfice of syndic to the East India Company, and in 1775 was made director of the royal treasury. He exliibited such virtue of character, and such eminent abilities, that twice, though a foreigner, he was made prime minister of France. He was popular with the people at the breaking out of the French Revolution, but that storm was so variable and fickle, that he returned to Switzerland, where he remained until his death, which occurred in 1804:, at the age of seventy-two years. His daughter married Baron de Stael Holstein, a Swedish ambassador at the court of France. She was the Madame de Stael so well known in the world of letters. Jlie Jittle bust of Necker sent by D'Estaing to "Washing- ton, is upon a bracket over the fireplace in the library at Mount YernoQ, where the President placed it himself. Upon 242 MOUNT VERNON the tall pedestal are two brass plates, bearing inscriptions, and also a small plate upon the lower part of the bust itself. On the latter is only the name of NECKER. Upon the upper plate on the pedestal are the words : QUI NOBIS EESTrrUIT KEM. Upon the second or lower plate is inscribed : PRESENTED TO GEORGE WASHINGTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BY HIS MOST DUTIFUL, MOST OBEDIENT, AND MOST HUMBLE SERVANT, ESTAING, A CITIZEN OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA, BY AN ACT OF 22d FEB., 1Y85, AND A CITIZEN OF FRANCE IN 1786. Count D'Estaing, who had twice commanded a French fleet on our coast, in co-operation with American land forces, be- came a member of the Assembly of I^otables in the early part of the French Revolution, and being suspected of an unfriendly feeling toward the Terrorists, he was destroyed by the guillo- tine, on the 29th of April, 1793. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 243 In a letter to Tobias Lear, (then in New York,) dated at Mount Yernon on the 3d of August, 1790, Washington requests him, when able to get at Count D'Estaing's letters (which, with others, had been packed for removal from New York to Philadelphia), to send him a transcript of what the Count says of a bust of M. Necker he had sent to him', togetlier with a number of prints of Necker and Lafayette. Upon another bracket in the library at Mount V emon, not far from the little head of Necker, is a full-size bust of Lafayette, a copy ot the one in the capitol at Richmond made by Houdon, by order of the legislature of the state of Yir- ginia, in 1Y86, which was exe- cuted under the direction of Mr. Jefferson, then American minister in Paris. The legisla- ture of Yirginia also ordered a copy to be made and pre- sented to the city of Paris. This fact was made known to the authorities there, by Mr. Jefferson, in the following words : BUST OP M. NECKKB. " The legislatm*e of the state of Yirginia, in consideration of the services of Major-General the Marquis de Lafayette, has resolved to place his bust in their capitol. This intention of erecting a monument to his virtues, and to the sentiments with which he has inspired them, in the country to which they are 2i4 MOUNT VERNON indebted for his birth, lias induced a hope that the city of Paris would consent to become the depository of a second proof of their gratitude. Charged by the state with tho BUST OF LAFAYETTE. execution of this resolution, I have the honor to solicit the Prevot des MarcJiands and municipality of Paris to accept the bust of this brave officer, and give it a situation where it may continually awaken the admiration and witness the respect of the allies of France. "Thos. Jefferson. 'Dated [at Paris] llth September, 1786." Tlie Prevot soon received a letter from the Baron de Bre- teuil, minister and secretary of state for the department of Paris, informing him that the king, to whom the proposition had been submitted, approved of the bust being erected in the city. The tember, ai (who was de Yille execute Pelle^ Mar cle w f nd the two t and din- to this he AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 247 The blinds afforded shelter from the storm while allowing ventilation. The coach was lined with bright black leather; and the driver's seat was trimmed with the same. Tlie axles were Avood, and the curved reaches iron. Upon the door "Washing- ton's arms were handsomely emblazoned, having scroll ornaments issuing from the space between the shield and the crest ; and below was a ribbon with his motto upon it. Upon each of the four panels of the coach was an allegorical picture, emblem- atic of one of the seasons. These were beautifully painted upon copper by Cipriani, an Italian artist. The ground was a very dark green — so dark that it appeared nearly black; and the allegorical figures were executed in bronze, in size nine and a half by ten inches. One of them, emblematical of spring, is represented in the engraving. Washington and his family travelled from Elizabethtown to Philadelphia in this coach when on their way from New York to Mount Yernon, in the early autumn of 1789. Dunn, his driver, appears to have been quite incompetent to manage the six horses with which the coach was then drawn ; and almost immediately after leaving Elizabethtown Point, he allowed the coach to run into a gully, by which it was injured. At Governor Livingston's, where they dined, another coachman EMBLAZONING ON WASHINGTON'S COACH. 248 MOUNT VERNON PICTURE ON A. PANEL OF WASHINGTON'S COACH. was employed. In a letter to Mr. Lear, wi'itten at a tavern in Maryland, while on his way to Mount Yernon, Washington said: " Dunn has given such proof of his want of skill in driving, that I find myself under the necessity of looking out for some one to take his place. Before we reached Elizabethtown we were obliged to take him from the coach and put him on the wagon. This he turned over twice, and this morning he was found much intoxicated. He has also got the horses into the habit of stopping." AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. ^'^9 In a letter to Mr. Lear soon after arriving at Mount Yernon, Washington mentions the fact that he had left his coach and harness with Mr. Clarke, a coach-maker in Philadelphia, for repairs, and requests him to see tliat they are well done, when he shall reach that city, Mr. Lear being then in 'New York. David Clarke was an Englishman, and came over to Philadelphia about the year 1783. He constructed a travelling coach for the First President, and was sometimes called '• Washington's coach-maker." On the 31st of October, Washington again writes about his coach, in a letter to Mr. Lear. He appears to have had the emblazoning changed at that time, and instead of his entire coat-of-arms upon the doors, he had the crest only retained. He tells Mr. Lear that he thinks a wreath around the crests would better correspond with the seasons which were to re- main on the panels, than the motto ; and suggests that the motto miglit be put upon the plates of the harness. He leaves the whole matter, however, to the taste and judgment of Mr. Lear and the coach-maker. This English coach was purchased by the late Mr. Custis, of Arlington, when the effects of the general were sold, after Mrs. Washington's death ; and it finally became the property of the Eight Peverend William Meade, now Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Yirginia. Of this vehicle, the bishop thus writes : " His old English coach, in which himself and Mrs. Wash- ington not only rode in Fairfax county, but travelled through the entire length and breadth of the land, was so faithfully executed, that at the conclusion of that long journey, its build- er, who came over with it, and settled in Alexandria, was 250 MOUNT VERNON proud to be told by the general, that not a nail or S(;re"w had failed. It so happened, in a way I need not state, that this coach came into my hands about fifteen years after the death of General Washington. In the course of time, from disuse, it being too heavy for these latter days, it began to decay and give away. Becoming an object of desire to those who delight in relics, I caused it to be taken to pieces and distributed among the admiring friends of Washington who visited my house, and also among a number of female associations for benevolent and religious objects, which associations, at their fairs and other occasions, made a large profit by converting the fragments into walking-sticks, picture-frames, and snuff- boxes. About two-thirds of one of the wheels thus pro- duced one hundred and forty dollars. There can be no doubt that at its dissolution it yielded more to the cause of charity than it cost its builder at its first erection. Besides other mementos of it, I have in my study, in the form of a Sofa, the hind seat, on which the general and his lady were wont to sit."* From Mount Yernon, during the recess, Washington wrote several letters to Mr. Lear, who was charged with the removal of the effects of the President from New York, hiring a housi for his residence in Philadelphia, and arranging the furniture of it. Previous to Washington's arrival in Philadelphia from New York, the corporation of the latter city had hired for his use the house of Robert Morris, in Market street, on the west side of Sixth street — the best that could be procured at that time. Washington had examined it and found it quite too * Meade's Old CkurcJies, MinUters, cmd Families in Virginia, II, 237. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 251 Bin all to accommodate liis houseliold as he could wish, even with an addition that was to be made. " Tliere are good sta- bles," he said, " but for twelve horses only, and a coach- house which will hold all mj carriages." There was a fine garden, well enclosed by a brick wall, attached to the man- sion. The state legislature, had, at about the same time, ajDpropri- ated a fine building for his use on South Ninth street, on the grounds now covered by the University. But he declined ac- cepting it, because he would not live in a house hired and fur- nished at the public expense. Tliere were other considerations, without doubt, that caused Washington to decline the liberal offers of the state and city authorities, to relieve him of any private expense for the sup- port of his personal establishment. The question of the per- manent locality of the seat of the federal government was not then fairly settled, and the Philadelphians were using every means in their power to have it fixed in their city. Wash- ington was aware of this, and as he was more favorable to a site farther south, he was unwilling to afford a plea in favor of Philadelphia, such as the providing of a presidential man- sion would afford. This matter appears to have given Washington considerable anxiety. He was willing to rent Mr. Morris's house on hia own account, and, with his accustomed prudence, he directed Mr. Lear to ascertain the price ; but up to the middle of No- vember his secretary w^as unsuccessful in his inquiries, though they were repeatedly made. Washington was unwilling to go into it, without first knowing what rent he had to pay. ' Mr Morris, has most assm-edly," he said, " formed an idea 252 MOUNT YERNON of what onglit to be the rent of the tenement in the condition he left it ; and with this aid, the committee [of the PhiLadel- phia city council] ought, I conceive, to be as little at a loss in determining what it should rent for, with the additions and alterations which are about to be made, and which ought to be done in a plain and neat and not by any means in an extravagant style; because the latter is not only contrary to my wish, but would really be detrimental to my interest and convenience, principally because it would be the means of keeping me out of the use and comforts of a home to a late period, and because the furniture and every thing else would require to be accordant therewith." "Washington was convinced that the committee was delaying with the intention of having the rent paid by the public, to which he would not consent ; and he was not willing to have the place fixed and furnished in an extravagant manner, and thus be subjected to pay extortionate prices for the same. " I do not know," he said, " nor do I believe that any thing unfair is intended by either Mr. Morris or the committee ; but let us for a moment suppose that the rooms (the new ones I mean) were to be hung with tapestry, or a very rich and costly paper, neither of which would suit my present furniture ; that costly ornaments for the bow windows, extravagant chimney- pieces and the like were to be provided ; that workmen, from extravagance of the times, for every twenty shillings' worth of work would charge forty shillings ; and that advantage would be taken of the occasion to newly paint every part of the house and buildings ; w^ould there be any propriety in adding ten or twelve-and-a-half per cent, for all this to the rent of the house in its original state, for the two years that^I am to hold AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 253 it? If the solution of these questions is in the negative, wherein lies the difficulty of determining that the houses and lots, when finished according to the proposed plan, ought to rent for so much. " When all is done that can be done, the residence will not be so commodious as that I left in New York, for there (and the want of it will be found a real inconvenience at Mr. Morris's) my office was in the front room, below, where persons on business immediately entered ; whereas, in the present case, they will have to ascend two pairs of stairs, and to pass by the public rooms as well as the private chambers to get to it." In making suggestions to Mr. Lear about the proper ar- rangement of the furniture, even in minute detail, Washington said: "There is a small room adjoining the kitchen that might, if it is not essential for other purposes, be appropriated to the Sevres china, and other things of that sort, which are not in common use." He undoubtedly referred to the sets of china which had been presented, one to himself, and the other to Mrs. Washington, by the officers of the French army. Tlie former was a dull white in color, with heavy and confused scroll and leaf ornaments in bandeaux of deep blue, and hav- ing upon the sides of the cups and tureens, and in the bottoms of the plates, saucers, and meat dishes, the Order of the Cin- cinnati, held by Fame, personated by a winged woman with a trumpet. These designs were skilfully painted in delicate colors. These sets of china were presented to Washington and his wife, at the time when the elegant and costly Order of the Cincinnati (delineated on page 130) M-as sent to him. That 254: MOUNT VERNON Order, I omitted to mention in tlie proper place, cost three thousand dollars. Tlie whole of the eagle, except the beak and eye, is composed of diamonds. So, also, is the group of mili- tary emblems above it, in which each drum-head is composed of one large diamond. Washington's Cincinnati china. Several pieces of the Cincinnati china, as it is called, are preserved at Arlington House. In the engraving is shown a group composed of a large plate, a soup tureen, custard ciip, and teapot. The set of china presented at the same time by the French officers to Mrs. Wasliington, was of similar material, but more delicate in color than the general's. The ornamentation was also far more delicate, excepting the delineation of the figure and Cincinnati Order on the former. Around tlie outside of each cup and tureen, and the inside of each plate and saucer, AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 255 MRS. WASHINGTON S CHINA. is painted, in delicate color, a cliain of thirteen large and thirteen small elliptical links. Within each large link is the name of one of the original thirteen states. -On the sides ot the cups and tureens, and in the bottom of each plate and saucer, is the interlaced monogram of Martha Washington — M. W. — enclosed in a beautiful green wreath, composed of the leaves of the laurel and olive. Beneath this is a ribbon, upon which is inscribed, in delicately-traced letters, Decus et tuta MEJSTABiLLo. From the wrcath are rays of gold, which give a brilliant appearance to the pieces. There is also a delicate- colored stripe around the edges of the cups, saucers, and plates. A few pieces of this set of china are preserved at Arlington House. The engraving represents a cup and saucer, and plate. Mrs. Atkins of Germantown, granddaughter of Dr. David Stuart, who owns Washington's telescope, already mentioned. 256 MOUNT VERNON CHINA BUTTER-BOWL AND DISH. has a single piece of porcelain ware that belonged to the household goods of Mount Yernon. It is a white china butter- bowl and dish, with a cover. It is entirely wliite, with the exception of a gold stripe along the edges of the bowl and dish, and the knob of the lid. Tlie bowl and dish are united. At that time the china like that presented by the French officers was only made at the Sevres manufactory, the art of decorating porce- lain or china-ware with enamel colors and gold being then not generally known. Tlie colors used are all prepared from metallic oxides, which are ground with fluxes, or fusible glasses of various degrees of softness, suited to the peculiar colors with which they are used. When painted, the goods are placed in the enamel kiln, when the fluxed colors melt and fasten to the glazed surface, forming colored glasses. The gold, which is applied in the form of an amalgam, ground in turpentine, is afterward polished with steel burnishers. The first Monday in December was the day fixed upon for the assembling of Congress. The seat of government, as we have observed, had been transferred to Philadelphia, not per- manently, but temporarily. As early as December, 1788, the legislature of Yirginia had offered to present to the United States a tract of land ten miles square, anywhere within the bounds of that commonwealth, for the permanent seat of gov- ernment. Maryland made a similar offer. The citizens ot New Jersey and Pennsylvania asked to have it upon the Delaware, within a tract of land ten miles square, to be ceded AIJD ITS ASSOCIATIONS 257 to ilie United States. The people of Trenton, in New Jersey, petitioned to have it there; those of Lancaster, in Pennsyl- vania, wished ii^ i^ave it there, while, as we have observed, the Philadelphians were extremely anxious to have their city remain the federal capital, as it had been most of the time since the commencement of the Revolution. States and towns perceived great local advantages to be derived from a political metropolis in their midst, and were ready to make heavy sacrifices to obtain the boon. It is amusing to observe, in the correspondence and public proceed- ings of the times, how stVongly local prejudices were engaged in the consideration of the matter. Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, eager to have the Congress fix on that city as its future home, wrote to one of the Pennsylvania representatives, saying : " I rejoice in the prospect of Congress leaving New York ; it is a sink of political vice ;" and advised tearing it away from that city " in any wayP A Yirginian declared that, in his opinion, New York was the best situation in the Union for the national capital, it being superior to any place within his knowledge "for the orderly and decent behavior of its inhabitants ;" while the South Carolinians objected to Philadelphia, on account of the Quakers, who, they declared, were "eternally dogging Southern members with their schemes of slave emancipation." It was finally agreed by both Houses of Congress, that the national capital should be upon the " Potomac River, between the eastern branch and Conogocheague," and that Philadelphia should be the national city for ten years, until the one upon the Potomac should be laid out, and proper public buildings erected. The selection of the exact site was left to the Presi- dent. 17 2o8 MOUNT VERNON This action dissatisfied tlie New Yorkers, and elated the Philadelphians, for they considered a " half loaf better than no bread." Robert Morris had been chiefly instrumental in secur- ing the residence of the government at Philadelphia for the ten years, and wit and satire pointed their keenest arrows at him. A caricature was issued "in which," says Griswold, " the stout senator from Pennsylvania was seen marching off with the federal hall upon his shoulders, its windows crowded with members of both houses, encouraging or anathematizing this novel mode of deportation, while the devil, from the roof of the Paulus' Hook ferry-house, beckoned to him in a patron- izing manner, crying, ' This way, Bobby.' " Freneau, who had written many pungent poems during the Kevolution, used his pen upon the topic of the removal with considerable vigor, in prose and verse. In a political epistle, he makes a New York housemaid say to her friend in Phila- delphia : "As for us, my dear Nanny, we're much in a pet, And hundreds of houses will be to be let ; Our streets, that were just in a way to look clever, Will now be neglected and nasty as ever ; Again we must fret at the Dutchified gutters And pebble-stone pavements, that wear out our trotters. This Congress unsettled is, suie, a sad thing — Seven years, my dear Nanny, they've been on the wing ; My master would rather saw timber, or dig Thau see them removing to Conogocheague— "Where the houses and kitchens are yet to be framed, The trees to be foiled and the streets to be named." There were some Philadelphians who were as afflicted AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 259 because Congress was coming there, as New Yorkers were in having the government leave their city. As soon as it was ascertained that the government would reside there ten years, rents, and the prices of every kind of provisions and other necessaries of life, greatly advanced. " Some of the blessings," said a letter- writer at Philadelphia, quoted by Griswold, " an- ticipated from the removal of Congress to this city, are already beginning to be apparent. Eents of houses have risen, and I fear will continue to rise shamefully; even in the outskirts they have lately been increased from fourteen, sixteen, and eighteen pounds to twenty-five, twenty-eight, and thirty. TMs is oppression. Our markets, it is expected, will also be dearer than heretofore." It was a view of these changes, and anticipated extortion, that made "Washington so anxious to know beforehand how much rent he must pay for his house in Philadelphia, and to avoid furnishing it in an extravagant manner, as he did not expect to remain there more than two years. He was resolved to continue the unostentatious way of living he had com- menced in New York, not only on his own account, but for the benefit of those connected with the government who could not aflford to spend more than their salaries. And that resolu- tion, well carried out, was most salutary in its effects. When Oliver "Wolcott, of Connecticut, was appointed first auditor of the treasury, he, like a prudent man, before he would accept the office, went to New York to ascertain whether he could live upon the salary of fifteen hundred dollars a year. He came to the conclusion that he could live upon one thou- sand dollars a year, and he wrote to his wife, saying : " The example of the President and his family will render parade 260 MOUNT VERNON and expense improper and disreputable." This sentence speaks powerfully in illustration of the republican simplicity of Wash- ington's household in those days. The rent of Morris's house was fixed at three thousand dollars a year, and on the 22d of November, Washington left Mount Vernon for Philadelphia, accompanied by Mrs. Washington and Master and Miss Custis, in a chariot drawn by four horses. They were allowed to travel quietly, without any public pa- rade, but receiving at every stopping-place the warm welcome of many private citizens and personal friends. None gave the President a heartier shake of the hand on this occasion, and none was more welcome to grasp it, than Tommy Giles, a short, thickset man, of English birth, who kept a little tavern a short distance from the Head of Elk (now Elkton), on the road from Baltimore. His tavern-sign displayed a rude portrait of Washington ; and the President on his way to and from Mount Yernon, never passed by until he had greeted the worthy man. Tommy had been a fife-major in the Continental army, and had been employed a long time by Washington as his confi- dential express in the transmission of money from one point to another. In this business he was most trustworthy. Mrs. Giles was a stout Englishwoman, but republican to the core. Washington always shook hands with her as heartily as with lier husband, and frequently left a guinea in her palm. On these occasions, when the President had passed. Tommy would array himself in his Continental uniform, and hasten to HoUingsworth's tavern, in Elkton (where Washington slept, or took a meal and fed his horses), to pay his respects in a formal manner to his beloved General. Washington always treated him with the greatest consideration, and for several AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 261 days after such interviews, Tommy would be the greatest man in the village. Tommy was appointed postmaster at Elkton, by Washing- ton, and was for several years crier of the Cecil county court. He always deported himself with dignity ; and, regarding his acquaintance with Washington and his official position as suf- ficient claim to profound personal respect, he sometimes as- sumed an authoritative manner quite amusing. In a recent letter to me, an old resident of Philadelphia, speaking of Tom- my, remarks; "I was once obliged to attend court as a witness, and one day went home, a distance of twenty-two miles. 1 returned the following morning in a snow-storm^ in the month of April, and reached the court-house a few minutes after nine o'clock, when Mr. Giles was making his proclamation for me to appear. As I dismounted from my horse, my nose com- menced bleeding, and I called across the street to say I would be in court as soon as it stopped. Tommy rejoined shortly and authoritatively, ' You have no business to let your nose bleed when the court wants you !' The court was more in- dulgent, and readily excused me." Tlie President and his family reached Philadelphia on Sat- urday, the 28th of November, and found their house in read- iness for them. Mr. Lear had brought on the furniture from New York, purchased some in Philadelphia, and arranged the house much to the satisfaction of the President and his wife. Yet it was some time before they were ready to see company, and the first of Mrs. Washington's public receptions was on Friday evening, the 25th of December — Christmas-day. It is said that the most brilliant assemblage of beautiful, well- dressed, and well-educated women that had ever been seen in 262 MOUNT VERNON America, appeared at that levee. Tlie Yice-President's wife mentioned in a letter that " the dazzling Mrs. Bingham and her "beautiful sisters [Misses Willing], the Misses Aliens, the Misses Chew, and in short, a constellation of beauties," were present. The season opened very gayly, and balls, routs and dinners of the most sumptuous kind, succeeded each other in rapid succession. " I should spend a very dissipated winter," wrote Mrs. Adams, "if I were to accept one-half the invitations I receive, particularly to the routs, or tea-and-cards." Phila- delphia had never seen or felt any thing like it, and the whole town was in a state of virtual intoxication for several weeks. But Washington and his wife could not be seduced from their temperate habits, by the scenes of immoderate pleasure around them. They held their respective levees on Tuesdays and Fridays, as they did in New York, without the least ostenta- tion ; and Congressional and official dinners were also given in a plain way, without any extravagant displays of plate, or nament, or variety of dishes. Having furnished his house as a permanent residence while he should remain President, Wasliington had indulged in some things which would insure congruity, that were not seen in New York. He had ordered through Gouvernenr Morris, then in Paris, some articles for his sideboard and table. Among them were some silver-plated wine-coolers, the cost of which rather startled him. He had received an invoice of them, before he left Mount Yernon, and in a letter to Mr. Lear, he wrote : " Enclosed I send you a letter from Mr. Gouverneur Morris, with a bill of the cost of the articles he was to send me. The AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 263 prices of the plated ware exceed — far exceed — the utmost bounds of my calculation ; but as I am persuaded he has done what he conceives right, I am satisfied, and request you to make immediate payment to Mr, Constable, if you can raise the means." He then spoke of wine-coolers, that had been sent, an article that he had never used, and says: "As these coolers are designed for warm weather, and will be, I presume, useless in cold, or in that in which the liquors do not require cooling, quere, would not a stand like that for casters, with four aper- tm-es for so many diiferent kinds of liquors, each aperture just sufficient to hold one of the cut decanters sent by Mr. Morris be more convenient for passing the bottles from one to another, than the handing each bottle separately, by which it often happens that one bottle moves, another stops, and all are in confusion? Two of them — one for each end of the table, with a flat bottom, with or without feet, open at the sides, but with a raised rim, as caster-stands have, and an uj)riglit, by way of handle, in the middle — could not cost a great deal, even if made wholly of silver. Talk to a silversmith, and ascertain the cost, and whether they could be immediately made, if re- quired, in a handsome fashion. " Perhaps the coolers sent by Mr. Morris may afford ideas of taste ; perhaps, too (if they prove not too heavy, when examined), they may supersede the necessity of such as I have described, by answering the purpose themselves. Four double flint bottles (such as I suspect Mr. Morris has sent), will weigh, I conjecture, four pounds ; the wine in them when they are filled will be eight pounds more, which, added to the weight of the coolers, will, I fear, make these latter too unwieldy to 264 MOUNT VERNON pass, especially by ladies, which induces me to think of the frame in the form of casters." Mr. Lear was pleased with Washington's suggestions, and ordered a silversmith to make two of the caster-like frames, of solid silver, and these were used upon the President's table on the occasion of the first dinner which he gave to the offi- cers of government and their families, foreign ministers and their families, and other distinguished guests. Their lightness and convenience commended them, and from that time they became fashionable, under the appropriate title of coasters. Thenceforth the v^m^-cooler was left upon the sideboard, and the coaster alone was used for sending the wine around the table. For more than a quarter of a century afterward, the coaster might be seen upon the table of every fashionable family in Philadelphia. Few persons, however, are aware that Washington was the inventor of it. The coolers sent over by Mr. Morris, were eight in number, four large and four smaller ones, the former holding four bottles, and the latter two. Two of the larger ones were presented by Washington to General Hamilton, and are now in possession of Mrs. Holley, of Washington city, a daughter of the latter. Tlie others were taken from Philadelphia to Mount Vernon, and after the death of Mrs. Washington, passed into the possession of her grandson, George Washington Parke Custis. They now belong to Mr. Custis's daughter, at Arling- ton House. Tliey are \o\\\ elliptical in form at top, the larger one nine inches in height, and the smaller one eight inches. The silver coasters are also at Arlington House. They are four- teen inches in height, and each is composed of four baskets united to a handle in the centre, made of strong wire. Tliere AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 265 WINK-COOLERS AND COASTER. is a roller under the centre of each basket, by which the coast- er is more easily sent around the table. A specimen of each of these articles is seen in the engraving upon the next page. "Washington took his family plate with him when he went to New York in 1789, and there had it made over into more elegant and massive forms. Several pieces were also added to it, and this service graced his table and sideboard in Phil- adelphia. Several pieces of this plate are now in use at Arlington House. The engraving shows five of them, namely, a round salver, an elliptical tray, a coffee-pot, teapot, and sugar-bowl. All of these have Washington's crest neatly en- graven upon them. The tray with handles, all of massive silver, is plain, except a beaded rim. It is twenty-two inches in length, and seventeen and a half inches in breadth. This, 266 MOUNT VERNON with the waiter, was used at all the levees and drawing-rooms of the President and Mrs. Washington, during the eight years of their public life in Kew York and Philadelphia, and served SPECIMENS OF WASHINGTON'S PLATE. the ]3urposes of hospitality afterward, at Mount Yernon, How many eyes, beaming with the light of noble souls, have looked upon the glittering planes of that tray and salver! How many hands that once wielded mighty swords, and mightier pens^ in the holy cause of universal freedom, long since moulderecl into native earth, have taken from them the sparkling glass, while health and long life were invoked for Washington ! Mr. Custis once related to me a pleasing circumstance con- nected with the use of that tray. Gushing from a rocky bank beneath the trunk of a huge oak-tree — a genuine Anak of the primeval forest — near the bank of the Potomac, on his estate, is a copious spring, and around it stands a beautiful grove, AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 267 wherein parties from Alexandria, Wasliington city and George- town, have picnics in the summer months. For the accommo- dation of these, Mr. Custis generously erected, near the spring, a kitchen and dancing-hall; and he frequently attended the joyous gatherings, and lent servants to wait upon the ladies. On one occasion; a party of military, accompanied by ladies, went over to Arlington spring, from Washington city, for a day's recreation. Mr. Custis sent his favorite servant, Charles, to wait upon the company at table. He also sent down the precious silver tray for their use. Placing a dozen glasses of ice cream upon it, Charles carried it to the visitors, and said, " Ladies, this waiter once belonged to General Washington, and from it all the great ladies of the Revolution took wine." The young ladies, as if actuated by one impulse, immediately arose, crowded around Charles, and each in turn, kissed the cold rim of the salver, before touching the cream. The session of 1T90-91, was the third of the first Congress, and ended by limitation on the 3d of March ; but Wash- ington did not depart from Philadelphia for Mount Ver- non, until Monday the 21st. On that day, at twelve o'clock, he and his family left his residence on Market- street, in his English coach, drawn by six horses, accompanied by Mr. Jefferson and Gen- eral Knox (two of the heads of departments), who escorted them as far as Delaware. Major Jackson was also of the party. He accompanied Washmgton to Mount Yernon, and THE PRESIDENTIAL MANSION. 