iio^ «b ^ '^^.'•;^-*\/ .* **'•*;* • <^ '<>•» 4V ^^ "'^ ^fr WA.SH1NQT"0jSi. iy Cire^enoua/i. WASHIIH©^®Ms ©^ 5W-^(0)KiIS3 ^AMmilLi ©©ILML^JJo ftrp^^' ^5 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 184:2, By George Watterston, In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the ])istrict of Columbia, 7. ^0 PETER FORCE, PRINTER, CORNER OF TENTH &, I) STREETS. INTRODUCTION. The first edition of this work appeared in 1840, and, though got up in haste, and conse- quently imperfect, it was found to be popular. The want of such a guide to our city had long been felt, and the author having been from childhood an inhabitant of Washington, wa? induced to undertake it, from his intimate ae- Ajuaintance with all its localities, improvements, progress, public and private institutions, and whatever concerned it. Much, however, from the haste with which it was prepared, was neces- sarily omitted, and to supply this deficiency a new edition is now issued. The present is almost a new work. The former edition did not contain one-third of the matter which this volume embraces. It has been greatly enlarged ; every thing of a tem- porary character has been thrown out, and that only which may be considered as perma- nent, retained. 4 INTRODUCTION, The Metropolis must necessarily be an object of great interest to every American, whether a resident or not; and he cannot but feel anx- ious to know every thing that belongs to it. The information, therefore, which the author has endeavored to furnish, is as full, minute and accurate in relation to it, both as a city and as the seat of the Federal Government, as could be given, or perhaps desired ; and the work will not only serve as a complete guide to all who visit Washington, but make the reader at a distance well acquainted with the history, to- pography, condition of, and every thing of in- terest in the National Metropolis. It will be of great use to the stranger, by directing his atten- tion to the principal objects of curiosity and in- terest to be found in Washington, and guiding him from place to place, with a knowledge of its localities. The author acknowledges his obligation to Mr. Robert Mills, Architect of the Public Buildings, and to Mr. Peter Force, for the in- formation he has derived from them, and which he has embodied in this little volume. INDEX. Alms House or Asylum .- IJi^ American Historical Society 11^ Appendix : list of Executive Officers, «fec 213 Apprentices' Library 101 Arsenal 8(! Assessment of property 15S Attoi-ney General's office 196 Auditor, First, duties of, &c , 188 Second, do 183 Third, do 184 Fourth, do 184 Fifth, do 185 Bank of the Metropolis 133 " Patriotic 133 " of Washington 133 Baptism of Pocahontas 47 Benevolent Societies 132 Boards of Aldermen and Common Council 150 Board of Appeal 153 Board of Health 164 Boon and the Indians, conflict of, alto relievo.., 3b Bridges Htl Buildings, public, expenditures on 148 6 INDEX. Page. Building Regulations, abstract of. 170 Burgoyne, surrender of, painting 41 Caiial, Chesapeake and Ohio 88 " Washington 86 Capitol 20 Census of the District of Columbia 19 " of the United States 220 Churches 96 Clergy of the city 138 Columbian Institute 112 Columbian Horticultural Society 112 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company 88 Corporation of Washington, Charter, &.c 149 Congressional Burial Ground 71 City Hall 81 Circulating Libraries 101 Colleges 107 Convent of Visitation 109 Columbia Typographical Society 120 Charges d' Affaires 218-19 Clork's office, House of Representatives 31 Coal and Wood 154 Collector of Taxes 154 " office of. 85 Cabs, &c., law relative to 159 Comptroller's office, First 182 Second 182 Crypt of the Capitol 24 Carusi's Saloon 145 Commissioner of Patents 176 Congress 202 INDEX. 7 Page. Congress, number of sessions and extra sessions of.. 203 " Speakers of the House 203 " How constituted 203 Cornwallis, surrender of, painting 43 Court, circuit 82 " criminal 84 «' orphan's 85 Commissioner of General Land Office 186 Court Room, Supreme Court 33 City of Washington, history and description of. 13 Committees of the Senate 206 of the House 207 Department of State 175 " of Treasury 180 of War 188 " of Navy 194 Dogs, tax on 155 Declaration of Independence, picture of. 39 District Court 83 Executive Department of Government 172 Engineer do. do 189 Extract from the rules of the Senate 205 Expenditures of the Corporation 152 Epitome of the Population of the United States.... 220 Flag of the United States 69 Franklin Insurance Company 135 Firemen's do 135 Fire Companies .., 136 Finances of the Corporation ,., 151 Franking privilege, «&c 200 Foot walks, law relating to 158 8 INDEX. Factories 92 Free Negroes and Mulattoes 156 Funeral customs 141 Foreign Consuls in the District of Columbia...., 218 Gaming 159 Guardians of the Poor 110 General Post Office Building 63 General Land Office 186 House of Representatives, Hall of. 24 Howard Society 132 Hackney Carriages, law, fare, &c 159 Hawkers and Pedlars 164 Health, Board of. 164 Hogs, law relating to 165 History of Washington , 13 Insurance Companies 135 Jail, new 82 Justices of the Peace 147 King's Gallery 102 Library of Congress 28 " of House Representatives 27 Landing of the Pilgrims 27 Literature and Science 97 Legal and Medical Professions 98 Literary and scientific works 103 Lunatic Asylum Ill List of the Presidents of the United States 174 List of Executive and Legislative Officers 213 Marine Barracks 70 Military Companies 136 Market Houses 87 INDEX. y Page. TOT, office of. 86 " howelected 150 " compensation of. 153 " list of, and how chosen 152 Magazines and Pamphlets 199 Medical Department 193 Ministers, American 218 " foreign 217 Monument Society, Washington » 112 Navy Depai-tment, building 61 Duties of the Secretary 194 Navy Yard 68 Navy Yard Beneficial Society 132 Navy Magazine 71 Naval Monument 55 Navy Yards in United States, cost of. 69 Navy, historical sketch of. 194 Newspapers, periodicals, «Scc 103 National Institution 114 Non-resident Merchants 1 65 Nuisances 165 Original proprietors of the city 14 Officers of the Navy, how classed 69 Orphan's Court 85 Office of Treasurer 185 " Register J85 Ordnance Office l90 Order of Odd Fellows, description of. 121 Order of business in House of Representatives 208 Preservation of Captain Smith, alto relievo 36 Population of Washington 19 10 INDEX. ra,q:e. Population of tlie District 19 " of the United States 220 Patent Office, building 65 Patents, law relating to 176 Penitentiary of the District 80 Penn's Treaty with the Indians, alto relievo 39 President's House, description of, &c 57 Public Schools ^ 106 Poor, infirm and diseased Ill Peace and War, statues of. 21 Police Officers of the city 166 Post Office, city 85 Pumps, Wells, Hydrants, &c 167 President United States, powers and duties of 172 Public Lands, laws relating to 187 Purchasing Department, office of. 192 Paymaster General's Office 192 Potomac Bridge 86 Public debt of the city 152 Provident Association of Clerks 132 Public and private property of the city 147 Taxation on 119 Valuation of private property 149 Patriotic Bank 133 Postmaster General's Office 196 Postage, rates of. 196 Queen of Portugal 15 Quartermaster General's Office 190 Rotundo, description of. 23 Resignation of General Washington, picture of. 45 Register of Wills, office of. 85 INDEX. 11 Page. Register of the Corporation, office of.... 85 Recess of Congress 144 Registers and Receivers of public moneys 186 Senate Chamber, description of. 32 Sculpture of the Rotundo.... 36 Surrender of Burgoyne, picture of. 41 " of CornwalHs, do 43 Statue of Washington 51 State Department, building 62 Supreme Court, powers of, Sec 33 Surveyor of the city, office of. 85 Slaves, law relating to 158 Shooting, do , 167 Secretary of State, his duties, &c 175 Subsistence office 192 Society of Washington 138 Sessions of Circuit Court 84 " Criminal Court , 84 Statues of War and Peace 21 Secretaries of Legation 219 Standing Committees of the House Representatives. 208 " " Senate 206 St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum 143 Treasury Department, building........... 62 Treasury Department, Secretary's duties, &c 180 Tiber 88 Tympanum of the Capitol ,. 20 Taxes 168 Trees, law relating to 170 Temperance Societies , 131 Union Literary Debating Society..... , 130 12 INDEX. Page, Usages, customs, etiquette, &c 140 Vice-President of the United States, powers and du- ties of. 174 War Department, building 61 Washington Orphan Asylum 148 Washington Canal 86 Washington Library 100 Washington Assembly Rooms 145 Washington National Monument Society 112 Washington Benevolent Society 132 Wards, division of. 151 Work-houso of the city 110 PREFACE. The curious documents below fell into the hands of the author after the body of the work had been printed, and rather than omit them, he has been obliged to place them in advance of the work, a portion of which they serve to illustrate. These are extracts from old land patents, da- ted as far back as 1663 and 1681, and will be found curious and interesting. They show that the classical name of Tiber was given to the stream which now bears that name, and which was afterwards occasionally called Goose Creek; and that a portion of the site of the city was called Rome, both given, I have no doubt, by one of the patentees, from the circumstance of his bearing the name of Pope. '^ June the 5th, 1663. — Layd out for Francis Pope of this Province, gentleman a parcell of land in Charles County, called Room, lying on the east side of the Ana* eostian river, beginning at a marked oak standing by ths PREFACE. river side the bounded tree of Captain Robert Troop, and running north by the river for breadth, the length of two hundred perches to a bounded oak, standing at the moutli of a bay or inlett called Tiber, bounding on the north by the said let and line drawn east for the length of three hundred and twenty perches to a bounded oak standing in the woods on the east with a line drawn south from the end of the former line untill you meet with the exterior bounded tree of Robert Troop called Scotland yard on the south with the said land, on the west with the said river, containing and now laid out for four hundred acres more or less." " June 5tk, 1663.— Layd out for Captain Robert Troop of this Province a parcell of land in Charles County called Scotland yard lying on the east side of the Ana- costia river, beginning at a bounded hickory standing by the water side and running north by the river for breadth the length of two hundred and fifty perches to a bounded oak, bounding on the north with a line drawn east into the woods for the length of three hundred and twenty perches to a bounded oak on the east with a line drawn south from the end of the former line until you intersect a parallel line drawn from the first bounded hickory on the south with the said parellel on the west with the said river containing and now laid out for five hundred acres more or less." By another instrument of writing, dated 5th of July, 1681, a patent was granted to one William Langworth for a tract of land lying in PREFACE. Charles County, containing six hundred acres, which had been taken up by his father, and which is thus described : " The Widows Mite lyeing on the east side of the Ana- costin river on the north side of a branch or inlett in the said river called Tyber. Beginning at a bounded cedar standing upon a point and running east north east for breadth up the said inlett to a bounded oak, the bound tree of Richard Pinner, for the length of one hundred ninety two perches, bounding in the east with a line drawn north from the said oake for the length of five hundred perches to a bounded oake on the north with a line drawn west from the end of the former line, the length of one hundred ninety two perches to a bounded oake that intersects a paralell line drawn south to the first bounded cedar on the west with the said paralell on the south with the said inlett containing and now laid out for six hundred acres more or less according to the certificat of survey thereof taken and returned into the land office at the citty of St. Maries, bearing date the tenth day of October one thou- sand six hundred sixty seven, and there remaining upon record togeather with all rights profits benefits and privi- leges thereunto belonging (Royale mines excepted)." This would appear to have been the farm afterwards owned by David Burns, one of the original proprietors of the lands now occupied by the city. At that time this portion of Ma- ryland was in Charles County; its capital the PREFACE. City of St. Mary's, and that part of the Poto- mac which bounds Washington to the west, was called Anacostia, the name afterwards given to the Eastern Branch. NEW GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. THE CITY OF WASHINGTON. The site of this city was originally selected by General Washington, (from whom it derives its name,) as at that time the most central position in the United States, and the best suited for the Me- tropolis of the nation. None can possibly unite such picturesque beauty, or even surpass it in the salubrity of its climate. It is situated on the left bank of the Potomac and the right bank of the Ana- costia. It lies in latitude 38° 52' north; comprises a territoryof four miles square; is watered on the west by the Potomac, formerly called by the Indians Cohonguroton^ or River of Swans, which has its source in the Alleghany mountains, and, after meandering a distance of nearly four hundred miles, empties into the Chesapeake bay ; and on the south and east by the Anacostia or Eastern Branch river. These two fine rivers add to its natural beauty, and will afTord great facilities to its commerce. This city is encompassed by a fine range of hills, forming a natural amphitheatre, and covered in part with trees and underwood, and pre- senting to the eye verdant and cultivated slopes. These elevations afford beautiful sites for villas and private residences, and command the most ex- 14 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. tensive and varied prospect of the District and sur- rounding country, and of the meanderings of the Potomac as far as the eye can reach. The ground on which it is laid out was originally in Mary- land, and ceded by that State to the United States on the 23d December, 1788. The original pro- prietors, Daniel Carroll, Notley Young, David Burns, and Samuel Davidson, surrendered their lands to be laid out as a city, and gave one-half of them to the Government of the United States, for the purpose of raising funds for the erection of the necessary public buildings. Three Commissioners were appointed in January, 1791, who proceeded to survey and plant the corner stone at Jones's Point, on the 1 5th of April, of that year; after which they staked out and laid off the plan of the city. The act for establishing the temporary and per- manent seat of the Federal Government passed on the IGth July, 1790, and the act to amend the same on the 3d of March, 1791. Deeds of trust were executed by the original proprietors to Thomas Beal of George, and John M. Gantt, by which they conveyed all their lands within the proposed limits for a Federal city, to be laid out into such streets, squares, parcels, and lots as the President of the United Slates should approve ; and the trus- tees were directed to convey to the Commissioners and their successors in office, for the United States iorever, all the said streets, and such of the said squares, parcels, and lots as the President should deem proper for the use of the United States. For so much of the land, as might be appropriated for the use of the United States, they were to pay at the rate of twenty-five pounds (sixty-six and two- SEAT OF GOVERNMENT. 15 thirds dollars) per acre, not including streets, and this was to be paid out of the proceeds of the sales of lots given by the proprietors. Major L'Enfant, a French engineer, was employed in 1791 to lay out and furnish a plan of the city ; but in conse- quence of some difference arising between him and the Commissioners, he was dismissed, and Mr. EUicot appointed in 1 792, whose plan varied ma- terially from that of his predecessor, and it was thought to the prejudice of one of the proprietors and of the city itself A part of the reservation on which the President's House is erected was, at an early period of the city, conveyed by the Com- missioners, and the conveyance ratified by the Pre- sident, to the GluEEN OF Portugal. The seat of the Federal Government was re- moved to this city in 1800, at the close of the ad- ministration of John Adams, and Congress as- sumed jurisdiction on the 27th of February, 1801. The laws of Maryland and Virginia, as they ex- isted prior to that period, were declared to be in force in the District, and to continue so till modi- fied or repealed by Congress. But few alterations have been made in those laws since, and the strange anomaly is presented of two distinct and incongruous codes of laws existing at the same time in the same District. The city of Washington, once called the Fede- ral City, is divided into squares, by streets running north and south, east and west, which are again intersected by diagonal avenues leading from one section of the city to another. These avenues are named after the different States as far as they reach, and are from one hundred and thirty to one hiai- Bl 16 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. dred and sixty feet in widtli, including the pave- ment of twenty feet, and a gravel walk of thirty feet. The other streets are from seventy to a hun- dred feet wide, named numerically, as First street, Second street, &c., when they run from north to south, and alphabetically, as A street, B street, &c., when from east to west. It contains several public reservations and many open spaces, pro- duced by the intersection of the streets by the ave- nues, all of which give space and a free circulation of air to the city. The Pennsylvania avenue, from the Capitol to the President's house, was planted with Lombardy poplars, and a flag foot-walk laid on one side from the Capitol to Rock Creek, during the administration of Mr. Jefferson, who took great interest in ornamenting and improving the infant Metropolis. This fine avenue is now Macadam- ized between the points first mentioned, and forms one of the most beautiful streets in Washington. The city of Washington, according to the act of Maryland "concerning the Territory of Colum- bia and the City of Washington," is thus bounded: " The President of the United States directed a city to be laid out, comprehending all the lands begin- ning on the east side of Rock Creek, at a stone stand- ing in the middle of the road leading from George- town to Bladensburof; thence alon^ the middle of the said road to a stone standing on the east side of the Reedy Branch of Goose Creek; thence south- easterly, making an angle of sixty-one degrees and twenty minutes with the meridian, to a stone stand- ing in the road leading from Bladensburg to the Eastern Branch Ferry; then south to a stone eighty poles north of the east and west line already drawn SEAT OF GOVERNMENT. 17 from the mouth of Goose Creek to the Eastern Branch; then east, parallel to the said east and west line, to the Eastern Branch ; then, with the waters of the Eastern Branch, Potomac River and Rock Creek, to the beginning." The city extends from northwest to southeast about four miles and a half, and from east to south- west about two miles and a half Its circumfer- ence is fourteen miles; the aggregate length of the streets is one hundred and ninety-nine miles, and of the avenues sixty-five miles. The avenues, streets and open spaces contain three thousand six hun- dred and four acres, and the public reservations, exclusive of reservations ten, eleven and twelve, since disposed of for private purposes, five hundred and thirteen acres. The whole area of the squares of the city amounts to one hundred and thirty-one miUion six hundred and eighty-four thousand one hundred and seventy-six square feet, or three thousand and sixteen acres: one-half of which, fifteen hundred and eight acres, was reserved for the use of the United States, and the remaining half assigned to the original proprietors; fifteen hundred and thirty-six acres belonged to the United States. Attempts have been made by Congress from time to time to remove the seat of Government, but without success. It cannot be done without a breach of the Constitution, which declares that Con- gress shall "exercise exclusive legislation over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular States and the accept- ance of Congress, become the seat of the Govern- ment of the United States." This territory has b2 18 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. been ceded by Virginia and Maryland, and accept- ed by Congress as the permanent seat of Govern- ment; the compact has been made agreeably to the Constitution, is final, and therefore cannot now be abrogated without the consent of all the parties to the compact. Washington has improved as rapidly as could have been expected from its not being a commer- cial or manufacturing city. Of late the improve- ments have taken a direction north of F street, and are rapidly extending along Seventh street towards the northern boundary line. In 1814 Washington received a check, by the invasion of the British army, under the command of General Ross. The American forces, com- manded by General Winder, were defeated near Bladensburg, where they had been suddenly form- ed to meet the enemy. The British troops entered the city on the 24th of Au o-ust, 1814, and proceed- ed to set fire to the Capitol, President's house, two public offices, the fort at Greenleaf's Point, the workshops in the navy yard, with a sloop-of-war and public stores, and to several private dwellings, the most of which were consumed. The Govern- ment was put to some inconvenience for the want of accommodation, inconsequence of this destruc- tion of the public buildings. An attempt was then made to remove the seat of Government, which failed. Confidence was again restored, improve- ments took a fresh start, and have continued to move forward, more or less rapidly, ever since. The population of this city, white and black, was, in 1800, 3,210; in 1810, 8,620; in 1820, 13,247; in 1830, 18,837; and in 1840, 23,304. Washing- SEAT OF GOVERNMENT. 19 ton has been lately pronounced by a statistician of Europe, to be the healifdest city in the world. The following' table is given as one which may be interesting to the citizens of the District of Co- lumbia. "IVXOJ. 23,364 3,069 7,312 8,459 1,508 's Insane and Idiot White, - - 14 Insane and Idiot Colored, - - 7 Universities, 2 Number of Students, - - - 166 Academies and Grammar Schools, 26 Number of Scholars, ... i,389 Primary and Common Schools, . 29 Number of Scholars, ... 851 Number of Scholars at Public cliarpe, - - - - 482 Number over 20 years of age who cannot read and write, - 1,033 i > < •[BiOX 1,713 622 785 1,074 300 1 •aiBuia^ 1,064 357 458 630 127 •aiBW m >0 »- 'T CO T CO (M TT 1^ CO rr CO TT « 1 Q O O Ed Ec) dS •inoi 4,808 2SS 1,403 1,627 235 •aiBiuaj 2,859 147 814 963 125 1 ^ ^ § S 2 •aiBJV a.^ -1 vo CO ^ i ■^ 1 % •l^o.L ^ § S tg s '^^ °x 1 »-. <^ CO -. «:, >o Engaged in Agriculture, - - 384 Engaged in Commei-ce, . - 240 Engaged in Manufactures and Trades, .... 2,278 Engaged in Navigating the Ocean, 126 Engaged in Navigating Lakes and Rivers, .... 80 Engaged in Learned Professions, 203 Deaf and Dumb White, - - 8 Deaf and Dumb Colored, . . 4 Blind White, . _ - . 6 Blind Colored, .... 9 •aiBmaj[ 8,647 861 2,834 3,010 483 i 2 •^i'''^ 1 1 % S " 1 Washington City - Do. County Georgetown - Alexandria City - Do. County RECAPITULATION OF THE SEVERAL CENSUSES. Tear. 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 b3 Free Whites. 10,066 16,079 22,614 27,563 30,657 Free Colored. 783 2,049 4,039 6,152 8,361 Slaves. 3,244 5.895 6,379 6,119 4,694 Total. 14,093 24,023 30,032 39,834 43,712 20 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. THE CAPITOL Is a magnificeHt and massive edifice of freestone, built according to the Corinthian proportions, and situated on a beautiful eminence nearly equidis- tant from the Eastern branch and the President's house. Its north wing was commenced in 1793, the corner stone of which was laid in the presence of General Washington, and the foundation of the centre, March 24th, 1818. It is seventy-three feet above tide water, and covers an area of one acre and a half, and one thousand eight hundred and twenty square feet, exclusive of its circular enclo- sure or terrace. The length of the front is three hundred and fifty-two feet, depth of its wings one hundred and twenty-one feet, east projection and steps sixty-five feet, and west projection and steps eighty-three feet, and covers one and a half acres or eighteen hundred and twentj'-six feet. The height of the wings to the top of the balustrade is seventT^- feet, and to the top of the centre dome one hundred and forty feet. The whole cost of its erection up to 1827, including alterations and re- pairs, was $1,746,718 S3. It is now completed, and presents the most splendid and imposing archi- tectural mass in this, or indeed for the same object, in any other country. The eastern portico gives to this edifice a very grand and magnificent appear- ance. It extends the whole front of the centre. The pediment resting on massive Corinthian co- lumns of stone, the shafts thirty feet high, is in just proportion and fine taste. The tjTnpanum is orna- mented with an allegorical group in alto releivo, designed, it is said, by John Quincy Adams, and THE CAPITOL. "21 executed by Signer Persico. The principal or central figure, elevated on a platform, represents the Genius of America holding a shitld, inscribed with the letters U. S, A. in her right hand. Be- hind is a spear. Her head is crowned with a star, and turned towards Hope, who stands on her leit, wnth her elbow resting on the stock of an anchor, and holding in her hand a part of her drapery. America directs the attention of Hope to Justice, holding the Constitution of the United States in her right hand, and in her left the scales.* Near her is an eagle in the act of winging her flight at the command of America. All these figures are colos- sal, and, considering the nature of the material, which is sand stone, do much credit to the skill of the artist. The entrance to the grand Rotundo, from the floor of this portico, is ornamented with two light and beautiful figures in stone, in the at- titude of crowning with laurel the bust of Wash- ington, which is placed immediately above the door. On each side of the main entrance are two colossal figures in marble, representing War and Peace, executed by Mr. Persico. The figure of Peace occupies a niche on the left of the main entrance, and that of War one on the right. They are both protected by a semicir- cular iron palisade, and both colossal. Peace holds in her left hand a fruit-bearing branch of tiie * A part of the arm of this figure, together with the Constitution she held in her hand, from the action of the frost or some other cause, gave way a few years ago, and fell on the steps of tiie portico and was broken into fraguienti?. b4 22 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. olive, which she is extending towards War, while with her right she gracefully points to her bosom, indicating her sympathy for the condition of man- kind. Her countenance beams with sweetness and benignity. Her form rests gracefully on her left foot, her right knee being a little contracted, while the whole figure is beautifully draped. War is represented in the attitude of listening to Peace, his form resting on his shield, and his head somewhat inclined towards his companion. One hand rests on his sword, and the other leans on his shield. He stands with firmness, yet at his ease, and his costume is that of the ancient Roman. The toga is thrown over his shoulders, with a tunic or kirtle extending as low as his knees, the border of which, with his belt, is richly ornamented with the symbols of the victims offered to him in sacrifice. His countenance is firm and sedate, without any indication of rage or fury. His fea- tures are more Roman than Grecian, and his whole form exhibits great strength, physical power, and activity. Both these figures are original compositions, and intended to represent the idea of the people of the United States on the conditions of peace and war. Like the group in the tympanum, those figures were executed by Mr. Persico, by order of Con- gress. This artist is now engaged in Italy in executing two groups in marble to ornament the blocks on each side of the staircase of the portico. One is to represent the discover3^ and the other the early settlement, of this country. We now enter the THE ROTUNDO. 