268 MOUNT YERNON tliroughont an extensive tour through the Southern states, which the President commenced a few days afterward. That tour had occupied Washington's thoughts from time to time, for several months. Many leading men of the South invited him to visit their respective states. He had made a tour eastward, and it was deemed expedient that the Southern states should be honored by his presence. Their invitations generally expressed a desire, that the President, in the event of his making such tour, should honor the writers by a resi- dence with them, while he remained in their respective neigh- borhoods. Among others who proffered the hospitalities of his house was Colonel William Washington, the heroic cavalry officer in the southern campaigns under Greene, who was then residing in Charleston. But his invitation, like all others of the same kind, was declined for reasons which Washington frankly stated : " I cannot," he said, " comply with your invitation, without involving myself in inconsistency ; as I have determined to pursue the same plan in my Southern as I did in my Eastern visit, which was, not to incommode any private family by taking up my quarters with them during my journey. It leaves me unincumbered by engagements, and by a uniform adherence to it, I shall avoid giving umbrage to any, by de- clining all such invitations." Washington remained at Mount Yernon only a week, mak- ing preparations for his Southern tour. On the 4th of April he wrote to the several heads of departments — Jefferson, Ham- ilton and Knox — giving them information concerning the time when he expected to be at certain places on his route. This information was given because the public service might re- quire communication to be made to him. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 269 "My journey to Savannali," lie said, "unless retarded by unforeseen interruptions, will be regulated, including days of halt, in the following manner : I shall be, on the 8th of April at Fredericksburg, the 11th at Richmond, the 14th at Peters- burg, the 16th at Halifax, the 18th at Tarborough, the 20th at Newbern, the 25th at Wilmington, the 29th at Georgetown, South Carolina ; on the 2d of May at Charleston, halting there five days ; on the 11th at Savannah, halting there two days. Thence leaving the line of mail, I shall proceed to Augusta ; and according to the information which I may receive there, my return by an upj)er road will be regulated." It is a singular fact that Washington was at these various places on the very days contemplated. He wrote to Jeffer- son from Richmond on the 13th of April, to Plamilton from Charleston on the 7th of May, and to Mr. Seagrove, collector of the port of St. Mary, Georgia, from Savannah on the 20th. He was everywhere received with demonstrations of the highest respect and veneration. At "Wilmington he was met by a mili- tary and civic escort, entertained at a public dinner, and in the evening attended a ball given in his honor. At l^ewbern he received like homage ; and when, on Monday, the 2d day of May, he arrived at Haddrell's Point, a short distance from Charleston, beyond the mouth of the Cooper River, a twelve- oared barge, manned by thirteen captains of American ships, was in readiness to receive him, and convey him to the city. The barge contained a band of vocal and instrumental perform- ers, and was followed by a flotilla of richly decked boats, of every kind, filled with gentlemen and ladies. At the wharf he was received by Governor Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, and conducted to Kis lodgings by a military and civic escort. 270 MOUNT VERNON On Monday, the 9tli of May, he left Charleston for Savan- nah ; and on his way from that city a week afterward, he stopped and dined with the widow of General Greene. He reached Augusta on the 18th, and on Saturday, the 21st, he started for home, travelling by way of Columbia, Camden, Charlotte, Salisbury, Salem, Guilford, Hillsborough, Harris* burg, Williamsburg, and Fredericksburg, to Mount Yernon. He arrived home on the 12th of June, having made a most satisfactory journey of more than seventeen hundred miles, in sixty-six days, with the same team of horses. " My return to this place is sooner than I expected," he wrote to Hamilton, " owing to the uninterruptedness of my journey by sickness, from bad weather, or accidents of any kind whatsoever," for which he had allowed eight days. "Washington remained at Mount Yernon between three and four weeks. Meanwhile, he met commissioners at Georgetown, who had been apj)ointed to lay out the national city, Washing- ton having selected as the site the point of land on the eastern side of the Potomac, between that river and the Anacostia, or eastern branch, which flows eastward of the capitol. It is related as an historical fact, that in the year 1663, almost two hundred years ago, the proprietor of that land, named Pope, marked out a city upon it, called it Pome, named the eleva- tion on which the capitol now stands (and where the Indian tribes held their councils) the Capitoline Hill, and the east branch of the Potomac the Tiber ! Major L'Enfant, a Frenchman, who had served as engineer in the continental army, was employed to furnish a plan and make a survey of the national city, and he spent a week at Mount Yernon, after Washington's retuni from his soutliern AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 271 tour, iu consultation with tlie President. His plans were laid before Congress at the next session, and were approved. The national city was laid out on a magnificent scale, on a plot con- taining eight square miles. The states of "Virginia and Mary- land had already ceded to the United States a territory ten miles square, for the pm-pose of erecting the national city within it, and this was named the District of Columbia. L'Enfant and the commissioners disagreed, and he was suc- ceeded by Andrew Ellicott, in 1792. On the 2d of April that year, President Washington approved of a plan for the capitol, submitted by Dr. Thornton, and in September, 1793, he laid the corner-stone of the north, wing, with Masonic honors. The commissioners, without the President's knowledge or consent, named the national metropolis the City of Washington, which honored name it bears. "Washington was again at the presidential mansion, in Phila- delphia, on the 6th of July, where he remained until Septem- ber, when he returned to Mount Yernon, to spend a few weeks previous to the assembling of the new Congress. During that recess from official labors he was part of the time employed in the instruction of a new agent, Robert Lewis, in the manage- ment of his estate, his nephew, George A. Washington, having been compelled to leave for the mountains on account of ill health. At the same time he carried on quite an extensive correspondence with officers of the government and private citizens. Every post brought him numerous letters. An Indian war, in the North-western territory, was in progress; the French Revolution was assuming an alarming shape, for the obligations of an ally still appeared to rest upon the United States, especially so long as Louis remained king ; and 272 MOUNT YERNON domestic afi'airs, pertaining to finance and commerce, were largely occupying the public mind. These topics engaged Washington's pen very frequently during his weeks of rest at Mount Vernon. The first session of the second Congress opened on the 24th of October, and on the 25th Washington delivered his annual message in person, in the Congress Hall, corner of Sixth and Chestnut streets. About two months later he was waited upon by Archibald Robertson, a Scotch artist of considerable merit, who had been induced to come to the United States to practice his profession, by Doctor Kemp, of Columbia College, New York. Robertson came charged with an interesting commission from the Earl of Buchan. He arrived in New York in Octo- ber, and in December went to Philadelphia to fulfil his special engagement. He had been charged by the Earl to deliver to Washington a box made of the celebrated oak-tree that shel- tered Sir William Wallace after the battle at Falkirk. Ac- companying the box was a letter from the Earl, dated at Dry- burgh Abbey, Jan. 28, 1791, in which, after speaking of the box, and his having entrusted it to the " care of Mr. Robert- son, of Aberdeen, a painter," he said : " This box was presented to me by the goldsmiths' company at Edinburgh, of whom — feeling my own unworthiness to re- ceive this magnificent and significant present — I requested, and obtained leave to make it over to the man in the world to whom I thought it most justly due ; into your hands 1 commit it, requesting you to pass it, in the event of your decease, to the man in your own country, who shall appear to your judg- ment to merit it best, upon the same considerations that have md'iced me *"r> send it to your Excellency " AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 273 He added — " I beg your Excellency will have the goodness to send me your portrait, that I may place it among those I most honor, and I would wish it from the pencil of Mr. Robertson." Robertson presented the box to the President on Friday, the 13th of December. He was much embarrassed, he said, on being introduced to "the American hero," but was soon relieved by "Washington, who entered into familiar conversa- tion with him, and introduced him to Mrs. Washington. Tlie President also made the painter happy, by consenting to sit for his portrait, in compliance with the wishes of the Earl of Buchan. He also invited Robertson to dine with him ; and the painter felt quite at ease before he left the august presence. Of that dinner (a family one) Robertson thus writes : "It was ready at three o'clock — plain, but suitable for a family in genteel circumstances. There was nothing specially remarkable at the table, but that the general and Mi's. Wash ington sat side by side, he on the right of his lady ; the gentle- men on his right hand, and the ladies on his left. It being on Saturday, the first course was mostly of eastern cod and fresh fish. A few glasses of wine were drank during the dinner, with other beverages. The whole closed with a few glasses of sparkling champagne, in about three-quarters of an hour, when the general and Colonel Lear retired, leaving the ladies in high glee about Lord Buchan and the Wallace box." After dinner, the President sat to Mr. Robertson, for a min- iature portrait, and from it, when finished, the artist painted a larger picture, in oil, for Lord Buchan, " of a size," he said, *' corresponding to the collection of portraits of the most cele- brated worthies of liberal principles and of useful literature, 18 274 MOUNT 7ERN0N in the possession of his lordship." This picture was painted at the close of May, 1792, when Washington wrote to Lord Buchan, thanking him for the present of the box, and saying of the portrait : " Tlie manner of the execution of it, does no discredit, I am told, to the artist." The picture was sent to Europe by Colonel Lear, and Robertson received the thanks of the Earl of Buchan. Mrs. Washington also sat to Robertson for her miniature. She was then sixty years of age, and still beautiful. Her complexion was fair, and her dark eye was as brilliant as ever. In person she was heavier than in her younger days, and was, in a very slight degree, inclined to corpulency. That miniature is now at Arlington House. It was first engraved for the American Portrait Gallery^ about the year 1833. In a letter to his wife, in July of that year, Mr. Custis wrote : " I have been requested to write a short biography of my grandmother, to be accompanied by a splendid engraving from one of my originals, for Longman's work, called the National Gallery of Portraits^ and have consented to do it." The biog- raphy was written, and the " original" chosen was Robertson's miniature, from which our engraving was copied. In his letter of thanks to Buchan, Washington said : " I will, however, ask, that you will exempt me from com- pliance with the request relating to its eventual destination. In an attempt to execute your wish in this particular, I should feel embarrassment from a just comparison of relative preten- fiions, and fear to risk injustice by so marked a preference." Tlie box was taken to Mount Yernon at the close of the session, where it remained until Washington's death, when AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 211 MARTHA WASHINGTON. he recommitted it to the Earl by the following clause in his will: "To the Earl of Buchan I recommit the box made of the oak that sheltered the great Sir William "Wallace, after the battle of Falkirk, presented to me by his lordship, in terms too flattering for me to repeat, with a request ' to pass it, on the event of my decease, to the man in my country who should appear to merit it best, upon the same conditions that have induced him to send it to me.' Whether easy or not to select the man who might comport with his lordship's opinion, in this respect, is not for me to say ; but, conceiving that no dis- position of this valuable curiosity can be more eligible than the recommitment of it to his own cabinet, agreeably to the original design of the Goldsmith's Company of Edinburgh, who presented it to him, and, at his request, consented that it 276 MOUNT VERNON fihould be transferred to me, I do give and bequeath tlie same to his lordship ; and, in case of his decease, to his heir, with my grateful thanks for the distinguished honor of presenting it to me, and more especially for the favorable sentiments with which he accompanied it." The first session of the second Congress terminated on Tues- day, the 8th of May, and on the 10th Washington set out for Mount Yernon, leaving his family in Philadelphia. He re- mained there about four weeks, directing the affairs of his estate, inspecting the progress of the surveys and plans for the national city, and in correspondence with friends at home and abroad. He carried home with him on that occasion several copies of the Bights of 3£an, a work from the pen of Thomas Paine, published the year before, fifty copies of which, sent by the author to the President, reached him a day or two before he left Philadelphia. One of these he gave to Richard Henry Lee, who, after thanking him for it, remarked : " It is a performance of which any man might be proud ; and I most sincerely regret that our country could not have offered sufiicient inducements to have retained as a permanent citizen, a man so thoroughly republican in sentiment, and fearless in the expression of his opinions." In his letter accompanying the books, Paine remarked : " The work has had a run beyond any thing that has been published in this country on the subject of government, and the demand continues. In Ireland it has had a much greater. A letter I received from Dublin, 10th of May, mentioned that the fourth edition was then on sale. I know not what number of copies were printed at each edition, except the second, A^hich was ten thousand. Tlie same fate follows me here as I AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 277 at first experienced in America — strong friends and violent enemies ; but as I have got the ear of the country, I shall go on, and at least show them, what is a novelty here, that there can be a person beyond the reach of corruption." Tliis work was written in answer to Edmund Burke's famous letter to a French gentleman, in 1790, entitled Reflections on the Revolution in France. The government, incensed at Paine's language in the Rights of Man, instituted a prosecu- tion against him for libel. He went to France, became a member of the National Assembly, fell into prison during the reign of the Terrorists, and becoming offended at Washington because he properly refused his official aid in procuring Paine's liberation, on the ground of his being an American citizen, he abused him most shamefully in a published letter, more remarkable for its scurrility than talent. Washington returned to Philadelphia early in June, and toward the close of July journeyed with his family to Mount Yernon. He remained there until early in October, when he returned to Philadelphia, with his family, to prepare for the assembling of the Congress, which took place on the 5th of November. During that time he was in frequent correspond- ence with the heads of departments, for matters of gi'eat public interest required frequent communications between them and the chief magistrate. An Indian war in the west was then in progress, and symptoms of insurrectionary movements in West- em Pennsylvania, on account of an excise law which the people deemed oppressive, began to appear. Washington was also much engaged, during that time, with his agricultural operations ; and he and Mrs. Washington were much distressed on account of the mortal sickness of his 278 MOUNT VERNON nephew George, who had resided at Mount Vernon much of the time since his marriage several years before. Washing- ton's anxiety concerning him is evinced by the frequent men- tion of his illness to his correspondents. In a letter to Lafay- ette, in June, he said : " I am afraid my nephew George, your old aide, will never have his health perfectly re-established. He has lately been attacked with the alarming symptoms of spitting large quan- tities of blood ; and the physicians give no hopes of resto- ration, unless it can be effected by a change of air, and a total dereliction from business, to which he is too anxiously attentive. He will, if he should be taken from his family and friends, leave three fine children, two sons and a daughter. To the eldest of the boys he has given the name of Fayette, and a fine looking child he is." * To General Knox, he wrote : " I thank you most sincere- ly for the medicine you were so obliging as to send for my nephew, and for the sympathetic feeling you express for his situation. Poor fellow ! neither, I believe, will be of any avail. Present appearances indicate a speedy dissolution. He has not been able to leave his bed, except for a few moments to sit in an arm-chair, since the 14tli or 15th of last month. The par- oxysm of the disorder seems to be upon him, and death, or a favorable turn to it, must speedily follow." The sufferer was then residing upon a small estate in Han- over, He lingered for several weeks, and expired ; and on the 24th of February, Washington wrote to his widow : " Mv Dear Fanny : To yon, who so well know tlie affec- tionate regard I had for our departed friend, it is unnecessarv AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 279 to dcBcribe the sorrow with which I was afflicted, at the news of his death, although it was an event I had expected many weeks before it happened. To express this sorrow with the force I feel it, would answer no other purpose than to revive in your breast that poignancy of anguish, which by this time, I hope, is abated. The object of this letter is to convey to your mind the warmest assurance of my love, friendship, and disposition to serve you. These I also profess to bear, in an eminent degree, for your children." He then invites her to make Mount Yernon the home of herself and children. "You can go to no place," he said, " where you will be more welcome, nor to any where you can live at less expense or trouble." He then invites her to bring" his niece, Harriet "Washington, with her, to Mount Yernon, of whose conduct he had heard pleasant words. Miss Harriet remained at Mount Yernon a long time, the grateful recipient of her uncle's bounty. Tlie young widow appears to have declined the offer of a home at Mount Yernon, preferring to keep house in Alexan- dria, but offering to resign the charge of her eldest son, Fay- ette, into Washington's keeping. In March, the President wrote to her, saying : " Tlie carriage which I sent to Mount Yernon, for your use, I never intended to reclaim, and now, making you a formal present of it, it may be sent for whenever it suits your conve- nience, and be considered as your own. I shall, when I see you, request that Fayette may be given up to me, either at that time, or as soon after as he is old enough to go to school. This will relieve you of that portion of attention, which his educa- tion would otherwise call for." 280 MOUNT VERNON "Washington's aflfection for children was very great, and he was ever anxious to have young people in the mansion at Mount Yernon. He enjoyed their amusements with a keen relish, and yet the mysterious awe felt in his presence, by all who had the good fortune to know him personally, was expe- rienced by children. His adopted daughter (Mrs. Lewis) used to say that she had seen him laugh heartily at her merry pranks, or when, a gay, joyous girl, she would give him a description of some scene in which she had taken a part; and yet she had as often seen him retire from the room in which her young companions were amusing themselves, be- cause he perceived that his presence created a reserve which they could not overcome. His love for his two adopted children was very strong, and he watched over their mental and moral development with great solicitude. In several of his letters to Mr. Lear, from Mount Yernon, in the autumn of 1790, when preparing for his residence in Philadelphia, he mentioned the subject of schools, expressing a great desire to have young Custis placed in one of the best character. Mrs. "Washington was always over-indulgent to her two grandchildren. The boy (George "Washington Parke Custis) was always familiarly called "Washington, and by that name he was always distinguished in the general's private corre- spondence. His beautiful sister, Nelly, used to speak of the affection which Mrs. "Washington lavished upon him, and the many excuses which she offered in his defence, when the father, true to his nature and education, exacted submission to tho most thorough discipline on all occasions, much as he loved the boy. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 281 " Grandmamma always spoiled Washington," bis sister would say ; and his daughter, in a late memoir of him, has said — " He was the pride of her heart, while the public duties of the veteran prevented the exercise of bis influence in form- ing the character of the boy, too softly nurtured under his roof, and gifted with talents, which, under a sterner discipline, might have been more available for his own and his coun- try's good." Notwithstanding her indulgent disposition, Mrs. Washing- ton was a thorough disciplinarian in her household, and Nelly Custis experienced many a tearful hour when compelled by her grandmother to attend assiduously to her studies in letters and music. Washington made her a present of a fine harpsi- chord, at the cost of one thousand dollars — Schroeder's beau- tiful invention, the piano-forte, not being then much used in America. In England, even, where Zumpe had introduced it, with many improvements, between twenty and thirty years before, the piano had by no means supplanted its parent the harpsichord, and the latter instrument, or the spinet, might be found in almost every family of wealth in the kingdom. The best teachers were employed to instruct Nelly in the use of the harpsichord, and her grandmother made her practise upon it four or five hours every day. " The poor girl," says her brother, the late Mr. Custis, " would play and cry, and cry and play, for long hours, under the immediate eye of her grandmother, a rigid disciplinarian in all things." That harpsichord, according to the inscription upon a plate above the keys, was manufactm'ed by "Longman and Brode- rip, musical instrument makers. No. 26 Cheapside, and No. 13 Haymarket, London." It was carefully packed and taken 282 MOUNT VERNON to Mount Yernon when Washington retired from office the last time. It was used there until his death, for Nelly and her husband resided at Mount Yernon for more than NKLLT CnRTIs'S HARPSICHORD. a year after their marriage in February, 1YT9. It ia now (1859) in the possession of Mrs. Lee, of Arlington House^ who intends to present it to the Mount Yernon Ladies^ Associa- tion^ when the home of Washington shall have passed into their absolute possession, that it may take its ancient place in the parlor of the hallowed mansion. Tlie instrument was one of the most elegant of its kind. It is about eight feet long, three and a half feet wide, and three AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 283 feet in length, with two banks, containing one hundred and twenty keys in all. The case is mahogany. On the 4th of March, 1793, Judge Gushing, of Massachu- setts, administered to "Washington, in the senate chamber, in Philadelphia, the oath of office as President of the United States, he having been, by unanimous vote of the electoral college, speaking the will of the people, re-elected to the exalted station of chief magistrate. It was with great reluc- tance that he consented to serve another prescribed term of four years. He had looked forward to retirement from office with real pleasure, and when he agreed to serve his country still longer, he endured a sacrifice which none but a disinterested patriot could have made. For himself he preferred the quiet of domestic life at his pleasant home on the Potomac, to all the honors and emoluments that the world could offer. But in this instance, as in all others, he yielded his own wishes to the more important demands of his country. He knew, as well as any man living, the dangers to which the coun- try was then exposed from the influence of French politics and of domestic factions ; and the representations of the true friends of government convinced him that his further service in public life was demanded by every consideration of patriotism. Hamilton, in whose judgment and purity of motives "Wash- ington had the most entu'e confidence, had urged him, in a touching letter, to accept the high office a second term ; and while his cabinet was agitated by discordant opinions upon other subjects, they all agreed that Washington's retirement from office at that time would be a serious calamity to the country. Every one felt that the affairs of the national gov- ernment were not yet firmly established ; that its enemies 284 MOUNT VERNON were many aud inveterate, and that Washington conld not retire without damaging his reputation as a patriot. " I trust, sir, and I pray God, that you will determine to make a further sacrifice of your tranquillity and happiness to the public good," said Hamilton, at the close of his letter just alluded to. Such sacrifice was made, and for four years longer Mount Yernon was without its master, except at long intervals. Although Washington's second inauguration was in public, there was far less parade than at the first. It had been deter- mined by those with whom he had consulted respecting the matter, as the democratic feeling was very strong, that the President should go to the senate-chamber "witliout form, attended by such gentlemen as he may choose, and return without form, except that he be preceded by the marshal." Thus he went and thus he returned, conveyed in his own beautiful cream-colored coach, drawn by six splendid bay horses. And thus he went to that senate-chamber a few months later, when he presented his annual message to the Congress, for in those days the President read the address before the assembled wisdom of the nation, and did not, as now, send it in manuscript by his private secretary. An eye-witness on one of these occasions has left a pleasant picture of it on record. " As the President alighted," he says, " and, ascending the steps, paused upon the platform, looking over his shoulder, in an attitude that would have furnished an admirable subject for the pencil, he was preceded by two gen- tlemen bearing long white wands, who kept back the eager crowd that pressed on every side to get a nearer view. At that moment I stood so near that I might have touched his clothes; but I should as soon have thought of touching an AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 285 electric battery. I was penetrated with a veneration amount- ing to the deepest awe. Nor was this the feeling of a school- boy only ; it pervaded, I believe, every human being that approached Washington ; and I have been told that, even in his social and convivial hours, this feeling in those who were honored to share them never suffered intermission. I saw him a hundred times afterward, but never with any other than that same feeling. The Almighty, who raised up for our hour of need a man so peculiarly prepared for its whole dread respon- sibility, seems to have put an impress of sacredness upon His own instrument. Tlie first sight of the man struck the heart with involuntary homage, and prej)ared every thing around him to obey. "When he 'addressed himself to speak,' there was an unconscious suspension of the breath, while every eye was raised in expectation. " Tlie President, having seated himself, remained in silence, serenely contemplating the legislature before him, whose mem- bers now resumed their seats, waiting for the speech. No house of worship, in the most solemn pauses of devotion, was ever more profoundly still than that large and crowded chamber. "Washington was dressed precisely as Stuart has painted him in Lord Lansdowne's full-length portrait — in a full suit of the richest black velvet, with diamond knee-buckles, and square silver buckles set upon shoes japanned with the most scrupulous neatness, black silk stockings, his shirt ruffled at the breast and wrists, a light dress-sword, his hair profusely powdered, fully dressed, so as to project at the sides, and gathered behind in a silk bag, ornamented with a large rose of black riband. He held his cocked hat, which had a large 286 MOUNT VERNON black cockade on one side of it, in his hand, as he advanced toward the chair, and, when seated, laid it on the table. "At length, thrusting his hand within the side of his coat, he drew forth a roll of manuscript, which he opened, and rising, held it in his hand, while in a rich, deep, full, sonorous voice, he read his opening address to Congress. His enun- ciation was deliberate, justly emphasized, very distinct, and accompanied with an air of deep solemnity, as being the utterance of a mind profoundly impressed with the dignity of the act in which it was occupied, conscious of the whole re- sponsibility of its position and action, but not oppressed by it." Washington made a hurried visit to Mount Vernon in April, on account of the death of his nephew, already mentioned, some matter connected with that young man's afi'airs requiring his personal attention. He was again called to Mount Yernon at the close of June, on account of the sudden death of Mr. Whiting, his manager, who had taken the place of Robert Lewis. "It was a critical season," says Washington, in a letter to General Henry Lee, " for the business with which he was interested. How to supply his place I know not; of course my concerns .at Mount Yernon are left as a body without a head." Notwithstanding Congress was not in session, the pressure of public business was such that Washington remained at the seat of government all through the summer, and it was not until the yellow fever, which broke out in Philadelphia in August, had raged for two or three weeks, and the officers of government had fled, that he left his post and retired to Mount Vernon. He left Philadelphia on tlie 10th of September. He «fould have remained longer, but Mrs. Washington, alarmed AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 287 for the safety of the whole familj, the house in which they lived being in a manner blockaded by the disorder, prevailed on him to leave. The fever raged with great violence until late in October, when frosts checked its progress, and in November the inhab- itants who had fled from the pestilence genei-ally returned to the city. On the 2d day of December Congress was convened there. The progress of the disease at Philadelphia was watched by "Washington, at Mount Yernon, with great solicitude, espec- ially when September had passed away, and much of October had gone by, before it abated. It was near the time set for the assembling of a new Congress, and the public welfare demanded legislative action, upon important points, as early as possible. He therefore proposed to call the Congress ti)getlier at Germantown, or some other place near Philadel- phia, but at a safe distance from the pestilence ; and yet he doubted his power to do so. This topic employed his pen as well as his thoughts, and of many letters from Mount Vernon it was the burden. His agricultural affairs occupied much of his time while at home. He appears to have found a manager not much to his liking, for he needed instruction. At the middle of October we find him writing to his friend. General Henry Lee, concerning a threshing-machine that that gentleman had recommended. He seemed anxious to use all really useful improvements, but the difiiculty in making his overseers understand them was a bar. " The model [of a threshing machine] brought over by the English farmers," he said, " may also be a good one, but the 288 MOUNT VERNON utility of it among careless negroes and ignorant overseers will depend absolutely upon the simplicity of the construction ; for if there is any thing complex in the machinery, it will be no longer in use than a mushroom is in existence. I have seen so much of the beginning and ending of new inventions, that I have almost resolved to go on in the old way of treading until I get settled again at home, and can attend, myself, to the management of one. As a proof in point of the almost impos- sibility of putting the overseers of this country out of the track they have been accustomed to walk in, I have one of the most convenient barns in this or perhaps any other country, where thirty hands may with great ease be employed in threshing. Half of the wheat of the farm was actually stowed in this barn in the straw by my order, for threshing; notwithstanding, when I came home about the middle of September, I found a treading-yard not thirty feet from the barn-door, the wheat again brought out of the barn, and horses treading it out in an open exposure, liable to the vicissitudes of weather." "Washington and his family set out for tlie seat of govern- ment toward the close of October. Mr. Dandridge, a relation of his wife, who had been appointed the President's private secretary, accompanied them. Philadelphia presented a most gloomy aspect. Between three and four thousand of the in- habitants had fallen before the scythe of the pestilence, and there was mourning in almost every family. There was very little gayety in the capital during the session of Congress that followed. Tliere was also a general expectation that the scourge would reappear the ensuing summer of 1794; and when, at the middle of June, Washington made a flying visit to Mount Vernon, he removed his family to a pleasant resi- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 289 dence at Germ an town, about six miles from the citj. To that place he returned at the close of July, and he seems not to have visited Mount Yernon again until April the following year, when he was there for only a short time, to give his per- sonal attention to home duties that required them. He again visited his home early in July, 1Y95, but, as his correspond- ence on the way and at Mount Yernon shows, he carried a vast weight of public business upon his mind ; for, besides the routine of official duties, he was greatly burdened with anxiety respecting a treaty lately made with England, by John Jay, which he approved, and which for a time was so unpopular as to cause great excitement throughout the country. "Washington left Mount Yernon again toward the middle of August for the seat of government, and returned early in Sep- tember. He remained until the 12th of October, when he set out for Philadelphia, stopping at Georgetown for a day to attend to business with the commissioners of the federal city. It was not until June, 1796, that the master of Mount Yer- non was again under his own roof. His family accompanied him ; and there, at the beginning of July, they received as a guest, Don Carlos Martinez, Marquis d'Yrujo, the newly- arrived Spanish ambassador. On the 4th of July Washington ■wrote to Timothy Pickering, the secretary of state, saying : "The Spanish Minister, M. d'Yrujo, spent two days witX me, and is just gone, I caused it to be intimated to him that, as I should be absent from the seat of the government until the middle or latter end of August, I was ready to receive hip letter of credence at this place. He answered, as I understood it, that his credentials were with his baggage on its passage to 19 290 MOUNT YERNON Philadelphia, and tliat ais reception at that place, at the time mentioned, would be perfectly convenient and agreeable to himself. lie is a young man, very free and easy in his man- ners, professes to be well disposed toward the United States, and, as far as a judgment can be formed on so short an ac- quaintance, appears to be well informed." Tlie Spanish minister had not been long in Philadelphia when he became enamored of Sall}'^, the beautiful daughter of Thomas M'Kean, the chief-justice of Pennsylvania, and they were married. Their son, the Duke of Sotomayer, who was born in Philadelphia, became prime minister of Spain. "Philadelphia," says Griswold, "furnished wives for the envoys of France, England, and Spain during "Washington's administration, and a large number of foreign ministers have since been married to American women." Genet, the French minister during Washington's first term, married a daughter of Governor Clinton, of New York. Washington remained at Mount Yernon until the middle ot August. During the time of this visit to his dearly-loved home, he completed the final draft of his Farewell Address to the people of the United States, prepared in contemplation of his retiring from public life forever, at the close of his term of office the ensuing spring. That address had been the subject of deep and anxious thought for many montlis, and at the Bpecial request of the President, Hamilton, Jay, and Madison, and perhaps others, had given him suggestions in writing, topical and verbal. Tliese he took with him to Mount Yer- non, and in the quiet of his library he arranged his address in the form and expression in which it was published in Septem- ber following. It was the noblest production of AVashington's AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 291 iiiiiid and heart, and has been pronounced bj Alison, the eminent British historian, unequalled bj any composition of uninspired wisdom. It is a political legacy which not only the countrymen of Washington, but the world ought to value, as one of the most precious gifts ever bestowed by man upon his race. It is permeated with the immortal spirit of a true MAN, a true patriot, and a true Christian". Tlie Farewell Address was published in the Philadelphia Advertiser^ in September, 1T96, and produced a most profound sensation. The ribald voice of party spirit, which had been for a long time uttering the most scandalous abuse concerning the President, was at once subdued in tone, if not silenced, for it was deprived of the theme of Washington's renomination, which had been a convenient excuse for partisan attacks. The address was entered at length upon the journals of several of the state legislatures ; was published in every newspaper in the land, and in many of those in foreign countries ; and in legislative bodies and social and diplomatic circles abroad, it was a fruitful topic of remark for some time. Of all the asso- ciations which cluster around Mount Vernon, none should be dearer to the heart of every American — to ever}'^ friend of freedom and good order — than that connected with WASHnsra- ton's Farewell Address. And now Washington calmly looked forward to his retire- ment from public life with a heart full of joy and gratitude. The eight years of his administration of public affairs had been years of immense toil, anxiety, and vexation. They had been stormy years, for blasts of disturbing and dangerous sentiments came frequently from the borders of the hurricane tliat swept 80 terribly over France, the old ally of the United States ; and 292 MOUNT YERNON the electric forces of party spirit, subtle and implacal le, liad cast down, from the black clouds of selfish hate, a copious hail of abuse. But amid all that storm — in the face of those fierce blasts and that pelting hail, Washington stood calm, dignified, and unharmed; and he approached the hour when he should be no longer a public servant, to be applauded or reviled, with that serenity of mind which nothing but a con- science void of offence toward God and man can impart. And yet he was not always unmoved by the ungenerous attacks of his enemies. To his long-tried and dearly-loved friend. Gen- eral Ejiox, then in the far east, he wrote, two days before his retirement : " To the wearied traveller who sees a resting-place, and is bending his body to lean thereon, I now compare myself ; but to be sufiered to do this in peace is too much to be endured by some. To misrepresent my motives, to reprobate my politics, and to weaken the confidence which has been reposed in my administration, are objects which cannot be relinquished by those who will be satisfied with nothing short of a change in our political system. The consolation, however, which results from conscious rectitude, and the approving voice of my coun- try, unequivocally expressed by its representatives, deprive their sting of its poison, and place in the same point of view the weakness and malignity of their efforts." Never since has the unscrupulous virulence of party spirit been so manifest as at the time in question. No one dared openly to charge "Washington with a dishonest or dishonorable act, during his long public life; and yet, by inuendos and false- hoods of the darkest aspect, disguised as insinuations, his po- litical enemies attempted to destroy his popularity, and to AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 293 send him into private life without the sweet consolations of the ap])roval of his countrymen. One specimen of the venom of party hate will be sufficient to illustrate the remarks just made. I quote from a corre- spondent of the Aurora^ a Philadelphia paper in opposition to Washington's administration. The number containing the fol- lowing article was printed three days after the President's retirement from office : " ' Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,' was the pious ejaculation of a man who beheld a flood of happiness rushing upon man- kind. If ever there was a time that would license the reitera- tion of the exclamation, that time is now arrived ; for the man who is the source of all the misfortunes of our country, is this day reduced to a level with his fellow-citizens, and is no longer possessed of power to multiply evils upon the United States. If ever there was a period for rejoicing, this is the moment ; every heart in unison with the freedom and happiness of the people, ought to beat high with exultation that the name of Washington, from this day, ceases to give a currency to polit- ical iniquity, and to legalize corruption. A new era is now opening upon us, an era which promises much to the people ; for public measures must now stand upon their own merits, and nefarious projects can no longer be supported by a name. When a retrospect is taken of the Washingtonian administra- tion for eight years, it is a subject of the greatest astonishment that a single individual should have cankered the principles of republicanism in an enlightened people, just emerged from the gulf of despotism, and should have carried his designs against the public liberty so far, as to have put in jeopardy its 294 MOUNT VERNON vbiy existence. Sucli however are the facts, and with these staring us in the face, this day ought to be a jubilee in the United States." How utterly impotent were such attempts to injure tlie character of Washington, let history testify. On the 3d of March, 1Y97, Washington gave a farewell dinner, to which many of the leading persons at the seat of government were invited. These were chiefly the officers of government and members of the diplomatic corps, with their wives. Bishop White, whose sister was the wife of Kobert Morris, was present, and described some of the events of the banquet. " During the dinner," wrote the bishop, " much hilarity pre- vailed ; but on the removal of the cloth, it was put an end to by the President — certainly without design. Having filled his glass, he addressed the company, with a smile on his coun- tenance, saying, ' Ladies and gentlemen, this is the last time I shall drink your health as a public man. I do it with sin- cerity, and wishing you all possible happiness.' There was an end to all hilarity ; and the cheeks of Mrs. Liston, wife of the British minister, were wet with tears." On the following day John Adams, who had been elected Washington's successor, was inaugurated the second President of the United Stales. The event took place in the Hall of the Kepresentatives, which was densely crowded with spectators. At the appointed hour Washington rode to Congress Hall in his coach, drawn by six horses, and, amidst the most enthusi- astic cheers, entered the room prepared for the ceremonies which were to release him from public life. He was followed by Mr, Adams, and when they were seated, perfect silence prevailed. Washington then arose, and with the most commanding dig- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 295 nity and self-control, introduced Mr. Adams to the assembly, and pr jcocded to read, in a firm, clear voice, a brief valedictory. " The most profound silence greeted him," says a still living eye and ear witness of the august event, '' as if the great assembly desired to hear him breathe, and catch his breath in homage of their hearts. Mr. Adams covered his face with both his hands; the sleeves of his coat and his hands were covered with tears." As he pronounced his parting words, a Bob was heard here and tliere in the assembly ; and when he sat down, the whole audience were in tears. " Then," says the eye-witness just quoted, "when strong nervous sobs broke loose, when tears covered the faces, then the great man was shaken. I never took my eyes from his face. Large drops fell from his cheeks." The late President Duer, of Columbia College, who was present on that occasion, says that when Washington left the hall, there was " a rush from the gallery that threatened the lives of those who were most eager to catch a last look of him who, among mortals, was the first object of their veneration." " Some of ns," he said, " effected an escape by slipping down the pillars." When Washington had entered his carriage, the multitude in the streets uttered long and loud huzzas, and he waved his hand in return. "I followed him," says Duer, "in the crowd to his own door, where, as he turned to address the multitude, his coun- tenance assumed a serious and almost melancholy expression, his voice failed him, his eyes were suffused with tears, and only by his gestures could he indicate his thanks, and convey a farewell blessing to the people." 296 MOUNT YERNON In tlie evening a splendid entertainment Avas given to the retiring President, by the inhabitants of Philadelphia, in the Amphitheatre, which was beautifully decorated with appro- priate paintings. One of the newspapers of the day thus describes a compliment that was paid to Washington on that occasion : " Upon entering the area the General was conducted to his seat. On a signal given, the band played WasJiingtcm? s March, and a scene, which represented simple objects in the rear of the principal seat, was drawn up and discovered emble- matical paintings. The principal was a female figure as large as life, representing America, seated on an elevation composed of sixteen marble steps. At her left side stood the federal shield and eagle, and at her feet lay the cornucojpia ; in her right hand she held the Indian calumet of peace supporting the cap of liberty ; in the perspective appeared the temple of fame ; and, on her left hand, an altar dedicated to public grat. itude, upon which incense was burning. In her left hand she held a scroll inscribed Valedictory ; and at the foot of the altar lay a plumed helmet and sword, from which a figure of General Washington, as large as life, appeared retiring down the steps, pointing with his right hand to the emblems of power which he had resigned, and with his left to a beautiful land- scape representing Mount Vernon, in front of which oxen were seen harnessed to the plough. Over the General appeared a genius, placing a wreath of laurels on his head." Tliese pictures were from the pencil of Charles Willson Peale, who, twenty-five years before, as we have observed, had painted tlie portrait of Washington at Mount Yernon, in the costume of a Yirginia colonel. * AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 297 Tlie licads of departments, foreign ministers, and distin- guished strangers in Pliiladelpliia, were present on this gala occasion ; and with that elegant display of taste, fashion, and gayety, ended the public life of Washington. To General Knox he had written two days before : " The remainder of my life, which in the course of nature cannot be long, will be occupied in rural amusements ; and, though I shall seclude myself as much as possible from the noisy and bustling crowd, none would more than myself be regaled by the company of those I esteem, at Mount Vernon ; more than twenty miles from which, after I arrive there, it is not likely that I shall ever be." Before following Washington to his home, from which he went "twenty miles" only once afterwards, let us listen to the voice of another eye-witness of events during Washing- ton's administration (the late Eev. Ashbel Greene), as he dis- courses of the table of the President. He says : "The President ate Indian cakes for breakfast, after the Virginia fashion, although buckwheat cakes were generally on the table. Washington's dining parties were entertained in a very handsome style. His weekly dining day, for company, was Thursdav, and his dining hour was always four o'clock iu the afternoon. His rule was to allow five minutes for the variation of clocks and watches, and then go to the table, be present or absent whoever might. He kept his own clock in the hall, just within the outward door, and always exactly regulated. When lagging members of Congress came in, as they often did, after the guests had sat down to dinner the President's only apology was, ' Gentlemen (or sir), we are too punctual for you. I have a cook who never asks whether the 298 MOUNT VERNON company, but wlictlier the hour has come' The company usually assembled in the drawing-room, about fifteen or twenty minutes before dinner, and the President spoke to every guest personally on entering the room. Mrs. Washing- ton often, but not always, dined with the company, sat at the head of the table, and if, as was occasionally the case, there were other ladies present, they sat each side of her. The private secretary sat at the foot of the table, and was expected to be quietly attentive to all the guests. The President him- self sat half-way from the head to the foot of the table, and on that side he would place Mrs. Washington, though distant from him, on his right hand. He always, unless a clergyman was present, at his own table asked a blessing, in a standing posture. If a clergyman were present, he was requested both to ask a blessing and to return thanks after dinner. The centre of the table contained five or six large silver or plated waiters, those of the ends, circular, or rather oval on one side, so as to make the arrangement correspond with the oval shape of the table. The waiters between the end pieces were in the form of parallelograms, the ends about one-third j^art of the length of tlie sides ; and the whole of these waiters were filled with alabaster figures, taken from the ancient mythology, but none of them such as to ofiend in the smallest degree against delicacy. On the outside of the oval, formed by the waiters, were placed the various dishes, always without covers ; and outside the dishes were the plates. A small roll of bread, enclosed in a napkin, was laid by the side of each plate. The President, it is believed, generally dined on one dish, and that of a very simple kind. If ofi'ered something, either in the first or second course, which was very rich, his usual reply was; AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 299 ' Tliat is too good for me.' He had a silver pint cup or mug of beer placed by his j)late, which he drank while dining. He took one glass of wine during dinner, and commonly one after. He then retired (the ladies having gone a little before him), and left his secretary to superintend the table, till the wine- bibbers of Congress had satisfied themselves with di'inking. His wines were always the best that could be obtained. Nothing could exceed the order with which his table was served. Every servant knew what lie was to do, and did it in the most quiet and yet rapid manner. The dishes and plates were removed and changed, with a silence and speed that seemed like enchantment." On the 9th of March Washington set out for Mount Yemon, a private citizen, accompanied by Mi-s. "Washington, her grand-daughter, Eleanor Parke Custis, and George Washing- ton Lafayette, son of the marquis, who was then an exile from France, and in prison. Young Lafayette was then between seventeen and eighteen years of age, and was accompanied by his preceptor, M. Frestel, who composed a part of the family then on its way to Mount Vernon. Tlie misfortunes of Lafayette, whom Washington loved so devotedly, and the condition of his interesting family, had given him more painful anxiety, during the latter part of his administration, than any other circumstance. Lafayette, as we have seen, was one of the prime leaders in the revolution in France during its first stages. He was an active advocate of civil liberty, but conservative in a country where and when representatives and constituents were alike radical. When the revolution was at its height, he was at the head of the Constitutionalists^ who advised moderation. 300 MOUNT YERNON /f/7////^. GEORGE WASHINGTON LAFAYETTE. Because of this, he, of all the leaders, was left almost alone. He was forsaken by timid friends, who trembled at the frowns of the Terrorists, and was menaced by his violent political enemies. He dared to oppose the factions, of whatever creed, and for this he drew upon his head the anathemas of the Jacobins, the emigrants, and the royalists. Even his army, hitherto faithful, had become disaffected toward him, through the machinations of his enemies, and nothing remained for him but to flee. He left his army encamped at Sedan, and, in company with a few faithful friends, set off for Holland, to seek an asylum there or in the United States. At the first Austrian post he and his friends were at first detained, and then made prisoners. Soon afterward they AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 301 were sent to the dungeons of "Wesel and Magdeburg, and ultimately to those of Olmutz, by order of the allied monarchs of Austria and Prussia. When information of this condition of his dear friend reached "Washington at Philadelphia, he was deeply moved. The late venerable Eichard Eush — intelligence of whose death is spreading upon electric pinions over the land while I write (August 1, 1859) — relates an interesting incident illustrative of the feelings of Washington on that occasion. Mr. Bradford, the attorney-general, was living directly opposite the Presi- dent's house, and was spending an evening with Washington's family, when the conversation reverted to Lafayette. Wash- ington spoke with great seriousness, contrasted the marquis's hitherto splendid career with his present forlorn and suffering condition, and at length became so deeply affected, that his eyes filled with tears, and his whole great soul was stirred to its very depths. "Magnanimous tears they were," says Mr. Eush, " fit for the first of heroes to shed — virtuous, honorable, sanctified !" Mr. Bradford, who deeply sympathized with the feelings of Washington, was much affected at the spectacle, and returning to his own house, he "sat down," says Griswold, from whose RejpulMcan Court I quote, " and wrote the following simple, but touching verses, an impromptu effusion from the heart of a man of sensibility and genius : "THE LAMENT OP WASHINGTON "As beside his cheerful fire, 'Midst his happy family, Sat a venerable sire, Tears were starting in his eye. 302 MOUNT VERNON Selfish blessings were forgot, "Whilst he thought on Fayette's lot, Once so happy on our plains — Now iu poverty and chains. " 'Fayette,' cried he — 'honored nancaJ Dear to these far distant shores — Fayette, fired by freedom's ilame, Bled to make that freedom ours. "What, alas ! for this remains — "What, but poverty and chains 1 " ' Soldiers in our fields of death — "Was not Fayette foremost there ? Cold and shivering on the heath. Did you not his bounty sliare ? "What reward for tliis remains, "What, but poverty and chains I • ' Hapless Fayette I 'midst thine error. How my soul thy worth reveres 1 Son of freedom, tjTant's terror, Hero of both hemispheres! What reward for all remains, "What, but poverty and chains 1 ** ' Born to honors, ease, and wealth, See him sacrifice them all ; Sacrificing also health. At his country's glorious call, "What for ihee, my friend, remains, "What, but poverty and chains 1 " ' Thus with laurels on his brow Belisarius begged for bread; Thus, from Carthage forced to go, Hannibal an exile fled. Alas 1 Fayette at once sustains Exile, poveutt, and chains I' AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 303 "Courage, child of Wasningtou I Though thy fate disastrous seems, We haro seen the setting sun Rise and burn with brighter beams. Thy country 6oon shall break thy chain, And take thee to her arms again. Thy country soon shall break thy chain, And take tbee to her arms again 1" In the horrid dungeon at Olmntz, in a cell three paces broad and five and a half long, containing no other ornament than two French verses which rhyme witli the words to suffer and to die, the generous Lafayette was confined almost three years, and yet his great soul was not bound by suffering, nor his zeal for liberty one whit abated. Deprived of pen, ink, and paper, except a sheet that "by a miracle" he possessed, he wrote a letter with a toothpick to a princess who sympa- thized with him, and said, in a postscript : " I know not what disposition has been made of my planta- tion at Cayenne, but I hope Madame Lafayette will take care that the negroes who cultivate it shall preserve their liberty.''^ Lafayette's noble wife, as soon as she could get permissiou to leave France, hastened to Olmntz, with her daughters, to share the prison with the husband and father, while their son, George Washington, came to the United States, with his tutor, consigned to the fatherly care and protection of the great patriot whose name he bore. They arrived at Boston at the close of the summer of 1Y95, and immediately informed Wash- ington of the fact. The President's first impulse was to tako the young man to his bosom and cherish him as a son, but grave reasons of state denied him that pleasure. "To express all the sensibility," he said, in a letter to Senator Cabot, of 304 MOUNT VERNON Boston, " whicli lias been excited in m j breast by the receipt ol young Lafayette's letter, from the recollections of liis father's merits, services, and suiferings, from my friendship for him, and from my wishes to become a friend and father to his son, is unnecessary." He then declared himself the young man's friend, but intimated that great caution in the manifestation of that friendship would be necessary, considering the light in which his father was then viewed by the French government, and Washington's own situation as the executive of the United States. He desired Mr. Cabot to make young Lafayette and M. Frestel, his tutor, understand why he could not receive them as he desired, but that his support and protection, until a more auspicious moment, might be relied on. He ordered them to be provided with every thing necessary, at his ex^Dcnse, and advised their entrance at Harvard University. Young Lafayette assumed the name of Motier (a family name of his father) ; and in November "Washington wrote to him with caution, tolling him that the causes which rendered it necessary for them both to be circumspect were not yet removed, and desiring him to repair to Colonel Hamilton, in New York, who would see that he was well provided for. " llow long the causes which have withheld you from me may continue," Washington said, "I am not able at this moment to decide ; but be assured of my wishes to embrace you so soon as they shall have ceased, and that, whenever the period an-ives, I shall do it with fervency." He then, with fatherly solicitude, advised him to attend well to his studies, that he might "be found to be a deserving son of a meritorious father." After leaving Boston, young Lafayette lived with his tutor AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 305 for awhile in the vicinity 6f New York, in comparative sechi- sion. At length the Congress took cognizance of the presence of the young man, and on the 18th of March the House of Ee;^esentatives passed the following resolution and order : " Information having been given to this House that a son of General Lafayette is now within the United States ; '"''Resolved^ That a committee be appointed to inquire into the truth of the said information, and report thereon ; and what measures it would be proper to take if the same be true, to evince the grateful sense entertained by the country for the services of his father. " Ordered that Mr. Livingston, Mr. Sherburne, and Mr. Murray be appointed a committee pursuant to the said resolu- tion." As chairman of the committee, Mr. Livingston wrote to young Lafayette as follows : " Sir : Actuated by motives of gratitude to your father, and eager to seize every opportunity of showing their sense of his important services, the House of Representatives have passed the resolution which I have the pleasure to communicate. Tlie committee being directed to inquire into the fact of your arrival within the United States, permit me to advise your immediate appearance at this place, that the legislature of America may no longer be in doubt, whether the son of Lafay- ette is under their protection, and within the reach of their gratitude. "I presume to give this advice as an individual personally attached to your father, and very solicitous to be useful to any person in whose happiness he is interested. If I should have 20 306 MOUNT VERNON that good fortune on this occasion, it will aiford me the great- est satisfaction. ♦ "I am, etc., "Edward Livingston." This letter and the resolutions of the House of Representatives young Lafayette forwarded to President "Washington, and asked his advice as to the course he should pursue. Washington advised him to come to Philadelphia at the opening of the next Session of Congress, but to avoid society as much as pos- sible. He complied, and remained in Philadelphia until the following spring, when Washington, on becoming a private citizen, embraced the son of his friend as if he had been his own child, and bore him to his home on the Potomac. There he remained until early in October, when the joyful news having reached him of the release of his father from confine- ment, and his restoration to his country and friends, caused him to leave for the seaboard to depart for France. He and M. Frestel sailed from New York on the 26th of October, 1797. As young Lafayette was about to leave Mount Yernon, Washington placed a letter in his hands for his father, in which he said : "From the delicate and responsible situation in which I stood as a public officer, but more especially from a miscon- ception of the manner in which your son had left France, till explained to me in a personal interview with himself, he did not come immediately into my family on his aiTival in Amer^ ica, though he was assured in the first moments of it of my protection and support. His conduct, since he first set his feet on AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 307 American ground, has been exemplary in eveiy point of view, 3ucli as has gained, him the esteem, affection, and confidence of all who have had the pleasure of his acquaintance. His filial affection and duty, and his ardent desire to embrace his parents and sisters in the first moments of their release, would not allow him to wait the authentic account of this much- desired event ; but, at the same time that I suggested the pro- priety of this, I could not withhold my assent to the gratifica- tion of his wishes to fly to the arms of those whom he holds most dear, jDcrsuaded as he is from the information he has received, that he shall find you all in Paris. " M. Frestel has been a true Mentor to George. 