23 ROTUNDO. This spacious room occupies the centre of the Capitol. It is ninety-six feet in diameter, and ninety-six feet high to the ceiling of the dome. This is topped or terminated by a cupola and ba- lustrade, accessible by means of a staircase passing between the roof and ceiling. From this elevation the prospect which bursts upon the eye is most splendid. Three cities are spread before you; the Potomac on one side and the Eastern branch on the other, uniting and rolling their waters to the ocean ; a range of hills extending in a magni- ficent sweep around you, and displaying all the richness and verdure of woodland scenery, with here and there beautiful slopes in cultivation, the whole colored by the golden beams of the setting sun, burnishing the reposing clouds, and gilding the tops of trees, or giving light and shade to the living landscape — form a scene which few por- tions of the earth can rival, and which none can surpass. The dome of the centre, though hemis- pherical, does not please the eye of a stranger ; it wants greater or less elevation to contrast agree- ably with the domes of the wings. The interior of the Rotundo is ornamented with alto releivos, sculptured in stone panels; four his- torical paintings by Col. Trumbull ; and one, the baptism of Pocahontas, by Mr. J. G. Chapman. Three other panels are vacant, but are soon to be filled up with paintings by three of the most distin- guished native artists. The subject of the sculptured panels are, 1st, the preservation of Captain Smith by Pocahontas; 2d, the landing of the Pilgrims at b5 24 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. Plymouth ; 3d, the conflict between Boon and the Indians ; and 4th, Penn's treaty with the Indians, The whole of these, which w^ill be more particu- larly described hereafter, are indifferently execu- ted, with the exception of the third, representing the Indian princess in the act of saving the life of Smith, which is more skillfully grouped and exe- cuted than any of the others. Stone pilasters or antce^ support the entablature and cornice, which are ornamented wdlh carved flowers and leaves in festoons and wreaths, within which are sculptured four medallions, representing the heads of Colum- bus, Sir Walter Raleigh, Cabot, and La Salle. The floor of the Rotundo, which is laid in Seneca stone, is supported by forty stone columns of the Doric order, and groined arches of brick. From its resemblance to the substruction of European cathedrals, it is called the Crypt. We pass from the Rotundo through a vestibule into the south wing, which contains the HALL OF REPRESENTATIVES. This magnificent apartment is in the form of an ancient Grecian theatre, ninety- five feet in length, and sixty feet in height to the most elevated point of the ceiling, and occupies nearly the whole area of the wing, from the second story upwards. Twenty-six massive columns and pilasters of Po- tomac marble, or breccia^ standing on a base of sand stone, the capitals of which arc of Italian marble, executed in Italy, support a magnificent dome with painted caissons^ to represent that of HALL OF REPRESENTATIVES. 25 the Pantheon at Rome. From the centre of this dome is erected, to admit the light from above, a handsome cupola, richly painted and ornamented by a young Italian artist named Bonani, who also painted the ceiling, and who died in this city soon after it was completed. The Speaker's chair is elevated on a platform richly draped, and stands immediately in front of the north entrance. There are three doors leading into the Hall. The loggea, formed of columns and pilasters of Potomac mar- ble and stone, is behind the Speaker's chair, and serves as a promenade to the members during the session. Above this, and under a sweeping arch near the dome, extending from east to west, is placed the model of a colossal figure of Liberty, (in piaster,) by Causici. On the entablature be- neath the figure is sculptured in stone the Ameri- can eagle, in the act of taking wing, executed by another Italian artist (Valaperti) of high reputa- tion, who has left but this single specimen of his talents in this country, and who disappeared sud- denly and mysteriously soon after it was executed. Above the main entrance into the Hall stands a beautiful statue in marble, representing History recording the events of the nation. She stands in the attitude of listening, with her head turned on one side, a pen in one hand and an open book in the other, ready to write down the passing events. Her attitude is graceful and beautiful; her light drapery floats around her, and the winged car in which she stands seems to be in motion over the globe, on which is figured in basso releivo the signs of the zodiac. The wheel of the car serves as the face of the clock of the Hall, all beautifully b6 26 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. designed and executed. The artist was Signer Franzoni, another meritorious Italian. Between the massive marble columns of this apartment is suspended in festoons fringed drapery of crimson marino from rods variously decorated. The gen- tlemen's gallery occupies the semicircle behind the range of columns, and that appropriated to the ladies and those gentlemen who accompany them, the upper part of the loggea, and above the Speak- er's seat. The portrait of Lafayette at full length, painted by a French artist, and presented to Con- gress during the last visit of that patriot to this country, (and a most admirable likeness of him,) decorates the panel on the west side of the loggea, while a full length portrait of the more illustrious Washington, and of the same dimensions, painted by Mr. Vanderlyn, occupies the panel on the op- posite side. Between the columns, at their base, are placed sofas for the accommodation of the mem- bers and those who are privileged to enter the Hall; and within the bar, in a semicircle fronting the Speaker's chair, are seated the members of the House, each of whom is furnished with a ma- hogany desk, an armed chair, and writing mate- rials. The entrances to the galleries are at the south end of the wing; and at the point on each side of the Hall, where the staircases diverge, is sta- tioned a doorkeeper, to prevent persons from pass- ing into the ladies' gallery, who are excluded by the rule, and to direct others who are not, the way into it, and also to the gentlemen's gallery oppo- site. There is also a passage to those galleries from the interior of the Hall, which leads through two lobbies. On the left of the eastern lobby are HALL OF REFRESENTATIVES. 27 the Speaker's room and that of the Sergeant-at- Arms, and above the latter an apartment for bound documents and state papers, called the Library of the House, and kept by a clerk in the office of the Clerk of the House. At the same elevation in the western lobby are two commodious apart- ments, which are used as the depositories of Exe- cutive and Congressional documents not bound, and for immediate use. Below one of these, and on the floor of the lobby formed of an angle of the building, is the post office of the House. Between the Rotundo and the Hall of Represen- tatives is a small circular vestibule, which forms the landing place of the principal staircase in the south wing. It resembles a Grecian temple, and is surmounted by a dome and cupola. The caps of the columns are ornamented w^ith the cotton flant, instead of the acanthus leaf of the Greeks. A similar temple on the north wing rises from the first floor to the top of the building, and is surrounded by a range of columns, starting from the second floor, into the caps of which have been introduced the stock, leaf and flower of the tobac- co plant, which are not less rich and beautiful than the usual Corinthian ornament. It was the design of Mr. Latrobe, an artist of genius and taste, who once had charge of this building, to make it nation- al as far as was possible, by the introduction of ar- chitectural ornaments copied from the native pro- duction of this country. He did intend, moreover, to support one of the galleries of the Senate Cham- ber with emblematic figures of the old thirteen States, decorated with their peculiar insignia, and the models were actually prepared by one of the b7 28 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. Italian artists whom he had engaged to come to this country ; but a neglect or refusal on the part of Congress to make the necessary appropriations defeated his designs, and the plaster models were afterwards thrown aside and destroyed. Passing through the west door of the Rotundo, you enter THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. This room is ninety-two feet in length, thirty- four feet in width, and thirty-six in height. It consists of twelve alcoves, supporting two galleries running along the whole length of the apartment from north to south, and containing the same num- ber of recesses as alcoves in the lower part of the room. The arched alcoves are ornamented in- front by fluted pilasters, copied from the pillars in the temple of Lys^crates at Athens. Two columns of freestone, with capitals like those of the pilas- ters, support the gallery near the main entrance, and two corresponding columns stand near the window which leads into the logged or western colonnade, extending the whole length of the apart- ment. Each end of the room, as well as the ceil- ing, is richly decorated with stucco ornaments and three wells or skylights, the wells of which, also richly ornamented, admit the light from above. A large room on the south, connected with this apart- ment, contains an extensive and valuable collection of law books exclusively, and a room adjoining it is used by the Judiciary Committee. The library room was designed by Mr. (*. Bulfinch, then archi- tect of the public buildings, and does great credit to LIBRAKY OF CONGRESS. 29 his taste. The foundation of this library was pur- chased in 1815 of Mr. Jefferson, and consisted of about seven thousand volumes, for which he re- cieved twenty-three thousand dollars. The num- ber now amounts to nearly thirty thousand volumes, exclusive of duplicate copies of journals, docu- ments, lav.'s of the United States, &c., which oc- cupy the recesses in the galleries. It was origi- nally placed under the charge of George Watters- ton, who was appointed librarian by Mr. Madison in 1816, and who superintended its removal three times. The present librarian was appointed by General Jackson in the year 1829. The libra- rian is appointed by the President of the United States solely, though an officer of Congress, tin enters into a bond for the faithful discharge of his duties, which is deposited in the office of the Secre- tary of the Senate, and is governed by rules adopted by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who have the power to make or modify them at pleasure. A joint com- mittee of the two Houses is charged with the pur- chase of books, out of an appropriation of five thousand dollars, which has been annually made for some years past, and which thus contributes to its gradual increase. The library is arranged into classes according to Bacon's division of science, and embraces forty-four chapters. It contains many rare, valuable, and splendid volumes. The first library of Congress was collected under the direc- tion of Dr. Mitchell, Mr. Gallatin, and others, and consisted of about three thousand volumes, before it was destroyed by the British army, on the 24th of August, 1814. It was originally under the su- b8 30 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. perintendence of the Clerk of the House of Repre- sentatives, who employed some one to take charge of it during the session. It had been gradually in- creasing for nearly fourteen years, and was much resorted to at the early period of our city as a place of relaxation, in consequence of the want of other sources of amusement, and the absence of those din- ner parties and soirees which are so frequent in this city during the winter. The total loss of the libra- ry induced Mr. Jefferson to offer his collection to Congress, which forms the substratum of the pre- sent valuable library. His books may be distin- guished by a private mark. Whenever the prin- ter's signature occurs at the bottom of the page, as a J, he has put T before it, and when T occurs he puts J after it, so as to form the initials of his name. Several presents have been made to the library since its origin. Among these is a splendid and valuable collection of medals, designed by M. Denon, and executed by order of the French Go- vernment. The series commences in 1796 and ends in 1815, and embraces all the battles and events which occurred during the reign of Napo- leon Bonaparte. These are beautifully executed, and arranged with a small collection of American medals in Parisian bronze, in neat cases on either side of the mantlepiece, at the south end of the room. All of these were presented by Mr. Irving, the brother, it is said, of George W, Irving, who obtained them while in Paris, at considerable diffi- culty, and at a cost of five thousand francs. An original likeness of Christopher Columbus, pre- sented by Mr. Barrell, American consul at Madrid, and found by him in an old castle in Spain, is hung LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 31 up on the south end of the room. Marble busts of Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette, Judge Mar- shall, John Gluincy Adams, Van Buren, and plas- ter busts of Jackson and Moultrie, and a medallion of Madison, most of them standing on pedestals, are placed in different parts of the room. The library is kept open during the session every day, except Sunday, from nine o'clock to three o'clock, and from five to seven o'clock, P. M., and in the recess, during the same hours, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, in each week. Members of Congress, the President and Vice- President of the United States, Judges of the Su- preme Court, the Heads of Departments, Secreta- ries of the two Houses, Diplomatic Corps, and some few others, alone have the privilege of taking books from the library, and the time during which they are to be kept out is limited to one, two, or three weeks, according to the size of the volume. The rooms south of the library of Congress are occupied by the Clerk of the House of Repre- sentatives and his subordinates. To these offices you are directed by a spacious corridor, which runs along the east wall of the hbrary, and from which springs the principal staircase leading to the third story of the building; and by a smaller corridor or passage leading from the lobby of the House, meeting the larger corridor at right angles opposite the office of the Clerk of the House. This officer is elected at the beginning of every Con- gress, with the other officers of the House, but he is empowered to appoint his own clerks. Passing through the north door of the Rotundo, and the vestibule already mentioned, you enter 32 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. THE SENATE CHAMBER. This room occupies the eastern section of the northern wing, is semicircular in its form, seventy- five feet in length, and forty-five feet in height. A light and beautiful gallery projects from the upper part of the semicircle, and is supported by iron columns and caps bronzed, and protected by an airy and elegant railing of the same material, A series of Ionic columns of Potomac marble, with capitals copied from those of the Temple of Mi- nerva, support the eastern gallery and form a log- gea below. The wails between small pilasters of marble, placed in the circular wall, are painted, and the whole is surmounted by a double ceiling, the lower one of which is enriched with square caissons of stucco, and from its centre is suspended a magnificent gilt chandelier with shaded lamps. The staircases leading to the galleries are narrow, dark, and altogether unsuited to so fine a room. The main entrance to the Chamber is through a vestibule or hall, which is handsomely carpeted and lighted from a small cupola above. There are three entrances to the circular and two to the east- ern gallery. On the west side of the building are the offices of the Secretary of the Senate, the access to which is through the hall or vestibule already mentioned. On the north side of this hall are two rooms, one occupied by the Vice-President, and the other, at the close of each session, by the President of the United States, when he comes to sign bills. Descending a flight of marble steps in the north COURT ROOM. 33 wing, you enter, through a passage lighted by a lamp, the COURT ROOM, Occupied by the supreme judicial tribunal of the United States. It is immediately under the Senate Chamber, and nearly of the same form and dimen- sions, but much less light and elegant. The arches of the ceiling diverge like the radii of a circle from a point near the loggea to the circumference. The light is admitted from the east and falls too full upon the face of the attorney who may be address- ing the Court. This has, however, been some- what softened by transparent curtains and Vene- tian blinds. On the wall, in a recess in front of the bench, is sculptured, in bold relief, the figure of Justice holding the scales, and that of Fame crowned with the rising sun, pointing to the Con- stitution of the United States. On a stone bracket attached to the pier of one of the arches on the left of the fire-place, is a fine bust, in marble, of Chief Justice Ellsworth, and a similar bracket, on the right, is a marble bust of Chief Justice Mar- shall. The members of the bar are accommodated with mahogany desks and armed chairs within the bar, which is about two feet below the level of the floor of the loggea and lobby, and the audience with sofas, settees, and chairs. The Judges have each a mahogany desk and chair ; the Chief Jus- tice sits in the centre of the Associate Justices, and all are clothed, during the sitting of the Court, in black robes. The Supreme Court of the United States assem- 34 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. bles annually in the city of Washington on the second Monday in January. This court has ex- clusive jurisdiction of all controversies of a civil nature where a State is a party, except between a State and its citizens, and betw^een a State and citi- zens of other States or aliens, in which latter case, it has original but not exclusive jurisdiction. It has such exclusive jurisdiction in all suits or pro- ceedings against Ambassadors, or other public Mi- nisters, or their domestics or servants, as a court of law can have or exercise consistent with the law of nations, and original, but not exclusive, juris- diction in all suits brought by Ambassadors or other public Ministers, or in which a Consul or Vice-Consul shall be a party. It has, also, ap- pellate jurisdiction from the Circuit Courts and Courts of the several States in certain cases, and has power to issue Avrits of prohibition to the Dis- trict Courts, when acting as courts of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, and writs of mandamus in cases warranted by the principles and usages of law, to any courts appointed, or persons holding office, under the authority of the United States. A final judgment or decree in any suit in the highest court of law or equity of a State, in which a deci- sion could be had, where is drawn in question the validity of a treaty or statute of, or authority ex- ercised under the United States and the decision is against their validity, or where the validity of a statute of, or an authority exercised under any State is drawn in question, as repugnant to the Con- stitution, treaties or laws of the United States, and the decision is in favor of their validity — or when is drawn in question the construction of any clause COURT ROOM. 35 of the Constitution, or of a treaty or statute of, or commission lieid under the United States, and the decision is against the title, privilege or exemption specially set up or claimed by either party, under such clause of the Constitution, treaty, statute or commission, may be reexamined and reversed or affirmed in the Supreme Court of the United States upon a writ of error, the citation being signed by the Chief Justice, Judge or Chancellor of the court rendering the judgment or decree com- plained of, or by a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, in the same manner, and under the same regulations, and the writ has the same effect as if the judgment or decree complained of, had been ordered or passed in a Circuit Court, and the proceeding upon the revisal is also the same, except that the Supreme Court, instead of remand- ing the cause for a final decision, may, at their discretion, if the cause shall have been once re- manded before, proceed to a final decision of the same, and award exemption. But no other error can be assigned or regarded as a ground of rever- sal in any such case than such as appears on the face of the record, and immediately respects the beforementioned questions of validity or construc- tion of the said Constitution, treaties, statutes, com- missions or authorities in dispute. The Judges, while in Washington, reside in the same house, for the greater convenience of consult- ation. On the west side of the basement story or first floor of the north wing, are the offices of the Clerk of the Court, directly opposite the court room, and separated from it by a corridor, which extends 36 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. the whole length of the buildingj passing through the Crypt, from north to south. Entering the east door of the south wing, the first room to the left on the ground floor, is the room occupied by the " Committee of Claims." Returning to the Rotundo by the western en- trance, the productions of the chissel and pencil, which ornament that spacious apartment, claim a more minute description than has been given. I. PRESERVATION OF CAPTAIN SMITH BY POCA- HONTAS. The group in the panel over the western en- trance of the Rotundo, was executed by Signer Cappelano, who, like Causici, was a pupil of the celebrated Canova. This panel contains a group' of five figures, representing the moment when Captain Smith was in the act of being despatched by order of Powhatan, but was saved by the generous interposition of Pocahontas, the daughter of the Chief This design is partly taken from a rude engraving of this event in the first edition of Smith's History of Virginia. Captain Smith, attired in the military dress of the age, is represented reclin- ing on his elbow, with his body extended on the ground, ready to receive the death-blow from the war-mace of an Indian who stands near his head. The Chief, (Powhatan,) who is in the centre be- hind, is motioning with his hand, in consequence of the interposition of his daughter, who is hanging over Smith to protect him from the blow, to an- other Indian, who stands at the feet of the captive ready to assist his companion in completing the SCULPTURES. 37 work of death. The war-mace of the Indian is, however, resting on his shoulder. AUhough the composition of this group is good, and the figures very well executed, yet there is an evident want of truth in their delineation and costume. The face and head-dress of Pocahontas are Grecian, and the features of Powhatan are less like an Indian than an European. The whole piece is certainly rich and ornamental; but the objections made, will, we think, strike any one who sees them, and may hereafter present no little difficulty, when the pro- gress of civilization, the increase of white popula- tion, and other causes, shall have reduced the chil- dren of the forest to a small and scanty remnant, in ascertaining which is the true representation of the Indian physiognomy, form and costume, from the specimens thus furnished by our artists. II. LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS ON PLYMOUTH ROCK. The subject intended to be illustrated by the group in the panel over the eastern entrance to the Rotundo, from the portico, is the landing of the Pilgrims. " The group consists of four figures in high relief — the Pilgrim, his wife and child, and an Indian. The former, in the costume of that age, is in the act of stepping from the prow of the boat, to receive from the hand of an Indian, in a kneel- ing attitude, on the rock before him, an ear of corn, held out by the latter in a most friendly manner. A mixed expression of hesitancy and gratitude is visible in the countenance of the Pilgrim, who appears to doubt the sincerity of the Indian. Be- 38 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. hind in the boat, looking towards heaven with an eye and attitude of devotional gratitude for the de- liverance from the sufferings and hardships of the very age, stands his wife. Near her stands their little son, actuated by fear and wonder, holds his father's arm, and seems desirous to prevent his landing. The Indian is seated on the rock, just in front of the Pilgrim and the prow of the boat, on which is inscribed the year of the first landing, ' 1620.' It is stated that this rock has been broken up into fragments, and part of it placed in the cen- tre of the town of Plymouth, where it is known by the name of • Forefather's Rock.' " III. CONFLICT BETWEEN DANIEL BOON AND THE INDIANS. The exploit of Daniel Boon, the Pioneer of the West, is illustrated in the panel over the south door of the Rotundo. The group consists of Boon and two Indians in a forest, the boughs of one of the trees are waving over their heads. Boon is represented in close conflict with an Indian, after having discharged his rifle at another, who lies at his feet in the agonies of death. The surviving In- dian is in the act of striking Boon with his toma- hawk, which he averts by raising his rifle in his left hand, while with the other, his arm drawn a little back to give force to the blow, he holds the *' long knife," with which he is about to despatch his savage antagonist. This and panel No. 2, were executed by Caucisi. The narrowness of the space, and the nature of the material in the last, give a clumsiness to the figures, which are colos- SCULPTURES. 39 sal, that greatly injure the effect; but the design is good, and the execution bold and spirited. The incident commemorated by this piece of sculpture, is said to have occurred in the year 1773, and the likeness of Boon was taken from a portrait by Hardinge. IV. PENN's treaty with the INDIANS. The subject of the panel over the northern door of the Rotundo is the treaty held by William Pcnn with the Indians in 1682. Penn is represented standing under the elm, near Philadelphia, in the act of presenting the treaty to the Indians. An old chief carries in his hand the calumet or pipe of peace, and seems to be listening with attention to the talk of a younger Indian. Penn is dressed in the simple costume of a Quaker, with as much benevolence in his countenance as could be given in so rough a material ; but the execution of the group is less spirited than the others. The artist was a Frenchman, named Gevelot, PAINTINGS. I. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. This painting occupies the first panel to the right of the south entrance of the Rotundo. It is intended as an illustration of one of the most mem.orable events of our history. The time is that when the famous Declaration of Independence was reported by the committee to the House. The artist states that " in order to give variety to his composition, he found it necessary to depart from 40 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. the usual practice of reporting an act, and has made the whole committee of hve advance to the table of the President to make their report, instead of having the chairman to rise in his place for that purpose. The silence and solemnity of the scene offered such real difficulties to a picturesque and agreeable composition as to justify, in his opinion, this departure from custom, and perhaps fact. The dresses are faithfully copied from the costume of the time." The place is the chamber of Congress, which is copied, Colonel Trumbull says, ''from the one in which they held their sessions at that time," and before the "spirit of innovation had violated its memorable walls by modern improve- ment, as it is called." He has also taken the liber- ty, he says, of embellishing the back ground, by suspending upon the wall military flags and tro- phies, taken from the enemy at St. John's, Cham- bly, &c., and were probably actually placed in the hall. The figures in this painting are forty-seven in number, all of them portraits taken from life, or from the best portraits extant of those who were dead. These paintings derive their value from the likenesses of the distinguished persons they contain. The following are the names of those whose por- traits are given. The names in those, and all that follow, referring to the outline heads in the key which accompanies each painting, and beginning on the left of the spectator, viz : 1. George Wythe, Va. 5. Thomas Lynch, S. C. 2. Wm. Whipple, N. H. 6. Richard H. Lee, Va. 3. Josiah Bartlett, N. H. 7. Samuel Adams, Mass. 4. Benjamin Harrison, Va. 8. George Clinton, N. Y. PAINTINGS. 41 9. William Paca, Md. 10. Samuel Chase, Md. 11. Lewis Morris, N. Y. 12. William Floyd, N. Y. 13. Arthur Middleton, S. C 14. Thomas Hayward, S. C, 15. Charles Carroll, Md. 16. George Walton, Ga. 17. Robert Morris, Pa. 18. Thomas Willing, Pa. 19. Benjamin Rush, Pa. 20. Elbridge Gerry, Mass. 21. Robert T. Payne, Mass. 22. Abraham Clark, N. J. 23. Stephen Hopkins, N. J. 24. William Ellery, R. I. 25. George Clymer, Pa. 26. William Hooper, N. C. 27. Joseph Hewes, N. C. 28. James Wilson, Pa. 29. FrancisHopkinson,N. J. 30. John Adams, Mass. 31. Roger Sherman, Ct. 32. R. R. Livingston, N. Y. 33. Thomas Jefferson, Va. 34. Benjamin Franklin, Pa. 35. Richard Stockton, N.J. 36. Francis Lewis, N. Y. 37. J. Witherspoon, N. J. 38. Samuel Huntington, Ct. 39. William Williams, Ct. 40. Oliver Wolcott, Ct. 41. John Hancock, Mass. 42. Charles Thomson, Pa. 43. George Reed, Del. 44. John Dickinson, Del. 45. Edward Rutledge, S.C. 46. Thomas McKean, Pa. 47. Philip Livingston, N.Y. II. SURRENDER OF BURGOYNE. The panel next to the preceding one, and on the left of the west entrance to the Rotundo, contains an historical painting, representing the surrender of General Burgoyne, at Saratoga, on the 17th of October, 1777. " The painting represents Gene- ral Burgoyne, attended by General Phillips, and followed by other officers, arriving near the markee of General Gates, who has advanced a few steps from the entrance to meet his prisoners. The latter, with General Phillips, has dismounted, and in the act of offering his sword, which Gene- rel Gates declines to receive, and invites them to enter and partake of refreshments. A number of the provincial officers of the American army are assembled near their General. 42 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. "The confluence of Fish creek and the North river, where the British left their arms, is shown in the distance, near the head of Colonel Scammel; the troops are indistinctly seen crossing the creeks and the meadows, under the direction of Colonel (since Governor) Lewis, and advancing towards the foreground, they disappear behind the wood, which serves to relieve the three principal figures; and again appear (grenadiers, without arms and accoutrements) under the left hand of Gen. Gates. Officers on horseback, American, British, and Ger- man, precede the head of the column, and form an interesting cavalcade, following the dismounted Generals, and connecting the different parts of the picture." The following are the names of the officers whose portraits are given : 1. Major Lithgow, Massacliuscttf?. 2. Colonel Cilley, New-Hampshire. 3. General Stark, Ncvv-Hampshire. 4. Captain Seymour, Conn., of Sheldon's horse, 5. M:ijor Hull, Massachusetts. 6. Colonel Greaton, Massachusetts. 7. Miijor Dearborn, New-Hampshire. 8. Colonel Scammel, New-Hampshire. 9. Colonel Lswis, Quartermaster General, N. Y. 10. Mijor General Phillips, British. 11. Lieutenant General Burjroyne, British. 12. General Baron Reidesel, Germany. 13. Col. Wilkinson, Deputy Adj. General, American. 14. General Gates. 15. Colonel Prescott, Massachusetts Volunteers. 16. Colonel Morgan, Virginia Riflemen. 17. Brigadier General Rufus Putnam, Massachusetts. 18. Lieut. Col. John Brooks, late Governor of Mass. 19. Rev. Mr. Hitchcock, Chaplain, Rhode-Island. 20. Major Robert Troup, Aid-de-Camp, New-York. 21 Major Haskell, Massachusetts. PAINTINGS. 43 22. Mijor ArmstroTifT, Aid-do-Camp, now General. 23. M ijor General Philip Schuyler, Albany, 24. Brigadier General Glover, M issachusctts. 25. Brig. Gen. Wliipple, New-Hamnshire Militia. 26. Mxjor Matthew Clarkson, Aid-de-Cimp, N. Y. 27. Major Ebenezjr Stevens, Massachusetts, com- manding the Artillery. III. SURRENDER OF THE BRITISH ARMY, COM- MANDED BY LORD CORNWALLIS, AT YORK- TOWN, IN VIRGINIA, OCTOBER 19, 1781. This painting ornaments the panel immediately on the right of the west entrance. The event is historical and memorable, and has been happily chosen by the painter. It closed the war of the Revolution, and established the independence of the United States. By a skilful movement of Gene- ral Washington, the French allies from the north and of Count de Grasse, Cornwallis who had pre- viously carried all before him in the south, was obliged to shut himself up in Yorktown, and find- ing it impossible to hold out till he could receive relief from New- York, surrendered his forces on. the 19th of October, 1781, to the combined armies of America and France. General Lincoln having been refused the honor of marching out of Charles- ton, when he had been compelled to surrender that city, with colors flying, &c,, it was thought but just that Lord Cornwallis should be required to do the same on this occasion, and General Lin- coln was appointed to superintend the submission of the British at Yorktown in the same manner as that of the American troops at Charleston had been conducted about eiofhteen months before. 44 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. " The painting," says the artist, '* represents the moment when the principal officers of the British army, conducted by General Lincoln, are passing the two groups of American and French generals, and entering between the two lines of the victors; by this means the principal officers of the three nations are brought near together, so as to admit of distinct portraits. In the centre of the painting in the distance, are seen the entrance of the town, with the captured marching out, following their officers; and also a distant glimpse of York river and the entrance of the Chesapeake bay, as. seen from the spot." The following are the names of the French and American officers, whose portraits are contained in this painting. Those of the former were ob- tained at Paris in 1787, and taken from life, in the house of Mr. Jefferson, then Minister to France. 1. Count Deuxponts, Colonel of French Infantry. 2. Duke de Laval Montmorency, Colonel of do. 3. Count Custine, Colonel of French Infantry. 4. Duke de Lauzun, Colonel of French Cavalry. 5. General Choizy. 6. Viscount Viomenil. 7. Marquis de St. Simon, 8. Count Fersen, Aid-de-Camp of Count Rochambeau. 9. Count Charles Damas, do. do. do. 10. Marquis Chastellux. 11. Baron Viomenil. 12. Count de Barras, Admiral. 13. Count de Grasso, Admiral. 14. Count Rochambeau, Gen. en Chef des Franpais. 15. General Lincoln. 16. Colonel Ebenezer Stevens, American Artillery. 17. General Washington, Commander in Chief. 18. Thomas Nelson, Governor of Virginia. 19. Marquis La Fayette. PAINTINGS. 45 20. Baron Steuben. 21. Colonel Cobb, Aid de-Camp to Gen. Washington. 22. Colonel Trumbull, Secretary to Gen. Washington. 23. Major.General James Clinton, New- York. 24. General Gist, Maryland. 25. General Anthony Wayne, Pennsylvania. 26. General Hand, Adjutant-General Pennsylvania. 27. General Peter Muhlenberg, Pennsylvania. 28. Maj. Gen. H, Knox, Commander of Artillery. 29. Lieut. Col. E. Huntington, Acting Aid-de-Camp to General Lincoln. 30. Col. Timothy Pickering, Quartermaster General. 31. Col. Alexander Hamilton, Com. Light Infantry. 32. Colonel John Laurens, of South Carolina. 33. Colonel Walter Stuart, of Philadelphia. 34. Colonel Nicholas Fish, of New- York. IV. RESIGNATION OF GENERAL WASHINGTON AT ANNAPOLIS, DECEMBER 23, 1783. This is the last painting of Colonel Trumbull, and occupies the panel on the left of the north en- trance. The subject is one of great interest, and the event the painting is intended to represent, partakes of the moral sublime. After having libe- rated his country from the thraldom of Great Bri- tain, and himself an object of adoration to his ad- miring countrymen, he nobly throws aside all personal ambition, surrenders his commission into the hands of those who had conferred it, and retires into the shades of private life. Congress were in session at Annapolis, and that great man, after taking leave of his old military associates at New- York, proceeded to that city to tender his resigna- tion. He was admitted upon the floor, and being informed that Congress were prepared to receive his commission, he rose and addressed that body, 46 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. in a brief but afTecting manner, and thus concluded his address: '' Having now finished the work as- signed me, I retire from the great theatre of action; and, bidding an affectionate farewell to this august body, under whose orders I have so long acted, I here offer my commission, and take my leave of all the employments of public life." He then ad- vanced, delivered to the President his commission, and resumed his seat. Mr, Mifflin, then President of Congress, replied to this address in a very neat and appropriate manner, and in the course of which he remarked : '' Having defended the standard of liberty in the new world; having taught a lesson to those who inflict, and to those who feel oppression, you retire from the great theatre of action with the blessings of your fellow-citizens; but the glory of your virtues will not terminale with your mili- tary command, it will continue to animate remotest ages." The painter has chosen the moment when General Washington is addressing the President of the body before him. He stands erect, noble and grand ; all eyes are fixed upon him with reve- rence and love; a part of his family are seen look- ing on from the gallery, and the whole scene is one of the most intense interest. The following are the names of the persons introduced whose portraits are given : 1. Thomas Mifllin, of Pennsylvania, President. 2. Ch.'irlcs Thomson, Pcnn., Member of Congress. 3. ElI)ri{Jgc Gerry, of Massacliusclts, do. 4. Hugh Williamson, North Carolina, do. 5. Samuel Osgood, Massachusetts, do. 6. Edward McComb, Delaware, do. 7. George Partridge, Massachusetts, do. b. Edward Lloyd, Maryland, do. PAINTINGS. 41 9. R. D. Spaiglit, North Car. Member of Congress. 10. Benjamin Hawkins, do. do. 11. A. Foster, New-Hampshire, do. 12' Thomas Jefferson, Virginia, do. 13. Arthur Lee, do. do. 14. David Howell, Rhode-Island, do. 15. James Monroe, Virginia, do. IG. Jacob Reid, South Carolina, do. 17. James Madison, Virginia, (spectator.) 18. William Ellery, Rhode-Island, do. 19. Jeremiah Townly Chase, Maryland, do, 20. S. Hardy, Virginia, do. 21. Charles Morris, Pennsylvania, do. 22. General Washington. 23. Colonel Benjamin Walker. 24. Colonel David Humphreys, Aid-dc-Camp. 25. General Smallwood, Maryland, spectator. 26. General Otho Holland Williams, Maryland, do. 27. Colonel Samuel Smith, do. do. 28. Colonel John E. Howard, Baltimore, do. do. 29. Charles Carroll and two daughters, do. do. 30. Mrs. Washington and her three grand children, do. 31. Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, Maryland, do. V. BAPTISM OF POCAHONTAS. This painting was executed by Mr. J. G. Chap- man, a talented native artist, who was employed, in compliance with a resolution of Congress, to ornament one of the vacant panels of the Rotundo, and it has been placed in the panel immediately east of the northern door. Pocahontas constitutes the prominent figure in the picture. She is kneel- ing on the steps of the rude baptismal font, in an attitude of deep humility and devotion. Her dress is pure white, with a snowy mantle of swan's skin, tipped with plumage, just falling from her shoul- ders. Her hair flows negligently over her neck 48 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. and back, and her features and complexion are those of the Indian, though her face is not so beau- tiful as it is represented to have been in life. The moment is one of deep solemnity and interest. The eyes of all seem to be fixed upon the young and interesting daughter of Powhatan, while thus in the act of renouncing the idols of Indian supersti- tion, and devoting herself to the service of the true God. The Indian figures, which form a part of the group, are well dehneated and finely painted ; they seem to be gazing on the scene with various feelings. The sister of Pocahontas is seated on the floor, with her child clinging to her, and looking on with intense interest and curiosity, while Opc- chankanough, also seated in the Indian fashion, scowls at the ceremony with deep malignity and ferocity. Rolfe, the husband of Pocahontas, stands behind her; and the minister, by far the most com- manding figure among the white portion of the congregation, has one hand in the font, and the other extended in the attitude of prayer. His ap- pearance is imposing and solemn. Sir Thomas Dale, in the martial costume of the age, stands on the right of the officiating clergyman, Whitaker, and his standard bearer and page near him. The other figures, male and female, civil and military, are stationed in different parts of the rustic church, looking on with apparent interest. The scene is represented in a chapel which has been painted, the artist says, after one now remaining, and built about the same time the one in which the ceremo- ny just described took place was erected. The open window aflbrds a partial view of the country. The composition is good, and the coloring rich BAPTISM OF POCAHONTAS. 49 and splendid. It is an incident in the early settle- ment of our country which is scarcely known, and not susceptible, from its character, of very great ornament. Pocahontas w^as certainly an extraor- dinary girl, and one that we rarely meet whh, either in savage or civilized life. When but thir- teen years of age, she performed an act that will cover her name with eternal honor; and her hu- manity, courage, and devotion in the cause of the first settlers of Virginia, during her short life, were, for one so young, almost without a parallel. She was born about the year 1594-5; saved the Hfe of Captain Smith, on whose body she cast herself when about to be killed by order of her father, in 1607, when but twelve or thirteen years old: and was baptized and died in 1616, at the age of twenty-one or twenty-two. Her name was originally Matoaka, which signifies a streamlet between two hills. She was called among her Indian friends the Snow Feather, as was also her mother, from their remarkable gracefulness and swiftness of foot, and was christened by the name of Rebecca. Smith represents Pocahontas as possessing great personal beauty, though her countenance was sad and melancholy, like that of her father. Another has more recently described her ]fi a poetical work, entitled " Pocahontas;" " The raven tresses of Matoa's hair Lay like a cloud enshrining her soft brow ; * * • + * + " Her brow was stamped with shade, as was her sire's, (So say historians of romantic eld,) Deep-mark'd with sadness, free from savage fires, Claiming a sympathy by none withheld, • * » * « 50 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. ; •• Her queenly brow not passing fair, But beauty and repose were there." The baptism of Pocahontas took place prior to her marriage with Rolfe and her departure from her native country. It is thought that this solemn and imposing ceremony was performed in the rude church which had been erected at Jamestown, the Tuins of which still remain. The event is thus poetically described by the authoress quoted above: ••Wild was the scene, and hushed to calm repose ; From the dense crowd no thoughtless murmurs rose ; The very winds seemed voiceless as they swept The trackless wastes, where pristine beauty slept. " While lowly bending at the altar-stone, Alone in seeming, not in heart alone, The bright girl knelt, bathed in repentant tears — Connecting link between two hemispheres. •' Before the chancel, congregated there, ***** Full many an exile from his distant home, By av'rice or ambition lured, had come. "The Knight, in blazonry of pomp and power. The gentle Page, won from his lady's bower; The Squires, whose gilded spurs in embryo seem The El Dorado of a bhssful dream. •' Sublime in youth and hope the aspirant stood, Nature's untutored child, late tenant of the wood ; Her dark hair floating on the summer wind. And loose her robe no art had taught to bind." Pocahontas was the first Christian convert among the Indian tribes of North America. Pre- vious to her baptism, according to Captain Smith, she had been carefully instructed in the doctrines BAPTISM OF POCAHONTAS. 51 of Christianity ; after which, he says, "she never had a desire to live with her father or his people, W'ho would by no means turn from their idol;jtry that thereby they rnio;ht confess the true faith, which she embraced with all her heart, from that time mourning her former blindness and unbelief Her poor dear father, she said, although at times he was not angry with her, yet would by no means give up an idolatrous religion to which he had been so long used." Mr. Chapman has given what maybe consider- ed as a true representation of Nantaquaas, the brother of Pocahontas, whom Captain Smith seems to have regarded as the very hcau ideal of manly beauty. He is described by all the writers of that time as being amiable and useful, notwithstanding his savage nature.. He stands erect and lofty in the picture. His figure is grand and heroic, and his head is turned from the ceremony. "But who is that, with eye and brow serene, Of swarter visage than the forest Queen ? Pride of his race where lofty courage stands — • The test of virtue in his own bright lands." The drapery in this picture is exquisitely painted ; and the contrasts of colors and the variety of atti- tude he has given to his figures deserve high praise. THE STATUE OF WASHINGTON. This statue was ordered to be executed by Con- gress some years ago, and Mr. Greenough, an American artist of genius, was selected to execute it. For this purpose he repaired to Italy, where suitable materials and greater facilities could be cl 52 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. obtained; and after devoting several years to the pleasing task which Jiad been assigned him, he completed the colossal statue which now ornaments the Rotundo, and which is to manifest the gratitude of the nation to its illustrious benefactor. Washing- ton is represented of colossal size, in a sitting posture. His body is nude to the waist, and the right arm and lower parts are draped. In his left hand he holds a sword, and with his right points towards heaven. The head and body are finely executed; the like- ness is admirable; and there is a poetical grandeur in the whole figure. A foreign writer has said: *' Nothing can be more human, and at the same time more god-like, than this colossal statue of Wash- ington. It is a sort of domestic Jupiter. The sublime repose and simplicity of the whole figure^ united as it is with exceeding energy of expression^ is perfectly classical without the slightest abstract imitation, so that there is no mistaking th e pure lin- eage of this statue. Being intended to fill the cen- tral position in the Capitol of the United States, he has addressed his statue of Washington to a distant posterity, and made it rather a poetical abstract of his whole career, than the chronicler of any one deed or any one leading feature of his life." The seat on which Washington rests is orna- mented with the acanthus leaf and garlands of flowers. The figure of Columbus leans against the back of the seat to the left, and is intended to connect the history of America with that of Eu- rope; while that of an Indian chief, on the right, represents the condition of the country at the period of its discovery. The right of the seat is orna- mented in basso relievo with the rising sun, the STATUE OF WASHINGTON. 53 crest of ihe national arms of America ■ under which IS inscribed the motto, Magnus ab integio s(Rclorum nascitur ordo. On the left is sculptured in bass relief ihe Genii of North and South Ame- rica, under the forms of the infant Flercules strang- ling the serpent, and Iphiclus stretched on the ground, and apparently shrinking in fear from the contest. The motto is, Incipe posse jmer cui no7i risere parcntes. On the back of the seat is the following motto: Simulacrum istud ad magnum Libertatis exemplum, Ncc sine ipsa duraturum. HORATIUS GREENOUGH FACIEBAT. It may be doubted whether the figure of Wash- ington, half naked ^ is calculated to suit the taste of the people of this country or of this age. Pos- terity may be better pleased with it than the pre- sent generation; though the skill and genius of the artist, in the masterly delineations of the form and proportions of the illustrious chief, cannot but be greatly admired by all who see the statue. It is about twelve feet high, weighs fourteen tons, and is elevated on a pedestal twelve feet in height, in the centre of the Rotundo. The following appropriate lines on this statue, by H. T. Tuckerman, will be found interesting. " Tho quarry whence thy form majestic sprung. Has peopled earth with grace, Heroes and gods that elder bards have sung, A bright and peerless race. But i'rom its sleeping veins, ne'er rose before A shape of loftier name, Than his, who glory's wreath with meekness wore, The noblest son of fame. * i- + • * t C2 54 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. " And it is well to place his image there, Beneatli the dome he blest.* " Let meaner spirits, who in council share, Revere that silent guest. Let us go up with high and sacred love. To look on his pure brow, And, as with solemn grace he points above. Renew the patriot's vow." t Proceeding through the western entrance of the Capitol you reach a spacious terrace, paved with Seneca freestone, and extending in a very beautiful sweep, from north to south. Beneath this terrace, which is below the level of the east front, is a range of casemate arches, forming depositories for the wood and coal annually consumed in the building. The terrace is faced with a grass bank or glacis, and accessible by two flights of stone steps on either side of the open arches leading to the basement story of the Capitol, Under the middle of these is a handsome marble fountain, from which the wa- ter, brought through pipes from springs about two miles north of the Capitol, falls into a beautiful basin of white marble, and thence flows into a re- • This is an anachronisin. Wasliiiigton did not live to see the Capiiol erected. tTho artist thus feelingly speaks of this offspring of his genius and labor: " It is the birth of my thought. I have sa'^rificed to it the flower of my days and the fresh, ness of my strength ; its every lineament has been moist- ened with the sweat of my toil and the tears of my exile. I would not barter away its association with my name for the proudest fortune avarice ever dreamed of. In giving it up to the nation that has done me the honor to order it at my hands, I respectfully claim for it that protection which it is the boast of civilizution to afford to art, and which a generous enemy has more than once been scca to extend even to the monumujits of his own defeat." NAVAL MONUMEiNT. 55 servoir casod with stone, and in which has been erected a Monument to the memory of the yoimg naval officers, Sommers, Wadsworth, Israel, De- catur, Dorsey, and Caldwell, who gallantly per- ished off Tripoli, in 1804. This neat and beauti- ful monument was formerly erected in the Navy Yard of this city, a much more appropriate place than the one in which it now stands, and was exe- cuted in Italy, at the expense and by order of the officers of the Navy. It is a small Doric pillar, with emblematic embellishments, &c., crowned with an eagle in the act of flying. The column, ornamented with the prows of Turkish vessels, rests on a base, on one side of which is sculptured in basso relievo a view of Tripoli and its fortresses in the distance, the Mediterranean and American fleet in the foreground. The whole monument is of Italian marble, and its sub base of American marble, found near Baltimore. On each of the other sides of the base are inscriptions, one con- taining the names of the officers who so heroically sacrificed their lives on the occasion, rather than become the slaves of barbarians; the other the epitaph, &c. At each angle stands an appropriate marble figure, spiritedly executed. One of these represents America directing the attention of her Children, two beautiful infant figures, to History, who is recording the daring and intrepid action of the young heroes: the third represents Fame, with a wreath of laurel in one hand and a pen in the other; and the fourth Mercury, as the genius of Commerce, with his cornucopia and caduccus. Further west is another fall or glacis, with stone steps, from the bottom of which three fine walks, 56 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. paved with granite, lead to the principal western gates, one in the centre, one opening into the Ma- ryland, and the other into the Pennsylvania ave- nue. On each side of the centre gateway are por- ters' lodges, which, with the stone piers to the gates, are constructed in the same style as the basement of the building. The public grounds around the Capitol are enclosed by an iron palisade or railing, bordered with a belt of forest and ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers, and laid out into walks, neatly gravelled, and also planted with fine trees. On each side of the centre walk are two small jets dUeau, supplied with water from the reservoir above, which is brought from Mr. Smith's spring, two miles and a half north of the Capitol. A brick pavement extends along the wall, on the outside, upwards of a mile in length, and the square or public grounds form, in fine weather, one of the most beautiful promenades in this country. The public grounds around the Capitol and President's house are under the superintendence of a Chief Gardener, appointed by the President of the United States. To these grounds the police regulations of the city of Washington have been extended, and they are under such rules and regulations as the pre- siding officers of the two Houses have jointly pre- scribed for their preservation and the maintenance of order. Proceeding along the Pennsylvania avenue, which is four miles in length, and one hundred and sixty feet in width, and planted on each side with the elm, maple, and tree of heaven, you come to the Plit:SlDEiNT's HOUSE. 