'No parent could have been more attentive to a favorite son ; and he richly merits all that can be said of his virtues, of his good sense, and of his prudence. Both your son and he carry with them the vows and regrets of this family, and all who know them. And you may be assured that yourself never stood higher in the aff'ections of the people of this country'- than at the present moment." The profile of George Washington Lafayette, given on a preceding page, was painted in crayon, by James Sharpless, an English artist, who came to this country in 1796, and visited all the principal cities and towns in the United States, carrying letters of introduction to various distinguished per- sons, and requesting, them to sit for their portraits. These were generally painted in crayon, upon a small scale, and finished in less than three hours from the commencement of the sitting. Sharpless usually drew them in profile, and the likenesses were generally so much admired for their faithful- ness, that orders would sometimes be given for whole families. 308 MOUNT VERNON In this way lie painted immense numbers of portraits, and received fifteen dollars for each commission. Sharpless brought with him his wife and three children. He made New York his head-quarters, and generally travelled in a four-wheeled carriage, so contrived by himself as to con- G. W. P. CUSTIS AT THE AGB OF SEVENTEEN TEARS. vey his whole family and all of his painting apparatus, and drawn by one stout horse. He was a plain and frugal man, and amassed a competence by his profession. He was a man of science and a mechanician, and manufactured the crayons which he used in his profession. He died suddenly in New York, at the age of about sixty years, and was buried in the cemetery attached to the Roman Catholic chapel in Barclay AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 309 street. His widow and family returned to England, where they sold the portraits of the distinguished Americans whom Sharpless had painted, and settled in Bath. While in Philadelphia Sharpless painted the profile portraits of President and Mrs. Washington ; and also those of George Washington Lafayette (just mentioned) and George Washing- ton Parke Custis. The latter was then a lad between sixteen and seventeen years of age, and he and young Lafayette became warmly attached friends. When, in 1824 and 1825, General Lafayette visited this country, as the guest of the nation, his son George accompanied him, and he and Mr. Custis were much together when opportunity allowed the privilege. The following note from George W. Lafayette to the friend of his youth, is an exhibition of the warmth of his attachment : "Washington City, January the third, 1825. " My dear Custis : My father being able to dispose of him- self on Wednesday, will do himself the pleasure of going that day to dine at Arlington. It is so long since I wished for that satisfaction myself, that I most sincerely rejoice at the antici- pation of it. You know, my friend, how happy I was when we met at Baltimore. Since that day I felt every day more and more how much our two hearts were calculated to under- stand each other. Be pleased, my dear Custis, to present my respectful homage to the ladies, and receive for yourself the expression of my most affectionate and brotherly sentiments." The profiles of General and Mrs. Washington, by Sharpless, have been pronoimced by members of the Washington family who remembered the originals, as the best likenesses extant, 310 MOUNT VERNON both in form and color, Sliarpless made manj copies from it. So also did Mrs. Sliarpless, who painted miniatures in water colors most exquisitely. One of these is in the possession of CRAYON PROFILE OF WASHINGTON. Mrs. Eliza M. Evans, a daugliter of General Anthony Walton White, of New Jersey. It is somewhat smaller than the usual size of miniatures, and on the back is written, by the hand of the fair artist : " General Washington, Philadelphia, 1796. E. Sharpless." These four originals, by Sharpless, are preserved at Arling- ton House. Those of Mrs. Washington, and Lafayette and Custis, when lads, have never been engraved before. They hung upon th.e walls at Mount Yernon from the time when Washington retired from the presidency until the death of Mrs. Washington, in 1802, when they passed into the posses- sion of her grandson, G. W. P. Custis. When fairly seated again in private life at Mount Yernon, AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 311 Washington appeared to revel in the luxury of quiet. He was never idle, never indifferent to the progress of current events, but he loved the peacefulness of nature away from the haunts /I I'll," % CRATON PROFILE OF MRS. WASHINGTON. of men, and was delighted when working like the bee among the fruits and flowers. He was not unsocial, and yet he loved to be away from the great gathering-places of men and the tumults of public life. He was not unambitious, but he was not only indifferent but averse to the plaudits of the multitude when given in the accents of flattery. He wished to be loved as a righteous man, and he relied upon his conscience more than upon the voices of men for a knowledge of the accept- ableness of his endeavors. It was his guide in all things, for he regarded it in one sense as Emanuel — God with us — the righteous judge of the thoughts and actions of men. "Washington now felt that his country had received all that 312 MOUNT VERNON could reasonably be asked of him as a public servant, and he returned to his old pursuits with a sincere desire to mingle no more in the stirring arena of busy life. " To make and sell a little flour annually," he wrote to Oliver Wolcott, " to repair houses (going fast to ruin), to build one for the security of my papers of a public nature, and to amuse myself in agricultural and rural pursuits, will constitute employment for the few years I have to remain on this terrestrial globe. If, also, I could now and then meet the friends I esteem, it would fill the measure and add zest to my enjoyments; but, if ever this hap- pens, it must be under my own vine and fig-tree, as I do not think it probable that I shall go twenty miles from them." Washington enjoyed the visits of friends, but those of mere ceremony he disliked, and was sometimes annoyed by those prompted by idle curiosity. " 1 might tell my friend," he said, in a letter at the close of May to Mr. McHenry, the secretary of war, " that I begin my diurnal course with the sun ; that if my hirelings are not in their places at that time, I send them messages of sorrow for their indisposition; that, having put these wheels in motion, I examine the state of things further ; that the more they are probed, the deeper I find the wounds which my buildings have sustained by an absence and neglect of eight years ; that by the time I have accomplished these matters, breakfast (a little after seven o'clock, about the time I presume you are taking leave of Mrs. McHenry) is ready ; that this being over, I mount my horse and ride round my farms, which employs me until it is time to dress for dinner, at which I rarely miss seeing strange faces, come, as they say, out of respect for me. Pray, would not the word curiosity answer as well ? And how dif- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 313 ferent tliis from having a few social friends at a cheeiful board! The usual time of sitting at table, a walk, and tea, bring me within the dawn of candlelight ; previous to which if not prevented by company, I resolve that, as soon as the glimmering taper supplies the place of the great luminary, I will retu'e to my writing-table and acknowledge the letters I ha\ e received ; but when the lights are brought, I feel tired and disinclined to engage in this work, conceiving that the next night will do as well. The next night comes, and with it the same causes for postponement, and so on. " This will account for your letter remaining so long unac- knowledged ; and, having given you the history of a day, it will serve for a year, and I am persuaded you will not require a second edition of it. But it may strike you that, in this detail, no mention is made of any portion of time allotted for reading. The remark would be just, for I have not looked into a book since I came home ; nor shall I be able to do it until I have discharged my workmen, probably not before the nights grow longer, when possibly I may be looking in Dooms- day Book." Washington's allusion in the foregoing letter to his writing- table, reminds me of his inkstand, which is preserved at Arling- ton House. It is composed wholly of silver, except three cut- glass bottles, two of them used for ink, and one (in the centre) for sand. The tray is seven and a half inches in length. It was used by Washington during the last two years of his administration, and ever afterward at Mount Yernon. Washington found his mansion and all of the surrounding buildings much in want of repair when he returned home. "I find myself," he said, "in the situation nearly of a new 314 MOUNT VERNON WASHINGTON S INKSTAND. beginner ; for although I have not houses to build (except one, which I must erect for the accommodation and seciu-ity of my military, civil, and private papers, which are voluminous and may be interesting), yet I have scarcely any thing else about me that does not require considerable repairs. In a word, I am already surrounded by joiners, masons, and painters ; and such is my anxiety to get out of their hands, that I have scarcely a room to put a friend into or to sit in myself, without the music of hammers or the odoriferous scent of paint." Tlie mansion at Mount Vernon was soon thoroughly repair- ed, and many ornaments and pieces of furniture, not known to it before, were placed in it. Whatever had been used in the jjresidential mansion at Philadelphia, and could be appro- priately transferred to Mount Yernon, were reserved, when Washington broke up his establishment in the federal capital, and disposed of all superfluities. Among other things brought on from Philadelphia, was a pair of mural candelabra, of elegant form and workmanship. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 315 These were upon the walls of the dining-room at Philadelphia, which was also used for public receptions by the President and his wife. They were now placed in the large drawing- /^ RAL CANDELABRA. ANCIENT LANTBEN. room at Mount Vernon. They are each constructed of a mir. ror enclosed in a neat metal frame, resting upon an elaborately wrought bracket, and surmounted by flowers and festoons of leaves, all of the same material, and heavily gilt. In front of the mirror is a crystal candlestick and branches, so placed as to have a brilliant reflection produced. 316 MOUNT VERNON Tliese "lustres," as they were sometimes called, were im- ported from France, and formed a strong contrast to the ancient dingy iron lantern which hnng in the great passage. Tliat lantern, first hung up in the original cottage upon Mount Yernon by Lawrence Washington, continued its services there until the death of the general. It had then cast its dim light upon the entrance door full eighty years. It is still in service, having for more than fifty years lighted the great passage at Arlington House, illuminating pictures by Yandyke and Sir Godfrey Kneller. In the dining-room at Mount Yernon was another relic of the household of Lawrence "Washington. It was a sideboard, handsomely wrought of black walnut, and is an excellent specimen of the quality of furniture in Yirginia a hundred years ago. Its edges and legs are ornamented with delicate leaf-carving, and the wood is as perfect as when it was first used. It is about five feet in length, two and a half feet in width, and three feet in height, and quite heavy. It is used by the family at Arlington House, and is prized as one of the most precious mementos of Mount Yernon, because of its antiquity There are also a tea-table and punch-bowl at Arlington House that belonged to Washington. The former is quite small, elliptical in shape, about three feet in length, and made of mahogany. It was manufactured in New York for use in the executive mansion there, as a tea-tiible onl}', for the little private family of Washington, which consisted of only four persons. Food was not often set upon it. Washington seldom ate any thing after dinner until eight o'clock in the evening, when, with his family, he partook of a cup of tea served from this table, and a small slice of buttered bread. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 317 SIDEBOARD, TEA-TABLE, AND PUNCH-BOWL. Tlie great porcelain punch-bowl delineated in the engraving, has a deep blue border at the rim, spangled with gilt stars and dots. It was made expressly for Washington, but when, where, and by whom is not known. In the bottom is a picture of a frigate, and on the side are the initials 6. W., in gold, upon a shield with ornamental sur- roundings. It is supposed to have been presented to Washington by the French naval officers. If so, it was doubtless manufactured and sent over at the time when the Cin- cinnati china was forwarded. Tliere are two massive silver can- dlesticks, with extinguishers and snuffers of the same metal, at Ar- lington House, that once belonged to Washington. These formed a part of his furniture after his retirement from the army, in WASHINGTON'S SILVER CANDLESTICK. 318 MOUNT \^ERNON 1783, and are a portion of Lis plate not remodelled afterward in New York. How manj interesting associations are made to cluster around these simple utensils of domestic use, at tlie sugges- tions of fancy and conjecture! Perhaps almost eveiy distin- guished European — Lafayette, Rochambeau, Chastellux, IIou- don. Pine, Mousiier, Brissot, D'Yrujo, Graham — as well as equally distinguished Americans who have spent a night at Mount Yernon — bore one of them to the bedchamber. Perhaps they were used by Washington himself at his writing-table or by the fireside, or to light the conjugal chamber. And it is quite possible that the master bore one of them on the occasion mentioned in the following paragraph from the pen of Elkanah "Watson, when describing his visit at Mount Yernon : " The first evening I spent under the wing of Washington's hospitality, we sat a fall hour at table by ourselves, without the least interi'uption. After the family had retired, I was extremely oppressed by a severe cold and excessive coughing, contracted by the exposure of a harsh winter journey. He pressed me to use some remedies, but I declined doing so. As usual after retiring, my coughing increased. When some time had elapsed, the door of my room was gently opened, and on drawing my bed-curtains, to my utter astonishment I beheld Washington himself standing at my bedside, with a bowl of hot tea in his hand. I was mortified and distressed beyond expression. This little incident occurring in common life with an ordinary man, would not have been noticed ; but as a trait of the benevolence and private virtue of Washington, desfirvea to be recorded." AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 319 MORNING — A LANDSCAPE BY WINSTANLET. Wliile residing in Philadelphia, Washington became ac- quainted with the merits of William Winstanley, an English- EVENING — A LANDSCAPE BT WINSTANLEY. man, and landscape painter, who came to America in 1T96. 320 MOUNT YERNON He was spoken of as " an artist of genius and reputation, whose landscapes in oil are greatly admired hj the connois- seurs." Washington, pleased with some specimens of his skill which were brought to his notice, gave him a commission to paint six medium-sized pictures, representing scenery on the Hudson River. These were afterward taken to Mount Vernon, and adorned the walls of the drawing-room there. Two of these, called respectively Morning and Evening, are now at Arlington House. Two others are in the family of the late Mrs. Lewis (Nelly Custis) ; of the remaining two we have no intelligence. Washino-ton was ao-ain awakened from his sweet dream of o o peace and quietness in his home on the Potomac, by the call of his country to lend to it once more his voice and his arm. There were signs of war in the political firmament. France, once the ally of the United States, assumed the attitude of an enemy. The king and queen of that unhappy country had been murdered at the command of a popular tribunal. Out of the anarchy that ensued, had been evolved a government, in which supreme power was vested in five men called a Directory, who ruled in connection with two chambers the Council of Ancients and the Council of Five Hundred. It was installed at the Little Luxembourg, at Paris, on the 1st of November, 1795, and held the executive power four years. Tliat Directory was a most despotic tyrant, and ruled with an iron hand. Its pride disgusted the nations, and every true friend of man rejoiced when it quailed before the genius and the bayonets of Napoleon. Before Washington had left the chair of state, the friendly AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 321 feeling between the United States and France had become greatly weakened. The French Directorj assumed a tone of incomparable insolence, and the American representatives in Paris were insulted. Three judicious men had been sent to adjust all diflSculties with the French government. They were refused an audience with the Directory unless they would agree to pay a large sum into the French treasury. " Millions for defence, but not one cent for tribute !" said Charles Cotes- worth Pinckney, one of the American envoys ; and he and John Marshall, another of the envoys, were ordered out of the country. This insult the United States did not choose to allow to pass unheeded, and all diplomatic intercourse between the two governments was suspended. Preparations were made for war ; and in May, 1Y98, Congress authorized the formation of a large military force, to be called a Provisional Army. The movement was popular with the people, and with anxious hearts their thoughts turned instinctively to Washington as the man for the commander-in-chief. Tliere appeared to be a universal opinion that the weight of Washington's name and character would be necessary in order to produce unanimity among the "military leaders that would be brought upon the stage, and to secure the confidence and support of the people. Washington, though in absolute retirement, had watched the progress of affairs in France with sorrow and indignation, and had expressed his mind freely to his friends upon the subject. President Adams, in the perplexities which the prog- ress of events produced, turned to him for advice, and looked to him for aid. " I must tax you," he said, " sometimes for advice. We must have your name, if you will in any case 21 322 MOUNT VERNON permit us to use it. There will be more efficacy in it than in many an army." And before Washington could reply, Adama nominated to the Senate : " George "Washington, of Mount Vernon, to be lieutenant-general and commander-in-chief of all the armies raised and to be raised in the United States." Already Mr. McHenry, the secretary of war, had written : " You see how the storm thickens, and that our vessel will soon require our ancient pilot. Will you — may we flatter ourselves that, in a crisis so awful and important, you will accept the command of all our armies? I hope you will, because you alone can unite all hearts and all hands, if it is possible that they can be united." The Senate confirmed the nomination of the president, and Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the Provi- sional Army. True to the prophecies and promises of his antecedents, he accepted the trust, for his country demanded his services, but with the provision that he should not be re- quired to take the field until circumstances should make it absolutely necessary. " I see, as you do," he said to McHenry, " that clouds are gathering and that a storm may ensue; and I find, too, from a variety of hints, that my quiet, under these circumstances, does not promise to be of long continuance. * * * * ^g my whole life has been dedicated to my country in one shape or another, for the poor remains of it it is not an object to con- tend for ease and quiet, when all that is valuable is at stake, further than to be satisfied that the sacrifice I should make of these is acceptable and desired by my country." And now there were stirring times again at Mount Yernon. Washine;ton's post-bag came filled with a score of letters some- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 323 times, for to him had been entrusted the selection of officers for the army, and there were thousands of aspirants for places of almost every grade. He nominated Colonel Alexander Hamilton as first major-general, Charles Cotesworth Pincknev, then on his way from France, the second, and General Knox the third. The subordinate offices were frequently filled by the sons of his old companions in arms, and several of his own family received commissions. Young Custis, his adopted son, was appointed aide-de-camp to General Pinckney, and his favorite nephew, Lawrence Lewis, also received a com- mission. Many were the visitors who flocked to Mount Yernon dur- ing the autumn of 1798. A large number of these were army officers, who went to head-quarters to consult with the chief about military afi'airs ; and General Pinckney having returned, was there at Christmas time. At the same time Judge Cushing, of the Supreme Court of the United States, who administered the oath of office to Washington at his second inauguration, was also there. "We reached Mount Yernon," wrote the wife of Judge Cushing, in February, 1799, "the evening before Christmas, and if any thing could have added to our enjoyment, it was the arrival of General and Mrs. Pinckney the next day [Tues- day], while we were dining. You may be sure it was a joyful meeting, and at the very place my wishes had pointed out. To be in the company of so many esteemed friends, to hear our good General Washington converse upon political subjects without reserve, and to hear General and Mrs. Pinckney re- late what they saw and heard in France, was truly a feast to me. Thus the moments glided away for two days, when our ^^^ MOUNT VERNON reason pointed out the propriety of our departing and impiov ing the good roads, as the snow and frost had made them better than thej are in summer." The attitude assumed by tlie United States, and the appear- ance of Washington at the head of the army, humbled the French Directory, and President Adams was encouraged to send representatives to France again. Wlien they arrived, toward the close of 1799, the weak Directory were no more. Napoleon Bonaparte was at the head of the government as first consul, and soon the cloud of war that hung between France and the United States was dissipated. We now come to consider the associations of Mount Yernon during the last year of Washington's life. It opened with joy, it closed with sorrow. Lawrence Lewis, son of Washington's sister Elizabeth, had been a resident at Mount Yernon for some time. We have already observed, by an expression in a letter of Washington to Mr. McHenry, that the visits of strangers to Mount Yernon had become somewhat burdensome to the master. With this feeling he wrote to Lawrence, giving him a formal invitation to reside at Mount Yernon, and saying : " As both your aunt and I are in the decline of life, and regular in our habits, especially in our hours of rising and going to bed, I require some person (fit and proper) to ease me of the trouble of entertaining company, particularly of nights, as it is my inclination to retire (and unless prevented by very particular company, I always do retire) either to bed or to my study soon after candlelight. In taking those duties (which hospitality obliges one to bestow on company) off my hands, it would render me a very acceptable service." Lawrence com- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 325 plied with tlie request of his uncle, and became an inmate of the family at Mount Yernon at the beginning of 1Y98. Nelly Custis was at this time blooming into womanhood, and was exceedingly attractive in person and manners. She was a great favoi'ite with her foster-father, and as she ap- proached marriageable age, he had indulged many anxious thoughts respecting her. The occasional visits of Lawrence Lewis to Mount Vernon had been productive of the most Intimate friendly relations between them, and when he became a resident there, his respect for Xelly grew into warm and tender attachment. Washington was pleased ; but there came a rival, whose suit Mrs. Washington decidedly encouraged. That rival was a son of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, who had just returned from Europe, and displayed all the accomplish- ments of a good education, adorned with the social graces derived from foreign travel. "1 find that young Mr. C has been at Mount Yernon, and, report says, to address my sister," wrote her brother to Washington, in April, 1798, from Annapolis, where he was at school. "It may be well to subjoin an opinion," he said, " which I believe is general in this place, viz., that he is a young man of the strictest probity and morals, discreet with- out closeness, temperate without excess, and modest without vanity; possessed of those amiable qualities and friendshijD which are so commendable, and with few of the vices of the age. Li short, I think it a most desirable match, and wish that it may take place with all my heart." Washington, who favored the suit of his nephew, closed abruptly the correspondence with young Custis on that sub ject, by saying, in a letter to him a fortnight afterward : ^^^ MOUNT VERNON "Young Mr. C came here about a fortnight ago, to dinner, and left us next morning after breakfast. If his object was such as jou say has been reported, it was not declai'ed here; and therefore the less is said upon the subject, particu- larly by your sister's friends, the more prudent it will be until the subject develops itself more." In his next letter, in reply to this, young Custis ventured only to say : " With respect to what I mentioned of Mr. C in my last, I had no other foundation but report, which has since been contradicted."* Lawrence Lewis triumphed, yet the foster-father had some time doubted respecting the result, for other suitors came to Mount Yernon, and made their homage at the shrine of ISTelly's wit and beauty. " I was young and romantic then," she said to a lady, from whose lips Mr. Irving has quoted — " I was young and roman- tic then, and fond of wandering alone by moonlight in the woods of Mount Yernon. Grandmamma thought it wronor and unsafe, and scolded and coaxed me into a promise that I would not wander in the woods again unaccompanied. But I was missing one evening, and was brought home from the interdicted woods to the drawing-room, where the General was walking up and down with his hands behind him, as was his wont. Grandmamma, seated in her great arm-chair, opened a severe reproof." * For very interesting correspondence between General Washington and his adopted son, G. W. P. Custis, while the latter was in college at Princeton and Annapolis, from November, 1796, to January, 1799, see Recollections and Privalt Memoirs of Washington, by his adopted son, George Washington Parke Custia edited by the author of this work. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 327 " Poor Miss Nelly," says Mr. Irving, " was reminded of her promise, and taxed with her delinquency. She knew that she had done wrong — admitted her fault, and essayed no excuse ; but, when there was a slight pause, moved to retire from the room. She was just shutting the door when she overheard the General attempting, in a low voice, to intercede in her behalf. ' My dear,' observed he, ' I would say no more — perhaps she was not alone.' " His intercession stopped Miss Nelly in her retreat. She reopened the door and advanced up to the General with a firm step. ' Sir,' said she, ' you brought me up to speak the truth, and when I told Grandmamma I was alone, I hope you believed I was alone.'' "Tlie General made one of his most magnanimous bows. * My child,' replied he, ' I beg your pardon.' " Lawrence and Nelly were married at Mount Yernon. on Washington's birthday, 1Y99. It was Friday, and a bright and beautiful day. The early spring flowers were budding in the hedges, and the bluebird, making its way cautiously north- ward, gave a few joyous notes in the garden that morning. The occasion was one of great hilarity at Mount Yernon, for the bride was beloved by all, and Major Lewis, the bride- groom, had ever been near to the heart of his uncle, since the death of his mother, who so much resembled her illustrious brother, that when, in sport, she would place a chajpeau on her head and throw a military cloak over her shoulders, she might easily have been mistaken for the Chief. It was the wish of the young bride, said her brother, that the general of the armies of the United States should wear, on chat occasion, the splendidly-embroidered uniform which the 328 MOUNT VERNON board of general officers had adopted, but Washington could not be jDcrsuaded to appear in a costume bedizened with tinsel. lie preferred the plain old continental blue and buflf, and the modest black ribbon cockade. Magnificent white plumes, which General Pincknej had presented to him, he gave to the bride ; and to the Eeverend Thomas Davis, rector of Christ Church, Alexandria, who performed the marriage ceremony, he presented an elegant copy of Mrs. Macaulay's History of England^ in eight octavo volumes, saying, when he handed them to him : " Tliese, sir, were written by a remarkable lady, who visited America many years ago ; and here is also her treatise on the Immutahility of Moral Truth, which she sent me just before her death — read it and return it 'to me." With characteristic modesty, Washington made no allusion to the fact that Mrs. Macaulay (Catharine Macaulay Graham) crossed the Atlantic in the spring of 1785, for no other pur- pose, as she avowed, than to see the great leader of the Amer- ican armies, whom she revered as a second Moses. Washing- ton thus alluded to her, in a letter to General Knox, written on the 18th of June, 1785 : "Mrs. Macaulay Graham, Mr. Graham, and others, have just left us, after a stay of about ten days. A visit from a lady so celebrated in the literary world could not but be very flattering to me." The year 1T99 — next to the last year of the century, and the last of Washington's life — was now drawing to a close, and he appears to have made preparations for his departure, as if the fact that the summons from earth would soon be presented had been revealed to him. In March he said, in a letter to AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 329 Mr. McIIeniy, after alluding to business affairs : " My greatest anxiety is to have all these concerns in such a clear and dis- tinct form, that no reproach may attach itself to me when I have taken my departure for the land of spirits." In July he executed his last will and testament. It was written entirely by himself, and at the bottom of each j)age of manuscript he signed his name. During the autumn he digested a complete system of management for his estate for several succeeding years, in which were tables designating the rotation of crops. This document occupied thirty folio pages, all written in his peculiar and clear style. It was completed only four days before his death, and was accompanied by a letter, dated December 10th, 1799, to his manager or steward, giving him special directions, as if the master was about to depart on a journey. At this time Washington was in full health and vigor, and the beautiful days of a serene old age were promised him. He had once said : " I am of a short-lived family, and cannot expect to remain very long upon the earth;" yet. now, at the age of almost sixty-eight, he appeared to have full expectations of octogenarian honors. Only a few days before his death, he had walked out, on a cold, frosty morning, with his nephew, Major Lewis, and pointed out his anticipated improvements, especially showing him the spot where he intended to build a new family vault. "This change," he said, "I shall make the first of all, for I may require it before the rest." ""When I parted from him," said Major Lewis, to James K. Faulding, " he stood on the steps of the front door, where he took leave of myself and another. He had taken his usual 330 MOUNT VERNON ride, and the clear healthy flush on his cheek and his sprightly manner, brought the remark from both of us that we had never seen the general look so well. I have sometimes thought him decidedly the handsomest man I ever saw; and when in a lively mood, so full of pleasantry, so agreeable to all with whom he associated, I could hardly realize that he was the same Washington whose dignity awed all who approached him." On the 11th of December "Washington noted in his diary that there was wind and rain, and "at night a large circle round the moon." This portent of snow was truthful, for at one o'clock the next day it began to fall. It soon changed to hail, and then to rain. Washington had been out on horseback, as usual, since ten o'clock in the morning, and returned only in time for late dinner. Mr. Lear, who was again residing at Mount Yernon, as Washington's secretary and business manager, carried some letters to him to frank, when he observed snow hanging to the general's hair about his neck, and expressed a fear that he was wet. " No," Washington replied, " my great coat has kept me dry ;" and after franking the letters, and observing that the storm was too heavy to send a servant to the post-office that evening, he sat down to dinner without changing his damp clothes. On the following day (Friday,- the 13th) the snow was three inches deep upon the ground, and still falling. Washington complained of a sore throat, and the storm continuing, he omitted his usual ride. At noon the clouds broke, the sun came out clear and warm, and he occupied himself before dinner in marking some trees, between the mansion and the AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 331 river, that were to be cut down, and with compass and chain defining lines for improvements. After dinner his hoarseness grew worse, jet he regarded it as nothing serious. He was very cheerful during the evening, and sat in the j^arlor with Mrs. Washington and Mr. Lear, amusing himself with the newspapers, which were brought in at seven o'clock, occasionally reading aloud something that pleased him, or asking Mr. Lear to do so, his hoarseness some- times depriving him of his voice. Among other things, Mr. Lear read to him the report of debates in the Yirginia Assem- bly, and Washington made comments, as well as his hoarseness would permit. About nine o'clock Mrs. Washington left the parlor, and went to the chamber of Mrs. Lewis, who was confined, and the general and Mr. Lear continued the perusal of the papers some time afterward. When he retired, Mr. Lear suggested that he had better take something for his cold, his hoarseness appear- ing to increase. " No," he answered, " you know I never take any thing for a cold. Let it go as it came." Between two and three o'clock the next morning he awoke Mrs. Washington, told her that he was very ill, and had had an ague. He was so hoarse that he could scarcely speak. He breathed with great difficulty, and Mrs. Washington proposed to get up and call a servant, but the tender husband would not permit her to do so, lest she should take cold. At day- light their chambermaid, Caroline, went into the room to make a fire, as usual, when Mrs. Washington sent her for Mr. Lear. That gentleman dressed himself quickly, and, on going to the general's room, found him breathing with great diffi- culty, and hardly able to utter a word intelligibly. 332 MOUNT VERNON "Wasliington desired Mr. Lear to send immediatelj for Mr. Rawlins, one of the overseers, to come and bleed him, while another servant was dispatched to Alexandria for Dr. Craik, the sufferer's life-long friend and his family physician. Some mix- tures were prepared to give im- mediate relief, but he could not swallow a drop. Kawlins came soon after sun- rise. He "\vas much agitated. "Washington perceived it, and said, "Don't be afraid." A slight incision was made in the arm, for Mrs. Washington, doubtful whether bleeding was proper in the case, begged that not much blood might be taken. Tlie blood ran pretty freely, but the general whispered, "The orifice is not large enough ;" and when Mr. Lear was about to loosen the bandage to stop the bleeding, at the request of Mrs. Washing- ton, he put his hand up to prevent it, and said, " More, more." About half a pint of blood was taken from him, and external applications were made, but nothing seemed to relieve the sufferer. At eight o'clock Washington expressed a desire to get up. His clothes were put on, and he was led to a chair by the fire. But he found no relief in that position, and at ten o'clock he lay down again. Mrs. Washington had become much alarmed, and before Dr. DR. JAMES CRAIK. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 333 Craik arrived, she desired Mr. Lear to send for Dr. Brown, of Port Tobacco, whom Craik bad recommended to be called if any alarming sickness should occur during his absence. At about nine o'clock Dr. Craik arrived. He at once took more blood from the general, put a blister on his throat, prepared a gargle of vinegar and sage tea, and ordered some vinegar and hot water for him to inhale the steam of. The gargle almost sujffocatcd him. A little phlegm was brought up with it, and he attempted to cough, but was unable to do so. At eleven o'clock Dr. Craik requested Dr. Dick, with whom he often consulted, to be sent for, as Dr. Brown might not come in time. He then bled the general again, but no effect was produced by it. His inability to swallow any thing con- tinued. At three o'clock Dr. Dick arrived, and after consulta- tion with him, Dr. Craik again bled the sufferer. The blood was thick, and flowed very sluggishly. Dr. Brown arrived soon afterward, and after the three physicians had held a brief consultation. Dr. Craik administered calomel and tartar emetic, which the general managed to swallow. But this too was without effect. "About half-past four o'clock," says Mr. Lear, in a narra- tive which he wrote at the time, " he desired me to call Mrs. "Washington to his bedside, when he requested her to go down into his room, and take from his desk two wills which she would find there, and bring them to him, which she did. Upon looking at them he gave her one, which he observed was useless, as being superseded by the other, and desired her to burn it, which she did, and took the other and put it into her closet. "After this was done, I returned to his bedside and took hi? 334 MOUNT VERNON hand. He said to me : 'I find I am going. Mj breath can- not last long. I believed from the first that the disorder would prove fatal. Do you arrange and record all my late military letters and papers. Arrange my accounts and settle my books, as you know more about them than any one else, and let Mr. Rawlins finish recording my other letters which he has begun.' I told him this should be done. He then asked if I recollected any thing which it was essential for him to do, as he had but a very short time to continue with us. I told him that I could recollect nothing, but that I hoped he was not so near his end. He observed, smiling, that he certainly was, and that, as it was a debt we must all pay, he looked to the event with perfect resignation. '' In the course of the afternoon he appeared to be in great pain and distress from the difiiculty of breathing, and fre- quently changed his posture in the bed. On these occasions 1 lay upon the bed and endeavored to raise him, and turn him with as much ease as possible. He appeared penetrated with gratitude for my attentions, and often said, 'I am afraid I shall fatigue you too much ;' and upon my assuring him that I could feel nothing but a wish to give him ease, he replied, ' Well, it is a debt we must pay to each other, and I hope when you want aid of this kind you will find it.' " "Washington then inquired when Mr. Lewis and Washington Custis, who were in New Kent, would return; and being told, he remained silent awhile, and then desired his servant, Chris- topher, who had been in the room all day, to sit down, for he had been standing most of the time. He did so. A few minutes afterward Dr. Craik came into the room, and as lie approached the bedside, Washington said to him : '' Doctor, J AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 335 die liard, but I am not afraid to go. I believed, from my first attack, that I sliould not survive it. My breath cannot last long." The doctor, overcome with emotion, pressed his hand, but could not utter a word. He left the bedside, and, in deep grief, sat by the fire for some time, while all was silent in the room, except the heavy breathing of the sufferer. Doctors Dick and Brown came into the room between five and six o'clock, when they and Dr. Craik went to the bedside and asked Washington if he could sit up in bed. He held out his hand and Mr. Lear raised him up. " I feel myself going," he said ; " I thank you for your attentions ; but I pray you take no more trouble about me. Let me go off quickly. I cannot last long." Then casting a look of gratitude toward Mr. Lear, he lay down, and all left the bedside except Dr. Craik. Mr. Lear now wrote to Mr. Law and Mr. Peter, gentlemen who had married two granddaughters of Mrs. Washington (sisters of Kelly Custis), requesting them to come immediately, with their wives, to Mount Yernon. At about eight o'clock the physicians tried other outward applications to relieve the sufferer, but in vain, and they left the room without any hope. At about ten o'clock Washington attempted to speak to Mr. Lear, but failed several times. At length he murmured: "1 am just going. Have me decently buried ; and do not let my body be put into the vault in less than three days after I am dead." Mr. Lear could not speak, but bowed his assent. Washington whispered, " Do you understand ?" Lear replied, " Yes." " 'Tis well," he said ; and these were the last words he ever spoke — " ^Tis well /" "About ten minutes before he expired," says Mr. Lear ("which was between ten and eleven o'clock), his breathing 336 MOUNT VERNOJir became easier. He lay quietly ; he withdrew his hand froni mine and felt his own pulse. I saw his countenance change. I spoke to Dr. Craik, who sat by the fire. He came to the bedside. The general's hand fell from his wrist. I took it in mine and pressed it to my bosom. Dr. Craik put his hands over his eyes, and he expired without a struggle or a sigh. " While we were fixed in silent grief, Mrs. "Washington, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, asked, with a firm and col- lected voice, ' Is he gone?' I could not speak, but held up my hand as a signal that he was no more. ' 'Tis well,' said she, in the same voice, ' all is now over ; I shall soon follow him ; I have no more trials to pass through.' " " It may be asked," says Mr. Custis, " why was the ministry of religion wanting to shed its peaceful and benign lustre upon the last hours of Washington? Why was he, to w^hom the observances of sacred things were ever primary duties through life, without their consolations in his last moments? We an- swer, circumstances did not permit. It was but for a little while that the disease assumed so threatening a character as to forbid the encouragement of hope ; yet, to stay that summons which none may refuse, to give still farther length of days to him whose time-honored life was so dear to mankind, prayers were not wanting to the throne of grace. Close to the couch of the sufferer, resting her head upon that ancient book, with which she had been wont to hold pious communion a portion of every day for more than half a century, was the venerable consort, absorbed in silent prayer, and from which she only arose when the mourning group prepared to lead her from the chamber of the dead." That chamber, ever held sacred by the Washington family, AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 33: and concealed from the eyes of the curious visitor, appears now, in form and feature, precisely as when the sj^irit of the Father of his Country took its departure from it. Not a vestige of the furniture that was there at the time of Washing- ton's death, remains. Tlie bed and bedstead on which he died are at Arlington House, where they, too, are kept as not only precious but sacred mementos of* the great and good Wash- ington. BED AND BEDSTEAD ON WHICH WASUINRTON DIED. The bedstead is made of mahogany, and was manufactured in New York in 1789. It is remarkable for its size, being six feet square. It was in constant use in the bed-chamber of General and Mrs. Washington, from the time of its manufac- tuie until his death. The bed and bedding remain in precisely 23 338 MOUNT VERNON the same condition as when "Washington was borne from his chamber to his tomb. The room in which Washington died has seldom been seen by visitors at Mount Yernon. While enjoying the hospitali- ties of the late proprietor for two or three days, I was permit- ted to enter and sketch it. It was used as a private chamber by the heads of the family. Empty, it presents the same appearance it did at Washington's death, and so I delineated it. Two doors open from it into other chambers, and one to stairs that lead to the garret. ROOM IN WHICH WASHINGTON DIED. As I stood alone in that death-chamber of the illustrious Washington, fancy seemed to fill it with those who occupied it on Saturday night, the 14th of December, 1799, mentioned in a memorandum by Mr. Lear. On the bed lay the great man at the sublime moment of his death. Near the bed stood Mr Lear and Dr. Craik. " Mrs. Washington was sitting near the foot of the bed. Christopher was standing near the bedside^ Caroline, Molly, and Charlotte (house-servants) were in the room, standing near the door. Mrs. Forbes, the housekeeper. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 339 was in the room likewise." And as I stood there, delineating the simple outlines of that chamber, the words of Wallace name vividly to my memory : " There is an awful stillness in the sky When, after wondrous deeds and light supremo, A star goes out in golden prophecy. There is an awful stillness in the world, When, after wondrous deeds and light supreme, A hero dies with all the future clear Before him, and his voice made jubilant By coming glories, and his nation hush'd As though they heard the farewell of a god^ A great man is to earth as God to heaven." 'No one, except Mrs. "Washington, mourned more sincerely at the deathbed of the great patriot than Dr. Craik, a gen- erous, warm-hearted Scotchman, and excellent physician, who settled in Virginia in early life, was with Washington in the campaigns of the French and Indian war, and of the Hevolu- tion, and was his friend and medical adviser for more than forty years. Twice he accompanied Washington to the Ohio country, the first time in 17T0, and the second time in 1785. He continued to reside in Alexandria until old age caused him to relinquish his profession, when he retired with a competent fortune to Vaucluse, a part of the Ravensworths' estate, where he died in 1814, at the age of eighty-four years. He was exceedingly vigorous, in mind and body, until the last. His grandson, the Reverend James Craik, of Louisville, Kentucky, to whom I am indebted for the silhouette likeness of Dr. Craik, printed on page 318, says, in a recent letter to me : " He was a stout, thickset man, perfectly erect, no stoop of the shoulders, and no appearance of debility in his carriage 340 MOUNT VERNON Not long before his death he ran a race with me (then about eight years old) in the front yard of the house at Yaucluse, before the assembled family," At midnight the body of General "Washington was brought down from the chamber of death, and laid out in the large drawing-room, in front of the superb Italian chimney-piece, delineated on page 172 — a work of art which the master had feared, "by the number of cases" which contained it, would be " too elegant and costly " for his " room, and republican style of living ;" and on the following day (Sunday) a plain mahogany coffin was procured from Alexandria, and mourning ordered for the family, the overseers, and the domestics. On the same day several of the relatives who had been sent for arrived, among whom was Mrs. Stuart, the mother of Mrs. "Washington's grandchildren. At the head of the coffin was placed an ornament inscribed Surge ad judicum. At about the middle were the words Gloria Deo ; and upon a silver plate was the record : GENERAL GEORGE WASmNGTON DEPARTED THIS LIFE ON THE 14tH DECEMBER, 1Y99, .et. 68. The coffin was lined with lead, and uj^on a cover of the same material, to be put on after the coffin was laid in the vault, was a silver shield, nearly three inches in length, in scribed : GEORGE WASHINGTON, BORN FEB. 22, 1732, DEED DECEMBER 14, 1799. SILVER SHIELD ON WASHING- TON'S COFFIN. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS 341 The time for the funeral was fixed at twelve o'clock on "Wednesday, the 18th, and the Reverend Mr. Davis, of Alex- andria, was invited to perform the burial service, according to the beautiful ritual of the Protestant Episcopal Church. Having received information from Alex- andria that the military and Freemasons were desirous of showing their respect for their chief and brother, by following his body to the grave, Mr. Lear ordered pro- visions to be prepared for a large number of people, as some refreshment would be expected by them. And Mr. Robert Hamilton, of Alexandria, wrote to Mr. Lear, that a schooner of his would anchor ofi" Mount Yernon to fire minute guns, while the body was passing from the mansion to the tomb. The arrangements for the procession at the funeral were made by Colonels Little, Simms, and Deneale, and Dr. Dick. The old family vault was opened and cleaned, and Mr. Lear ordered an entrance door to be made for it, that it might not be again closed with brick. Mr. Stewart, adjutant of the Alexandria regiment, of which "Washington had once been colonel, went down to Mount Vernon to view the ground for the procession. The people began to collect at Mount Vernon on Wednes- day, at eleven o'clock, but owing to a delay of the military, the time for the procession was postponed until three o'clock. The coffined body of the illustrious patriot lay, meanwhile, beneath the grand piazza of the mansion, where he had so often walked and mused. 342 MOUNT VERNON Between three and four o'clock the procession moved, and, at the same time, minute guns were fired from the schooner anchored in the Potomac. The pall-bearers were Colonels Little, Simms, Payne, Gilpin, Ramsaj, and Marsteler. Colonel Blackburn preceded the corpse. Colonel Deneale marched with the military. The procession moved out through the gate at the left wing of the house, and proceeded round in front of the lawn, and down to the vault on the right wing of the house. The following was the composition and order of the procession : The troops, horse and foot, with arms reversed. Music. The clergy, namely, the Rev. Messrs. Davis, Muir, Mofiat, and Addison. Tlie general's horse, with his saddle, holsters, and pistols, led by two grooms (Cyrus, and Wilson), in black. The body, borne by the Masons and officers. Principal mourners, namely, Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Law, Misses Nancy and Sally Stuart, Miss Fairfax and Miss Dennison, Mr. Law and Mr. Peter, Mr. Lear and Dr. Craik, Lord Fairfax and Ferdinando Fairfax. Lodge No. 23. Corporation of Alexandria, A.11 other persons, preceded by Mr. Anderson and the overseers. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 343 When the body arrived near the vault, at the bottom of the lawn, on the high bank of the Potomac, the cavahy halted ; the infantry moved forward and formed the in-lining; the Masonic brethren and citizens descended to the vault, and the funeral services of the church were read by the Reverend Mr. Davis. He also pronounced a short discourse. The Masons then performed their peculiar ceremonies, and the body was deposited in the vault. Three general discharges of arms were then given by the infantry and the cavalry ; and eleven pieces of artillery, which were ranged back of the vault and simulta- neously discharged, "paid the last tribute to the entombed commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States." The sun was now setting, and mournfully that funeral assembly departed for their respective homes. Tlie bier upon which Wash- ington was conveyed from the mansion to the tomb, is pre- Washington's bier. served in the museum at Alexandria. It is oak, six feet in length, and painted a lead color. The handles, which are hinged to the bier, have leather pads on the under side, fast- ened with brass nails. The vault in which the remains of Washington were laid, had already become dilapidated by the action of the growing roots of the trees around it, and, as we have seen, Washington, in contemplation of the immediate construction of a new one, had chosen a place for it. In his will he left the following directions : " The family vault at Mount Yemon requiring repairs, and being improperly situated besides, I desire that a new one, of ■f 344 MOUNT VERXON brick, and upon a larger scale, may be built at the foot of what is called the Vineyard Enclosure, on the ground which is marked out, in which my remains, and those of my deceased relatives (now in the old A'ault), and such others of my family as may choose to be entombed there, may be deposited." THE OLD VAULT IN 1858. For thirty years the remains of Washington lay undisturbed in the old vault, when the tomb was entered and an attempt was made to carry away the bones of the illustrious dead. Others were taken by mistake, and the robber being detected, they were recovered. A new vault was soon afterward erected AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 345 upon the spot designated by Wasliington, and the old one ia now a gaping ruin. Congress was in session at Philadelphia, when information of the death of Washington reached them on the day of his funeral. On the following day tlie announcement of it was formally made on the floor of the House of Representatives, by the Honorable John Marshall, of Virginia (afterward chief- justice of the United States), and after some appropriate action, the House adjourned. On Monday, the 23d of December, the Congress adopted joint resolutions— ;^7'^^, that a marble monument should be erected at the capitol; second^ that there should be "a funeral procession from Congress Hall to the German Lutheran Church, in memory of General George Washington, on Thursday, the 26th instant," and that an oration be prepared at the request of Congress, to be delivered before both Houses that day ; and that the president of the Senate, and the speaker of the House of Representatives, be desired to request one of the members of Congress to prepare and deliver the same ; ihird^ that the people of the United States should be recommended to wear crape on their left arm as mourning for thirty days ; fourth, that the president of the United States should direct a copy of the resolutions to be transmitted to Mrs. Washington, with words of condolence, and a request that her husband's remains might be interred at the capitol of the republic. On the 30th of December Congress further resolved, that it should be recommended to the people of the Union to assem- ble on the succeeding 22d of February, "to testify their grief by suitable eulogies, orations, and discourses, or by public prayers." * 346 MOUNT VERNON GUMISKAL UKNUY LEb. In accordance with one of the foregoing resolutions, General Henry Lee, of Virginia, then a member of Congress, was in- vited to pronounce an oration on the 26th. He consented, and the Lutheran Church in Fourth street, above Arch, in Phila- delphia, the largest in the city, was crowded on that occasion. No man in the Congress could have been chosen better fitted for the service than General Lee. He had served his country nobly as an officer of cavalry during the war for independence, and from boyhood had been a special favorite of Washington. He was a son of that " Lowland Beauty" who won the heart of young Washington, and drew sentimental verses from his pen. Throughout the war he was beloved by his chief for his manly and soldierly qualities, and he was an ever welcome guest at AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 347 Mount Vernon, where he was on terms of the greatest intimacy with "Washington and his family. Mr. Irving gives the follow- ing example of Lee's perfect familiarity with his chief, when on a visit at Mount Yernon after the war : " Washington one day at table mentioned his being in want of carriage-horses, and asked Lee if he knew where he could get a pair. " ' I have a fine pair. General,' replied Lee, ' but you cannot get them," '"Why not?' " ' Because you will never pay more than half price for any thing ; and I must have full price for my horses.' "The bantering reply set Mrs. Washington laughing, and her parrot, perched beside her, joined in the laugh. The general took this familiar assault upon his dignity, in good part. ' Ah, Lee, you are a funny fellow,' he said — ' see, that bird is laughing at you.' " Lee's oration on the death of Washington, though hastily prepared, was an admirable production : and in it he pro- nounced those remarkable words of eulogy, so often quoted : " FIRST IN WAK, FIEST IN PEACE, FIEST IN THE HEAKT8 OF HIS COUNTRYMEN." On that occasion, the MoPhersori's Blues^ a military corps of Philadelphia, composed of three hundred young men, the elite of the city, performed the duties of a guard of honor. Only seven of them, who were present on that occasion, now (August, 1859) survive, namely : Samuel Breck, aged eighty- eight ; IS. Palmer, aged seventy-nine ; S. F. Smith, aged seventy- 348 MOUNT VERNON nine ; Charles N. Bancker, aged eighty-three ; Quintin Camp- bell, aged eightv-three, Robert Carr, aged eighty-two, and the annalist of Philadel- phia and New York, aged eighty. President Adams transmitted the reso- lutions of Congress to Mrs. Washington, and in reply to their request concerning the remains of her husband, she said : " Taught by the great example which I have so long had before me, never to oppose my private wishes to the public will, I must consent to the request made by Congress, which you have the good- ness to transmit to me ; and in doing this, I need not, I cannot say, what a sacrifice of individual feeling I make to a sense of public duty." The remains of Washington have never _^^^ been removed from his beloved Mount Yernon. It is well. They never should m'pherson's blue. "be. The Home and the Tomb of our illustrious Friend, should be inseparable ; and the glowing words of LuNT should express the sentiment of every American : — " Ay, leave him alone to sleep forever, Till the strong archangel calls for the dead, By the verdant bank of that rushing river. Where first they pillowed his mighty head. " Lowly may be the turf that covers The sacred grave of his last repose; But, oh I there's a glory round it hovers, Broad as the daybreak, and bright as its dose. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 349 "Though marble pillars were reared above him, Temples and obelisks, rich and rare — Better he dwells in the hearts that love him, Cold and lone as he slumbers there. " Why should ye gather with choral numbers ? "Why should your thronging thousands come 7 "Who will dare to invade his slumbers, Or take him away from his narrow home ? '* Well he sleeps in the majesty, Silent and stern, of awful death ! And he who visits him there, should be Alone with God, and his own hushed breath. " Revel and pomp would profane his ashes : And may never a sound be murmured there But the glorious river that by him dashes, And the pilgrim's voice in his heartfelt prayer." The death of her husband, so sudden and unexpected, weighed heavily upon the mind and heart of Mrs. Washing- ton for a time, but her natural cheerfulness of disposition and habitual obedience to the will of God manifested in his dispen- sations, healed the wound and supported her burdened spirit. She received many letters and visits of condolence. The pres- ident of the United States and his wife (Mr. and Mrs. Adams) visited Mount Yernon for the purpose, and so also did many distinguished citizens. From every part of the land came testimonials of respect and veneration for the dead ; and from beyond the Atlantic she received gratifying evidences of the profound esteem in which her beloved husband was held. On hearing of his death, Lord Bridport, who was in command of a British fleet of almost sixty sail, at Torbay, ordered every ship to lower her flag to half-mast ; and Bonaparte, then First 350 MOUNT VERNON Consul of France, announced his death to his army, and or- dered black crape to be suspended from all the flags and standards in the French service for ten days. Tlie domestic establishment at Mount Yernon was kept up after the death of the General, upon the same liberal scale of hospitality that marked it during his lifetime ; and scores of pilgrims to the tomb of the Hero, Patriot and Sage, were entertained by the widow. But her prediction at the death-bed of her husband — " I shall soon follow him" — did not remain long unfulfilled. Two years and a half afterward, her body was laid in a leaden coffin by his side, in the vault. She died of a bilious fever, on the 22d of May, 1802 ; and the estate of Moimt Yernon passed into the possession of the General's nephew, pursuant to the following clause in his will : " To my nephew, Bushrod Washington, and his heirs (partly in consideration of an intimation made to his deceased father, while we were bachelors, and he had kindly undertaken to super- intend my estate during my military service in the former war between Great Britain and France, that if I should fall therein, Mount Yernon, then less extensive in domain than at present, should become his property), I give and bequeath all that part thereof which is comprehended within the following limits: [here the boundaries are specified] containing upward of four thousand acres, be the same more or less, together with the mansion house, and all other buildings and improvements thereon." He also bequeathed to Bushrod his "library of books and pamphlets," and all of his papers. This principal heir of Washington (\vhp bad no children) was a son of the General's brother, George Augustine, and was at that time about forty years of age. Two years before AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 351 BUSHROD WASHINGTON. "Washington's death, President Adams had appointed Bnshrod to the office of Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, and he performed the duties of his exalted station with eminent ability until his death, thirty-two years afterward. Judge Washington took possession of the Mount Yernon es- tate, immediately after the death of Mrs. Washington. Among the slaves that belonged to him, and who were taken to Mount Yernon at that time, only one is living. Although set free by the will of his master in 1829, he has never left the estate, l)ut remains a resident there, where he is regarded as a patri- arch. I saw him when I last visited Mount Vernon, in the autumn of 1858, and received from his lips many interesting reminiscences of the place and its surroundings. 