57 PRESIDENT'S HOUSE. This elegant edifice is built of freestone, like the Capitol, according to the Ionic proportions. The design was furnished by Captain James Ho- ban, of this city, and is said to be copied from a private building in Dublin. The foundation was laid on the 13th of October, 1792. It is very beau- tifully situated at the intersection of Pennsylvania, Virginia, New- York, Connecticut and Vermont avenues, and stands near the centre of a plat of ground of twenty acres, at an elevation of forty-four leet above high water. The entrance front faces north upon Lafayette square, and the garden front to the south opens an extensive and finely varied view of the Capitol and improved part of the city, of the river and Potomac bridge, and of the oppo- site Virginia and Maryland shores. The building is one hundred and seventy feet front, and eighty-six feet deep; is built of white freestone, with Ionic pilasters, and comprehending two lotly stories of rooms, covered Avith a stone balustrade. The north front is ornamented with a fine portico of four Ionic columns in front, and pro- jecting with three columns. The outer interco- lumniation is for carriages to drive into and place company under shelter. The middle space is the entrance for those visiters who come on foot ; the steps from both lead to a broad platform in front of the door of entrance. The garden front is varied by having a rusticated basement story under the Ionic ordonnan.:e, and by a semicircular project- ing colonnade of six columns, with two flights of steps leading from the ground to the level of the c4 58 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. principal story. In the interior, tlie north en- trance opens iiTi mediately into a spacious halJ ol' forty by fifty feet, finislied siiTiply with plain stuccoed walls. Advancing through a screen of Ionic columns, apparently of white marble, but only of a well executed imitation in composition, the door in the centre opens into the oval room, or saloon of forty by thirty feet, the walls covered with plain gold-leaf paper, with deep gilded bor- ders. The marble chimney-piece and tables, the crimson silk drapery of the window curtains and chairs, with a rich carpet, two large mirrors and a splendid cut glass chandelier, give the appear- ance of a rich and consistent style of decoration and finish. On each side of this room, and communica- ting therewith by large doors, is a square room of thirty by twenty-two feet. These three rooms form the suit of apartments in which company is usually received on parade occasion.s. To the west of these IS the company dining room^ forty by thirty, and on the northwest comer is the /a 7/^^/?/ dining room. All these rooms are furnished handsomely, but less richly than the oval room. The walls are covered with rich paper, sprinkled with gold and gilt bor- ders. The stairs for family use are in a cross en- try at this end, with store rooms, china closets, &c., between the two dining rooms. On the east end of the house is the large banqueting room (called the East-room) extending the whole depth of the building, with windows to the north and south, and a large glass door to the east, leading to the terrace roof of the offices. This room is eighty by forty feet, and twenty-two feet high; it is finished with handsome stucco cornice. It has 59 lately been fitted up in a splendid manner. The paper is white and silver. There are four mantels of black marble, with Italian black and gold fronts, and handsome grates; each mantel is surmounted with a mirror, the plates of which measure one hundred by fifty-eight inches, framed in a beauti- ful style, and a pair often-light lamps, bronzed and gilt, with a row of drops around the fountain, and a pair of French cepina vases, richly gilt and painted, with glass shades and flowers. There are three handsome chandeliers of eighteen lights each, of cut glass in gilt mountings, with a num- ber of gilt bracket lights of five candles each. The carpet, which contains nearly five hundred yards, is of fine Brussels. Under the centre chan- delier is placed a round table of rich workmanship of Italian black and gold slabs ; and each pair is filled with a table corresponding w^ith the round table, with splendid lamps on each of them. 1'he curtains are of a light blue merino, with yellow draperies. The principal stairs on the left of the entrance hall are spacious, and covered with Brus- sels carpeting. On ascending these, the visiter to the President is led into a spacious ante-room, from the south windows of which a beautiful prospect is presented to the eye. When in course to be in- troduced, he ascends a few steps and finds himself in a south chamber, the President's cabinet room, which is about forty feet wide, and finished like those below. The room next to this is occupied by the President's private Secretary, and the one directly opposite, in the northeast corner, by the private Secretary, who signs the President's name to patents. The apartment immediately adjoining, c5 60 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. west, is used as a reading room, where the differ- ent journals of the United Slates, sent to the Pre- sident, are filed, and placed on stands, for the con- venience of the President and his family, and those who may be waiting for an audience with him. The other chambers are appropriated to family purposes. A writer in describing this building, has said, and I concur with him in opinion,* that " this palace belongs to the people, and should be adorned with the best specimens of the fine arts the country can produce. The works of the great painters should hang upon the walls, and those of their sculptors fill every niche. To the tenants of this house it cannot be of much importance, for to them it is only a caravansary, where they throw down their wallets, to cast a horoscope, to lay spirits and raise spells, and their hour comes, and they take up their march without restoration to health or a forgiveness of their sins. Such is the omni- potence of the public mind in a free Government." The grounds around this mansion are enclosed, like those of the Capitol, with an iron railing on a stone base, into which you enter through two gate- ways of stone, at the north or main entrance, 'i'liey are laid out into gravelled walks, planted with trees, in clumps and lines along the walls, and ornament- al shrubbery and flowers. A portion of the reser- vation allotted to this building, extending south of the wall, some distance beyond the Tiber, has not yet been enclosed, and lies waste and uncultivated. There is a rusticated gateway on the east of the square, of freestone, in the form of an arch, with a large weepmg willow on each side of the ca- * Knapp's Sketches. WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS. 61 trance. It was formerly said, by the lady of a President, while occupying the house appropria- ted for his use, and being congratulated on her ele- vation — " I don't know that there is much cause for congratulation — the President of the United States generally comes in at the iron gate, and goes out at the weeping loillows.^^ On the west of the President's House are two large brick buildings, one, a hundred and fifty-nine feet long and fifty-seven feet wide, and the other one hundred and thirty feet long by sixty wide. They are each two stories high, with basements of freestone, and the north building has a hand- some portico of the Ionic order. The latter is oc- cupied by the WAR DEPARTxMENTj And the south building by the NAVY DEPARTMENT. Both these edifices are enclosed, and the grounds ornamented with trees and shrubbery. The west entrance is from Seventeenth street, on the west of which, in private houses, having at present no other accommodation, are the Pension Office, the offices of the Paymaster General^ Topographical Bu- reau^ Subsistence Department^ Medical Depart- ment, c^-c. Another building of the same dimensions as that west of the President's House, fronting north, and in the same style of architecture, stands on Fif- teenth street, and is occupied by the c6 62 taJIDE TO WASHINGTON. STATE DEPARTMENT. South of lliis building- stood one similar in dimen- sions, and of the same material, which was occu- pied by the Treasur}^ Department, until the 31st of March, 1833, when it was consumed by fire. THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT. Since the calamity abovementioned, a spacious and convenient fire-proof edifice of freestone has been erected by order of Congress, for the accom- modation of this department. This building is three stories high, with a basement, into each of which wa- ter is conducted from a fountain in Fifteenth street, A magnificent stone colonnade of the Ionic order, consisting of thirty-one columns, runs ihe whole length of the front on Fifteenth street. The facade is ornamented with anta; or pilasters, correspondiiig in number with the columns, and ranged between the windows in front. The corridors running from north to south, and the hall or entrance, from which the staircases spring, are paved, in a tesselated form, with Seneca stone. From the centre in the rear runs a projection west, about one hundred and twenty feet in depth, by sixty feet in width, of the same elevation, and in the same style as the rest of the building, and terminated by a handsome co- lonnade of the Ionic order. On each side of the corridor running east and west, and in each of the three stories, are rooms occupied by the clerks of the department. The whole building- contains one hundred and fifty apartments, for the accommo- POST OFFICE UEPARTMKNT, 63 dcition ot the Treasury Department, and its various bureaus; the Creueral Land Office, occupying the third story, and the whole building-, which is com- modious and well adapted to the purpose for which it was erected, is indestructible by fire. The ar- chitect of this, the Patent Office, and the Gen- eral Post Office buildincrs, is Mr. R. Mills. The War, Navy, State, and Treasury buildings, occu- py portions of the President's square, and are erected east and west of the President's House. The Treasury building has been objected to, be- cause its front has been brought directly on the line of the street, which has thus prevented the erection of a portico, and staircase in front, and marred the architectural beauty of the facade, and because it obstructs the view along F street, which, it is contended, was never contemplated. POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. In consequence of the destruction of the old build- ing by fire, on the 15th of December, 1836, this de- partment Avas accommodated in a range of private buildings on the north side of Pennsylvania avenue, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets west. A splendid edifice, of white marble, has been erected on the old site for its accommodation. The site of this magnificent building was for- merly private property, and purchased by Mr. S. Blodget for the purpose of erecting on it a large brick hotel, for the accommodation of the city; the design w^as furnislved by Capt. James Hoban, and adopted by the city commissioners, in 1793. This c 7 64 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. building was put up out of the proceeds of a lottery authorized to be diawn, but not completed. The owners of the prize ticket were orphan children, who not having the means of completing the build- ing, suffered it to remain for several years in an unfinished and dilapidated state, the basement story occupied by Irish emigrants and others, who, hav- ing to pay no rent, took possession of it, till it was purchased by the Government, and finished in a plain style. Immediately after the late war, there being no other building in the city large enough, it was occupied by the two houses of Congress for a short time, and afterwards by the General and City Post Office, Patent Office, and Library of Con- gress. The latter was removed, in 1818, to the Capitol, and the former continued to occupy the building till its destruction by fire, on the 15lh of December, 1836. The new and splendid edifice just completed is cased with white marble, brought from the vicinity of New- York, and is the only marble building now in Washington ; the material of the other pub- lic buildings being sand or freestone, granite, and brick. It occupies the southern portion of square four hundred and thirty, and fronts on E street north, between Seventh and Eighth streets west. Its principal front is two hundred and four feet, and the fronts on Seventh and Eighth streets one hundred and two feet, forming a hollow square in the rear of one hundred feet in width, built of granite, 'i'he order is a rich Corinthian. The centre of each front is ornamented with four fluted columns, and the facades with pilasters of marble, surmounted by their entablature and blocking. The whole is PATENT OFFICE. 65 elevated on a rustic basement, making three sto- ries. The windows in the second story come down to the floor, and each floor contains twenty-six rooms, ail arched and made fire-proof. The halls and corridors are beautifully paved with marble, in a tesselated style. The corridor of the second story extends the whole length of the south front, and is richly ornamented with stucco Avork. This is a beautiful edifice, and does great credit to its architect and builders. THE PATENT OFFICE. The approach along Eighth street from Penn- sylvania avenue affords a view of the portico only of the building- occupied by the Patent Oflice, but as you advance the whole facade makes its appearance. This fine edifice is situated on F, between Seventh and Ninth streets west, on a public square, which, contrary to the plan of all the other reservations in this city, projected some distance into the street, for the purpose of affording room for a portico or co- lonnade in front. The portico of this building, so far as it extends, is copied from the Parthenon, or Temple of xMinerva, at Athens, The columns in a double row, of the Doric order, are of freestone, eighteen feet in circumference, and of course very massive. The basement story of this edifice, and the steps leading to the stylobate of the portico, are of granite, and the superstructure, two stories high, is of freestone. The facade is ornamented with pilasters, or antse, which separate the windows, and the roof is covered with copper. According to the c8 66 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. plan of the architect, the building is intended to be carried round the square, presenting fronts on each of the four streets, and forming a spacious court in the centre. You enter the eastern door of the basement story into a spacious passage, running from east to west the whole length of the building, through which large wheeled machines can be drawn. On each side of this passage are rooms for the deposite of fuel, large and heavy models, &c. In the centre springs a semicir- cular stone staircase, consisting of two flights of steps, which continues to the second and last story. The corridor in the first story, into which you enter through the portico, is like the one below, and on each side east of the hall are commodious apartments for the accommodation of the Commis- sioner of the Patent Office, his clerks, examiners, draughtsmen, &c. The passage opens into a spa- cious and beautiful model room, in which the va- rious models and specimens of American ingenuity are deposited in glass cases, placed opposite the windows on each ivide, and so arranged as to be easily seen or examined, if necessary. But deci- dedly the most magnificent apartment in the build- ing is the exhibition room, which occupies the whole of the second story, and, for its architec- tural simplicity and beauty, and the purpose for which it was designed and constructed, is perhaps surpassed by no other in the world. Standing at one extremity, and looking down to the other, through a long vista, two hundred and seventy- four feet in extent, the perspective is most beauti- ful. It consists of a double row of stone columns, which support a succession of brick arches lincly PATENT UFFICE. 67 proportioned, and corresponding in depth with the rooms below. The floor is paved with tesselated felone, the columns and stone work are painted white, and the light is admitted through the nume- rous windows on either side, and at the ends of the building, and a small lantern in the centre lets in the light from above. The apartment is intended for the exhibition of the various specimens of manu- facture, &c., made in this country, and which cer- tainly could be no where seen to greater advan- tage than here. The National Institution, recently established in this city, has been permitted by the Secretary of State to use this hall as a depository for zoological, botanical, mineralogical and other specimens sent to the United States by the officers of the explor- ing expedition, and placed under the care and su- perintendence of the society. The hall is thus rendered an object of great interest, curiosity and usefulness to all who choose to visit it, and has become the nucleus of one of the largest and most magnificent museums, and mineralogical cabinets in the United States.* The pitch of the roof is very low; and from its top one of the most splendid panoramic views pre- sents itself that can well be imagmed. The gentleman who furnished the very merito- rious design of this fine building is Mr. William P. Elliot, at present surveyor of the city of Wash- ington. The plan was executed by Mr. Mills, architect of the Public Buildings, who may have made some alterations in the original plan of the interior, but to what extent 1 am not apprised. * See National Institution. 6S GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 'J'he whole buildinp^ is a fine specimen oC Ameri- can arcliilecture, and admirably suited to the pur- pose for which it was erected. THE NAVY YARD. This yard is situated on the Eastern branch, about three-fourths of a mile southeast of the Ca- pitol ; it contains thirty-seven acres, and cost four thousand dollars. It is enclosed on the north and east side by a high brick wall. The entrance is on Eighth street, through a handsome gateway of stone, on each side of which are neat guard rooms. It contains a commodious brick dwelling for thecom- mandant, and other houses for the accommodation of officers attached to the yard. There are extensive timber sheds, warehouses, blacksmiths', coopers', trimmers', plumbers', joiners', sail-makers', boat builders' shops, &c., and two large ship houses. It has a steam engine which works two sets of saws, drives a tilt hammer, turners' lathes, &c. A neat and beautiful building of brick, two stories high, with verandahs running all around it, has lately been erected as offices, for the officers and others doing business in this establishment. There is also a neat armory, handsomely arranged ; and a large quantity of naval stores and cannon of every caliber are deposited in this yard. The grounds are tastefully laid out, and the whole interior pre- sents the appearance of great neatness and clean- liness. Several ships of war have been built here, the designs, durability and construction of which have been much admired and applauded ; among NAVY YARD. 69 these were the Columbus seventy-four, and the Potomac, Essex, Columbia and Brandywine irigates of forty-four guns each. No situation in the country could be better chosen for a manufac- turing yard than this, especially after the Chesa- peake and Ohio Canal shall have been completed as far as Cumberland. The river has a sufficient depth of water for frigates to ascend without light- ening beyond the yard ; and being under the im- mediate eye of Congress and the Government, it should claim their particular care, attention and favor. Besides the Washington Navy Yard, there are several others belonging to the United States. One at Portsmouth, New-Hampshire, containing fifty- eight acres, cost $5,500. One at Charlestown, Massachusetts, containing thirty-four acres, cost $39,214. One on Long"- Island, New- York, on Wallabout Bay, containing forty acres, which cost $40,000. One at Philadelphia, containing eleven acres, which cost $37,000. One at Gosport, Vir- ginia, containing sixteen acres, which cost $ 1 2,000 ; and one at Pensacola, Florida. Every Navy Yard is commanded by a Captain, the highest grade in the American Navy. Cap- tains command Navy Yards, squadrons, ships of the line, and frigates, and in the three principal ports, Boston, New- York, and Norfolk, and the receiving ships for enlisted sailors and apprentices. The next grade to the Captain is the Commander, who commands a sloop of war, the rendezvous for the enlistment of seamen, and attached to Navy Yaids, as second or executive officer. The lowest 70 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. grade of commissioned officers, who exercise com- mand, is that of Lieulenant. These are attached to cruising and receiving vessels, to Navy Yards, two or three to each, to rendezvous, two to each, and they also command schooners, and the receiv- ing vessels at Philadelphia and Baltimore. Sur- geons and their assistants, Pursers and Chaplains, are commissioned officers, but non-combatants. The warrant officers are Passed Midshipmen, Midshipmen, Masters, Boatswains, Gunners, Car- penters, and Sailmakers. The title of Commodore, in the American naval service, is one of courtesy only, no such title being recognised by naval laws. When a Captain com- mands a squadron, he is styled a. Commodore, by courtesy. FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. In the year 1777, the Flag of the United States was ordered by a resolution of Congress, to be formed of thirteen stripes of alternate red and white, and the Union of thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing the new constellation. In 1794, the stripes and stars were increased to fifteen, in consequence of the addition of two new States. In 1818, the number of stripes was again restored to thirteen, and the stars of the Union increased to twenty; and it was also ordered "that on the ad- mission of every new State one star shall be added to the Union of the Flag, to take eflect on the 4tli of July then next succeeding such admission." CONGllESSIONAL BURIAL GROUND. 71 THE MARINE BARRACKS. These barracks are of brick, from on Eighth street fia'st, and extend upwards of seven hundred feet in length, with a centre building two stories high, having a portico in front and back. This is oc- ♦•upied by the officers of the corps at Washington as their quarters. At the north of the square stands a commodious brick dwelling for the accommoda- tion of the colonel of the corps and his family ; and at the south, directly opposite, are an armory and workshop. The whole ground (square 927) is enclosed with a high wall of brick, and kept very neat and clean. THE NAVY MAGAZINE. This is a substantial brick house situated on a reservation belonging to the United States, on the Eastern branch, containing about seventy acres of ground, which has been enclosed with a post and rail fence. A small frame house for the keeper stands within a few yards of the magazine, and a wharf, for the convenience of receiving and carry- ing off the powder, extends from the shore some short distance into the river, but it is in a dilapi- dated state. In returning from this establishment, you pass the CONGRESSIONAL BURIAL GROUND. This grave yard is under the direction of the vestry of Christ church of this city. It is situ- 72 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. ated abont a mile and a half east of the Capitol, and embraces an area of about ten acres, surround- ed by a substantial brick wall, with three hand- some gateways leading into the cemetery, through which run several fine avenues and smaller walks, ornamented with trees and shrubs, that are now beginning to give it the appearance of a garden. The site of this grave yard has bet?n most judiciously chosen. It commands a fine view of the surround- ing country and the Anacostia, which flows at a short distance below it, and, in a calm summer evening, when the water is still and placid, re- flects from its polished bosom the beautiful land- scape on the opposite side of the river. A spacious and tastefully constructed general receiving vault stands on one of the main avenues. It was erect- ed by Congress for the reception of the dead for whom graves might not have been prepared. It is surrounded by a neat iron railing ; its front built of freestone, the door of iron, and the area within the railing ornamented with beautiful shrubs. In this vault bodies may be kept for two months, after which they must be removed for interment. This course is frequently adopted by families and strangers who have no vaults, in order to prevent those outrages which are sometimes committed in other cities upon the dead by resurrectionists. In one instance, however, the body of a distinguished citizen was permitted to remain for upwards of ten months, in the expectation that a tomb or monu- ment would be erected by his friends, under which the remains were to be deposited. This was the body of the eloquent author of the British Spy, to whose memory his friends and the members of the CONGRESSIONAL BURIAL GROUND. 73 Bar had promised to cause a monument to be erect- ed, provided his family would consent to permit him to be buried in this cemetery. The pledge, however, as in the case of Washington and Mar- shall, has never been redeemed, and the remains of the illustrious Wirt were finally thrown into an obscure grave, to moulder with the dead around him. In the southwest corner of this grave yard the eye rests upon a broken marble shaft, which in- dicates the spot where the remains of the brave Brown repose. " The paths of glory lead but to the grave." What thrilling events does not this mute memo- rial of the dead recall ! But even they, too, are fast passing away from the memory of his coun- trymen, and the succeeding generation will know them only from the page of history. In the northeast corner of this burial ground stand two neat marble monuments, erected to the memory of men who once filled a large space in the public eye, George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry; who died here while in the discharge of their official duties as Vice-Presidents of the Uni- ted States. These, at present, are the principal monuments in this cemetery. Almost in a line with these, and ranging from north to south, are tombs of such members of Congress as have died at the seat of Government, and been buried at the public expense. They are built of free or sand- stone, painted white, have each four panels, on one of which are engraved, in black letters, the name, age, period of death, &c., of the deceased, 14 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. and topped with a small pyramid. A brick wall is formed at the bottom of the grave, in which a splendid mahogany coffin, decorated with plated escutcheons, and containing the body of the de- ceased member, is deposited, and over which a brick arch is cast, and the whole surmounted by the very plain and rather tasteless tomb of which 1 have spoken. Some more beautiful design might be substituted without adding much to the expense ; and the material should be marble, instead of the very ordinary sandstone of which they are now constructed. As a burial ground, partly national, great architectural might be united to fine horti- cultural taste, and thus form a retreat to which the stranger as well as the citizen would feel a melan- choly pleasure in repairing, to tranquilize the agi- tations of feeling, while meditating in solitude amid the silent repositories of the dead. Among those mute but eloquent memorials of mortality, where the ''bitterness of hatred, the in- satiabilhy of avarice, and the fire of ambition," no longer exist, and are forever buried in the tomb which covers them, the mind naturally sinks into a train of melancholy reflection, which such a scene is always calculated to inspire, and becomes softened and mellowed by the calm and salutary meditation into which it is irresistibly led. We feel, in looking around us, that all is indeed vani- ty ; that we are but ciphers in this beautiful world, and that in a few fleeting years we, too, shall be- come a kneaded clod," and quit all that once ren- dered life delightful, and perhaps rest amid the very mouldering heaps over which our eye now coldly but pensively wanders. "We are shadows," CONGUEoSlONAL BURIAL GROUND. i'O says Pindar; "the dreams of shadows are all that our fancies imagine." Man is emphatically dust, and to dust he must return, after life's fitful fever is past. All his greatness, and glory, and power, are but the ignes fcUui of living corruption — meteors, that blaze for a moment, and then disappear for- ever, in the long night of death. But to this '' savor all must come at last." The grave is man's last resting place ; there terminate the joys and sor- rows, the hopes and fears, the cares and pleasures of existence. But one consolation remains — " An angel's arm can't snatch me from the grave, Legions of angels can't confine mc there." In the course of forty years, during which Con- gress has assembled in this city, there have not been more than thirty-five or forty interments of its members. Two of these were buried in a rural church-yard a few miles from Washington, having died in the infancy of the citj^, when no public burial ground existed. Their remains were a few years ago transferred, by order of Congress, to this cemetery, and interred with those who had been previously buried here. After this lapse o( time, but little could be found of what once consti- tuted the bodies of men who had, perhaps, while in being, been gifted with physical beauty, and animated with all the hopes and joys and plea- sures of life. All had mouldered away, except a few bones, which were collected together and de- posited among those who had subsequently sunk into the long sleep of death, and been honored with a public funeral, and all the ''sable mockery of wo." But here repose the statesman, the orator, 76 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. and the warrior; the illustrious and the obscure, "and all that beauty, all that worth e'er gave," alike crumble into dust, and mingle with the com- mon elements from which they sprang. Among those who "lie in cold obstruction and who lot" in this burial ground are two who, wea- ried with the world, or in a fit of frenzy, sought for quiet and repose in the grave. They are honored with nearly the same memorial as those who had the courage to live out their term of life on earth, and their dust commingles with that of the mighty dead around them. Nil mortuis nisi bojtum, is not always a correct maxim. The vices as well as the virtues of the dead should be recorded, as ex- amples to be shunned or followed by the living. While strolling through this cemetery one can- not but exclaim — " How populous, how vital is the grave I This is creation's melancholy vault ; The vale funereal, the sad cypress gloom, The land of apparitions, empty shades; All, all on earth is shadow." But a few years have elapsed since this spot was covered with a primeval forest, the haunt of the sa- vage, the lurking place of the wild beast : and now, how populous with the dead ! the last abiding place of those who once fascinated and led the mind cap- tive by their eloquence ; who charmed the eye with the splendor of their beauty, or excited admiration by their bravery and patriotism. Here rests, too, the body of the Indian warrior, whose last wish was that the big guns might be fired over him, to waft his spirit in triumph to the region where wander the souls of his fathers. Pushmataha's CONGRESSIONAL BURIAL GROUND. 77 wish was gratified, and a tomb has been erected over his body to indicate that he was the friend ol' the white man. Would that it could be said that the white man was the friend of the Indian ! This brave son of the forest died as he had lived — the lofty and fearless warrior ; and, like Outallassi, he " Would not stain with grief The death.song of an Indian chief." The rude child of Nature, and the polished oc- cupant of the drawing-room — the Demosthenes of the Senate, and the humble laborer of the field — the old and decrepit, and the young and beautiful ; repose together in the bosom of their common mother. What a leveller is death ! But, "Were death denied, poor man would live in vain ; Were death denied, to live would not be life ; Were death denied, e'en fools would wish to die." Those who have the superintendence and man- agement of this interesting burial ground have done much, aided by appropriations by Congress, to beautify and improve it. A convenient brick lodge or edifice has been erected near the western wall for the accommodation of the sexton. Avenues and walks have been laid out, gravelled and ornament- ed with appropriate trees and flowering shrubs. The tree of heaven, the Babylonian willow, the elm, the cedar, and the fir are beginning to afford shade and give beauty to the cemetery. The arbor vitas, rose, calicanthus, myrtle, &c,, are also plant- ed and nourished by the hand of affection and ten- derness; and it is curious to see "many a moul- dering heap," where lie the bodies of the dead, covered with and putting forth the trees of life. 78 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. But the cypress and the j^ew are wanting ; they are not suited to the climate. And the " Fidel ami des morts, protecteur de leurs cendres," is looked for in vain. And the fun ereal yew, so com- mon in the church-yards in England, the symbol of immortality, the melancholy and appropriate companion of the dead, finds no abiding place here. The outspreading branches and dark sombre foliage of this melancholy tree form a fine feature in the scenery of a grave yard. " Cheerless, unsocial plant, that loves to dwell ' Midst skulls and coffins, epitaphs and vvonus. ♦♦ A noxious tree is the church-yard yew, As if from the dead its sap it drew ; Dark are its branches and dismal to see, Like plumes at death's latest solemnity. Spectral and jagged, and black as wings Wliich some spirit of ill o'er a sepulchre flings: Oh ! a terrible tree is the church-yard yew, Like it is there nothing so ghastly to view." Ainsworlh. But the rose, the lovely rose, is seen, in most of its varieties, unfolding its beautiful buds, and breath- ing its delicious fragrance upon almost every grave. This shrub, which, according to Anacreon, Preserves the cold inurned clay. And marks the vestige of decay, is a fine burial ground ornament, and an expres- sive emblem of affection. Great improvements have been made within a few years in this burial ground, and it is now an object worthy the attention of the citizen as wuU as the strani^er. CONGRESSIONAL BURIAL GROUND. 79 The Congressional burial ground may not be compared at present to the Pere la Chaise, near Paris, or Mount Auburn, in the vicinity of Bos- ton ; but I know of no other cemetery in this country superior to it in beauty of site, the neat- ness, cleanliness, and arrangement of the grounds, or the number, and, in a few cases, the beauty of its monuments and tombs. There is no evidence of neglect or indifference towards the dead by those who superintend, or those whose kindred or friends repose in this burial ground. There are several other grave yards within this city, which have not claimed so much attention from those who have had the direction of them, as the one of which I have spoken. Of these, two are public, and under the management of trustees appointed by the Cor- poration; the rest belong to different denomina- tions of Christians, and though not so gardcnesque and beautiful as the Congressional, are often pre- ferred as a depository of the dead, and visited per- haps not less frequently by those whom undying affection and tenderness may lead to the last rest- ing place of their departed friends, to plant a flower or shed a tear over their graves. The Congressional Burial Ground was formerly called the '' Washington Parish Burial Ground," and first projected in the year 1807, by a few of the respectable inhabitants of the eastern sec- tion of the city, of various denominations, who selected the site of the cemetery, and put the price of the lots in it so low that the most humble were enabled to provide graves for themselves and fami- lies. After the amount expended in the purchase of the land and the improvements which liad been 80 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. made, was reimbursed, the cemetery was placed, as above stated, under the direction of the vestry of Christ church, which was an incorporated body. Among those who first projected this grave yard, are found the names of Henry Ingle, George Blag- den, Griffith Coombe, Samuel N. Smallwood, Dr. Frederick May, Peter Miller, J. T. Frost, and Commodore Thomas Tingy, some of the earliest emigrants to Washington. At the southern extremity of the city, called Greenleaf 's Point, is an extensive ARSENAL. This arsenal occupies a portion of land about a quarter of a mile square, and, together with the shops and laboratories, is used for the deposite of arms and the manufacture of military stores. At- tached to it are large sheds and houses for the storage of caissons, cannon carriages and quarters for the officers and men ; a magazine, model offi- ces, &c., the whole beautifully situated. There is also, in the enclosed ground, a fine brick edifice, three stories high, for the use of the arsenal. " The machinery employed consists of a steam engine of twelve horse power, attached to which is a trip-hammer, two screw cutting machines, a drilling and two sawing machines, circular and upright, and several newly constructed lathes, &c. The average number of workmen employed is about one hundred. The stores consist of about eight hundred iron cannon, chiefly of large cali- ber, above thirty brass cannon, howitzers and mor- tars, :;apturcd during the Revolution. There are PENITENTIARY. 81 also about forty thousand stand of arm?, one hun- dred field carriages of wood, and a large number of cast iron, for fortifications." Immediately north of the arsenal is the PENITENTIARY OF THE DISTRICT. It is a brick edifice of considerable elevation, con- taining the cells of the convicts, four tiers high, built of freestone, and secured by strong iron doors. The dwellings of the warden and keepers, which are attached to the main building, are commodious and convenient ; that of the former fronts the Po- tomac, and is pleasantly situated. A good wharf runs into the river in front of the warden's house, and has been erected for the convenience of land- ing articles for the use of the establishment. The grounds are enclosed with a high brick wall. Several of the inmates have acquired trades, and some have been hopefully converted under the in- struction of the chaplains. The establishment is very healthy, only one person having died since its origin, in 1829. The cells and other apartments are well ventilated, and the most rigid cleanliness is maintained. The diet is coarse and cheap, but well cooked. The expense is about sixteen cents each, per day, for food, clothing and bedding. The con- victs are required to labor in silence, from sun-rise to sun-set. At night they are locked up in separate cells. The beds and bedding are kept remarkably neat and clean, and lime is freely used for cleans- ing and purifying the rooms. The annual expense of supporting the institution is estimated at fifteen thousand two hundred dollars. 82 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. TEIE CITY HALL. The south front of this fine building only is completed. It was planned by an architect named George Hadfield, and commenced in 1820, out of the proceeds of the sale of a lottery privilege granted to the Corporation by Congress; but from the failure of tlie lottery agent, it has been mainly built out of the funds of the GorporatJon. The outside is not yet finished, it being intended to be stuccoed, and to have porticoes in the centre and a colonnade at each end. The City Hall is built on a reservation called Judiciary square, and which terminates Four-and- a-half street. Immediately north of the City Hall, stands the old Jail, and on the northeast angle of the square has recently been erected a spacious brick edifice of the Gothic order, three stories high, stained to resemble granite, and neatly designed, which will hereafter be used as the Jail of the county. The defectiveness and bad construction of the old Jail induced Congress to appropriate a sufficient sum for the construction of the one just built, which, it is hoped, will be free from the serious objections made to the former. The eastern half of the City Hall is occupied by the Circuit and Criminal Courts of the United States for the county, and their offices, for which Congress gave but $10,000. The Court room oc- cupies half the centre of the building; and the first floor of the eastern projection, on each side of the corridor, is occupied by the Clerk of the Court, the District Attorney, and the Marshal. The se- cond story is appropriated to the use of the grand CITY HALL. 83 and; petit juries, and the basement story is occupied oy attorneys and others, who rent the rooms of the Corporation. CIRCUIT COURT. The Circuit Courts of the United States have original cognizance of all suits of a civil nature at common law, or in equity, where the matter in dispute exceeds, exclusive of costs, the sum or value of $500, and the United States are the plaintiffs or petitioner, or an alien is a party, or the suit is be- tween a citizen of the State where the suit is brought and a citizen of another State. But no person can be arrested in one District for trial in another, in any civil action, before a Circuit or District Court. No civil suit can be brought before either of said courts against an inhabitant of the United States by an original process in any other District than that whereof he is an inhabitant, or in which he shall be found at the time of serving the writ; and no District or Circuit Court has cognizance of any suit to recover the contents of any promissory note, or other chose in action, in favor of an assignee, unless a suit might have been prosecuted in such court to recover the said contents, if no assign- ment had been made, except in case of foreign bills of exchange. The Circuit Courts also have appellate jurisdiction from the District Courts, under the regulations and restrictions provided by law. From final decrees in a District Court, in causes of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction, where the matter in dispute exceeds $300, exclu- sive of costs, an appeal is allowed to the next Cir- 84 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. cuit Court to be held in such District. But no District Judge (sitting in a Circuit Court) can give a vote in any case of appeal or error from his own decision, but may assign the reason for such decision. The Circuit Court of the District of Columbia holds its sessions in the City Hall, for Washington County, on the fourth Monday in March, and the fourth Monday in November. In Alexandria, for Alexandria County, on the first Monday in May, and the first Monday in October ; and the District Court sits on the first Mondays in June and De- cember. CRIMINAL COURT. This court, from the inconvenient interming- ling of the criminal with the civil business of the Circuit Court, and the long sessions of that court, which it necessarily occasioned, was established about four years ago, for the exclusive trial of criminal cases occurring within the District of Coiunibia. The first Judge, T. F. Mason, died soon after his appointment, and James Dunlap, of Georgetown, was appointed his successor. The salary of the Judge is $2,000 per annum. In case of sickness, or other legal cause occurring to pre- vent the attendance of the Judge, the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court, and in case of his sickness, the senior Associate Judge, shall preside in this court; and an appeal is allowed from the Crimi- nal to the Circuit Court of the District. It holds its sessions six times a year : in Washington Coun- ty, on the last Monday in December, second Mon- CITY POST OFFICE. 85 day in March, first Monday in June, and fourth Monday in October; and in Alexandria County, on the first Mondays in April and November. The basement story of the western projection of the City Hall is occupied by Attorneys' offices ; the oflice of the Register of Wills, and the ORPHANS' COURT For the County of Washington. This court sits in the above county every Tuesday and Friday, in each vi^eek ; an extra session is held whenever the public interest may require it. The first story of the western projection of the Hall is occupied by the offices of the Mayor, Re- gister and Clerks, Collector of Taxes, and Survey- or of the city; and the second story by the Board of Aldermen and Board of Common Council. THE CITY POST OFFICE. This office occupies the lower room or base- ment story of Carusi's Saloon, situated on the cor- ner of C and Eleventh street west. Its present location will, it is to be presumed, be but for a short time. A commodious and suitable building should be erected, on or near the Pennsylvania avenue, in the centre of business, for its accom- modation. This office is open daily, from eight A. M. to nine P M., except when assorting the mail, and on Sunday, when it is open, from eight to nine, A. M., from twelve to one, and from eight to nine, P. M. 86 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. THE WASHINGTON CANAL, &c. This cana], until 1831, belonged to a private company, and was imperfectly constructed. At that time the Corporation purchased all the rights of the company in the canal, and proceeded to complete it, in a manner highly creditable to the city. It extends fram the termination of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, at Seventeenth street west, to which it is connected by a lock at that street, to the Eastern branch. The canal and all the basins are walled with stone on both sides, throughout its whole length. From Seventeenth to Fourteenth street, is a spacious basin five hun- dred feet wide; from Fourteenth to Sixth street, where there is another ample basin, its width is one hundred and fifty feet; and from Eighth street to its termination in the Eastern branch, its width varies from forty-five to eighty feet, and its depth is four feet below low tide throughout. At its eastern terminus there is anotiier spacious ba- sin, and a wharf which extends to the channel. The cost of this canal has been $230,000, and the annual expense in keeping up the bridges which cross it, and making the excavations and repairs necessary to render it navigable, is consid- erable. A substantial wooden Bridge, nearly a mile in length, crosses the Potomac, at the western end of Maryland avenue, and leading to Alexandria and Virginia, which has been built at the expense of the Government; and three icooden bridges cross the Eastern branch, which were built by indivi- duals and private companies, but which, it is ex- MARKETS. 87 pected, will soon be substituted by one substantial free bridge^ to be erected by the Government, that the same facility of access to the city majr be af- forded to Maryland as has been to Virginia. Near the Potomac bridge are several wharves, for the accommodation of steamboats and other vessels coming to the city ; and several also on the Eastern branch, west of the Navy Yard, used for the landing- of lumber, wood, coal, stone, and other articles brought to this market. There are three Turnpike Roads, one leading from the city to Montgomery Court House, one to Alexandria, and one to Baltimore. MARKET HOUSES, The city has four market houses, one in the First ward, one on Capitol Hill, one at the Navy Yard, and one in the centre, between Seventh and Ninth streets, and near Pennsylvania avenue. This is the principal market of the city, and in the quality and abundance of the commodities brought there for sale, is not excelled by any market in the United States. Markets are held every other day, Sundays excepted, throughout the year — from the 1st of May till the 1st of October, from four till nine o'clock in the morning, and from the 1st of October till the 1st of May, from five to ten o'clock. A market is also held every Saturday evening, at each of the Market Houses in the city, and to each Market House there is a clerk of the mar- ket, appointed by the Mayor and Board of Alder- men, whose duty it is to see the laws enforced and D 1 eb GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. the market kept clean ; for which he receives, in the Centre Market, one dollar, and in the other two markets, seventy- five cents per diem, for every day he attends. An assistant clerk is appointed for the Centre Market, who receives seventy-five cents per day. TIBER. This stream runs through the city in a south- west direction, and formerly emptied into the Po- tomac, but now it flows into the canal at Third street. It was once called Goose creek, and ex- panded towards its mouth to a considerable width. Its banks were originally covered with trees and underwood of different kinds, and formed a roman- tic stream, which was overspread in spring and autumn with wild ducks, and often penetrated as far as the present railroad depot, by multitudes of shad, herring, pike, perch, &c. This stream is said to have derived its classical name from an European who owned a farm near the Capitol, and whose name was Pope ; but the name is found in deeds at least a century old. He called his farm Rome, the stream at the bot- tom of it the Tiber, and the hill Capitol hill, on which he predicted, many years before the event took place, that a magnificent edifice would be erected which would be called the Capitol. CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL COMPANY. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company de- rives its power from a charter granted by the CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL. 89 Legislatures of the States of Maryland, Pennsyl- vania and Virginia, and assented to by the Congress of the United States. Its object is to connect the waters of Chesapeake bay with those of the river Ohio. The capital of the company is unlimited, and is made up of individual, State, and other cor- porate subscriptions. Of this, the United States have taken $1,000,000, the city of Washington $1,000,000, the cities of Georgetown and Alex- andria $250,000 each, the State of Maryland $5,000,000, the State of Virginia $250,000. The funds of the company have been increased from time to time, by loans, of greater or less amount, as exigencies have required. The canal is arranged into three grand divi- sions, denominated the Eastern, Middle, and West- ern sections. The first extends from Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, to Cumberland, in the State of Maryland, following the left bank of the Potomac river, with such occasional divergences therefrom as the face of the country and facilities of construction require. The survey of the middle and western sections has not been definitely made; consequently the precise location and distance are not correctly ascertained. Operations were first commenced on the Eastern section on the 4th of July, 1828, when ground was broken by John Gluincy Adams, then President of the United States, in presence of a large concourse of citizens, assembled to witness the ceremony. Since that period, the canal has been completed from Georgetown to dam No. 6, a point above the town of Hancock, a distance of one hundred and ihirty-six miles from tide water. On this portion d2 90 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. there are fifty-three locks, one hundred feet in length between the g-ates, by fifteen in breadth, and averaging eight feet lift; one hundred and fifty culverts, of various dimensions, many of them suf- ficiently spacious to admit the passage of wagons; and several aqueducts, as follows: No, 1, over Seneca Creek, 2 arches of 30 ft. span each. 2, do. Monocacy River, 7 do. of 54 do. 3, do. Catocten Creek, 3 do. 2 of 20 and 1 of 28 ft. 4, do. Antietam Creek, 3 do. 2 of 24 and 1 of 48 ft. 5, do. Conococh'gue Cr. 3 do. 60 ft. span each. 6, do. Licking Creek, 1 do. 90 do. 7, do. Gt.TonalowaCr.l do. 62 do. This extent of the canal is fed from the Poto- mac by six darns across the river, of from five hun- dred to eight hundred feet in length, and from four to twenty feet elevation. The breadth of water surface is sixty feet for the first sixty miles above Georgetown ; for the remaining distance fifty feet, and six feet depth throughout the entire line. The aqueducts, locks and culverts are constructed of stone, laid in hydraulic cement. That portion of the canal now under contract extends from dam No. 6 to Cumberland, (the west- ern terminus of the eastern section,) a distance of fifty miles. On this line there will be twenty-two locks, forty culverts, two dams, and four aque- ducts, as follows: No. 8, over Sideling Hill Creek, 1 arch of 70 feet span. 9, do. Fifteen- Mile Creek, 1 do. 50 do. 10, do. Town Creek, 1 do. 60 do. 11, do. Evitt's Creek, 1 do. 70 do. About midway of this distance is a funnel, through the spur of a mountain, called the ''Paw- paw Ridge." This tunnel is three thousand one CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL. 91 hundred and eighteen feet in length, from the northern to the southern portal, and twenty-four feet in diameter, with an elevation of seventeen feet in the clear above water surface, through solid blue argillaceous slate rock as far as the excava- tion has been made. The perpendicular shafts are in operation, one, one hundred and eighty-eight feet, the other one hundred and twenty-two feet in depth; from the bottom of these shafts the drilling and blasting proceeds horizontally north and south, the core being elevated to the surface by machinery. The highest point of the mountain above the tun- nel bottom is three hundred and seventy-eight feet. From the southern portal the longitudinal perfo- ration exceeds eight hundred feet. The passage through this mountain saves the distance of five miles of heavy rock excavation, the cost of which was estimated to equal that of the tunnel. It is now considered more than half accom.plished. At Cumberland a spacious basin is in the course of construction, to be filled from the river by dam No. 8, located at the lower end of the town. The basin is intended for the convenience of the coal trade; the coal region commencing a few miles from the river, and extending inland to an unde- termined distance. The Middle section will leave the river at this point, by the valley of Wills Creek, whence it crosses the Savage mountain, by a tunnel four miles in length, and strikes the head waters of the Youghiogeny river, at which point the Middle section will probably terminate. The Western section passes from thence down the valley of the Youghiogenv to its confluence with the Monon- d3 92 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. gahela river, and from thence by the valley of the Monongahela to Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, the head of steamboat navigation on the river Ohio. The aggregate expenditure on account of the canal, from its commencement to May 31, 1839, the close of the fiscal year, has been $8,591,760 37. It is estimated that the additional sum of $3,- 000,000 will complete it to Cumberland; and that, on the opening of the navigation, there will be a direct and continuous canal from the Capital of the United States to the vast and inexhaustible coal region of Alleghany county, in Maryland. The company holds its office in Frederick, Ma- ryland, and the Board of Directors, who are elected annually, meet once a week. FACTORIES. Among the factories which have been establish- ed in this city are two, a Glass House and Brew- ery, which have been in existence for some years, and are in a flourishing condition. The window glass made at the former is superior to most glass made in this country, and is held by glaziers and others in high estimation. This factory has been erected near the Potomac for the convenience of water, and stands near a wharf where, fifty years ago, ships of considerable burden were accustomed to anchor. The depth of water in the river at that place was not more than two feet before the Ches- apeake and Ohio Canal was excavated. The channel has been filled up by the deposite of sedi- ment brought down the river, and a new one is FACTORIES. 