352 MOUNT VERNON ^^^/^i^^d. Just at evening, when returning from a stroll to the ancient entrance to Mount Yernon, I found WestFord (the name of the patriarch) engaged at the shop, near the conservatory, making a plough. He is a mulatto, very intelligent and communica- tive ; and I enjoyed a pleasant and profitable half-hour's con- versation with him. He came to Mount Yernon in August, 1802, and when I saw him he was in the seventy-second year of his age. "WestFord well knew Billy, Washington's favorite servant during the war for independence. Billy, with all of his fellow AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 353 slaves, was made free by liis master's will ; and lie received a liberal pension and a residence for life at Mount Vernon. His means for luxurious living had a bad effect upon him, and Billy became a hon-vivant. Delirium tremens finally seized him, with its terrors. Occasionally WestFord sometimes relieved him of the paroxysms by bleeding. One morning, a little more than thirty years ago, he was sent for to bleed Billy. The blood would not flow. Billy was dead, and the last but one of Washington's favorite servants passed from earth forever. The other (a woman) died at Arlington House a few years ago, where I saw her one evening at family worship. I left WestFord at his plough-making, with an engage- ment to meet him the next morning before breakfast, for the purpose of delineating a pencil sketch of his features. I found him prepared, having on a black satin vest, a silk cravat, and his cm-ly gray hair arranged in the best manner, " For," he said, " the artists make colored folks look bad enough any- how." When my sketch was finished, he wrote his name under it with my pencil. While Judge Washington was living, Lafayette came to America as the guest of the nation, and after a lapse of fifty years, he again visited Mount Yernon, the home of his dear friend. For more than twenty-five years the mortal remains of that friend had been lying in the tomb, yet the memory of his love was as fresh in the heart of the marquis, as when, in November, 1T84, they parted, to see each other on earth no more. On that occasion Lafayette was presented with a most touching memorial of the man whom he delighted to call " father." The adopted son of that father, the late Mr. Custis, 23 354 MOUNT YERNON with many others, accompanied tlie marquis to the tomb of Washington, where the tears of the venerable Frenchman flowed freely. While standing there, Mr. Custis, after a few appropriate remarks, presented to Lafayette a massive gold ring, containing a lock of Washington's hair. It was a most grateful gift ; and those who were present have spoken of the occurrence as one of the most interesting and touching they had ever experienced. Again there was a gathering before the tomb of Washington on an interesting occasion. Judge Washington was then no more. He died at Philadelphia in the autumn of 1829, at the age of seventy years, bequeathing his estate of Mount Yernon to his nephew, John Augustine Washington, a son of his brother Corbin. Tlie latter was also lying in the family vault, having died in 1832 at the age of forty-three years, and his widow, Mrs. Jane Washington, was then mistress of the man- nion and estate. The occasion referred to, was the re-entombing of General Washington and his wife. This event occurred in October 1837. Mr. John Struthers, of Philadelphia, generously offered to present two marble coflSns in which the remains of the patriot and his consort might be placed for preservation forever, for already the wooden coffins, which covered the leaden ones containing their ashes, had been three times renewed. Major Lewis, the last surviving executor of Washington's will, accepted the proposed donation, and the sarcophagi were wrought from solid blocks of Pennsylvania marble. The vestibule of the new vault was enlarged so as to permit the coffins to stand in dry air, instead of being placed in the damp vault ; and on Saturday the 7th of October 1837, Mr. William Strickland, of AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 355 Philadelphia, acccompanied by a number of the Washington family, assisted in placing the remains of the illustrious dead in the receptacles where they have ever since lain undisturbed. The vault was first entered by Mr. Strickland, accompanied by Major Lewis, of whom he said : " Imagine a figure stately and erect, upward of six feet in height, with a keen, penetrat ing eye, a high forehead partially covered with the silvery locks of seventy winters, intelligent and bland in expression, in movement graceful and dignified, and you will have the portraiture of the companion and friend of the immortal "Washington." This was the favorite nephew who married Nelly Custis on the 22d of February, 1799. When the decayed wooden case was removed from the lead- en coffin of Washington, the lid was perceived to be sunken and fractured. In the bottom of this case was found the silver shield which was placed upon that leaden lid when Washing- ton was first entombed. " At the request of Major Lewis," says Mr. Strickland, in his published account, " the fractured part of the lid was turned over on the lower part, exposing to view a head and breast of large dimensions, which appeared, by the dim light of the candles, to have suffered but little from the effects of time. The eye-sockets were large and deep, and the breadth across the temples, together with the forehead, appeared, of unusual size. There was no appearance of grave-clothes ; the chest was broad, the color was dark, and had the appearance of dried flesh and skin adhering closely to the bones. We saw no hair, nor was there any offensive odor from the body ; but we observed, when the coffin had been removed to the outside of the vault, the dripping down of a yellow liquid, which 356 MOUNT VERNON stained the marble of the sarcophagus. A hand was laid upon the head and instantly removed ; the leaden lid was restored to its place ; the body, raised by six men, was carried and laid in the marble coffin, and the ponderous cover being put on and set in cement, it was sealed from our sight. Tlie relatives who were present, consisting of Major Lewis, Lorenzo Lewis, John Augustine Washington, George "Washington, the Rev. Mr. Johnson and lady, and Mrs. Jane Washington, then retired to the mansion." The remains of Mrs. Washington being placed in the other marble sarcophagus, they were both boxed, so as to prevent their being injured during the finishing of the vestibule in its present form. WASHINGTON S MARBLB COFFIN. Mrs. Washington's coffin is perfectly plain. That of her husband has a sculptured lid, on which is represented the American shield suspended over the flag of the Union. The latter is hung ==;J in festoons, and the whole group is surmount- ^1 ed with a spread-eagle as a crest. The new tomb, in design and structure, is offensive to good taste, and its appearance justifies the description of it by an English nobleman who said, " It is a glaring red building somewhat between a coach-house and w.=x„„^^^",'-^^^ .„ a cage." It stands at the bottom of a steep WASHINGTON S COFFIN. O -T AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 357 WASHINGTON S TOMB. hill, on the edge of a deep wooded glen that extends to the river, and through which flows a choked brook. The spacious vault is built of brick, with an arched roof. It is entirely overgrown with shrubbery, brambles and vines, which gives it an antiquated appearance. Its iron door is entered from the spacious vestibule ; and over it, upon a stone panel, are the words : " I AM THE EESTJBRECTION" AND THE LIFE ', HE THAT BELIEVETH m ME, THOUGH HE WEKE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE !" The vestibule is also built of brick, and is twelve feet in height. The iron picketed gateway, through which the mar- ble sarcophagi may be seen, is flanked by two brick pilas- 358 MOUNT VERNON ters, surmouuted by a stone coping, wliich covers a gothic arch. Ov'^er this arch is a white marble tablet inscribed — " WITHIN THIS ENCLOSURE EEST THE EEMAmS OF GENEEAL GEOKGE WASHINGTON.-" On the east side of the tomb, beneath marble monuments, lie the remains of Eleanor Parke Lewis and her daughter, Mrs. M, E. Conrad. In front of the tomb are two stately obelisks of marble. One of them was erected in memory of Judge Bush- rod Washington, and the other of John Augustine Washing- ton, father of the last proprietor of Mount Vernon of the Wash- ington name. Yery few articles of the pei'sonal property of General Wash- ington, except the library of books, remain at Mount Vernon. After Mrs. Washington's death, the devised personal property was distributed according to the directions of his will, and the remainder was sold. The purchasers consisted chiefly of mem- bers of the family, the grandchildren of Mrs. Washington taking nearly all of the family plate, and furniture. Many of these things have been described and delineated in these pages ; and many others have been scattered over the country, and since lost. While this very page was in preparation, I received from Mr. George Livermore, of Cambridge, an account of a most precious relic jf Washington's earlier life, which is now in possession of the venerable Josiah Quincy, of Boston. It is the silver gorget of General Washington, which composed a part of his uniform while in the colonial service, and is seen suspended from his neck in Peale's portrait of him, painted in 1772, and printed on page 88- of this book. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 359 "Tills precious relic," says Mr. Qiiincy in a letter to Mr. Livermore, " came to my possession under tlie following cir- cumstances : from 1805 to 1813, I was one of the representa- tives of the state of Massachusetts, in the Congress of the United States, from Suffolk District. During these years I had the happiness, with my wife, to form an acquaintance with Mrs. Martha Peter (formerly Custis), the wife of Thomas Peter, Esq., of Tudor Place, in the District of Columbia. There sprang up between both families — particularly between Mrs. Peter and my wife — a great intimacy, the result of mu- tual respect and also coincidence in political feeling and opin- ion, which, at that period, constituted a bond of gi'eat strength. She was a woman of great personal beauty, highly accom- plished, intellectual, elevated in spirit and sentiment, and worthy of the relation which she held of granddaughter to George Washington. " When, in 1813, on resigning my seat in Congress, I called at Tudor Place to take leave, Mrs. Peter, after stating the inter- est she felt in me and Mrs. Quincy, asked my acceptance of the ' gorget of Washington, with the ribbon attached to it, which' she said ' she had received at the division of her grandfather's estate.' About that time, there had been form- ed in Boston a political association bearing the name of the Washington Benevolent Society, having for its object the sup- port of the views and principles of Washington, of which I was one of the vice-presidents ; and I immediately suggested the propriety, and asked her leave, to present in her name that precious relic to that society. She expressed her gratifi- cation at the suggestion, saying ' that she knew of no place where the principles of Washington had been more uniformly 360 MOUNT VERNON clierislied, or were likely to be more liighlj prized or pre- served longer, than in the town of Boston.' " Accordingly, on my return in April, 1813, I made a for- mal statement of the above circumstances to the "Washington Benevolent Society, and presented the gorget, in her name, to that society. The gift was gratefully and cordially received and acknowledged by a vote of the society, signed by Arnold "Welles, president ; and William Sullivan, Josiah Quincy, Samuel Messinger, John C. Warren, and Benjamin Russell, vice-presidents. A record of the gift, of the vote of thanks, and of all the proceedings, was written upon parchment, and deposited in a box especially adapted for its preservation ; and an account of the doings of the society was officially trans- mitted to Mrs. Peter. " The gorget remained in that situation, under the care of the society, for five or six years, until its final dissolution, when, by a vote of the society, it was formally placed in my custody : and I immediately wrote to Mrs. Peter a statement of the circumstances, ofiering to return the gorget to her. She was pleased to reply, that it was her wish that I should retain it in my possession, and make such disposition of it as I saw fit." When I last visited Mount Yernon, in the autumn of 1858, I saw there a few articles, not already mentioned, that belonged to Washington. These were a liquor-chest, two mirrors, some tissue paper, one of his ordinary address cards, several dia- grams and memoranda from his pen, and a number of en- gravings. Tlie liquor-chest was in a closet adjoining the dining-room, and was used by the family when I was there. It is made of AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 361 Washington's liquor-chest. mahogany ; and tradition avers that it composed a part of WASHINGTON S MIRROR. Washington's baggage during the Revolution. It contains twelve large white glass flasks, thirteen inches in height. 362 MOUNT VERNON One of the mirrors, highly ornamented with elaborate carvings, and bearing the arms of the "Washington family, was in a small parlor adjoining the great drawing-room ; and the other, a plain one, also bearing the family arms, in gilt upon a deep blue ground, at the top, was in another parlor, adjoining the library. Tlie tissue paper was made expre^ly for "Washington's use. Each sheet bears his name and crest, and a rude figure of Liberty with the pileus and cap, forming the water-mark. The paper is quite coarse in texture com- pared with that manufactured at the present time. The engraving of the water-mark is half the size of the original. WATER-MARK. WASHINGTON S ADDRESS CARD, The address card was coarsely engraved on copper, and was used by "Washington during the war. While he was Presi- AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 363 deut, he had a neat invitation-to-dinner card engraved in writ- ing. The original plate of the latter is in the possession of a geptleman in Philadelphia. Some of the diagrams from "Washington's pen, alluded to, have been delineated upon other pages of this work. The en- gravings that belonged to him hang in the great passage and two adjoining parlors. These are, Andromache bewailing the Death of Hector ; The Death of Montgomery ; The Death of "Warren ; two Hunting Scenes f four Landscapes ; The De- fence of Gibraltar, four Yiews ; Descent from the Cross ; and a St. Agnes. These are all more or less injured by some tiny de- stroyers, that are daily making the high lights still stronger, so that all the pictures now appear snowy. If their destructive progress shall not be speedily arrested, those relics o^ the great Patriot's household ornaments will be lost forever. With characteristic modesty, Washington allowed no picture of scenes in which he was a participant to adorn the woJls of Mount Yernon. Some fine oil paintings and family portraits that were there have been distributed among relativeo ; that of Lawrence Washington alone remains. Only one more object of interest at Mount Yernon remains to be noticed. It is a portrait of Washington taken from a common English earthenware pitcher, and is known as The Pitcher Portrait. It is in a deep gilt frame, and upon the back is an admirable eulogy of the great Patriot, in monumen- tal form. The history of this portrait and the eulogy was com- municated to me recently by the venerable artist, Rembrandt Peale, of Philadelphia, and is both curious and interesting. About the year 1804, the late John R. Smith, of Phila- delphia, son of the eminent Jonathan Bayard Smith, showed 3G4 MOUNT VERNON Mr. Peale a copy by Sharpless liimself, of that artist's crayon profile of Washington, made in 1796. On the back of it was a eulogy of Washington, written in monumental form in two columns, by an English gentleman, Mr. Smith said, whose name he had forgotten, or never knew. He told Mr. Peale that the gentleman pasted it on the back of the portrait. PITCHKE PORTRAIT. It was at about that time that a crockery dealer in Phila- delphia imported a number of earthenware pitchers from Liverpool, each bearing a portrait of Washington from an engraving of Stuart's picture painted for the Marquis of Lans- downe, which Heath had badly engraved, and l^utter had better executed for Hunter's quarto edition of Lavater. Nut- ter's engraving was coarsely imitated in the one upon the pitcher. The pitchers attracted the attention of Mr. Dorsey, a sugar AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 365 refiner of Philadelphia, who had a taste for art, and he pur- chased several of them, as he considered the likeness of Washington a good one. Mr. Dorsej, after several unsuc- cessful attempts to separate the part bearing the portrait, from the rest of the pitcher, succeeded, by using tlie broad-faced hammer of a shoemaker, in breaking them cleanly out by a single blow, given directly upon the picture. One of these pictures broken out by Mr. Dorsey, was hand- somely framed by Mr. Smith, and sent to Judge "Washington at Mount Yernon, with the eulogy on the back of the Sharp- less profile belonging to his l^^ther, copied by his own hand. That copy varies materially from the original, in some of its phraseology and in large omissions. This difi'erence may be accounted for by the supposition that Mr. Smith had not room in the space on the back of the picture to transcribe the whole of the original, and some parts were omitted and others changed. The Sharpless picture was much larger than the pitcher portrait, and there was more room on the back for the eulogy. In the year 1819 or 1820, Mr. Smith gave Mr. Harrison Hall, the publisher of the Port Folio, a perfect transcript of what was, probably, the original eulogy, and to the courtesy of that gentleman I am indebted for the subjoined copy, which contains all the omissions in the one upon the back of the picture at Mount Yernon. Mr. Hall, and others of Mr. Smith's friends, have been under the impression that that ac- complished gentleman was the author of the eulogy, but the explicit statement of Mr. Peale and concurring circumstances appear to remove all doubt of the truth of the common tradi- tion in the Washington family, that it was written by an 366 MOUNT VERNON aiiknown English gentleman. The mutilated inscription, as it appears upon the back of the portrait at Mount Yernon, was published in Alden's Collection of American Epitaphs and Inscrijptions^ as early as the year 1S14. The following is a copy of the original on the back of the Bharpless profile given by Mr. Smith to Mr. Hall * WASHINGTON, The Defender of his Country, The Founder of Liberty, The Friend of Man. History and Tradition are explored in vaiu For a Parallel to his Character. Ill the Aunals of Modern Greatness, He stands alone, And the noblest Names of Antiquity Lose their Lustre in his Presence. Born the Benefactor of Mankind, Ho •i\ aa signally endowed with all the Qualities Appropriate to his Illustrioiis Career. Nature made him G-reat, And, Heaven directed. He made himself Virivons. Called l>y his Country to the Defence of her Soil And the vindication of her Liberties, He led to the Field Rer Patriot Armies ; And displaying in rapid and brilliant succes8ia0> AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 367 The united Powers Of Conamnmate Prudence And Heroic Yalour, Ho triumphed in Arms Over the most powerful Nation Of Modern Europe; His Sword giving Freedom to America, Hia Counsels breathing Peace to the wtn-ld. After a short repose From the tumultuous Vicissitudes Of a Sanguinary War, The astounding Energies ol WASmxGTON Were again destined to a Kew Course Of Glory and Usefulness. The Civic Wreath Was spontaneously placed By the Gratitude of the Nation, On Ihe Brow of the Deliverer of Aw Cocntet. He was twice solemnly invested With the Powers of Supreme Magistranj, By the Unanimous Voice of A Free People ; And in his Exalted and Arduous staiioo, His Wisdom in the Cabinet Transcended the Glories of the Field. The Destinies of Washington Were now complete. Having passed the Meridian of a Devoted Ldfe, Having founded on the Pillars 368 MOUNT YERNON Of National Independence The Splendid Fabric Of a Great Eepublic, And having firmly established The Empire of the "West, He solemnly deposited on the Altar of his Country, His Laurels and his Sword, And retired to the Shades Of Private Life. A Spectacle so New and so Sublv/nA, Was contemplated by Mankind With the Profoundest adiniratioa • A nd the name of Washinoton, Addine new Lustre to Jlumanity, Resounded 7b the remotest regions of the Earth. Magnanimous in Touth^ Glorious through Life, Great in Death, His highest Ambition The Happiness of Mankind, His noblest victory The Conquest of Himself. Bequeathmg to America The Inheritance of Ins Fame, And building his Monument . • In the Hearts of his Countrymen^ He Lived, The Ornament of the 1 8th Century ; He Died, I i«ented cy a Mourning World. AND ITS* ASSOCIATIONS. 369 One hundred and sixteen years ago, Mount Yernon received its name, and from that time until the present year (1859) it has been owned and occupied by a Washington. Lawrence Washington, as we have seen, named it in honor of his gallant friend, and from him it descended to his half- brother, George, who occupied it more than forty years. By him it was bequeathed to his nephew, Bushrod, who lived there twenty-seven years. It then passed into the possession of Jjiha^^AjigustineJWashington, a son of Bushrod's brother Corbin. He died three years afterward, leaving it to his widow. At her death, in 1855, it became the property of her son, John Augustine Washington, who resides there. For man}' years the Mount Yernon estate had been decay- ing. The ravages of time and the rust of neglect were rapidly destroying all that had received the care and culture of Gen- eral Washington's mind and hand ; and thoughtful and pa- triotic visitors often felt saddened when they saw the man- sion and its dependent buildings, and other visible memorials of the great and good Father of his Country, evidently per- ishing. The sad thoughts of these visitors led to patriotic action, and for a long time there was a growing desire felt throughout the Union, to have Mount Yernon become the property of the nation. The young owner, unable to keep the estate in proper order, and greatly annoyed by thousands of visitors every year, many of whom took liberties about the house and grounds, in apparently utter forgetfulness that they were private property, expressed a willingness to sell it for such a purpose. Congress was asked to buy it. The application was unsuccessful. At length an American matron conceived the idea of ap- 24 370 MOUNT VERNON pealing to her countrywomen in behalf of Mount Yernon She asked them to put forth their hands to the work of obtain- ing sufficient money to purchase it, that the Home and Tomb OF Washington might be a national possession forever. The idea was electric, and it was felt and responded to all over the land. Her invalid daughter, strengthened by the thought of being instrumental in accomplishing the great work, took the direction of the enterprise. She printed a strong appeal to her countrywomen ; organized an association, and procured a char- ter of incorporation for it ; bargained for the purchase of the mansion and appendages, and two hundred surrounding acres of the Mount Vernon estate, for two hundred thousand dollars, and began in great earnestness the work of obtaining that amount of money, and as much more for the restoration and support of the estate. Bj common consent she was constitu ted regent or chief manager, and she appointed vice-regeuu in every state in the Union as assistants. The efforts of American women have been successful. They have been cheered and aided by the best and wisest men of their country. Edward Everett, one of our most saga- cious statesmen and accomplished scholars, devoted his tongue and pen to the work. He went from city to city, like Peter the Hermit pleading for the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre, de- livering an oration upon the character of Washington for the benefit of the fund; and delighted crowds who listened to his eloquent words, contributed so freely, that in less than two years he paid into the treasury of the Ladies^ Mount Yernon Association^ one quarter of the purchase money. The whole amount has been obtained, and now Mount Vernon is no long- er a private possession, but the property of the multitudes of AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 371 men, women and children of tlie land, who have contributed in ever so slight a degree to its purchase. It is to be theirs and their posterity's forever. Nothing now remains for the Association to do, but to obtain a sum fully equal to that of the purchase money, for the complete restoration and future support of the estate, and a general supervision of its manage- ment. This, American women will speedily accomplish, for the heart of the nation beats in unison with their own. We have now considered some of the most interesting of the past associations of Mount Yernon, connected with the illus- trious man whose character has in a degree sanctified them all. But there are other associations that cluster around Washing- ton and his home, in the presence of which these material things sink into utter insignificance. They are of a moral nature, and belong not only to the Past but to all the Future. It is delightful to contemplate the character of Washington in its relation to the events in which he was immediately engaged, for it presents a most noble example ; but far more delightful and profitable is it, to contemplate him with that broader vision which discerns his relation to all people and to all time — to regard him as the fulfilment of the heart-prophe- cies of earnest lovers of freedom in the past ; born, nurtured, developed, disciplined, and inspired, to lead a great people out of bondage, and to be forever a sublime model of a Patriot for the contemplation of generations yet to appear. We should become habituated thus to think of him, and learn to love the spirit which led him to the performance of great deeds, rather than the deeds themselves. Such contemplations of Washington are not incompatible with a sober reverence for material things with which he was 372 MOUNT VERNON intimately associated; and especially should we clierisli as precious memorial treasures, the Home that he loved, and the Tomb wherein his remains repose. These may excite the mind to loftier views of the Pater Patriae, and inspire senti- ments such as filled the soul of the Rev. William Jay, of Eng- land, who, on seeing a picture of Mount Yernon, wrote im- promptu — " There dwelt the MAN the flower of human kind, Whose visage mild bespoke his noble mind. There dwelt the SOLDIER who his sword ne'er drew But in a righteous cause to freedom true. There dwelt the Hero, who ne'er fought for fame, Yet gained more glory than a Cfesar's name. There dwelt the STATESMAN, who, devoid of art, Gave soundest counsels from an upright heart. And oh ! Columbia, by thy sons caressed. There dwelt THE FATHER of the realms he blessed. Who no wish felt to make his mighty praise, Like other chiefs, the means himself to raise, But there, retiring, breathed in pure renown, And felt a grandeur that disdfiined a crowa." AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 373 THE ENGLISH HOME OF WASHINGTON S FAMILY. Since the foregoing pages were written, many facts and things having a rehition to the Home of Washington have been presented to the consideration of the writer. To make this reliquary of the Father of his Country more complete, these are here added. On the earlier pages of this work, allusion is made to the Northamptonshire branch of the Washington family, from whom our illustrious countryman was descended. Recent investigations by the Rev. J. M. Simpkinton of Brington, England, and others, have brought to light some new and THB ■WASHINGTON HOUSE, BKINGTOK. 374 MOUNT VERNON interesting facts concerning that family. Mr. Simpkinton believes that he has satisfactory evidence to show that a cer- tain house in Jirington, is the one in which lived Lawrence Washington, father of Lawrence and John who emigrated to Virginia in 1657. The family appears to have been in reduced circumstances, and went from Sulgrave to Brington because of their relationship to Lord Spencer of that County. They were also allied to the second George Yilliers, Duke of Buck- ingham, whose half-sister and William, a brother of the emi- grants to x\merica, had been united in wedlock. Another brother, Thomas, was the " Mr. Washington " mentioned on page 28. '^■■iiiiiiii^^ INSCRIPTION OVER THE DOOR OF THE WASHINGTON HOUSE, Over the door of the ancient house in Brington, identified as that of Lawrence Washington, is a square stone bearing this inscription — " The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away, BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LoRD. CoNSTRUCTA, 1606." This pious inscription, quite common in such relation in those AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 375 days, is accounted for by tlie fact which the Parish Register reveals, that Lawrence and Margaret Washington, (who had seventeen children,) had a child given to them and taken away the year when the house was built. In the Parish Church of Brington may be seen the monumental slab of Lawrence "Washington, on which are the family arms, as seen in the picture of a seal on page 31. Washington's libkakt. The Library at Mount Yernon mentioned on page 16, is no longer there. It was the private property of John A. Wash- ington, from whom the " Ladies Mount Vernon Association " purchased the estate, and was taken by him to his new home. Every other movable relic of Washington, pictured and described in this volume, and which then remained at Mount Vernon, was taken away at the same time, excepting the key of the Bastile (page 237), pack-saddle (page 53), bust of Lafayette (page 244), a large globe, and the original plaster- cast from Washington's face, made by Houdon, with the attached model mentioned on page 176. In the year 1S60, the harpsichord presented by Washington to Nelly Custis (page 282), was sent back to Mount Vernon by her daughter- in-law, as a gift to the proprietors. The tripod that bore Washington's Compass when he was a Surveyor in his youth and mature age, has also been deposited there. Mr. Washington was on the Staff of General Robert E. Lee, and perished at an early period of the late Civil War. His wife is also dead ; and the books of the Mount Vernon Library have been separated and scattered. To give the reader a knowledge of the contents of that Library, I subjoin a cata- 37R MOUNT VERNON loo'iie of the books, with the money value of each work attached, made at Mount Yernon by the sworn appraisers, after the death of "Washington. These appraisers were Thompson Mason, Tobias Lear, Thomas Peter and "William H. Foote. It is proper to state that many of the titles in the catalogue are imperfectly, and some inaccurately given ; but it is here reproduced as copied from the orginal document among the public records at Alexandria. CATALOGUE. American Encyclopedia, 18 vols. 4to. Skombrand's Dictionary, 1 vol. Memoir of a Map of Hindostan, 1 do., 4to. Young's Travels, 1 do. Johnson's Dictionary, 2 vols. Guthrie's Geography, 2 do. Elements of Eigging, 2 do. . . : Principles of Taxation, 1 vol. Luzac's Oration's, 1 do., .... Mawe'a Gardener, 1 do. ... Jeffries Aerial Yoyage, 1 do. Beacon Hill, 1 do. Memoirs of the American Academy, (one of which is a Pamphlet,) 2 vols. . . • . Duhamel's Husbandry, 1 vol. Langley on Gardening, 1 do. . Price's Carpenter, 1 do. Count De Grasse, 1 do. Millers Gardener's Dictionary, 1 do. Gibson's Diseases of Horses, 1 do. Eumford's Essays, Miller's Tracts, 1 vol. 8vo. Rowley's Works, 4 vols. Eobertson's Charles Y., 4 do. . Gordon's History of America, 4 do. $150.00 7.50 8.00 4.00 10.00 20.00 20.00 2.00 1.00 4.00 1.00 1.00 3.00 2.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 5.00 3.00 3.00 2.00 12.00 16.00 12.00 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS, 877 Gibbon's Eoman Empire, 6 vols. Stanyan's Grecian History, 3 do. Adams' Kome, 2 do. . Anderson's Institute, 1 vol. Eobertson's America, 2 vol. Osian's Poem's, 1 vol. Humphrey's Works, 1 do. King of Prussia's Works, 13 vols. Gillies' Frederick, 1 vol. Goldsmith's Natural History, 8 vol. Locke on the Understanding, 2 do. Shipley's Works, 2 do. Buffon's Natural History, abridged, 2 do. Eamsay's History, 2 do. . The Bee, (thirteenth volume missing,) 18 Sully's Memoirs, 6 do. Pletcher's Appeal, 1 vol. History of Spain, 2 vols. 8vo. Jortin's Sermons, 2 do. Chapman on Education, 1 vol. Smith's Wealth of Nations, 3 vols. History of Louisiana, 2 vols. Warren's Poems, Junius' Letters, 1 do. . City Addresses, 1 do. Conquest of Canaan, 1 do. Shakespeare's Works, 1 do. Antidote to Deism, 2 vols. Memoirs of 2500, 1 vol. Forest's Voyage, 1 do., 4to Don Quixote, 4 vols. Ferguson's Eoman History, 3 do. . Watson's History of Philip II., 1 vol. . Barclay's Apology, 1 do. Uniform of the Forces of Great Britain in Ot way's Art of War, 1 do. Political States of Europe, 8 vols. 8vo. Winchester's Lecture's, 4 do. do. 1742, 1 do. $18.00 2.00 4.00 2.00 4.00 2.00 3.00 26.00 1.50 12.00 3.00 4.00 4.00 2.00 34.00 9.00 1.00 3.00 2.00 .75 4.50 2.00 .50 1.00 1.00 1.00 2.00 1.00 .75 3.00 12.00 12.00 4.00 3.00 20.00 3.00 20.00 6.00 378 MOUNT VERNON North Amer Principles of Hydraulics, 2 vols. Leigh on Opium, 1 vol. 8vo. Heath's Memoirs, 1 do. American Museum, 10 vols. Vertot's Rome, 2 do. Hart's Gustavus, 2 do. Moore's Navigation, 1 vol. Graham on Education, 1 do. History of the Mission among the Indians in ica, 1 do. French Constitution, 1 do, Winthrop's Journal, 1 do. American Magazine, 1 do. 8vo. * Watts' Views, 1 do. 4to. . . , History of Marshall Turenne, 2 vols. 8vo. Ramsay's Revolution of South Carolina, 2 do History of Quadrupeds, 1 vol. . Carver's Travels, 1 do. Moore's Italy, 2 vols. Moore's France, 2 do. Chastellux's Travels, 1 vol. Chasstellux's Voyages, 1 do. Volney's Travels, 2 vols. Volney's Ruins, 1 vol. Warville's Voyage, in French, 3 vols. . Warville on the Relation of France to the U. Miscellanies, 1 vol. 4to. Fulton on Small Canals and Iron Bridges, 1 Liberty, a poem, 1 do. . Hazard's Collection of State Papers, 2 vols. Young's Travels, 2 do. . West's Discourse, 1 vol. A Statement of the Representation of England, and Wales, Miscellanies, 2 vols. Political Pieces, 1 vol. . Treaties, 1 do. Annual Register for 1781, 1 do. 8vo. States, do. $2.00 .75 2.00 15.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 1.50 1.50 4.00 20.00 2.00 2.00 1.50 1.50 3.00 3.00 1.00 1.00 3.00 1.50 3.00 1.00 1.00 3.00 .50 5.00 4.00 2.00 Ido. .50 2.00 1.00 .50 .75 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS, 379 Masonic Constitution, 1 vol. 4to. . • , $1.00 Smith's Constitutions, 1 do. . , . , .50 Preston's Poems, 3 vols. . . . , 1.00 History of the United States, 1796, 1 vol. 8vo. . . .50 Parliamentary Debates, 12 vols. . . . 6.00 Mair's Book Keeping,l vol. . . . . 1.50 Miscellanies, 1 do. . . . . . 1.00 Proceedings of the East India Company, 1 do. fol. . 4.00 Ladies Magazine, 2 vols. 8vo. .... 3.00 Parliamentary Register, 7 do. . . . . 3.50 Fryer's Documents, 2 do. ... . 2.00 Remembrancer, 6 do. . . . . .3.00 European Magazine, 2 do. . . . . 3.00 Columbian " 5 do. . . . . 10.00 American " 1 vol. .... 2.00 New York " 1 do. . . . . 2.00 Christian's " 1 do. . . . . 2.00 Walker on Magnetism, 1 do. . . . . .50 Monroe's View of the Executive, 1 do. . . .75 Massachusetts Magazine, 2 vols. . . . .4.00 A Five Minutes Answer to Paine's Letter to General Wash- ington, 1 vol. ...... 1.00 Pohtical Tracts, 1 do. . . . . . 2.00 Proceedings on Parliamentary Reform, 1 do. . . 2.00 Poems on Various Subjects, 1 do. . . . .50 Plays, &c., 1 do. 75 Annual Register, 3 vols. . . . . 4.50 Botanico-Medical Dissertation, 1 vol. . . . .25 Oracle of Liberty, 1 do. . . . . .25 Cadmus, 1 do. . . . . . . 1.00 Doctrine of Projectiles, 1 do. . . . . .50 Patricius the Utilist, 1 do. 8vo. .... .50 Ahiman Rezon, 1 do. . . . . . 1.50 Sharp on the Prophecies, 1 do. . . . . .75 Minto on Planets, 1 do. . . . . .50 Sharp on the English Tongue, 1 do. . . . .50 Sharp on Limitation of Slavery, 1 do. . . 