93 now forming on the Virginia side. This part of the city was originally called Hamburgh ; and afterwards Fiinkstow7i, from an old Dutchman, who was ambitious of having his name (Funk) transmitted to posterity. He subsequently re- moved to a spot near Hagerstown, in Maryland, and was so far successful as to give his name to the small village called Fiinkstown. Near a rock which rises from the Potomac, west of the Glass House, General Braddock is said to have landed with his army on his way to the west, and the rock was called by the old inhabitants Braddock's rock, and the place near it Braddock's landing. The elevated ground in the neighborhood is a pub- lic reservation, and originally intended as a site for a National University, which General Wash- ington w^as anxious to see established, and which succeeding Presidents earnestly and repeatedly recommended, but constitutional difficulties always presented a barrier to the execution of this lauda- ble design. The Brewery is located n'^ar Rock creek, and the malt liquors brewed at that establishment have a high reputation. Large quantities are annually brewed and exported to different parts of the coun- try. It was originally established and is still owned and carried on by Mr. William Hayman, an enterprising and industrious citizen. It may be well to mention here that but few cities in the United States afford greater facilities for manufactories than Washington and its sister Georgetown. The water power is immense, the fuel cheap, and the material will be easily procured when the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal shall have d4 94 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. been carried to Cumberland. Immense quantities of the finest coal will be brought to the city by this canal, and the inhabitants will not only be fur- nished with a cheap fuel, but the whole country can be supplied from the inexhaustible coal beds near Cumberland. There is no doubt but that this will in time become a wealthy and prosperous manufacturing city, as well as one where the arts, sciences and literature will flourish. The latter must necessarily thrive where no sudden influx of wealth or commercial speculations occur, to divert the mind from the pursuit of knowledge and the uidulgence of refined taste. "What the illustrious Washington, whose views were always noble and expanded, failed to accomplish, the libe- rality of a foreigner will be able to effect. The legacy of Mr. Smithson, if properly and judicious- ly expended, will yet realize the wish of the father of his country, in regard to the establishment of a National University, by making the institution he desired to be formed one where every branch of useful knowledge shall be taught by gratuitous lectures, and where wisdom and science can be inculcated without expense to the recipient. This institution, when established, will render the city a place of resort to men of taste and leisure, who, with their families, will come to derive the benefit as well as the gratification which will result from attending the various lectures of the most learned and distinguished professors. The city abounds in the finest clay for the manu- facture of bricks, and the gray and blue granite, breccia marble, and beautiful sandstone arc found in great abundance along the line of the Chesapeake FACTORIES. 95 and Ohio Canal, which can easily be brought down to it when wanted. It is admitted that the clay in portions of the city is superior to that of almost any other part of the country, and that no bricks can surpass those made here in point of durability and hardness, and those can be manu- factured to any extent, and for a moderate price. At present the size of the unimproved squares and lots, and the general sparseness of the popula- tion affords fine opportunities and inducements for the cultivation of gardens. The soil is naturally strong, and can easily be enriched. The finest vegetables, fruits and flowers have of late years been produced, especially since the establishment of the Horticultural society, whose exhibitions have indicated the greatest improvement in those vege- table productions. A taste for horticulture has been engendered by the exertions of this society and those of the inhabitants. Ornamental trees and shrubs are here of rapid growth, and almost every dwelling is decorated with these useful as well as beautiful ornaments. Mr. Knapp in speak- ing of this city in his sketches, has very justly re- marked, that "the soil and climate are well suited for all the fruits of the temperate zone. Peaches, plums, apples, and almost every other fruit are or may be raised of the first order. Washington is the happiest region of flowers. A garden here might be made to yield something for the basket of Flora for nearly three-quarters of the year; with a small expense a fountain might be made in every garden, to refresh the vegetation in the warmest seasons of the year. After the most prominent sites for business are filled up in the d5 96 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. city, a better taste will prevail in erecting domicils, and those dwellings a little removed from the bus- tle, will not be complete or satisfactory without a garden of flowers." This is now done to a cer- tain extent, and almost every dwelling has a gar- den attached to it, for ornament or usefulness. CHURCHES. The city contains twenty-three places of public worship: Three Episcopalian, viz: Christ church, near the Navy Yard ; Trinity church, near the City Hall; and St. John's "Church, north of the President's square. Four Presbyterian churches, viz : 1st. on Four- and-a-half street; 2d. on F street; 3d. near Fif- teenth street west; and 4th. on Ninth street. Three Catholic chapels, viz: St. Peter's, on Se- cond street, Capitol Hill ; St. Patrick's, on F street; and St. Matthew's, on H street west. Three Methodist Episcopal churches ; one Me- thodist Protestant, on Ninth, between E and F streets; three Baptist churches; one Unitarian church ; One Friends Meeting, and four African churches. The founders of the First Presbyterian church in this city, for the want of a suitable place of worship, were under the necessity of using a large carpenter's shop, two stories in height, and erect- ed for the accommodation of the joiners employed on the President's House, in 1793. When this temporary building was demolished, a frame edi- fice was constructed, on a lot of ground near St. LITERATURE ANE SCIENCE. 97 Patrick's church, granted to the congregation by David Burns, one of the original proprietors. The lot having been subsequently reclaimed, the con- gregation, which had greatly increased in num- bers, erected a plain brick church, at the foot of the Capitol Hill, on South Capitol street, in which they worshipped for many years. This being found somewhat inconvenient for the larger portion of the congregation, it was disposed of to a congre- gation of persons of color, who still hold it, and the one now on Four-and-a-half street was built in 1826, and has been occupied ever since by the members of the First Presbyterian church. LITERATURE AND SCIENCE. Not much attention has been paid to literature and science in Washington. Those in office are too much devoted to their official duties, and those out of office to other pursuits calculated to yield them support or increase their wealth, to appro- priate much of their time to literary or scientific occupations. Politics, too, engross a large share of public at- tention here, and though the population is intelli- gent, there is not the same partiality or fondness evinced for literature and science as in most of the northern cities. Newspapers and periodicals con- stitute the principal reading of the community, and few books are sold here to citizens, except such as they cannot dispense with. A new order of things will, however, arise in the Metropolis, when the population becomes more dense, and d6 98 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. wealth, and consequent leisure shall be more ex- tended. The Smithsonian Institute, if judiciously- established, will also be the means of begetting a more enlarged love of literature and science, by the gratuitous diffusion of every branch of know- ledge, which will fall within the legitimate sphere of its organization ; and the National Institution, with its splendid collections in natural history, and the efforts of its members in all branches of science and literature, will give an impulse to the public mind, and a stimulus to individual taste in this city, that will elevate it to a rank in letters and science equal to that of any other city in the Union. THE LEGAL AND MEDICAL PROFES- SIONS. The members of the bar in Washington are not very numerous ; but some of them are talented and well versed in the legal science. The busi- ness transacted in the Circuit Court does not often involve questions of great complexity ; but these do sometimes occur, and the whole learning and research of the bar are put in requisition. The practice does not appear to be very lucrative, and the business, as usual, is mostly done by a few of the older members of the bar. It has sometimes been distinguished for its eloquence, and in point of respectability, does not rank below that of most other cities. It does not, however, present a pro- per field for a young lawyer. The business gen- erally is not of such a character as to call forth great intellectual exertion or profound research, LEGAL AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONS. 99 nor does it often afford opportunities for the dis- play of great eloquence. At the bar of the Crimi- nal Court, to be sure, cases sometimes occur, in which great ingenuity may be displayed, and a knowledge of criminal law, and all the powers of forensic eloquence developed. But these cases are rare. No man can be eloquent as an advocate among assaults and batteries and petty larcenies. It is only when crimes of the deepest dye, or of- fences which shock or disturb the moral sense of the community are perpetrated, and where inno- cence has been made the victim of deliberate vil- lany, or the conjugal tie severed by treachery, that a high order of eloquence can be displayed ; and those crimes and offences but seldom occur here. The mere plodding man of business, dull, but re- gular, industrious and honest, finds his profession more lucrative than one much more highly gifted, but less desirous to accumulate, and who seeks the '' bauble reputation," more than to " put money in his purse." The stimulus, too, which the pros- pect of attaining distinction and rank in public life, presented to the aspirant in the States, does not exist here. He feels the melancholy convic- tion, that whatever may be the power of his elo- quence, or the variety and extent of his attain- ments, he can never hope to rise above the condi- tion of a lawyer, as long as he remains within the pale of disfranchisement, within which, either vo- luntarily or from necessity, he has cast himself. The Medical Faculty have become nume- rous in this city, as they are in all parts of our country. There are but few who find the profes- sion lucrative. The city is too heahhy to furnish d7 100 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. an abundant medical harvest. The average num- ber of deaths annually is about two hundred and fifty, (most of these among infants,) out of a popu- lation of near twenty-four thousand, which is about one out of one hundred and fifty, and which serves to indicate the extraordinary healthiness of the Metropolis A medical school, connected with the Columbian College, has been established for several years, and from the increasing number of students, from vari- ous and distant parts of the Union, and the learn- ing and ability of those who fill the difiercnt chairs, it promises, at no distant day, to equal any of the medical schools in the United States. The locality, too, for such an institution is highly favorable, af- fording as it does to the young students constant opportunities of observing the operations of the Government, and of seeing and knowing all the leading and distinguished public men of the coun- try. THE WASHINGTON LIBRARY. This library belongs to a private company, which was incorporated by Congress, in 1814. It has been gradually increasing till it has reached about six thousand volumes, in every department of literature. It is managed by a Board of Direct- ors, elected annually, who choose their President, Treasurer, and Librarian. Each shareholder is entitled to take books from the library, under cer- tain restrictions, and to assign over the right of reading to another, but he is held responsible for the fines and forfeitures, which the assignee may LIBRARIES. 101 incur. The library is kept open from three to six o'clock, P. M., every day, and to sunset when the sun sets later. Persons not shareholders can have the privilege of using this library, upon subscrib- ing five dollars per annum, three dollars for six months, two dollars for three months, and one dol- lar for one month, to be paid in advance, on a de- posite of double the price of the book, or set of books borrowed. This library is kept in a build- ing owned by the company, on Eleventh street west, opposite to the City Post Office. In addition to the above, another library has been formed by a number of enterprising young men, called the "Apprentices' Library, " which consists of about two thousand volumes. It has been made up by contributions from them, and donations of books made by citizens, who felt an interest in the success of the enterprise. The City Councils have, with commendable liberality, ap- propriated rooms in the basement story of the City Hall for the accommodation of this library, which has been attended with great benefit to the young- apprentices and others of the city. Besides the above there are, also, two Circu- lating Libraries, kept by Mr. F. Taylor, and Mr. William Morrison, on Pennsylvania avenue, which are much used by citizens and strangers, though the works they contain are almost exclu- sively those of imagination, which daily issue from the press of England and this country. Among the objects of attraction in the fine arts to be found in Washington, is the gallery of paint- ings owned by Mr. C. King, an eminent portrait painter. d8 102 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. KING'S GALLERY. This neat and beautiful gallery is situated on Twelfth street west, near F street. The edifice is of wood, twenty-seven feet front by thirty-eight feet deep, with a room in the rear, and a neat portico in front. The lower room contains about one hun- dred fine paintings, consisting of portraits, land- scapes, fancy pieces, &c. Among these the most beautiful, are the following: Nos. 2 and 3, Land- scapes; Nos. 22 and 27, beautiful portraits of the Misses S ; No. 18, the Environs of Milan; No. 19, an admirable and spirited head of a Drunk- ard; No, 30, '*I am not mad," very fine; No. 56, the Itinerant Artist; No. 58, Rip Van Winkle's reception by his wife after his morning lounge, ■&c. In the gallery or upper room there are about one hundred and sixty paintings, consisting, as in the lower room, of the portraits of distinguished men and others, most admirably executed, and un- surpassed as likenesses. Those of Mr. Southard, Woodbury, Crawford, Rush, R. Lawrence, Mrs. S. H. Smith, &c., are inimitable. The landscapes, fruit pieces, views, &c., are executed with great skill and fidelity. Most of the pieces in both of these rooms, as well as in the passage leading up to the gallery, are from the pencil of our estimable ■fellow-citizen Mr. Charles King, who seems de- voted to his fascinating and beautiful art. The Tooms are handsomely furnished, affording to the amateur and admirer of the arts one of the most agreeable lounges in Washington. It is the only collection of paintings in this city, and though not PUBLICATIONS. 103 very extensive, is equal, if not superior to any in this country in beauty of coloring and skilfulness of execution. There are also several talented lithog-raphers, copper and steel engravers, and a few portrait and miniature painters. The city contains one Theatre^ the National^ situated on E street, between Thir- teenth and Fourteenth streets; two Masonic Halls; several large taverns, and a number of steamboats. It is well watered with springs, pumps and hy- drants, and the water itself is unequalled. NEWSPAPERS, PERIODICALS AND LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC WORKS PUBLISHED IN WASHING- TON. The first account of the District of Columbia was written by Colonel Lear, an aid to General Washington, which is now out of print. The next was by Dr. Warden, a copy of which is to be found in the Library of Congress, and subse- quently, various descriptions of the National Me- tropolis were given by the author of the present work, P. Force, Wm. Elliot, J. Sessford, Knapp, and others. The first newspaper established in Washington was the National Intelligencer^ in 1800, by Samuel H. Smith, when this city became the seat of the Federal Government. At the same time a weekly paper was published by the same person, called the United States Gazette. The Intelligencer became a daily paper some years ago, is now the property of, and edited by Messrs. Gales & Seaton, and has an extensive circula- tion. The next paper established was the Weekly 104 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. Messenger J in 1807, by John B, Colvin, who, in 1808, changed its name to the Washington Mon- itor. This was succeeded by the Washington Expositor.^ conducted by Dinmore & Cooper. In 1812, the Washington City Gazette^ published by William Elliot, and edited by George Watterston, was established, and at about the same time the Senator^ by Wm. Cummings. In 1822, the Wash- ifigton Republican w^as got up, and in 1 823, the National Journal, published by Peter Force, which first appeared twice a week, and afterwards daily. In 1824, the Telegraph was first esta- blished, and afterwards purchased by Duff Green, and called the United States Telegraph ; this pa- per had, for many years, great influence and an extensive circulation. The Columbian Star, a re- ligious paper, afterwards transferred to Philadel- phia. The Theological Repository and the Co- lumbian Register, also rehgious, existed for a short time. The Weekly Messenger, edited by Mrs. Colvin, the talented and intelligent widow of J. B. Colvin, was commenced in 1817, The National Register, a political paper, published, by J. K. Meade, and edited by George Watterston, was esta- blished in 1816. The Washinglon City Chronicle, a literary paper, published weekly, by Rothwell & Ustick, and edited by George Watterston, was established in 1828. The Washington Mirror, by William Thompson, was commenced in 1834, and afterwards changed to the Metropolitan^ and edited by R. Dawes. None of these papers, with the exception of the Intelligencer, arc now in existence. Tlie African Repository, edited by Ralph R. Gurlcy, late Sc- PUBLICATIONS. 105 cretary of the Colonization Society, was established some years ago, and still continues to be published. In 1831, the Globe, published by Messrs. Blair & Rives, was g-ot up, and was the organ of the Go- vernment till the beginning of the present Admin- istration, The Madisonian has been in existence for a few years, and is now the organ of the Ad- ministration; and the Independent has recently- been established. The only literary periodical published in Washington was the Democratic Re- view, published monthly, and edited by Mr. S. D. Langtree, which has since been transferred to New- York. Works of literature and science have, from time to time; issued from the press of this city. The first work published here was on Statistics, by Samuel Blodget, one of the earliest settlers in Washington. He was followed by Augustus B. Woodward, who wrote a Treatise on the Sub- stance of the Sun, which, with that of Mr. Blodget, is to be found in the Library of Congress. He was a man of great attainments and considerable eccentricity. Dr. Thomas Ewell published a work on Chemistry, and his brother, James Ewell, an improved edition of a valuable work, prepared by him, called the Medical Companion. Mr. Tho- mas Law published a Treatise on Currency, and one on Instinctive Impulses. This gentleman was one of the most active and zealous friends of this city, the prosperity of which he labored, in every way, to promote. G. Watterston has written and published at different times, the folio wing- works : Letters from Washington : Course of Study pre- paratory to the Bar and the Senate ; History of 106 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. Rome, in Questions and Answers, for the use of Schools ; L Family ; Wanderer in Wash- ington; Gallery of American Portraits; Tabular Statistics, &c. Mrs. Smith, two novels : the Win- ter in Washington, and What is Gentility? Mr. Peter Force, the National Calender; Henry Lee's Memoirs; Adlum on the Vine; History of the Mediterranean Trade ; Historical Tracts, 2 vols. 8vo. ; Transactions of the American Historical Society, 1 vol. 8vo. ; and he and M. St. Clair Clarke have now in the course of publication the Documentary History of the United States, a val- uable work in twenty folio volumes. Messrs. Gales & Seaton have published the Congressional Debates, American State Papers, in 18 volumes folio, &c. Duff Green, a collection of Land Laws, in 3 folio volumes, and two or three other works. Messrs. Clarke and Hall, a History of the United States Bank, a volume of Land Laws, &c. Jona- than Elliot, Debates on the Constitution, 4 vols. 8 vo.; and Diplomacy of the United States, 4 vols. 8vo., a highly esteemed and valuable compilation. PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The city contains two Public Free Schools; one in the Second, and one in the Fourth Ward. These schools were for many years supported out of the Ward funds, but are now maintained out of a fund created by the sale of a lottery privi- lege, granted to the Corporation by Congress, some years ago. The average number of chil- dren, male and female, annually educated at these COLLEGES. 107 schools, is about two hundred and fifty, who are gratuitously taught reading, writing and arithme- tic. They are under the management of a Board of Trustees for each School District, who are chosen every year. The annual expense of sup- porting these Free Schools is about $1,700; and the six per cent, stocks held for the School Fund amounted in July, 1841, to $48,400 yielding year-- ly an interest of $2,904, and leaving a consequent annual surplus, which is regularly invested to create a fund for the endowment and support of a third school at some future period, A portion of this surplus has lately been appro- priated by the City Councils to the support of two female charity schools, which have been establish- ed and are managed by some benevolent ladies of the city. In addition to these Free Schools, the city abounds in well supported seminaries of learning, established in various localities, in which the youth of both sexes are well instructed in the usual branches of education, both useful and ornament- al. COLLEGES. In the neighborhood of Washington are two colleges, the Columbian and the Georgetown. Columbian College. — This college is situa- ted on a beautiful elevation, not far from the north- ern boundary line of the city. It was founded by the Baptists, some years ago, and has been aided by donations of city lots made to it by Congress. Its locahty, like that near Georgetown, is beautiful, and the prospect from the roof of the college most 108 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. extensive and magnificent. The college year is di- vided into two sessions, a winter session commen- cing- on the first Wednesday of November, and terminating on the first Wednesday of May ; the summer, on the first Wednesday in July, and ending on the first Wednesday of October; when the annual commencement for conferring degrees, &c., is held. Alter the summer session there is a vacation of one month ; after the winter session one of two months, May and June. This arrangement gives students the advantage of spending the sick- ly season on College Hill, a spot not surpassed in healthfulness by any in the Union. The students are permitted occasionally to hear the arguments in the United States Supreme Court, and the de- bates in Congress. Owing to pecuniary embarrassments, this insti- tution, for some years past, has been arrested in the progress which it was rapidly making towards a rank among the first of our Universities; but its prospects are now again brightening, and it will probably soon acquire that reputation that might have been expected from the advantages of its locality, and the learning and ability of its pro- fessors. The Georgetown College, like the prece- ding, is beyond the limits of the city of Washing- ton, and is very beautifully situated on one of the heights of Georgetown, and commands a splendid prospect of the city, the Potomac, and surrounding country. It was established many years ago, by the Catholics, and in 1815 was made a University by Congress, with the power to grant degrees. The buildings are large and commodious, and the CONVENT. 