1.50 Sharp on the Peoples Rights, 1 do. . . . l.OQ 380 MOUNT VERNON Sliarp's Eemarks, 1 vol. National Defence, 1 do. . , Sharp's Free Militia,! do. Sharp on Congressional Courts,! do. Ahiman Eezin, 1 do. Vision of Columbus, ! do. Wilson's Lectures, 1 do. Miscellanies, 1 do. . The Contrast, A Comedy, ! do. Sharp, an Ajopendix on Slavery, 1 do. Muir's Trial, ! do. EndofTime, ! do. Erskine's View of the War, 1 do. Political Magazine, 3 vols. The Law of Nature, 1 vol. 12mo. Washington's Legacy, 1 do. Political Tracts, 1 do. 8vo. America, ! do. Proofs of a Conspiracy, ! do. Mackintosh's defence, ! do. Miscellanies, 1 do. Mirabean, ! do. Virginia Journal, 1 do. 4to. Miscellanies, ! do. 8vo. Poems, &c., 1 do. 4to. Morse's Geography, ! do. 8vo. Messages &c., 1 do. History of Ireland, 2 vols. Harte's Works, ! vol. Political Pamphlets, 1 do. Burn's Poems, 1 do. Political Tracts, ! do. Miscellanies, ! do. Higgins on Cements, 1 do. . Repository, 2 vols. Reign of George III., 1 vol. . Political Tracts, ! do, . Tar Water, 1 do. $ .50 .50 .50 .75 1.00 .50 .75 1.00 .75 .50 .75 .75 1.00 4.50 .75 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.50 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.25 1.00 2.00 1.00 2.00 1.25 1.00 2.00 .75 1.00 1.00 3.00 1.00 1.25 .75 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 381 Minot's History, 1 do. Mease on the Bite of a Mad Dog, 1 do. Political Tracts, 1 do. Eeports, 1 do. . . • Eevolution of France, 1 do. Essay on Property, 1 do. Sir Henry Clinton's Narrative, 1 do. Lord North's Administration, 1 do. Lloyd's Ehapsodyj 1 do. . Tracts, 1 do. . Inland Navigation, 1 do. . Chesterfield's Letters, 1 do. Smith's Constitutions, 1 do. 4to. Morse's Geography, 2 vols. 8vo. Belknap's American Biography, 2 vols. Belknap's History of New Hampshire, 1 vol. " " " " 3 vols, Minot 's History of Massachusett's, 1 vol Jenkinson's Collection of Treaties, 3 vols. District of Maine, 1 vol. 8vo. Grulliver's Travels, 2 vols. Tracts on Slavery, 1 vol. Priestley's Evidences, 1 do. Life of Buncle, 2 vols. Webster's Essays, 1 vol. Bartram's Travels, 1 vol. Bossu 's Travels, 2 vols. Situation of America, 1 vol. JeflFerson's Notes, 1 do. Coxe's View, 1 do. Ossian's Poem's, 1 do. Adams on Globes, 1 do. . Pike's Arithmetic, 1 do. Bunaby's Sermons and Travels, 1 do, Champion on Commerce, 1 do. Brown's Bible, 1 vol. fol. Bishop Wilson's Bible, 3 vols. $ .75 1.75 1.00 1.50 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.50 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.50 1.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 5.00 2.00 6.00 1.50 1.50 1.00 1.00 3.00 1.50 2.00 3.00 1.00 1.50 1.50 1.50 2.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 15.00 60.00 382 MOUNT VERNON. Bishop "Wilson's Works, 1 vol. . . i . $15.00 Laws of New York, 2 vols. . . . 12.00 Laws of Virginia, 2 vols. .... 3.00 Middleton's Architecture, 1 vol. . . . 3.00 Miller's Naval Architecture, 1 do. . . . 4.00 The Senator's Eemembrancer, 1 do. . . . 3.00 The Origin of the Tribes or Nations in America, 1 do. 8vo. 75 A Treatise on the Principles of Commerce between Na- tions, 1 do. . . . . . .50 Annual Register, 1 do. . . . . . .50 General Washington's Letters, 2 vols. . . 4.00 Insurrection, 1 vol. ..... .50 American Remembrancer, 3 vols. . . . 1.50 Epistles for the Ladies, 1 vol. .... .50 Discourses upon Common Prayer, 1 do. . . .25 The Trial of the Seven Bishops, 1 do. 8vo. . . .50 Lebroune's Surveyor, 1 do. foL . . . 1.00 Sharp's Sermons, 1 do 8vo. . . . . .50 Muir's Discourses, 1 do. . . . . .75 Emblems, Divine and Moral, 1 do. . . . 1.00 Yorick's Sermons, 2 vols. . . . . 1.00 D'lvernois on Agriculture, Colonies and Commerce, 1 vol. .75 Pocket Dictionary, 1 do. . . . . . .25 Prayer Book, 1 do. .... 1.50 Royal English Grammar, 1 do. . . . . .35 Principles of Trade compared, 1 do. . . . .50 Dr. Morse's Sermon, 1 do. . . . . .50 Duche's Sermon, 1775, 1 do. ... .50 Sermons, 1 do. . . . • • . .50 Embassy to China, 1 do. . . . . 1.00 Warren's Poems, 1 do. . ... . . 1.00 Sermons, 1 do. ..... .25 Humphrey Clinker, I do. . . . . . .25 Poems, 1 do. . . • - • • .50 Swift's Works, 1 do. 50 History of a Foundling, (3d vol. wanting,) 3 vols. 1.50 Adventures of Telemachus, 2 do. • • ' ''*'^" AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS, 383 Nature Displayed, 1 vol. Solyman and Almenia, 1 do. . Plays, 1 do. The High German Doctor, 1 do. Benezet's Discourse, 1 do. Life and Death of the Earl of Rochester, 1 do. Journal of the Senate and House of Eepresentatives, 9 vols. fol. ..... Laws of the United States, 7 do. Revised Laws of Virginia, 1 vol. Act of Virginia Assembly, 5 vols. Cruttwell's Concordance, 1 vol. Dallas's Reports, 1 do. 8vo. Swift's System, 2 vols. , .... Journals of the Senate and House of Representatives, 3 do State Papers, 1 vol. ..... Burn's Justice, 4 vols. .... Marten's Law of Nations, 1 vol. Views of the British Customs, 1 do. Debates of Congress,. 3 vols. .... Journal of Congress, 13 do. . . . Laws of the United States, 3 do. . Kirby's Reports, 1 vol. .... Virginia Justice, do. ..... Virginia Laws, 1 do. Dogge on Criminal Law, 3 vols. Laws of the United States, 2 do. . Debates of the State of Massachusetts on the Constitu- tion, 1 vol. . . ... Sharp on the Law of Nature, 1 do. Sharp on the Law of Retribution, 1 do. Sharp on Libels and Juries, 1 do. . Acts of Congress, 1 do. .... Debates of the Convention of Virginia, 1 do. The Landlord's Law, 1 vol. 12mo. Attorney's Pocket Book, 2 vols. 8vo. President's Messages, 1 vol. .... 11.00 .50 .50 .25 .25 25 27.00 28.00 10.00 100 5.00 3.00 3.00 6.00 2.00 12.00 1.50 1.00 4.50 40.00 6.00 2.00 1.00 1.00 4.50 4.00 .50 .25 .25 .25 .75 .50 .25 1.00 2.00 384 MOUNT VEKNON Jay's Treaty, 1 vol. .... Debates of the Convention of Massachusetts, 1 do. Law against Bankrupts, 1 do. . Debates in the Convention of Pennsylvania, 1 do. Debates in the Convention of Virginia, 1 do. Debates in the House of Representatives of the United States with respect to their power on Treaties, 1 do. Sundry Pamphlets, containing Messages from the Presi- dent to Congress, &c., Orations, 1 vol. 4to. Gospel News, 1 vol. 8vo. Mosaical Creation, 1 vol. 8vo. Original and Present State of Man, 1 vol. Sermons, 2 vols. Political Sermons, 3 do. Miscellanies, 1 vol. Eay on the Wisdom of God in Creation, 1 do. Orations, 1 do. Medical Tracts, 2 vols. Masonic Sermons, 1 vol. Miscellanies, 1 do. Backus's History, 1 do. Sick Man Visited, 1 do. State of Man, 1 do. Churchill's Sermon, 1 do. Account of the Protestant Church, 1 do. Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles, 1 do. Dodington's Diary, 1 do. Davies' Cavalry, 1 do. Simm's Military Course, 1 do. Gentlemen's Magazine, 3 vols. Library Catalogue, 1 vol. Transactions of the Royal Humane Society, 1 do. Zimmermans' Survey, 1 do. History of Barbary, 1 do. Anson's Voyage around the World, 1 do. Horseman and Farrier, 1 do. . • . \ .50 .50 .50 .50 .50 .50 1.00 .50 1.00 .75 .50 1.50 2.25 .75 1.00 ,75 1.50 .50 .75 1.00 .75 .75 .75 .75 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 4.50 1.50 3.00 .75 .75 1.00 1.00 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 335 Gordon's Geography, 1 vol. . , , . $1.00 Kentucky, 1 do ..... .75 History of Viginia, 1 do. . , , , . i.qO American Kevolution, 1 do. . . . , i.qO Cincinnati, 1 do. . . . . , i.oo Political Tracts, 1 do. . . . . . .75 Remarks on the Encroachments of the River Thames,! do. .50 Sharp on Crown Law, 1 vol. 8vo. ... .50 Common Sense, &c., 1 vol. . . . . . .75 Hardy's Tables, 1 do. .... .75 Beauties of Sterne, 1 do. . ... . , .75 Peregrine Pickle, 3 vols. . . ' . . 1.50 McFingal, 1 vol. . . . . . . .50 Memoirs of the Noted Buckhouse, 2 vols. . . 1.50 Odyssey, (Pope's Translation of Homer,) 5 vols. . . 3.00 Miscellaflies, 3 do. . . . . . 1.50 Fitz Osborne's Letters, 1 do. . , . . .50 Voltaire's Letters, 1 do .... .50 Guardian, 2 vols. ...... 1.00 Beauties ofSwift, Ivol ..... .50 The Gleaner, 3 vols. . . . . „ 3.OO Miscellanies, 2 do. . . . . , 1.50 Lee's Memoirs, 1 vol. ..... 1.00 . The Universalist, 1 do. . . . • 1.00 Chesterfield's Letters, 4 vols. .... 2.00 Louis XV., ...... 3.00 Bentham's Panopticon, 3 do . . . . 2.00 Reason, &c., 1 vol. ..... .50 Tour through Great Britain, 4 vols. . . . 3.00 Female Fortune-Hunter, 3 do. . . . 1.00 The Supposed Daughter, 3 do. . . . . 1.50 Gil Bias, 4 do. . . . . . . 3.00 Columbian Grammar, 1 vol. . . . . .50 Frazier's Assistant, 1 do. „ . . . . .50 Review of Cromwell's Life, 1 do. . . , , .75 Seneca's Morals, 1 do. . . . . . .75 Travels of Cyrus, 1 do. , " , , .75 386 MOUNT VERNON Miscellanies, 1 vol. , . .... .75 Charles XII, 1 do. . . . , , . .50 Emma Corbett (the 2d volume wanting), 2 vols. . 1.00 Pope's Works, 6 vols. 12mo. .... 2.00 Foresters, 1 vol. . . . . . . .50 Adam's Defence, 1 vol. 8vo. . . . . .75 Butler's Hudibras, 1 vol. . . . .1.00 Spectator, 6 vols. ...... .3.00 New Crusoe, 1 vol. ..... .75 Philadelphia Gazette, 1 vol. fol. . . . .10.00 Pennsylvania Packet, 2 vols. . . . . 12.00 Gazette of the United States, 10 do. ... 40.00 Atlas to Guthrie's Geography, 1 vol. . . . 40.00 Moll's Atlas, 1 do 10.00 West India Atlas, 1 do. . . . . . 20.00 General Geographer, 1 do. , . . 30.00 Atlas of North America,l d.o . . . . 10.00 Manoeuvres,, 1 vol. 8vo. .... 1.00 Military Instruction, 1 vol. .... .50 Count Saxe's Plan for New Modelling the French Army, 1 do. .50 Military Disipline, 1 vol. 4to. .... 2.00 Prussian Evolutions, 1 vol. . ... 1.50 Code of Military Standing Kesolutiojas, 2 vols. . . 4.00 Field Engineer, 1 vol. 8vo. .... 1.50 Army List, 1 vol. ..... .75 Prussian Evolutions, 1 vol. 4to. . . . . .50 LeBlond's Engineer, 2 vols. 8 vo. . . . 3.00 Muller on Fortification, 1 vol. .... 2.00 Essay on Field Artillery, by Anderson, Ido. . . .75 A System of Camp Disipline, 1 do . . . . 2.00 Essay on the Art of War, 1 do. . . . 1.00 Treatise of Military Disipline, 1 do. . . . . 1.50 List of Military Officers, British and Irish, in 1777, 1 do. .50 Vallancey on Fortifications, 1 do. . . . 1-50 Muller on Artillery, 1 do. . . . . 1.50 Muller on Fortifications, 1 do . . . • 2.00 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 337 Militia, 1 vol. 8vo. ..... $.100 American Atlas, 1 vol. fol. .... 4.00 Steuben's Regulations, 1 vol. 8 vo. . . , . ,75 Traite de Cavalerie, 1 vol. fol. . . . 6.00 Truxton on Latitude and Longitude, 1 vol. . . 1.50 Ordinances of the King, 1 do. . . . 2.00 Magnetic Atlas, 1 do. . . . . . 1.00 Eoads through England, 1 vol. Svo. . 1.00 Carey's War Atlas, 1 vol. fol. . . . . .75 Colles's Survey of Roads, 1 vol. Svo. ... .50 Military Institutions for Officers, 1 vol. . . .50 Norfolk Exercise, 1 do. . . . . .25 Advice of the Officers of the British Army, 1 do. . .35 "Webb's Treatise on the Appointment of the Army, 1 do. .25 Acts of the Parliament respecting Militia, 1 do. . .25 The Partisan, 1 do. . . . . . .50 Anderson on Artillery, (in French,) 1 do. . . .25 List of Officers under Sir William Howe in America, 1 do. ..... . .25 The Military Guide, 1 do. . . . . .50 The Duties of Soldiers in General, 3 vols. . . 1.5q Young's Tour, 2 do. . . . . . 3.00 Young on Agriculture, (17 vols, full bound, 8 half bound, and 1 pamphlet,) 26 do. . . . 50.00 Anderson on Agriculture, (1 vol. full bound, the others in boards,) 4 do. . . . . . 8.00 Lisle's Observations on Husbandry, 2 do. . . 3.00 Museum Rusticum, 6 do. . . . . 10.00 Marshall's Rural Ornament, 2 do. . . . 4.00 Barlow's Husbandry, 2 do. . . . . 3.00 Kennedy on Gardening, 2 do. . . . 2.00 Hale on Husbandry, 4 do. . . . . 6.00 Sentimental Magazine, 5 do. . . . . 1600 Price on the Picturesqne, 2 do. . . . .4.00 Agriculture, 2 do. . . . . . 2.00 Miller's Gardener's Calendar, 1 vol. . . . 2.00 Rural Economy, 1 vol. . . . . 1.00 388 MOUNT VERNON Agricultural Inquiries, 1 vol. . , . . $1.00 Maxwell's Practical Husbandry, 1 do. . , 2.00 Bos well on Meadows, 1 do. . . . 1.00 Gentleman Farmer, 1 do. . . . . 1.50 Practical Farmer, 1 do. .... 1.50 Millwright and Miller's Guide, 1 do. . . 2.00 Bordley on Husbandry, 1 do. . . , . 2.25 Sketches and Inquiries, 1 do. . . . 2.00 Farmer's Complete Guide, 1 do. . . 1.00 The Solitary or Carthusian Gardener, 1 do. . 1.00 Homer's Illiad, by Pope, (first two vols, wanting,) 4 vols. 2.00 Don Quixote, 4 do. . . . . . 3.00 Federalist, 2 do. . . . . . 3.00 The World Displayed, (13th vol. wauting,) 19 do. 12mo. 9.50 Search's Essays, 2 do. 8vo. .... 2.00 Freneau's Poems, 1 vol. . . . . 1.00 Cattle Doctor, 1 do. . , . . .75 Stephens's Directory, 1 do. . . . .50 New System of Agricultures 1 do. . . . .50 Columbvis's Discovery, 1 do. . . . .25 Moore's Travels, 5 vols. . . . . 4.00 Agricultural Society of New York, 1 vol. 4to. . 2.00 Transactions of the Agricultural Society of New York, Ido. ...... 1.00 Annals of Agriculture, 1 do. . . . 2.00 Dundonald's Connection between Agriculture and Chem- istry, 1 do. . . . . . 1.00 Labors in Husbandry, 1 do. . . . . 1.00 Account of diifereut Kind of Sheep, 1 do.. 8vo. . .50 The Hot-house Gardener, 1 do. . . . 1.50 Historical Memoirs of Frederick II., 3 vols. . 1.00 Treatise on Peat Moss, 1 vol. . . . . .60 Treatise on Bogs and Swampy grounds, 1 do. . .75 Complete Farmer, 1 do. fol. .... 6.00 Pamphlets. Keports of the National Agricultural Society of Great Britain, 100 Nos., 4to. . . 25.00 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 389 V Pamphlets. Massachusetts Magazine, 41 Nos. 8vo. . , $6.00 New York Magazine, 38 do. . . . 6.00 London Magazine, 18 do. . . . . 3.00 Political Magazine, 8 do. .... 1.00 Universal Asylum, 9 do. . . . .1.50 Universal Magazine, 11 do. . . . ' 1.50 Country Magazine, 15 do. . . . . 2.00 Monthly and Critical Eeviews, 11 do. . . 2.00 Gentleman's Magazine, 8 do, . . . .1.00 Congressional Register, 9 do. . . . 1.00 Miscellaneous Magazine, 27 do. . . . 3.00 Tom Paine's Rights of Man, 43 do. . . 15.00 Miscellaneous Magazine, 27 do. . . . . 4.00 Boohs Hazard's Collection of State Papers, 2 vols. 4to. 5.00 Morse's American Gazetteer, 1 vol. 8vo. . . 2.00 Annals of Agriculture, (20 and 21) 2 vols. . . 3.00 On the American Revolution, 1 vol. . , 1.50 15 Pamphlets, Annals of Agriculture, . . .2.50 Judge Peters on Plaster of Paris, 1 vol. . . 1.50 Belknap's Biography, 1 do. . ... 1.50 American Remembrancer, 1 do. . . . .50 Federalist, 2 vols. ..... 1.50 A Pamphlet, The Debate of Parliament on the Articles of Peace, 1 vol. ..... .25 History of the American War in 17 Pamphlets, 1.50 Miscellaneous Pamphlets, 26 Nos. . . . 2.00 Washington, A Poem, .... 2.00 Alfieri, Bruto Primo, Italian Tragedy, . . 1.00 Fragment of Politics and Literature, by Mandrillon, (in French,) 1 vol. 8 vo. . . . . .75 Revolution of France and Geneva, (in French,) 2 vols. 2.00 History of the Administration of the finances of the French Republic, 1 do. . . . . 0.50 History of the French Administration, 1 do. . .75 The Social Compact, (in French, 1 do.) .25 390 MOUNT VEENON Books. Chastellux's Travels in North America, (in French.) 2 vols. 8vo. ..... $1.50 1 Pamphlet of the French Eevolution at Geneva, . .25 America Delivered, a Poem, (in French,) 3 vols. . 1.50 Sinclair's Statistics (in French,) 1 vol. . . 1.50 The Works of Monsieur Chamousset, (in French,) 2vols. 4.00 Letters of American Farmer, (in French,) 3 do. . 4.50 Germanicus, (in French,) 1 vol. ... .25 Triumph of the New World, (in French,) 2 vols. . 1.50 United States of America, (in German,) 1 vol. . 1.50 Chastellux, Discourse on the Advantage of the Discovery of America, 1 do. .... 1.00 A German Book, 1 do. . . . . .25 The French Mercury, (in French,) 4 vols, . . 3.00 Essay on Weights, Measures &c., 2 do. . . .75 History of England, 2 do. . . . . .25 Political Journal, (in German,) 1 vol. . . .50 Letters in French and English, 1 do. . . . .26 History of the Holy Scriptures, 1 do. . .25 History of Gil Bias, 2 vols. .... 1.00 Telemachus, 2 do. . . . . . 1.00 Poems of M. Grecourt, 2 do. . . . . .25 Court Kegister, 6 do. 12mo. .... 1.50 6 Pamphlets, Political Journal, (in German,) . . .50 Description of a Monument, 1 vol. ... .50 Beacon Hill, 1 do. . . . . . .35 Letters in the English and German Language, 1 do. . 25 A Family House-Keeper, 1 do. . . . .25 Pamphlets of different descriptions, . . 15.00 Maps, Charts, &c. Chart of Navigation from the Gulf of Honda 'j to Philadelphia, by Hamilton Moore I to[ ^^-00 Bay of Fundy, do. . . . .J Griffiths Map of Pennsylvania, and Sketch of Delaware, 8.00 Howell's Large Map of Pennsylvania, . . 10.00 1 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 39J Maps and CJiarts. Hem-y's Map of Virginia, .... $8.00 Bradley's Map of the United States, . . 5.00 Holland's Map of New Hampshire, . . . 3.00 EUicott's Map of the West End of Lake Ontario, . 4.00 Hntchins's Map of the "Western Part of Virginia, Mary- land, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, . 3.00 Adlum and Williams's Map of Pennsylvania, . . 2.00 Map of Kennebec Eiver, &c.. . . 1.00 Andrews Military Map of the Seat of War in the Neth- erlands, . . . . . 1.00 Howell's Small Map of Pennsylvania, . . . 2.00 Great Canal between Forth and Clyde, . . 2.00 Plan of the Line between North Carolina and Virginia, 2.00 M'Murray's Map of the United States, . . . 3.00 Military Plans of the American Eevolution, . 8.00 Evan's Map of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware, . . . . . 1.00 Plan of the Mississippi from the Eiver Iberville to the River Yazoo, ..... 2.00 Map of India, ...... 5.00 Chart of France, ..... 1.00 Map of the World, 50 Map of the State of Connecticut, . . . 2.00 Spanish Maps, . • . . . .50 Table of Commerce and Population of France, . .50 Battle of the Nile, &c., . .... 1.00 Eoutes and Order of Battle of Generals St. Clair and Harmar, . . . . . 1.00 Truxton on the Eigging of a Frigate, . . 1.00 View of the Encampment at West Point, .50' Emblematic Prints, .... 4.00 Plan of the Government and House of New York. .50 Chase and Action between the Constellation and Insur- gent, (two prints.) .... 4.00 General Wilkinson's Map of Part of the Western Territory, 1.00 Plan of Mount Vernon, by John Vaughan, . . 1.00 Specimen of Penmanship, .... .50 392 MOUNT VERNON Maps and Charts. 5 Plans of the Federal City and District, . . $5.00 1 Large Draft, 3.00 Plan of the City of New York, Panopticon, . . .80 Hoop's Map of the State of New York, . . 1.00 Howell's Pocket Map of the State of Pennsylvania, 2.00 A French Map of the Carolinas, . . . 2.00 Fry and Jefferson's Map of Virginia, . . , 2.00 Howell'^ Small Map of Pennsylvania, . . 2.00 A Map of New England, .... 2.00 9 Maps of different Parts of Virginia and Carolina, and also a number of loose Maps, . . . 52.00 Carlton's Map^ (2 sets,) of the coasts of North America, 8.00 Treatise on Cavalry, with large cuts, . . 50.00 Walker's View in Scotland, . . . . 3.00 A large Portfolio with sundry Engravings, . 40.00 Alexander's Victories, 26 prints, . . . 100.00 8 Eeams of large folio Paper, . . . 40.00 2 Reams of small Paper, .... 8.00 13 Reams of Letter Paper, .... 39.00 5 Whole Packages of Sealing-wax, . . . 5.00 5 Leaden Paper Presses, .... 5.00 6 Blank Books, 18.00 13 Small books, 2.00 1 Large Globe, 50.00 1 Trunk, 6.00 Boohs Omitted. Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, 4 vols. 8vo., . . 20.00 Smollet's History of England, 1vol. . . 11.00 Handmaid to the Arts, 2 vols. .... 2.00 Bancroft on PeVmanent Colors, 1 vol. . . 1.00 1 Theodolite, 50 AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 393 "Washington's Library contained above twelve hundred books and pamphlets, about one hundred Maps Charts and Plans, and a considerable number of Engravings. The whole had an appraised total money value of about two thousand six hund- red dollars. Nearly every work in the collection was of practical value to a man like Washington, and seemed to have been purchased for use as a mechanic would purchase his tools. Works of an imaginative character were comparatively few ; yet there was a sufficiency of light reading for the healthful amusement and culture of the younger and less thoughtful part of the house- hold. It will be observed that the Library was singularly barren in the more ephemeral political literature, both English and American, of the period immediately preceding the Revolu- tion, when pamphleteers in both hemispheres were very active. The dearth of such literature in the Library at Mount Yernon may be partly accounted for by the fact that previous to the Revolution, Washington avoided politics and public employ- ment as much as possible, as he had a natural dislike for them. He took only a general passing interest in the political agita- tions of the day, and lived the easy life of a country gentle- man of wealth, more interested in social enjoyments and the management of his large landed estate, than anything else. There is one book in existence which was at Mount Yer- non in the early years of Washington's married life, that does not appear in the catalogue. In a list of articles ordered by Washington, from London, for "Miss Custis, 6 years old," (seepage 74,) is named a "spinet," and "books, according to the inclosed list" — books for musical instruction. One of 394: MOUNT VERNON these, an octavo, entitled " The Complete Tutor for the Harp- sichord or Spinet," has upon a fly-leaf in the hand-writing of the eminent Elias Boudinot, the words, "Miss Boudinot's Book, presented by her friend, Mrs. Washington, 1780." Its frontispiece is a picture of a musician in the costume of about 1760, playing upon a Harpsichord in form precisely like the one delineated on page 282. The book is in the possession of John William Wallace, Esq., of Philadelphia, a descendant of Miss Boudinot. THE GROUNDS AEOUT THE MANSION. On page 156, mention is made of the lawn on the West front of the Mount Vernon Mansion, and the method observed in planting the trees. I have before me the original memo- randum made by Washington, concerning distances on that Western side, or main front of the house ; and also on the Eastern side or river front, where the great piazza is. The following is a copy of the memorandum : " MEMORANDUM. " From the middle of the front door to the centre of the line between the Garden Houses, is N. "56, 12 W* ; 111 feet to the west line of the store and Ho. oppositef — 148 feet to the outer part of the circle — 174 to the line between the two necessaries — 178 to the line of the trees — 267 to the line between the centre of the Garden Gates— 360 to the centre of the line be tween the Garden Houses. The line between the Store and Ho. opposite is N. °32, 15 E— 132 feet. The line between the centre of the Garden Gates, is N. *^33 . . . E. and The line between the Garden Houses is N. *'33, 45 E. From the necessary in the Lower Garden to the Mulberry Tree— reckoning from the wall of the Garden, io . - . . 25. 9 to the Spanish Chesnut is . . . . . 63. 3 and to the Cherry Tree is ..... 95. 9 From the necessaries in the Upper Garden, the distance from the Garden Wall to the Enfrlish Walnut, is 25, 9. to the Spanish Chestnut 63. 3. and to the Cherry Tree, 95. 9. the same as on the other side. * 8.V feet to circle— 29 to the grass— 79 to Dial-po-^t. t 138 to the edge of the inner circle. AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. "Tuz-^ 0«>2- CVy Bassett, Colonel, J. P. Custis dies at the honse of 127 Bastile, key of, presented to Washington 231 Bastile, sketch of ..,. 231 " destruction of 234 " site of 234 " picture of destruction of 235 " picture of key of 337 Battle-sword of Washington preserved I34 " where manufactured I34 " with Franklin's staff 134 Bed and hedstoad on which Washington died kept as sacred mementos at Arlington Honse, 337 " description of 337 •• picture of 337 Belvoir, the scat of the Fairfaxes 43 " mansion of the Fairfaxes consumed by fire 106 " owner of never returned from England 106 I>ianca, Florida, the Spanish premier, letter of, to Washington 190 Bible on which Washington took the oath of office in 1789 216 " inscription on 216 " picture of 21 6 " in possession of St. John's Lodge, in New Tork 217 Bier upon which the body of Washington was conveyed to the tomb 343 Billy, one of Washington's favorite servants, known to Westford 353 " death of, hastened by intemperate habits 353 Birth ofWashington 33 Birth-place of Washington 34 " present desolation of 35 " picture of the inscribed stone that marks it 36 Bishop, Washington's body-servant 77, 120 Bishop White, at the farewell dinner given by Washington in Philadelphia in 1797 294 Blues, McPherson's, picture of uniform of 343 " sis survivors of, in 1869 347 Bonaparte, respect paid to the memory of Washington by 350 Book-plate, Washington's, picture of 27 Boot-jack, Washington's travelling, picture of 109 Boundary disputes between the French and English 53 Box made of the wood of che oak tree that sheltered Wallace after the battle at Falkirk, sent to Washington by the Earl of Buchan 272 Box sent to Washington by the Earl of Buchan recommitted to his care by the Will of the General 275 Braddock, General 55 " calls a council at Alexandria 66 " invites Colonel Washington to his quarters 56 " invites Washington to become his aide 57 Bradford, Mr., impromptu effusion of, on learning the misfortunes of Lafayette 301 Brevoort, J. Carson, owner of Pine's portrait of Washington 182 Bridport, Lord, respect paid to the memory of Washington by 349 Brienne, Marchioness de, sister of Count de Moustier, at Mount Vernon 198 " painted a miniature of Washington 198 " her picture of Wtishington and Lafayette 199 Brown, Dr., called to attend Washington in his last illness 3-^3 Burgesses, Virginia, Washington a member of, the House of 85 INDEX. 432 ?AQB Bn»hn)d "Washington, nephew of the General, comes Into possession of Mount Vernon, on the death of Mrs. Washington 350 " appointed by President Adams to be Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States 357 " portrait of 351 Butter-bowl, china, that belonged to "Washington 356 Button, military, belonging to "Washington's coat 95 Buttons stolen from military coat of "Washington 95 C. Calvert, Benedict, miniature of daughter of, painted by Peale 98 " daughter of, wife of John Parke Custis 98 Camp-chest, leathern, used by "Washington in 1753, picture ol 53 Canaelabra, mural, used in "Washington's dining-room at Philadelphia, described 315 " picture of 315 Candlesticks, "Washington's, massive silver 317 " picture of 317 Capitol, singular historical fact respecting the site of the 260 " corner-stons of the north wing of, laid in September, 1793 261 " plan for the, submitted by Dr. Thornton, approved by "Washington 261 Carey's House, at Alexandria, place where Braddock had his quarters 56 " picture of • 56 Carpenter's Hall, place of meeting of the firat Congress 104 Carrington, Mrs., her description of Mrs. "Washington at home 218 Carroll, Charles, of Carrollton 140 " son of, a suitor for the hand of Nelly Custis 325 " letter of Q. "W. P. Custis to Washington, respecting son of, as a suitor for the hand of Nelly Custis 325 Carthagena, British soldiers perish at 4j Cassoday, Alexander, drawing by, of "Washington's secretary 228 Cave Castle, the seat of "Washington's ancestors in England 29 " picture of 29 Century plant at Mount "Vernon 158 Chairs at Mount Vernon, pictures of 69 " described by "Washington 69 Chamberlayne, Mr., the host of "Washington when he first saw Mrs. Custis 62 " Colonel "Washington lingers at the house of 63 Chastellux, Marquis de, at Mount Vernon in 1781 120 " sketch of 122 * por trai t of 1 23 " "Washington's letter to 123 Chatham, Earl of, his opinion of the Continental Congress 105 Children, great fondness of "Washington for 280 Chimney-piece presented to "Washington by Samuel Vaughan, of London 185 " picture of 186 China, 86vres, belonging to "Washington 253 China, Cincinnati, presented to "Washington 253 " picture of 254 " Mrs. "Washington's 254 " picture of Mrs. "Washington's 255 Christ Church, Alexandria, "Washington a vestryman of 90 " "Washington's pew in 90 " picture of gj Christmas at Mount Vernon in 1788 146 Cincn„nati china, picture of 254 Cinciiinati. Society of the, account of the formutioo of 141 " object of 142 " constitution . 142 28 434 INDEX. Cincinnati, Society, order of 143 " epiondid order of; presented to Washington by French soldiers 144 " member's certificate of 145 " Washington president-general of the Society of the 146 " Knox secretary of the Society of the 146 City Tavern, Philadelphia, Washington entertained at a sumptuous banquet at 212 Clarke, maker of Washington's coach 249 Clinton, George, Washington's letter to, on Peace 131 " at Washington's inauguration in 1789 216 " at the Presitient's table 22.3 Clothes, military, Washington lays aside hia 133 Coach, Washington's English 245 " picture and description of 246 " emblazoning upon 247 " picture on panel of 248' " Washington's letters about 249 ** fete of 249 " used by him on his journey from Philadelphia to Mount Vernon in 1791 267 Coasters, wine, invented by Washington 263 " their popularity 264 " picture of 265 Cochran, Dr. John, Washington's letter to 136 Coffee-pot, Washington's silver 265 Coffins, marble, remains of Washington and his wife re-entombed In, in 1887 — 354 Coffin of Washington 340 " inscription on plates on 340 Coffin, marble, of Washington, picture of 356 " sculptured lid of Washington's, picture of 356 Column of July in the Place de Bastile 234 Commission as commander-in-chief resigned by Washington in 1783 132 Commissioners of Maryland and Virginia, consult Washington in 1785 I93 Confederation, Articles qf, inefficiency of 192 " movement toward the amendment of 192 Congress, general, proposed by Dr. Franklin, meets at Philadelphia 100 " assembling of delegates to 102 " opening of the session of 103 " officers of 104 " resolution adopted by 104 " adjourned to meet in May, 1776, if necessary 106 Congress, Continental, action of 113 " adopt an army 113 " choose Washington commander-in-chief II3 Congress, Federal, vote a bronze equestrian statue to Washington in 1783 171 Congress, meeting of, at Philadelphia 250 " action of concerning seat of government 259 " verses, respecting the removal of 260 " effects of removal of 261 " Joint resolutions adopted by, on the occasion of the death of Washington 345 Conogochoague 257. 2.58 Conservatory at Mount Vernon destroyed by flre 160 " ruins of 160 Continental Congress, Washington a member of the 101 Convention, federal, adopt a constitution for the United States 194 " Washington a member of 194 Correspondence of Washington, extensive, in 1792 271 Cornwallis, Earl, joy caused by surrender of 127 Costume and manners of Washington while president 225 Craik, Dr. James, attends John Parke Custis 127 " at Mount Vernon 107 INDEX. 435 I'AOK Craik, Dr. James, mentioned in Washington's will g.^g " called to attend Washington in his last illness ggg " portrait of 333 " short biographical sketch of 1^9 Craik, Rev. lames, owns the secretary that belonged to Washington 228 Crayon profile of Washington 210 " of Mrs. Washington 211 Crest of Washington engraved upon his family plate . . 265 Cunningham, Miss Anna Pamela, regent of Mount Vernon 372 Cashing, wife of Judge, extract from a letter of, describing her visit at Mount Vernon in February, 1 799 333 Custis. Daniel Parke, Mrs. Washington's first husband gg " portrait of g^ Custis, Eleanor Parke, maiTiage of with Lawrence Lewis log " portrait of 128 Custis, Elizabeth Parke, description of the portrait of Igl " portrait of 182 "ustls. G. W. P., i)laces an inscribed stone on Washington's birth-place 3g " his Recollections of Washington gl " description by, of Washington on hia farm 83 " portrait of, when a child 183 " portrait of, at the age of seventeen years 308 " and G. W. Lafayette, personal friendship between, in youth ogr) " letter of; to Washington, respecting the son of Charles Carroll of CarroUton, as a suitor for the hand of Nelly Custis 325 " massive gold ring presented to Lafayette by, at the tomb of Washington 354 Oustis, John Parke, articles ordered from London for 73 " arms of family of 74 " portrait of, painted by Peale 98 " portrait of wife o^ painted by Peale 98 " at Mount Vernon 118 " Washington's letter to, during his stay at Mount Vernon 1 18 " children of, at Mount Vernon 125 " aide-de-camp of Washington 126 death of 127 " two children of, adopted by Washington 12T Custis, Mrs. Martha, afiSanced to Colonel Washington 63 " her fortune 63 " her iron chest 64 " articles for, ordered from London by Washington 70 Custis, Martha, daughter of Mrs. Washington, her sickness and death 519 " grief of Washington at the death of 99 Custis, Master and Miss, London orders of Washington for 74 " accompany Mrs. Washington to New York 222 vjustis, Nelly, a sop jf Charles Carroll of CarroUton a suitor for the hand of 325 " Lawrence Lewis a suitor for the hand of 325 ■* interesting anecdote of, told by Mr. Irving 326 " and Lawrence Lewis married on Washington's birthday, 1799. 327 D. Daggett, Dr., president of Tale College I95 Dandridge, Mr., private secretary of Washington in 1793 288 Davis, Rev. Thomas, books presented to him by Washington on the occas on of his officiat- ing at the marriage of Nelly Custis 328 Death-bed of Washington, resignation of Mrs. Washington exhibited at .3.36 " why no clergyman was present at 336 Death-chamber of Washington, thoughts suggested to the author by a visit to 339 Death of George A. Washington, nephew of the General 278 436 INDEX. PAoa I>«Bth of Wdshington, system of management, written by the General, completed only four days before 329 " health and vigor of Washington only a few days before 329 " detailed account of the illness preceding 330, 335 " announced to (. ongress by Hon. John Marshall of Virginia 345 Dclauiiay, governor of the Bastile 333 D'Kstaing presents a bust of M. Necker to Washington 241 " fate of 242 " lettersof 243 " Destiny of Washington," an allegorical painting 199 " pictureof 200 " description of 200 " history of 201 Diary, Washington's, kept in the blank leaves of the Virginia Almanac 80 " headings of pages in 80 " fac-simile of entry in 81 " extract from, concerning furniture 227, 228 " note made in it on the 11th of December, 1799 330 Dick, Dr., consulted by Dr. Craik on the occasion of Washington's last illness 333 Dinner, at the table of Washington, the artist Robertson's description of 273 Dinner, farewell, of Washington, at Philadelphia, in 1797 294 Dinner, Washington sits down to, without changing his damp clothes, December 12, 1799. . 330 Dinwiddle, Governor, sunds Washington to Ohio ^3 Dress of Washington at his second inauguration minutely described 285 Dress-sword of Washington, picture of *"•' Dry -well at Mount Vernon ■'"^ /Duer, President, on the anxiety of citizens to see Washington on his retirement from office, ^"'^ Dnnlap, William, paints Washington's portrait ■* '* Dunmore, unsuccessful attempt of, to desolate Mount Vernon ^^ Dunn, Washington's coachman Dutch tile in Washington's birth-place, picture of Earl of Buchan, letter of, accompanying the oaken box sent by him to Washinarton 373 Elizabethtown Point, Washington mot at, by a committee of Congiess 216 Elkanah Watson, anecdote of his, respecting his visit at Mount Vernon 3I8 EUenborough, Lord, nephew of, marries the granddaughter of Mrs. Washington 1^4 Emblazoning on Washington's coach, • 247 English traders driven sway from the Ohio by the French 53 Etiquette, doubts of Washington in relation 10 219 Eulogy of Washington written on the back of the Pitcher Portrait .364 Eulogy of Washington, written on the back of the Sharpless prollle . . 3G6, 368 Evans, Mrs. Eliza, daughter of General Anthony Walton White 80 Evening — a landscape, by Winstanley 319 Everett, Edward, large sum paid by, into tho treasury of the Ladies'' Mowit Vernon Amo- ciation 371 F. Fairfax, Ann6, wife of Lawrence Washington 42 Fairfax:, Bryan, at Mount Vernon with Major Gates 112 Fairfax, General, leader of the Parliamentary forces 28 Fail-fax, Lord 43 " large domain of, in Virginia 44 " death of, at Greenway Court, in 1782 44 Fairfax, Sir William 43 " a soldierin the Indies 45 " narratives of, influence young Washington 45 248 34 INDEX. ^3'j' Fairfax, Washington a vestryman of the parish of y^ Family dinner at Washington's house in New York ggg Family plate of Washington made over again In New York, and additions made to, in 1789. . ggg " several pieces of, now in use at Arlington House 2gg Farewell Address of Washington, prepared by Washi iigton at Mount Vernon 290 " profound sensation caused by Its publication 29j " said by Alison to be unequalled as an uninspired composition 291 Farewell dinner of Washington at Philadclpliia, in 1797 294 Federal city. Major L'Enfant employed to make a plan and survey of or^O " named by the commissioners without Washington's knowledge 270 " point of land selected by Washington for the o^q " singular historical fact respecting the site of the 270 " Washington meets commissioners to lay out 070 Federal Convention, Washington president of 194 Fencing, Washington takes lessons in, from Van Braam 50 Field, an English painter, takes a button from Washington's coat .... 95 " anecdote of 9g " becomes a bishop in Canada 97 First President of the United States, Washington elected ogg Flag, British, captured at Yorktown, presented to Washington, picture of 1 18 Flag Hessian, presented to Washington 116 " picture and description of 117 Flower-garden at Mount Vernon, plants in I57 Fort du Quesne taken possession of by Colonel Washington GO France, hostile attitude of, in 1795 320 " preparations made for war with, in 1798 321 •' pacific relations with, on the overthrow of the Directory by Napoleon Bonaparte. . 324 " unanimity of military leaders in looking to Washington in the impending war with, 32I Franklin, Dr., to superintend making of statue of Washington 172 Franklin's staff willed to Washington I34 Fraunces' Tavern, at New York, Washington parted with his officers at 131 Frederick the Great, his praise of Washington 116 Fredericksburg, Washington visits his mother at in 1781 129 Freemasons at the funeral of Washington 841, 343 French Directory, insolent attitude of, toward the United States .321 French dominion ceases south of Lake Erie, on Washington's taking Fort du Quesne 61 French minister, furniture of, purchased by Washington 228 French officers' admiration of Washington's mother 129 Frestel, M., tutor of young Lafayette, favorable mantion of, by Washington • ,307 Funeral of Washington, det.ailed account of S40, 343 " minute guns fired from schooner of Mr. Robert Hamilton, during 341 Funeral procession of Washington, gentlemen who made the arrangements for 341 " composition and order of 342 G. Galveston, Spanish shlp-of-war, salntes Washington . 214 Garden-house at Mount Vernon, picture of ■ • 1,57 Gardens at Mount Vernon 156 Gardoqui, Don Diego, at Washington's table 222 Gates, Major Horatio, at Mount Vernon 107 '• sketch of portrait of 110 " with Bryan Fairfax, at Mount Vernon 112 Germantown, Washington proposes to call Congress together at, in consequence of the pres- ence of yellow fever in Philadelphia 2,87 " family of Washington at, in the summer of 1794 288 Giles, Tommy, notice of 260,261 Gist, agent of English Ohio Company, questioned by an Indian 52 Glass-ware, first manufactured in the United States 204 " Washington's letter to JefT^rson respecting 203 438 INDEX. PAQI Gloucester, Duke of, speaks of the Americans in presence of Lafoyette loa Goblets, silver, belonging to Washington 137 " picture of one 138 Gold medal decreed to Washington by Congress for the recovery of Boston 115 " picture of 116 Gorget, silver, worn by Washington, while in the colonial service, history of, by Mr. Qmncy 359 Graham, Mrs. Macaulay, modest allusion of Washington to the visit of, in 1785 3:28 Gray's Ferry, Washington's reception at 212 Groone, General, Washington dines with the widow of, in 1791 260 Greens, Eev. Ashbel, particular description by, of Washington's habits at table 297 Greenway Court 44 Greenwood, Isaac I., owner of Washington's pistols 240 Gunston Hall, the seat of George Mason 85 H. Hale, Sir Matthew, his " Contemplations Moral and Divine," read by Washington's mother, 31 Hallam, Lewis, at the head of a company of players 78 Hamilton, Alexander, letter of, to Washington, on peace 130 " proposes a convention of states to amend the Ariiole.^ of Confederation 192 " urges Washington to accept office a second term 283 " appointed first major-general of the Provisional Army C23 Hamilton, Mr. Robert, fires minute guns from his schooner during the funeral of Wasliington :!41 Harpsichord presented to Nelly Custis by Washington 381 " now at Arlington House ZSi Harrison, Benjamin, goes with Washington to the Congress in 1776 113 " governor of Virginia, letter of, respecting the statue of Washington 175 Hay, Colonel Samuel, pistols presented to, by Washington 240 Henry Lee, General, portrait of 246 Henry, Patrick, speech of, in Virginia Assembly 85 " at Mount Vernon, on his way to the first Congress 102 " portrait of 103 " business of Congress opened by 104 Head-quarters, Washington's first 54 " picture of • • • • 55 Home of Washington, as It was in 1759 67 Home and tomb of Washington to be ever cherished as memorial treasures .373 Ilopkinson, Francis, portrait of, painted by Pine 180 " letter of Washington to, in relation to his sitting to Pine for his portrait 180 Hospitalities, Washington's, reasons for declining, on his Southern tour in 1791 268 Houdon, the sculptor, engaged to make a statue of Washington 175 " his bust of W.ashington 176 " letter of Washington to 176 Houdon's bust of Washington, picture of 163— the Original mask 374 Hounds, French, presented to Washington by Lafayette 183 " anecdote of one of them 1 84 Humphreys, Colonel, accompanies Washington to Mount Vernon in 1761 120 " resident guest at Mount Vernon 195 " portrait of 1 95 " brings pictures from King Lonis to Washington 196 " writes his Life of Putnam at Mount Vernon 196 Hunting establishment at Mount Vernon broken up 184 I. Ice-house at Mount Vernon, picture of 161 Inauguration of John Adams 205 Inauguration of Washington, as first president of the United States 215 " less parade at the second than at the first 2S4 " pleasant picture of the second 284 Inkstand of Washington, description of 313 " picture of 314 iNDEX. 439 jr, PAOB Jackson, Major, accompanies "Washington to Mount Vernon and on hla Southern tour, in 1791 267 Jnuo and Mary Washington, autographs of 33 Jay, John, letter of Washington to, in 1786 igg " anxiety of Washington respecting the treaty made by 289 Jay, Rev. William, impromptu lines of, on seeing a picture of Mount Vernon 373 Jefferson, Thomas, letter of, respecting Hondon 175 " letter of, respecting bust of Lafayette 843 K, Key of the Bastile, letter of Washington to Lafayette respecting the 237 Ki tchen and dancing-hall erected by Mr. Custis at Arlington Spring 267 Knox, General, Washington's letter to, respecting his going into office 205 " at Washington's inauguration 213 " letter of Washington to, two days before his retirement to private life 292, 297 " appointed third major-general of the Provisional Army 323 li. Ladies^ Moimt Vernon Association the present owners of Mount Vernon o^j Lafayette, Marquis de, visit of, at Mount Vernon In 1784 jg3 " arrival of at New York, in 1784 jg4 " Washington's intuitive perception of his character on his first arrival ^q^ " letter of, to Washington at New York I(j5 " portrait of Igg " commander of National Guard in France 233 " sends key of Bastile to Thomas Paine, to be sent by him to Washington 234 " letter of, to Washington, presenting key of the Baslile 236 •' bust of, at Mount Vernon 243 " picture of bust of 244 " ceremony at the presentation of the bust of, to the city of Paris 345 " anxiety of Washington respecting the misfortunes of 299 " a prisoner in a dungeon at Olmutz for three years 303- " wife and daughters of, share his prison at Olmutz 303 " letter of Washington to, respecting his son 206 " massive gold ring presented to, by Mr. Custis, at the tomb of Washington 354 Lafayette, George Washington, accompanies Washington to Mount Vernon, on his retire- ment from office in 1797. 299 " portrait of 30q " arrives at Boston from France in 1795 3q3 " parental feelings of Washington toward 303 " reasons of state govern Washington's manner of receiving, on his arrival from France, 303 " letter of Edward Livingston to 3O5, " resolution of Congress respecting 305 " return of to France, in 1797 306 " letter of to G. W. P. Custis, in 1825 309 Lafayette, Madame, letter of Washington to 148 . " her admiration of Washington 166 " sends Masonic apron to Washington . 167 " picture of Masonic apron sent by, to Washington 167 " Lament of Washington," poem from the pen of Attorney-General Bradford, respecting the misfortunes of Lafayette 301 Langdon, John, president of the United States senate pi-o tempore 206 " informs Washington by letter of his elevation to the presidency 206 Lantern, ancient iron, eighty years at Mount Vernon, now at Arlington House 315 " picture of. 315 La Salle, commander-in-chief of the militia of Paris 232 Last illness of Washington, detailed account of 330, 3.35 Last woras of Washington 335 Lawrence Washington, goes to Barbadoes for his health 51 ^40 INDEX. rASR Lawrence Washlngtou, accompanied to Barbadoes by Ms brother George g^ " his return home from Barbadoes, and death 51 Lear, Tobias, becomes a resident at Mount Vernon 191 " his stay there remembered in Washington's 'will 191 " letters of Washington to, relating to his coach 249 " letters of Washington to, relating to his house and furniture in Philadelphia. . .250, 25.3 " residing in the family of Washington at the time of his last illness 330 Lee, General Charles, at Mount Vernon 107 " portrait of ^08 Lee, Elchard Henry, letter of, to Washington, when a child 37 " the first to congratulate Washington after his taking the oath of oflSce. . 216 " his opinion of The Bights of Man by Thomas Paine 276 " letter of AVashington to, respecting a newly-invented threshing-machine 287 " Invited to pronounce an oration on the occasion of Washington's funeral 346 " anecdote of, showing his familiarity with Washington 347 Lee, Mrs. Kobert E., the great-granddaughter of Mrs. Washington 99 Lemon-tree at Mount Vernon 158 L'Enfant Major, employed to furnish a plan and survey of the federal city 270 " his plans of the federal city approved of by Congress 271 Lepine, watches made by, purchased by Washington 220 Levees, Washington's 2i5 Lewis, George, inherits a sword from Washington 226 Lewis, Lawrence, a suitor for the hand of Nelly Custis. 325 " Invited to take up his residence at Mount Vernon in 1T98 324 " and Nelly Custis married on Washington's birthday, 1799 33T Lewis, Major, re-entombs remains of Washington and his wife in marble sarcophagi, in 1887, 354 Lewis, Robert, instructed by Washington in the management of his estate 371 Lexington, efl'ects of the news of the battle of, at Mount Vernon 112 Liquor-chest that belonged to Washington, remaining at Mount Vernon in 1 857 360 " picture of 361 Livermore, Mr. George, his acconnt of a silver gorget, a relic of Washington's earlier life.. .. 358 Livingston, Chancellor, administers the oath of oflice to Washington in 1789 215 Livingston, Edward, letter of, to George Washington Lafayette 305 Livingston, Governor, entertains Mrs. Washington 323 Livingston, Kcbert K., secretary fot foreign affairs 130 " letter of, to Washington, communicating the news of the conclusion of peace, in 1788, 130 London Chronicle, sketch of Washington in 125 Louis XVI. sends an engi-aving of himself to Washington 196 Lunt, his lines on the burial-place of Washington 348 M. McCombs, house of, occupied by Washington 228 Macubbin, Mrs., opens a ball at Annapolis with Washington 132 McHenry, Mr. letter of Washington to, from Mount Vernon, after his retirement 312 " letter of Washington to, respecting the anticipated troubles with France 332 " anxiety of Washington expressed to, that his affairs might be found in order after his death 329 McKean, Sally, becomes the wife of the Marquis d'Vrugo 390 McPhorson's Blues, six survivors of, in 1859 a 347 " picture of uniform of 348 Madison, James, writes an inscription for the statue of Washingtoa . 174 " at Mount Vernon with Houdon, the French sculptor 177 Mansion near the Potomac, the home of the Washington family 32 Mansion, the presidential, at Philadelphia, picture of 267 Manuscript memorandum of Washington 163 Marble coffin of Washington, picture of 356 Marqu6e and Tent of Washington 138, 139 " picture of portmanteaux containing 140 Marriages of foreign envoys with American women, numerous 190 Marshall, Hon John, announces the death of Washington to Congress 315 INDEX. 441 PAOE Mason, George, Washington's neighbor nnd friend 85 Masonic apron presented to Washington by Madame Lafayette 167 " picture of. If 7 Massey, Rev. Lee, minister of Pohick Church. . . , y9 Maurepas, Count, remark of, in relation to Lafayette j(}4 Meade, Bishop, notice of M;\son L. Weems, by gg " letter of, in relation to Washington's English coach 249 Mercer, Dt. Hugh, at Mount Vernon 107 Miffl in, Governor, meets Washington on the frontiers of Pennsylvania 2H M ilitary clothes of Washington, picture of 133 Miniature of Washington, by Mrs. Sharpless % 31q Miniature portrait of Mrs. Washington, painted by Robertsor ip 1792 2.j4 Mirror of Washington still at Mount Vernon 3(52 " picture of. 361 Monuments of several members of the Washington family on the east side of the tomb ol the General 358 "Morning" and " Evening"— landscapes painted for Washington, by Winstanley, now at Arlington House 320 Morris, George P., his ode on Washington's sword and Franklin's staff 135 Morris, Gouverneur, stands to Houdon for the figure of Washington 179 " sends wine-coolers to Washington 262 Morris, Mrs., accompanies Mrs. Washington to New York 223 Morris, Robert, builds a studio for Pine the portrait painter IgO " house of, in Philadelphia, rented for Washington's residence 250 Morris, Roger, marries Mary Phillipse 59 " picture of his residence 60 " proscribed, as an " enemy to his country" 60 Mortar, bronze, that belonged to Cimon Washington in 1 664, picture of 30 Mossom, Rev. David, unites Washington and Mrs. Custis in marriage 65 Mother of Washington, visited by him for the last time 208 Motier, a family name of Lafayette, assumed by his son in 1795 304 Motto of the Washington family .... 30 Mount Vernon, the mansion at, built by Lawrence Washington 4.3 " style of living at, before the Revolution 75 " picture of present landing at g3 " changes in and around I(j6 " little children at ; ^24 " sorrow at, in 1781 126 " mansion at, and its surroundings described 150 " mansion and other buildings at, found by the General much in want of repair, aftei his eight years' absence 313 " hospitalities at, continued after the death of the General ^50 " passes into the possession of Bushrod Washington, nephew of the General, on ttie death of Mrs. Washington 35O " becomes the property of John Augustine Washitgton in 1829 354 " Mrs. Jane Washington mistress of, in 1S32 354 " few articles of the personal property of Washington remaining at 353 " articles that belonged to Washington, remaining at, in 1S57 360 " engravings that belonged to Washington still remaining at 363 " successive owners of, for one hundred and sixteen years 369 " inconsiderate conduct of visitors at 369 " for many years falling into decay 369 " proposition to make it a national possession 37O ■' high price offered by speculators for, rejected 37O " the property of the iadies' J!f(^iM!t Vernon Association 371 ^ *fc the work of renovation and restoration commenced at 37I " moral associations connected with the name 373 Moustier, Count de, French minister, at Mount Vernon igg Mural candelabra, used in Washington's dining-room at Philadelphia, picture of .315 4i2 INDEX. N. PA8E Necker, M., dismissed from his post as minister of finance, in France 23 J " bust of, presented to Washington ... ^i " inscriptions on bust of, presented to Washington ^42 " picture of bust of Neclier, presented to Washington 243 Newport, Rhode Island, Washington makes a voyage to, for the benefit of his health 228 North, Lord, cuiotions of, on hearing of the defeat of Cormvallis 130 O. Oath of office administered to Washington in 1793, by Judge Cushing 283 Occoquan Falls, mills at, destroyed by Lord Dunmore -[jg Ode to Washington sung at Trenton 213 Ogdon, Charles S., original study of Peale's first portrait of Washington, in possessicn of.... 97 Olumtz, dungeon at, the prison of Lafayette for three years 303 Oration pronounced by General Henry Lee, on the occasion of the funeral of Washington. . 346 Otis, Mr., holds the Bible at Washington's inauguration 215 P. Packsaddle used by Washington on his expedition to the Ohio country in 1753, picture of. .. go Paine, Thomas, letter of to Washington respecting the key of the Bastile 23fi " letter of to Washington respecting the success of " The Rights of Man" 276 " Washington shamefully abused by, in a published letter 277 Patrick Henry's opinion of Washington J05 Patrick Henry, Washington heard the burning words of, in the Virginia Assembly m Peace, desire for in England 130 " Washington's letter to Clinton on the subject of I30 Peale, Angelica, crowns Washington at Gray's Ferry in 1789 212 Peale, Charles Willson, beginning of artist life of 94 " paints Washington at Mount Vernon in 1772 94 " portrait of 95 " fac-simile of his receipt for ten guineas for painting miniature of Mrs. Washington, 97 " ordered by Gov. Harrison to paint a portrait of Washington to make a statue from, 175 " emblematic paintings by, on the occasion of Washington's retirement from office. . ggg Peale, Rembrandt, his history of the Pitcher Portrait and the eulogy on the back of it 263 Pendleton, Edmund, at Mount Vernon on his way to the first Congress 103 Peters, Judge, meets Washington on the frontiers of Pennsylvania 211 Philadelphia the federal city for ten years 258 Phillipse, Mary, Washington In love with 59 " marries Roger Morris 59 " portrait of 59 Pinckney, Gov. Charles Cotesworth, receives Washington at the wharf in Charleston, in 1791, 269 " reply of, to the insulting proposition of the French Directory 321 " appointed second major-general of the Provisional Army 323 Pine, Robert Edge, an English painter, at Mount Vernon 179 " his portrait of Washington in Montreal Ig2 Pistols, Washington's, description and picture of 049 Pitcher Portrait, and eulogy of Washington on the back of it 363, 308 Plan of the grounds at Mount Vernon 155, 155 I'laster cast taken of the face of Washington 172 Plate, Washington's, picture of pieces o^ at Arlington House 256 Pohick Church, Washington attends. art " rebuilding of, g« " Washington's drawing of a^ *' author's visit to gi " picture of 92 " present condition of 93 " picture of pulpit 93 Precedents established for the President of the United States 219 Presence of Washington, remarkable sense of awe caused by 2S5 INDEX. ^^^ Presidential mansion at Philadelphia, picture of 267 Profile portrait of Washington 310 Profile portrait of Mrs. Washington 311 Protestant Episcopal Church, burial service of Washington according to the ritual of 341 Provisional Army, Washington appointed commander-in-chief of, in view of the impending ■war with France 322 ** major-generals and other officers appointed by Washington 323 Punch-bowl, tea-table, and sideboard, picture of 317 Putnam, Life of, written at Mount Vernon by Humphreys 196 R. Randolph, Peyton, chosen president of first Congi-ess 104 Eanney, letter of Washington to, in relation to his sending flag-stones, &c., from England. . . 153 Kawlins, Mr., one of Washington's overseers, sent for to bleed Washington in his last illness, 333 Beading of Washington at his second inauguration 286 Receptions of Mrs. Washington — 234 Pveceptions of Washington at New York and at Philadelphia 225, 226 Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington, interesting correspondence of Wash- ington to be found in 826 Remains of Washington, account of the re-entombment of, in 1S3T 354, 357 Resolution, important, passed by the first Congress 104 Retirement from oflice of Washington, extract from a newspaper of the day, describing a public entertainment on the occasion of 296 Revolution, flames of, kindling, in 1778 100 Revolution, involuntary tribute by ladies to the memory of 267 Revolution, French, breaking out of 232 Ripon, Earl of, present owner of the English seat of the Washington family 30 Eochambeau, Count de, at Mount Vernon in 1781 120 " portrait of 121 Room in which Washington died, picture of. 338 Roosevelt, Mr., funeral of the wife of 219 Rush, Dr., remarks of, in relation to the seat of government 257 Rush, the late venerable Richard, incident related by, illustrating the feelings of Washington toward Lafayette in misfortune ^01 S. Bago palm at Mount Vernon 159 St. John's Lodge, in New York, in possession of the Bible used at Washington's inauguration, 217 Sarcophagi of Washington and his wife, description of 356 Seal, impression of Washington's, attached to a death-warrant 31 Seal, impression of Washington's last watch, picture of 221 Seal-ring, picture of Washington's 31 Seals, Washington's watch, lost on Braddock's field and in Virginia, and afterward found 31 " pictures of 31 Secretary, Washington's, willed to Dr. Craik. . . . 228 '* picture of ^29 Bharpless, James, his profile portraits of Washington and Mrs. Washington said to be the beet likenesses extant 309 Sharpless, Mrs., beautiful miniature of Washington by 310 Shield, silver, on Washington's coffin, picture of 341 Sideboard, black walnut, that belonged to Lawrence Washington, now at Arlington Honse. 316 Silver candlestick, Washington's, picture of 317 Silver inkstand of Washington, description of 319 Sotomayer, Duke of, a native of Philadelphia 290 Southern States, cour of Washington through, in 1791 ^. 278 Spaniards, depredations of, on British commerce in the West Indies 39 Bpy-glass, Washington's anecdote in connection with 238 " picture of 238 i44:, INDEX. PAQS Statuary, orders of "Washington for, from London jg Statue, bronze, of Washington, ordered by Congress I'^'j " to be made by the best sculptor in Europe 172 Statue of Washington, ordered by the legislature of Virginia 173 Steuben, Baron, at Washington's Inauguration 216 Stockton, Annis, assistance of, in honoring Washington at Trenton 313 Stricklatd, Mr., his description of the personal appearance of Major Lewis in 1837 255 Struthers, Mr. John, marble sarcophagi presented by, for the re-entombing of the remains of Washington and his wife, in 1S37 354 Stuart, David, Washington wills his telescope and shaving apparatus to 49, 79 " marries the widow of John Parke Custis 49 Stuart, Gilbert, painter of Eleanor Parke Custis 129 Style, old and new, how it originated 34 Summer-house at Mount Vernon, picture of 162 Sword and staff, Washington's and Franklin's, picture of, and ode by George P. Morris 135 Sword, Washington's, picture of 225 " will concerning 22(j T. Table, particular description by Kev. Ashbel Greene of Washington's habits at 297 Tea-table, Washington's, now at Arlington house, description of. 3IQ Telescope, Washington's, in the possession of the wife nf Rev. A. B. Atkinson 49 " picture of 50 Telescope, Washington's pocket, presented to General Jackson 239 The Entry, a satire, published in 1789 215 Thomson, Charles, secretary of Congress, carries to Washington at Mount Vei'non, a notice of his election to the presidency 206 " portrait of 207 Thornton, Dr., his plan for the capitol approved of by Washington 271 Threshing-machine, letter of Washington to General Henry Lee respecting one 287 Tomb of Wasliingtoti broken into thirty years after his death 314 " description of 356. 358 " picture of 357 • Travelling writing-case, Washington's, picture of 139 Tray, Washington's silver, anecdote respecting """ Trenton, triumphal arch at, in honor of Washington *^^ Trunk, Washington's travelling, described " picture of -. Truro Parish, Washington a vestryman of V. Van Braam, teaches Washington the art of fencing 50 Vases, porcelain, that belonged to Washington, picture of 188 Vaughan Samuel, presents a marble chimney-piece to Washington 185 Vault, the Washington family, site of a proposed new one indicated to Major Lewis by Washington, a few days before his death 829 Vault, the Washington family, directions left in the General's will concerning 843 Vault, old, of the Washington family, picture of 344 Vernon, Admiral, commandor-in-chief of the English navy in the West Indies 39 " portrait of ^0 " medal in commemoration of his capture of Porto Bello, preserved at Mount Vernon 41 Virginia, address of legislature of, to Washington '^'^ " legislature of, vote a statue of Washington 1^3 Von Berckel, copy of an allegorical picture painted by the wife of Vulcan, a French hound, anecdote of W. Walker, Colonel, aide to Baron Steuben, takes a letter to Gov. Clinton from Mount Vernon, 132 Wallace, words of, brought to memory of the author, while occupied in sketching the death- chamber of Washington 339 135 136 66 200 185 INDEX. 445 Warvlllo, Brissot de, at Mount Vernca 201 Washington and the Fairfaxes in Virginia in political opposition ^ Washington, a page of Charles I., dies at Madrid 2g Washington, Augustine, father of George, death of 33 " bequeaths Ilunting Creek estate to Lawrence 38 Washington Benevolent Society, recipient of Washington's masonic apron jgs Washington, Bushrod, wills his watch to Mr. Adams 220 ** receives a sword from General Washington ; 025 " becomes master of Mount Vernon r)n the death of Mrs. Washington 250 Washington, Colonel William, hospitalities of proffered to Washington on his Southern tour, 268 Washington family emigrate to America nine years after the death of Charles 1 29 Washington, George, a boy at Mount Vernon . 43 " about to erter the navy .i 45 " a letter from his unelo lo his mother decides her against his going to sea .^ 40 " returns to school, and loves a " lowland beauty" X 46 " goes to live \vith his brother at Mount Vernon . ./ 47 " the friend of George William Fairfax 47 "* admires Fairfax's wife's sister , 47 " hunts with old Lord Fairfax 47 " goes beyond the Blue Ridge as a surveyor 48 " appointed public surveyor . ;-. 48 " record of his commission 49 " commissioned adjutant of his military district 49 " heir to the Mount Vernon estate 51 " his property on the Rappahannock . . 51 ** sent by Dinwiddle to the Ohio 53 " again in the field in 1754 54 " made colonel in 1754. r. 55 " leaves the service and retires to Mount Vernon 55 " his mother endeavors to dissuade him from going to the field again :i 57 " enters Braddock's family.. 57 " preserved on the field of blood' 57 " most of the time in camp for four years afterward, except when sick 58 " his journey to Boston in 1756 58 " sick at Mount Vernon 61 * a member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia 61 ** story of his love and courtship .-i^. 61 •* takes his bride to Mount Vernon 65 " personal appearance of, at the time of his marriage ; 66 •• present from Frederick the Great to 73 " with his wife at the Virginia capital 78 ** attends the theatre at Williamsburg 78 " end of his dancing days 78 " appearance of, on his farms 82 " chief crops of his farms. 82 " yiews calmly the approaching political storm 85 " activity of; in public affairs 86 " a vestryman of Truro and Fairfax parishes 86 " first portrait of, by Peale, at the age of forty % " journey of, to Philadelphia as delegate in the first Congress 103 " in conference with Bryan Fairfax and Major Gates 112 " appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental army 114 " gold medal declared by Congress in his honor 115 " letters of; alluding to his retirement after the war, to Knox ami Lafayette 147 Washington, George A., ill health of, in 1T92 271, 277 " distress of Washington on account of the mortal sickness of 277 Washington, George Steptoe, receives a sword from the General 226 Washington, Harriet, a resident of Mount Vernon 279 Washington, Henry, defender of the English city of Worcester again.st Fairfax 2S INDEX. ^^ PAOT. Washington, John A., sends a watch to Mr. Adams .n^ " Mount Vernon beqiveathed to, by Judge Washington 354 Washington, Lawrence, portrait of 39 " his military spirit 39 " present at the attack of Admiral Vernon and General Wentworth on Carthagcna . 40 " friendship of Wentworth and Vernon for 41 " his marriage 42 " takes possession of the estate upon the death of his father, and names it Mount Verw^ 42 " adjutant-general of his district ! 45 " portrait of, still at Mount Vernon 363 Washington Lodge, Alexandria, Washington's masonic apron in 170 Washington, Lund, the General's overseer .. 118 " reproved by the General for saving Mount Vernon from destruction by giving alt to the enemies of his country 119 Washington, Mrs., portraits of children of .". 66 porlraitsof 67,275,311 " in camp and at head-quarters 1^4 " letters to, from her husband, destroyed by her II4 " grandchiUlren of, i)ainted by Pine 181 " letter of, asking Fanny for an apron 221 " honors paid to, on her way to New York 222 " first drawing-room of, at New York 224 * first public reception of, in Philadelphia 261 ** company at public receptions of 263 " excessive fondness of, for he.- grandchildren 280 •* resignation of, exhibited at the death-bed of her husband 336 ** reply of, to Congress, respecting the disposition of the remains of her husband 348 ** letters and visits of condolence to, after the death of her husband 349 " death of, in 1802 350 Washington, Mrs. Jane, mistress of Mount Vernon in 1832 354 Washington, Samuel, receives a sword from the General 226 Washingtons an ancient English family 03 Watch, owned by Washington, picture of. 221 Water-mark, on paper made for Washington, picture of 357 Watson and Cossoul, correspondonce of, with Washington respecting his masonic apron. . . . 159 Watson, Elkanah, anecdote of his, respecting his visit at Mount Vernon 3I8 " remarks of, in relation to Washington's masonic apron 170 Watson, John P., owns Washington's military button 95 Weems, Eev. Mason L., officiates at Pohick Church 89 " portrait of 89 Westford, sole survivor of Judge Washington's slaves, portrait of 362 White, General Anthony Walton, picture of gold pen presented to, by Washington 80 " Widow of Malabar," translated by Humphreys at Mt. Vernon, performed at Philadelphia. . 197 Will of Washington, executed in July, 1799, written out entirely by himself 329 Wine-coolers, disposition of, that belonged to Washington 264 " picture of, 205 ff'instanley, William, landscapes " Morning" and " Evening" painted for Washington by 320 Wolcott, Oliver, of Connecticut, prudence of 25!) " letter o^ respecting the president's habits of economy 256 Worcester, English city of, defended by Henry Washington against Fairfax 28 Wright, Joseph, paints portraits of Washington and his wife 182 " attempts to take a plaster mould from Washington's face l'''^ " makes a medal die of Washington ^"^^ Wright, Mrs. Patience, wax figures of ^ *'* Vellow fever in Philadelphia i:: 1794, Washington retires to Mount Vernon to avoid 286 Frujo, Marquis d', the Spanish minister, the guest of Washington in IT9C at .Mount Vernon. . 289 ** becomes the husband of Sally McKean 290 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 111 mill! 'Ill :. 011 836 654 2 i^mik