109 grounds around them laid out with great taste. The professors are numerous, learned, and pious, making no distinction between the Catholic and Protestant students. The system of education is liberal, and not the least bigoted, and youths of all denominations are freely admitted within the walls of this alma mater. The library is sufficiently large, and contains many old, rare, and valuable works, and the philosophical apparatus very com- plete. The alumni are well instructed, and the college has sent out several learned, able, and dis- tinguished scholars. The discipline is rigid, but salutary. As in the Columbian College, the stu- dents are permitted under the guidance of an usher to visit occasionally during their sessions the Su- preme Court and the two Houses of Congress, for the benefit of the living examples of excellence in forensic and parliamentary eloquence which they furnish. This institution is in a very flourishing and prosperous condition, and rapidly advancing in reputation and usefulness. Not far from this college is the Convent of Visitation, established about forty years ago, by Archbishop Neale, upon an improved plan. The Superior is elected triennially by the sister- hood, and is ineligible for more than two terms in succession. The number of nuns or sisters varies from fifty to eighty, all devoted to their re- ligious duties and the education of females. The younger sisters are designated to teach a free school ; but the boarding school for young ladies is the most valuable and flourishing. The sisters ure highly educated in science and literature, and the doctrines of Christianity. The great number no GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. of teachers in this establishment enables it to assign one teacher at least to each department of know- ledge, and she never quits it. All the useful and ornamental branches of education are taught here, and though last, not least, a knowledge of house- wifery, in which the pupils graduate, and enter into life with a thorough acquaintance "with the science of the kitchen, and the mysteries of the culinary art, without which no woman can be said to be all accomplished." The discipline is strict without being severe. A tender and sisterly vigilance and maternal watchfulness only are practised, and the pupils of all denominations, who are admitted in- discriminately into this institution, love, obey, and reverence their instructresses. ALMS HOUSE. The Corporation maintains an Alms House or Asylum, for the accommodation and support of poor, infirm, and diseased persons, and lunatics, at an annual expense of near $5,000. The Asy- lum stands some distance northwest of the City Hall, near Seventh street ; is a large but badly con- structed edifice of brick, and has attached to it a Work House or Penitentiary, where offenders against the penal laws of the Corporation are confined; but from the defective system existing, are not punished by being made to labor much. The Asylum is under the direction of six guar- dians, appointed annually by the Mayor, &c., and who must meet once a week, at least, to superin- tend the affairs of the Asylum, to attend to the ASYLUMS. Ill wants of ihe poor, and to provide for the interment of such as have not the means of burial. They receive $50 per annum each, and employ a Clerk at $100, and a Physician, who receives $200 annually. The want of a Hospital for lunatics renders it necessary, though very inconvenient, to provide for their accommodation, in the same build- ing with the poor and infirm. These unfortunate persons are allowed two dollars a week each for their support, and the amount annually appropria- ted varies from five to seven hundred dollars. In consequence of the want of a Lunatic Asy- lum, which the Corporation never had the means of erecting, such unfortunate persons as were de- prived of reason, and had no friends to provide for them, were confined in the jail of the city for their own security, and that of the community. Con- gress sympathizing in their miserable condition, and desirous to meliorate it, passed an act, in 1841, directing the Marshal of the District to cause all lunatics who are paupers, now confined in the jails of Washington and Alexandria, and who may hereafter be committed as lunatics, to be conveyed to the Lunatic Asylum, of Baltimore, at the ex- pense of the Government, provided the whole ex- pense does not exceed three thousand dollars per annum. This act is to continue in force until the 4th of March, 1843. There are two Female Orphan Asylums ; the St. Vincent's, under the direction of the Sisters of Charity, and the Washington, under the man- agement of an association of benevolent ladies of this city; both of which are valuable institutions, and have done, and are calculated to do much good. 112 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. SOCIETIES. The city contains numerous societies, fire com- panieSj and banking institutions. Of the formerj are the following: The Columbian Institute, established in 1816, for the promotion of the arts and sciences, has been recently merged in the National Institu- tion. The Columbian Horticultural Society, established in 1833. The elfbrts of this society ha^ve been attended with great benefit to the District in the manifest improvement of its fruits, flowers, and vegetables. Its exhibitions are annual, and usually very splendid. The American Historical Society, esta- blished in 1835. Three volumes of transactions of this society have been published by Mr. Peter Force, consisting of rare and valuable pamphlets and papers, relating to the early history and affairs of this country, and collected and embodied by him. Two very able and interesting annual discourses have been delivered by Governor Cass and Secre- tary Woodbury, which form, with several tracts and pamphlets, the first volume of the transactions of the society. This society now forms a depart- ment of the National Institution. The Washington National Monument Society has been in existence for five years. Its object is to erect a monument to the memory of the Father of his country in this city, Avhich he selected as the Metropolis of the Nation. The officers consist of the President of the United States, as the ex-officio President of the Society ; WASHINGTON MONUMENT SOCIETY. 113 three Vice-Presidents, a Treasurer, and Secretary, and a Board of Managers, of thirteen members. Its first President was Judge Marshall, and its se- cond James Madison. All adult white male contri- butors are members, and the Vice-President of the United States, Heads of Departments of the Gen- eral Government, the Governors of the respective States and Territories, Judges of the Supreme Court, and members of the Senate and House of Representatives, are honorary members. The sum to be contributed by each individual was origi- nally limited to one dollar, but that limit has since been removed, and any amount can now be con- tributed. The names of the contributors are en- tered in a book for the purpose of being preserved in an apartment, to be prepared for that purpose in the monument. The collections made so far have been invested in safe stocks, yielding six per cent, interest, and the interest is again invested every six months. The following are the names of the officers of the society and members of the board of managers: President of the United States, President. William Cranch/>ls^ Vice-President. Mayor of Washington, 2d Vice-President. William W. Seaton, 3^^ Vice-President. Samuel H. Smith, Treasurer. George Watterston, Secretary. Managers. General N. Towson. Thomas Munroe, Esq. Colonel J. J. Abert. Thomas Carbery, Esq. Colonel A. Henderson. P. R. Fendall, Esq. Colonel James Kearney. Peter Force, Esq. William Brent, Esq. John McClelland, Esq. W. L. Brent, Esq. Wm. A. Bradley, Esq. 114 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. NATIONAL INSTITUTION. This society was established in the year 1840, for the promotion of science. It holds its meetings monthly, in a room in the Patent Office, and its officers consist of a President, Vice-President, a Treasurer, Corresponding and Recording Secre- tary, and twelve Directors. The Secretaries of State, Treasury, War and Navy, and the Attor- ney General, and Postmaster General, of the Uni- ted States, are ex-officio Directors. The officers are elected by ballot, annually, on the first Mon- day in each year, and the resident and correspond- ing members are required to exert themselves to procure specimens of natural history, &c., to be placed in a cabinet under the superintendence of a curator or curators. The resident members are divided into departments, and the members com- posing each department are specially charged with the subjects embraced therein, and required to communicate to the institution the result of their inquiries, The Columbian Institute and American His- torical Society have been incorporated into this in- stitution, and form departments of it; and the so- ciety, from the energy and activity of its members, promises to become a very useful institution, and to accomplish the object for which it was esta- blished. The Hall of the National Institution is open daily (Sundays excepted) from eight A. M., to five P. M., without charge for admission. Ample pre- cautions have been taken to heat it comfortably in winter, and the arrangement of the collections is such as to give the greatest facility for their exami- NATIONAL INSTITUTION. 115 nation consistent with their careful preservation. When ail the materials at present in possession of the institution shall have been arranged, they will doubtless present the best collection in the United States for prosecuting the study of natural histo- ry; whilst the accessions which they are constantly receiving must soon place it on a level with simi- lar institutions in older countries. These acces- sions, mostly in the form of voluntary contributions, show the interest already created in its favor, and is a gratifying evidence of the great anxiety every where, among those friendly to the promotion of knowledge, for its prosperity. The first place in the class of contributions must be given to the United States' Exploring Expedi- tion. The Government has very properly placed the whole of its rare and valuable collections in charge of the institution ; and it must be a source of pleasure to the friends of science to know, that they will now be properly prepared and pre- served. The organization of this institution at this juncture, is, on that account at least, peculiarly pro- pitious. Without it, these collections would pro- bably have been scattered among the different museums and private collections of the country, or been suffered to go to decay in the store-houses of Government. It is not an easy matter to give a satisfactory description of the collections of the National In- stitution, as a very large portion of them yet remain in the original packages or boxes. All the assist- ance which the funds at the disposal of the insti- tution would permit, has been constantly engaged in their preparation and arrangement, but much 116 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. more time and means will be necessary for its ac- complishment. The walls of the Hall are covered by many valuable paintings, the most interesting of which is a series of Indian portraits, about one hundred and thirty in number, taken, under the direction of the War Department, by several of the most emi- nent artists. This collection has been many years known to the public, and, until placed in charge of the National Institution, was preserved in the office of the Secretary of War. The likeness of almost every Indian who has acquired any consi- derable celebrity within the last twenty or thirty years is to be found here. Some fine specimens of statuary, formerly belonging to the Columbian Institute, also grace the Hall. A respectable li- brary has been already formed, and, by its rapid increase, promises to keep pace with the other portions of the institution. The botanical collection, partially arranged, con- sists of between twenty and thirty thousand species, and perhaps three times as many specimens. The arrangements for the preservation and examina- tion of this valuable herbarium are such as to com- bine in the most satisfactory manner facility with safety. The friends of botanical science will learn with pleasure that this vast collection, received from the Exploring Expedition, is generally in excellent order, and abounds in rare and new materials. In the lower classes of zoology there is every indication that the collections, when thoroughly examined, will prove as rare and valuable as the herbarium. The beautiful display already made by the corals {Polypi vaginaii) will attract the NATIONAL INSTITUTION. 117 attention of every visiter. A little further on in the Hall the attention will be called to an extensive collection of star-fish, sea urchins, &c., (Echino- dermata ;) and still farther on, to one of the most extensive and unique collections of crabs, lobsters, &c., (Crustacea,) that can be found in any institu- tion. Several hundred birds and many quadrupeds, mostly from foreign countries, have already been mounted and arranged in appropriate cases, and a larger number has yet to undergo similar prepa- ration. A few thousand rare and beautiful insects have been already prepared and are now exhibited. An arrangement has been made for a private collec- tion, formed under the most favorable circum- stances, in Europe, which, when added to those already possessed, will make this rank among one of the largest and most valuable in the world. There is also an immense collection of shells, chiefly from the Exploring Expedition, and when arranged will certainly present an attractive and interesting collection. Coming, as they chiefly do, from the heretofore but little explored seas of the Southern hemisphere, the lovers of conchology doubtless will find in it many rare and curious materials. The geological and mineralogical collections have been enriched from many sources. The col- lection of the late James Smithson, Esq., of Eng- land, is most beautiful and valuable. This cabinet contains between five and ten thousand specimens, which from their rarety, variety, beauty, and ar- rangement, are doubtless the fruits of many years 118 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. toil and devotion to science, and the result of much pecuniary cost. Besides many valuable private donations which we understand have been made by the members of the institution, it has the valuable collections of the late Columbian Institute, those made by the Government in Illinois, Wisconsin, &c., under Dr. D. D. Owen, and those sent in by the Exploring Expedition. The two latter are yet untouched in their original packages. Man, and the rude materials with which he supports or protects himself in his uncivilized con- dition, are well represented. Mats, robes, earthen- ware, stone axes, adzes, clubs, spears, bows and arrows, canoes, &c., excite the attention of the visit- er by their curious structure, and serve to throw much light upon the condition of the various sav- age nations to which they belonged; whilst the ex- humed remains of man himself, (as in the skulls from various countries, and the entire persons from the cemeteries of Peru,) very properly complete this large and interesting collection. The materials at present in possession of the Na- tional Institution are doubtless sufficient to enable it to become one of the most valuable societies in this country. It will have a large amount of sur- plus material besides that which it may need for its own collections, and as most of this is from a country that has as yet been but partially explored, it will be enabled to increase its collections by means of exchanges, to an almost indefinite extent. If that well conceived and liberally organized ex- pedition to the South seas shall be as successful in lis future operations as it has already been, these means must be still greatly increased. COLONIZATION SOCIETY. 119 Besides the advantages to result to science and literature generally, by the success of the Nation- al Institution for the Promotion of Science, it will afford the means of facilitating the advancement of other institutions of the same character in the country. Its intercourse with other nations will always keep it supplied with an abundance of the materials which others less favorably situated could but rarely and with difficulty obtain, whilst its inte- rest in the promotion of knowledge in our States must sustain the most liberal feelings in its inter- changes with our home institutions. *&' COLONIZATION SOCIETY. This society was established about twenty years ago, and has been employed ever since in forming a colony of negroes from the United States on the coast of Africa, called Liberia. Its exertions du- ring this long period have been unremitted, and attended with great success. The amended constitution of the society was adopted at a meeting of this body, held on the 11 th of December, 1838. By this constitution, every ci- tizen of the United States, who subscribes a dollar, becomes a member of the society. The Board of Directors is composed of delegates from the several State Societies, those of the District of Columbia, and the Territories of the United States; each so- ciety contributing not less than $1,000 annually to the common treasury, shall be entitled to two delegates; and each society having a Colony under its care, shall be entitled to three delegates ; 120 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. and any two or more societies uniting- in the sup- port of a Colony, consisting of at least three hun- dred souls, to three delegates each. The indivi- dual contributing $1,000 to the society, shall be a director for life. The society and board of di- rectors meet annually at Washington, on the third Tuesday in January. The board is vested with the power to organize and administer a General Government for the several Colonies in Liberia ; provide a uniform code of laws for the Colonies, and manage the general affairs of colonization throughout the United States. They also appoint, annually, the executive committee of five, with such officers as they may deem necessary, who are ex-officio members of the executive commit- tee and board of directors. The board shall designate the salaries of the officers, &c. ; it shall have the exclusive right to acquire territory in Africa ; to negotiate treaties with the native Afri- can tribes, and to appropriate the territory, and define the limits of the Colonies. The board and executive committee are empowered to fill up all vacancies, and make by-laws for their government, &c. The officers consist of one President, (Henry Clay,) and forty-eight Vice-Presidents, seven of whom are from the District of Columbia. COLUMBIA TYPOGRAPHICAL SO- CIETY. This Society of Printers was formed in the year 1815, and is one of the oldest modern associations in the city. Its objects are benevolent, and the i>KDEU OF ODD FELLOWS. 121 advancement of the moral welfare and pecuniary interests of the profession. It has gradually in- creased in strength from the period of its forma- tion to the present time, and has now on its rolls about four hundred members, scattered over the Union; many of them the conductors of some of the ablest and best newspapers of the country. During- the sessions of Congress about one hun- dred members of the society are usually congre- gated here ; and by an extensive correspondence, it is at all times in possession of information of the condition of the printing business throughout the United States. It meets monthly for the transac- tion of business; and the indispensable qualifica- tions for membership are a full knowledge of the printing business, to be acquired by an apprentice- ship of at least five years, and a good moral cha- racter. Members in distress, or their widows and orphans, are entitled to receive four dollars weekly, from the treasury, which is made up of an ini- tiation fee, of one dollar, and a monthly contribu- tion from each member of twenty-five cents, which contribution ceases after ten years' membership. THE ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows has its " Grand Lodge" in a spacious room in the City Hall, originally appropriated for the sessions of the Common Council of the city. The order of Odd Fellows was introduced into the United States, at Baltimore, on the 19th of April, 1819; when but five persons could be found E 122 CUIDE'TO WASHINGTON. duly instructed in the principles of the institution. Five members being just enough for the incipient structure of a lodge, arrangements were made to procure a charter from the Manchester Unity, in Great Britain, and for this purpose one of their number (Mr. Thomas Wildey) was selected to proceed to England, who accomplished the object of his mission by obtaining ft'om the proper au- thority there a charter for " The Grand Lodge of Maryland and the United States." On his return to Baltimore the brethren reassembled, and orga- nized Washington Lodge, named in honor of tlie Father of American liberty ; and shortly after this period lodges were established in Philadel- phia, New- York, and Boston — Maryland being regarded as the head, by virtue of the special charter above referred to ; a right, however, which she subsequently relinquished to a body formed of representatives from different States, under the title of The Grand Lodge of the United States. Of the lodges so promptly formed in the four principal cities of the Union, that in Pennsylvania met with the most encouragement, though for some time none of them made any extraordinary progress. The strange name and character of the institution were often subjects of ridicule among those who knew nothing of its nature, and some who were initiated, so far from exhibiting any de- gree of zeal in its behalf, seemed to treat it with cold indifference; besides, suitable places of meet- ing were wanted, and some internal discord was to be overcome, in the early stages of organization. Under these adverse circumstances, it is no wonder that at first it increased but gradually in strength, ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. 1 '^3 In the fall of 1825, there were only three lodges in Baltimore, three in Pennsylvania, one in New- York, and two in Massachusetts. In the latter place, it was subsequently deemed advisable by the resident brotherhood to suspend altogether their operations, (which have been but very recently resumed,) rather than incur the risk of sharing the obloquy consequent upon the memorable Mor- gan excitement against the institution of Masonry; and the same cause had its effect in depressing the spirit of the brethren in New- York. In the mean time Pennsylvania and Maryland held their course steadily forward, and it is not improbable that what retarded the advance of Oddfellowship in the more northern States, aided it in these two middle ones; for in 1827-28, from a condition of unusual depression, the order in Baltimore seemed to have acquired a new spirit, which rapidly infused itself into the brotherhood generally, who, taking the tide at its flood, gave to it an impetus that has been ever since rolling onward in its course, until the standard of the institution has been planted in nearly every State of the Union, penetrating its most distant parts, and spreading also over the new Republic of Texas. On the 26th of November, 1827, Central Lodge was established in the city of Washington, and on the 28th of November, 1828, the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia was instituted. In October of the following year, Concord Lodge was formed in the city of Washington ; and two other lodges were soon after established in Georgetown and Alexandria. All these lodges, however, except Central, surrendered up their respective charters ; E I 124 CUIDE TO WASHINGTON. but previous to tlieir dissolution, a portion of the brethren from Central had branched off, in September. 1833, and opened Washington Lodge; so that the members here were still entitled to the privilege of retaining their District Grand Lodge, which prevented them from reverting to the im- mediate jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the United States. Central and Washington Lodges, located in the centre of the city, were more prosperous than either of their sisters, though they also experienced the evils resulting from the uncouth cognomen by which the Order is known, and the want of a suit- able place to hold their meetings, besides the diffi- culty of accumulating members in a city whose population is so fluctuating as is that of this Me- tropolis. Nevertheless, they have gone on together in great harmony, steadily increasing in numbers. In the spring of 1839, Central Lodge having again acquired considerable strength, a portion of the most 'active of her members residing in the east- ern part of the city established Eastern Lodge, in the vicinity of the Navy Yard; and about the same time Potomac Lodge was formed at Alex- andria. Both these lodges were very prosperous, and within the last twelve or eighteen months two others (branches of Eastern) have been opened at the Navy Yard, known by the names of Harmo- ny and Union, and an additional one in the heart of the city, under the title of Columbia, whose original members branched off from Central. These lodges are now all in a flourishing condi- tion, both as regards members and resources, their returns for the last two years exhibiting the in- ORDER OF ODD FELLOAVS. 125 tialions of new members during that period to have been but h'ttle short of three hundred and The prominent feature in the institution of Odd Fellows is its beneficial character, though none of its principles are in the least degree exceptionable. Its motto, Friendship, Love, and Truth, may convey some idea of what is aimed at. Its laws inculcate a spirit of charity and forbearance towards the uni- versal human race. In the golden rule, "Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you," in con- junction with the Ten Commandments, may be found its moral code. Its lectures acknowledge the authority of the Holy Scriptures and the su- perintending care of a Divine Providence, but prohibit the discussion in the lodges of questions relating to sectarian doctrines of religion; they also enjoin upon members obedience to the government and laws of the countr}^ in which their lot is cast, but forbid the introduction of party politics; thus leaving every member entirely free to pursue the dictates of his own conscience as regards the for- mer subject, and the promptings of his own patrio- tism in respect to the latter one. Temperance, morality, industry, and frugality, are strongly in- culcated on the one hand, while, on the other, the vices of immorality, idleness, and intemperance, are held up to the severest reprobation. The benefits of the institution are confined to what are denominated contributing mem.bers ; that is, such as continue to pay the sum of six and a quarter cents per week towards the support of the Order; for a member may withdraw at any time after joining it, by permitting himself to fall in e2 126 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. arrears for dues, or by asking for a card or certifi- cate, which can be redeposited at a future time, either in the lodge from which it is drawn, or in any other lodge, and he will thereby become re- instated in full membership. In case of sickness or disability, a member is entitled to four dollars per week from his lodge, and to three dollars more from the encampment, if he be also a member of that body. It is the duty of the officers to tender these sums to sick brethren, no matter what may be their condition in life; and if the member's situation requires fur- ther relief than is provided for in the regulations, a larger sum can be appropriated. In the event of the death of a member, thirty dollars are al- lowed by his lodge for funeral expenses, and twenty dollars more by the encampment, if he be a mem- ber of that body. The children of deceased members are sent to school at the expense of the Order, for which pur- pose an ample fund is specially set aside ; and such reasonable assistance is extended to widows as is within the means of the Order. There are at present in Washington six lodges, and one in Alexandria, the number of whose con- tributing members may be stated at between five and six hundred. The entire number of Odd Fel- lows within the District could not be easily ascer- tained, as the names of contributing members only are enrolled on the books of the lodges. There is also a Grand Lodge, composed of past officers of the subordinate lodges, to the number of eighty or ninety, and two encampments. Co- lumbian Encampment, of Washington, has sixty ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. 127 members, and Marley Encampment, of Alexandria, nearly forty. The revenue of tlie present year will be about four thousand dollars. The amount of expendi- tures for charitable purposes are not fully report- ed, but will not exceed, if they reach, the sum paid last year, which, within the limits of the city, was upwards of one thousand dollars. The fees of initiation and for degrees, being regulated by the State Grand Lodges, are not uni- form throughout the country. In this District they are quite moderate, and within the means of every one who would be likely to be received. There are in the United States eighteen State Grand Lodges, and two hundred and seventeen Subordinate Lodges, embracing nearly twenty thousand contributing members, besides from for- ty to fifty Grand and Subordinate Encampments. The total revenue for the year, as reported to the Grand Lodge of the United States, at its meeting in September, amounted to $120,588. The re- ports for relief being made under a new regu- lation, they are very imperfect, and include but six Grand Lodges, three of them having very small jurisdictions, as follows: Maryland, $4,551 72; New- York, 810,843 05; New- Jersey, $391 50; Kentucky, $838 81 ; Ohio, $1,496 62; Con- necticut. $430 00; making a total in these six States of S 1 8,55 1 . It may be well to remark here that the funds are all devoted to beneficial and chari- table purposes, except what is necessary to pay for rent, fuel, lights, &c. The Grand Lodge of the United States is the supreme head of the Order in America, and is e3 128 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. organized upon principles similar to those that govern the Union of the States of this Confederacy. This body meets but once a year, and its members may be classified thus: first, the officers; second, the representatives; third, the Past Grand Sires. The officers, eight in number, are elected bienni- ally, and have no voice hi the proceedings, except a casting vote on the part of the chief one (Grand Sire) when the lodge is equally divided. Each representative has one vote, and every State or Territorial Grand Lodge is entitled to at least one representative, and to an additional one if her returns show that she has under her jurisdiction more than one thousand contributing members. The Past Grand Sires are brethren who have served one term in the office of Grand Sire ; they then become members of the Grand Lodge ex-of- Jlcio, and are entitled to the same privileges as re- presentatives. Thus organized, acting under a written constitution, this body exercises supreme jurisdiction within the territorial limits of the Uni- ted States, and her legislation is conclusive as re- gards Oddfellowship, though it is principally con- fined to matters of extended and general interest. All her proceedings are published. The State Grand Lodges, which hold stated quarterly meetings, supervise and regulate the concerns of the Order within the boundaries of their respective States and Territories. Their or- ganization is similar to that of the Grand Lodge of the United States, their officers serving but one year. Their members are known by the title of Past Grand, which signifies that they have served one term in the chief office of a primary lodge. ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS, 129 usually known by the style of Subordinate Lodge; by which service they become ex-officio members of the Slate Grand Lodge, which can only be aug- mented by the incoming every quarter of one Past Grand from each lodge working under its juris- diction. The Subordinate Lodges hold weekly meetings, and, in their relation to the Order, may be regarded in the same light as are the sovereign people, when compared to the members of their State and General Governments. These lodges afford pe- cuniary support to the entire fabric, for it is to them that the members contribute their small donations of six and a quarter cents per week, which, with the fees of initiation and degrees, constitute ths revenue of the institution. They are governed after the manner of most civil societies, except that no fines are imposed for non-attendance; in- deed, members are admonished not to neglect their business or family concerns to attend upon lodge affairs. One peculiar advantage they have over ordinary beneficial and mechanical associations is, that the Order in its entire extent is firmly united together, and members are privileged to visit other lodges than their own whenever they choose to do so; thus affording them opportunity, when seve- ral lodges are situated in the same vicinity, to spend many hours in social intercourse within their halls which might otherwise be passed in more mischievous company; and, in the event of travel- ling on business, or even for pleasure, independent of the just claim a member would have to pecu- niary relief and assistance, if he should unexpect- edly stand in need of it, he could often obtain with- E'i 130 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. in the precincts of a lodge room all the essential information he might desire with respect to the surrounding neighborhood. The officers of Sub- ordinate Lodges are changed every three months, when the principal one is translated to the State Grand Lodge, leaving the second in rank to be promoted to the vacant post, if he shall have filled satisfactorily the duties of the second chair. The transferring of members to Grand Lodges merely confers upon them additional honors, and does not at all affect the relations subsisting between them and their primary lodge. To be a member of a subordinate lodge is a si7ie qua non to quali- fy one for a seat in any other lodge. The institution of Odd Fellows is believed to be antique in its origin, although at the beginning of the present century it was but little known in Eng- land. The official returns received this year show that that country is now divided into two hundred and fifty-six districts, containing two thousand five hundred and eighty-eight lodges, and embracing one hundred and seventy-nine thousand five hun- dred and forty-five members ! That general har- mony and universal good feeling should pervade so extensive an association, speaks volumes in fa- vor of its government and principles. UNION LITERARY DEBATING SO- CIETY. A society, called the Union Literary Deba- ting Society, has been in existence for several years. Interesting- questions are publicly discussed in it by the members^ who thus become practised TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES. 131 in public speaking, and acquire a knowledge of the various subjects under consideration which they would not otherwise obtain. This society has been of longer duration than any similar one ever established in this city before, and been productive of great intellectual advantage to the members, as well as of interest to the public. TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES. Among the societies which have been organi- zed in this city, and elsewhere, for the last twenty years, to promote the moral welfare and happi- ness of mankind, there are none which have been more salutary or useful than the Temperance As- sociations. Ten of these have been established in Washington, and have, especially the Frecmeri^s Vigilant, by their example and the exertions of their members, contributed in a remarkable man- ner to the temperance of the Metropolis, among all classes of the community. They commenced here about fifteen years ago, and have been gradually increasing in numbers ever since. The persons who have taken the pledge are now numerous, and many, who had been given up as utterly aban- doned to the beastly vice of drunkenness, have be- come wholly reformed. The eye is now but rarely shocked by the disgusting spectacle of a drunken man or woman in the streets of Washington, among the resident population. The number of grogshops, and the sale of spirituous liquors, have greatly di- minished since the formation of these associations, especially within a few years past. I'lieir moral elTect is rapidly exlendin? all over the globe. J5 5 l32 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. A female society, called'the Washington City Benevolent Society, was chartered in March, 1841. Its object is to afford relief and assistance to the poor, infirm, and helpless of the city, and its exertions have been so far attended with very happy and useful results. Another benevolent association, organized at the Navy Yard, called the Navy Yard Bene- ficial Society, was chartered by Congress about a year ago, and has so far answered the charitable and useful objects of its organization. There are, in addition to the societies already mentioned, a Howard Society, whose object is to afford employment to poor females of the city, and furnish clothes to the poor at a low rate; also a Masonic, Dorcas, Bible, Tract, Missionary, and some other benevolent associations, whose ex- ertions have been attended with great advantage to the community. Among these is one established in 1819, called the ''Provident Association of Clcrks^^ in the District of Columbia, whose ob- ject is to benefit the families of the subscribing clerks after their decease. Each member sub- scribes $2 50 per annum, or as much more as he may think proper ; and to the families of such as may die before the expiration of the fifth year of their membership, double the amount of their sub- scription is to be paid after the expiration of their fifth year; $100 and $50 per annum, in addition, until the end of the fifteenth year; and after the sixteenth year of their membership, $600, and an interest of twelve per cent, per annum, on $150 BANKS. 133 from the the fifteenth year of their membership, are to be paid to the families of the deceased clerks. BANKS. BA?fK OF Washington.— This bank was first chartered in 1811, and the first organized in this city. Its capital is $500,000. The banking house is situated at the west corner of C street and Lou- isiana avenue. Discount day, Tuesday. Wm. Gunton, PrcsH., James Adams, C<3^5AV. The charter of this bank, which has been several times renewed, will expire on the 4th of July, 1844, at which time the charters of all the other banks will also expire. Bank of the ^vIetropolis, chartered in 1817, renewed in 1821, 1836, 1838, 1841, and will ex- pire in 1844; capital the same as the preceding". Banking house on Fifteenth street, opposite the State Department. Discount day, Wednesday. J. P. Van Ness, Pres'L, Rich'd. Smith, CashW. Patriotic Bank, chartered in 1817, renewed at the same periods, and will expire at the same time as the preceding. Capital the same. Bank- ing house on Seventh street west. Discount day, Wednesday. William A. Bradley, Pres't., C. Besiov, CashW. The former act, continuing the charters of the above named banks, provides, among other things, that if either of the said banks, including those of Georgetown and Alexandria, shall fail or refuse e6 J 34 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. to pay on demmid, any note, bill, &c., by it issued, in lawful currency^ or sball neglect or refuse to pay any moneys received on deposite, it sball be liable to pay an interest of twelve per cent, per annum ; and it shall also be lawful for Congress forthwith to revoke the charter of said bank. Notes under five dollars shall not be made, issued, or reissued, by either of the said banks. By the act of August 25th, 1841, continuing the charters of the above banks for three years, they are required to resume and continue the payment of all their notes and specie liabilities in specie on demand; and, upon failing to resume specie pay- ments, or having resumed, shall again suspend, or shall pay or lend out the notes of any suspended bank, or any paper currency not equivalent to specie, shall forfeit all benefit and privilege grant- ed by the act. They are prohibited from making any new loan on pledge of stock as a security ; to re- quire before a renewal of any stock loan previously granted other sufficient security for the same. The President and Directors are made individually lia- ble to all persons concerned for the whole amount of such loan or loans. No loan to be made to any President, Cashier, Director, or other officer, to any amount in the whole more than $10,000. Pro- hibited from issuing or paying out, or offering in payment, any notes not at par, under pain of for- feiting for any such offence double the sum so paid out or offered in payment of their own debts. No bills or notes of a less denomination than five dollars to be issued. The number of Directors is limited to nine instead of twelve, the former num- ber. INSURANCE AND FIRE COMPANIES. 135 None of these banks are doing any new busi- ness; tlie restrictions imposed upon them by the late act rendering it unsafe, and the currency is now deplorable. An act of Congress, passed on the 7th of July, 1838, prohibits any individual, company, or cor- poration, to issue, pass, or offer to pass, within this District, any 7iote, check, draft, bank bill, or any other paper currency, of a less denomination than live dollars, under a penalty not exceeding fifty dollars, at the discretion of the court, for every of- fence; one half to go to the prosecutor, and the other half to the county where the offence has been committed. This act is still in force. INSURANCE COMPANIES. The Franklin Insurance Company was chartered in 1818. Capital $250,000. Office on Pennsylvania avenue, between Four-and-a-half and Sixth streets; open from ten to two o'clock every day, Sundays excepted. Insurance against fire only. G. C. Grammer, President. The Fireman's Insurance Company was chartered in 1837, for twenty-one years. Capital not exceeding $200,000. Divided into ten thou- sand shares, at twenty dollars each, to be taken and held only by members of a fire company. Insurance against fire only. Office on Pennsyl- vania avenue, between Sixth and Seventh streets, west; open from ten to two o'clock daily. William Gunton, Prcsidnii, Alexander Mcln- tire, Secretary. e7 " 136 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. FIRE COMPANIES. The Union, Franklin, Perseverance, Co- lumbia, and the Navy Yard. All these compa- nies were organized by an act of Congress, passed 2d of March, 1837; and the members constitute the stockholders in the Fireman's Insurance Com- pany. MILITARY. The city now boasts of several fine uniformed military companies, who are well drilled and make a very handsome display when they parade. For years after the late war, the military spirit had al- most become extinct in this city ; but of late it has revived, and a strong military enthusiasm now prevails among the diiferent volunteer companies in Washington. These are the Columbian Artil- lery, the Washington Light Infantry, the National Blues, the Marion and the Mechanic Riflemen. SOCIETY. The society of Washington, though very mix- ed, is good, partaking of the hues of " many color- ed life," from the highest refinement of polished France to the manly dignity of untutored nature. Parties, during the winter months, are numerous, and well attended. These are calculated to biing together many who might not otherwise have an opportunity of mingling with each other. The amusements at this season are so diversified and the society so good, that none can feel at a loss for the one, or be dissatisfied with the other. The SOCIETY. 137 U'ansition is easy from the display of parliamen- tary eloquence in the Halls of Congress to that of forensic eloquence in the highest judicial tribu- nal of the country, and from these again to the less instructive, but more amusing exhibitions of colloquial power in the fashionable soirees or re- unions of the evening. From the great variety of characters that as- semble in Washington, influenced by different motives, and from various ranks in life, the socie- ty must necessarily be mixed. It is made up of various classes : office-holders, and those in pur- suit of office ; the man of wealth travelling in pursuit of amusement and change, and the indi- gent aspirant for place; the polished European and the well dressed adventurer; the gentleman and the black leg — all are often found amalgamated at an evening party. These transient visiters, though forming, at certain seasons, the society of the Me- tropolis, are too often considered as constituting and giving character to that society; and the resident population are frequently charged with offences ot which they are entirely guiltless.* Accustomed to mingle v/ith the highest dignitaries of the land, and to associate freely with the representatives ot the people, they have learned to place a fair and just estimate on human worth, and to regard mere offi- * "The whole population of this city have been misre. presented as to manners, morals, habits and dispositions. No people are more kind or more hospitable, or have bet- ter feelings than the Washingtonians. The bland Mary, lander, the lofty Virginian, and intelligent and shrewd Eastern inhabitant coalesce, commingle and amalgamate, until the virtues of all are seen united in the most." — Knapp's Sketches. e8 138 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. cial rank or station as not always conferring honor or moral respectability on those who hold it. it is seen with no exalted feelings by those to whom it is familiar, and the virtuous and intelligent citi- zen of Washington, though deprived of his elec- tive franchise, feels no disposition to truckle to power, and moves through life with a conscious independence, and a conviction that all true dis- tinction is based on moral superiority alone, A fine moral tone pervades the resident popula- tion of this city, which is not often found in that of other large cities, and they are as much shocked and scandalized at the vices and profligacy which the itinerant population sometimes imports into their city, as those who condemn them can or pretend to be. Religion loo has elevated her standard among them, and there are but few who do not in reality or appearance bow down and worship at the altar of their Saviour and their God. The sound of the church going bell is heard with pleasure, and its call obeyed with delight by a large majority of the inhabitants, male and female, of this eity, and there is scarcely one of the numerous churches that is not well filled whenever divine service is per- formed. The clergy are intelligent, pious, and ardent in the cause of their great Redeemer, and untiring in their efforts to lead their flock along the paths of pleasantness and peace. These men are either the projectors of, or connected with all those associations that have for their basis the moral welfare, and the social and eternal happi- ness of their fellow-men. Asa body, there is none in this country more respectable and worthy, fhoucfli thore may be some more eloquent: and it SOCIETY, 139 is gratifying to witness the harmony which pre- vails between the pastor and his people, in every church in Washington. The moral and religious tone of w^hich I have spoken is evinced by the fact that but few heinous crimes are perpetrated in this city, and, consider- ing the population, (near twenty-four thousand souls,) very few lesser offences are committed. Since the origin of the city, but three persons have been hung for the commission of a capital offence, and two of these were committed beyond the limits of the city. The people of Washington are distinguished for their hospitality and courtesy. All who visit it, if they have any claims to respectability, are in- vited to their evening or dinner parties, and every attention is paid to distinguished strangers, and others who may come recommended to them. The effect of this hospitality is often unfortunately injurious to their pecuniary interests, and some- times leaves them destitute at the close of life. There are but few men of wealth in this city who can afford to indulge a liberal hospitality ; but it has become the custom, and almost all attempt to keep it up, though aware of the consequences which must finally result from it. Official station is too eagerly sought after, and is at last not worth the pursuit. Few in office leave more than suffi- cient to bury them ; while alive they live up to their salaries, and consequently, when they die, their families are left destitute, and either fall upon their relations, or seek to maintain themselves by setting up a boarding house, in which they do not often succeed. 140 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. USAGES, CUSTOMS, ETIQUETTE, &c. The fashionable part of the society of Wash- ington has established certain conventional usages, which are but seldom deviated from. Strangers of distinction are usually called upon by the citi- zen, who invites them to his house, and if a dinner or evening party is to be given, they never fail to be invited to that. The cards of invitation to those parties are sent out about nine days before they are to be given, and if the invitation be to dinner, the person invited must return a written acceptance of the invitation, or an apology for declining, that the host may know the precise number of covers to prepare. The guest appears at the hour desig- nated, generally about six o'clock, P. M.; for it is deemed uncivil to attend too early or too late on such an occasion. At soirees, or evening parties, the company usually assemble at from nine to ele- ven o'clock, and retire at from twelve to two o'clock. The amusements here as elsewhere consist of dan- cing, conversation, and cards, and the refreshments and set suppers, which are not frequent, are such as are found at similar reunions in other cities. The President of the United States seldom or never attends those parties; but the Vice-President, mem- bers of the cabinet, and all the other officers of the Government are permitted by etiquette to attend, and to give parties. If the person invited cannot go, he or she sends a written apology, and these apolo- gies are laid on the centre table or raantlepiece of the drawing room. The number of guests, male and female, usually invited, varies from three hun- dred to nine hundred, according to circumstances. FUNERAL CUSTOMS. 141 These parties are kept up almost nightly during the winter months, and when the crowd is not great, are generally very pleasant. The best society, and all the beanty, fashion and distinction assembled in Washington, at the time, are to be found there, and hence they are generally very much crowded, es- pecially when the house is not constructed so as to accommodate large numbers, which is the case with most of the dwellings in this city. When a stranger arrives in Washington, and is desirous to attend the parties, he leaves his card at the houses of such as give them, and if found re- spectable, and of good standing, is invited. Members of both Houses of Congress call upon the President of the United States immediately after their arrival in Washington. The Heads of Departments and Foreign Ministers pay the first visit to Senators ; but to Members of the House this courtesy is not extended. Etiquette requires that they should pay the first visit to the cabinet ministers. The mem.bers of both Houses during the session are invited to dine with the President, in alphabetical order, without regard to houses or parties. The number usually invited to each din- ner varies from twenty-five to thirty, and such members as have their wives with them are ac- companied by them on these occasions. FUNERAL CUSTOMS. When a member of Congress dies during the session in Washington, his death is announced by some member of his own State, and the House ad- journs till after the funeral. He is buried at the 142 GUIDK TO WASHINGTON. public expense. His body is placed in a rich ma- hogany coffin, with a plated escutcJieon, on whirli his name, age, and time of death, are inscribed. The pall bearers are selected from the members ol his own State, and if there be not enough, from an adjoining State. The coffin, covered with a rich velvet pall, is brought to the House to which he belonged, from his late dwelling, accompanied by the pall bearers, and placed in front of the chair of the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House. The Chaplain of the House to which the deceased member belonged, delivers an appropriate address, and goes through the funeral ceremonies usual on those occasions, according to the peculiar forms of the church to which he is attached. The body is then conveyed, accompanied by the pall bearers, the presiding officers. Secretary and Clerk, Chap- lains, Sergeants-at-Arms, and Doorkeepers, and members of both Houses, wearing crape on their left arms, and the former with white scarfs over their right shoulders. The funeral is also attend- ed by the President of the United States, the prin- cipal officers of the Government, of the Army and Navy, and Foreign Ministers. The procession is very long, consisting of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty carriages, the one half of which are often empty. The body is first deposited in the receiving vault of the Congressional Burial Ground, and afterwards placed in a grave, over which a plain stone tomb is erected, on which his name, the State which he represented, his age, &c., are engraved. The expense is seldom less than from twelve to fifteen hundred dollars. This useless and absurd parade has led to a usage FUNERAL CUSTOMS. 143 among- the citizens, in relation to the burial of their dead, which would be more " honored in the breach than the observance." A splendid procession is regarded as a mark of respect to the dead by the survivors of the family, and every family that loses one of its members, spares no expense, whatever may be their circumstances, to render the funeral procession imposing. This often acts very inju- riously upon the survivors, whose whole means are perhaps wasted in this absurd and senseless parade. The procession generally consists of hackney and private carriages, varying in number from twenty to a hundred, according to the feelings and circum- stances of the family. It is not usual to follow on foot the body to the grave yard, especially to the Congressional Burial Ground. Those who cannot be accommodated in carriages do not go to the grave. The example of one is followed by another, till all think it is necessary to make a display on occasions when prudence should dictate to nine- tenths of those who have been deprived of their only support, the propriety of husbanding the small means that have been left them. In this respect Boston sets an example worthy of imitation here. When a death occurs, some of the most intimate friends of the family only are invited ; very few attend the corps to the grave, and none but near relations wear mourning. The expense is consequently inconsiderable, and scarcely felt, while the respect and veneration for the deceased, and the sorrow and affliction the melancholy be- reavement has occasioned, are as deep and agoniz- ing as they can be among those whom mere custom leads to make a magnificent, but useless display. 144 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. THE RECESS OF CONGRESS. During the recess of Congress, Washington does- not possess many sources of attraction. Theatri- cal and other amusements cease, and the citizens fail back upon their own resources, and enjoy themselves as they can. After the scenes of dis- sipation, and the excitements which the session always produces, the quietude and repose of the city which follow, are not displeasing or unplea- sant. An agreeable social intercourse is kept up among the families of the resident population, and those in and out of office lead a staid and quiet ex- istence, more rational, if not so exciting as that to w^hich they are accustomed in the winter months. Such as can afford it, visit some of the numerous and fashionable watering places with which our country abounds, and spend a few weeks there,, either for the benefit of their health or to pass away the time. The drives in and around the city are delight- ful, especially beyond the Eastern branch and north of the Capitol, where the prospects are beau- tiful, and all the scenery and pure air of the coun- try can be enjoyed. Most of those in office, with families, supply themselves with a one horse carriage, as an indispensable article, and after dinner take a drive along the unimproved streets of this romantic city, or into that portion of the country around it, which I have mentioned. The pedestrians resort to the beautiful grounds around the Capitol, and exercise themselves in strolling along their spacious and extensive walks, or in listening to the music of a fine band attached to the ASSEMBLY ROOMS. 145 Marine corps, which attends twice a week in the Capitol square during the summer and autumn, and which generally attracts large crowds from all parts of the city. WASHINGTON ASSEMBLY ROOMS, CA- RUSrS SALOON, OLD THEATRE, &c. The building formerly called the Washington Theatre, on Louisiana avenue, has been converted into spacious and beautiful saloons for balls and assemblies. The front is very neat, the building sufficiently large, and the whole has been fitted up in a style creditable to the taste of the proprietors. The city contains another saloon for balls and as- semblies, owned by the Messrs. Carusi, and which has been for manj^ years used for this purpose. It is situated on C street, between Tenth and Ele- venth streets west. The basement story of this building is at present occupied by the City Post Office. It was originally a theatre, and the first erected in Washington for that purpose. The se- cond was the building converted into saloons, as mentioned above, and the third is the one now used as a theatre, called the National Theatre. The National Theatre is the only one in Wash- ington, but it is not well supported, and is about to be converted to some other purpose. In the infan- cy of the city theatrical exhibitions were more pop- ular than at present, and the old theatre was often crowded to suffocation, when the population was not one third as great as it is now. The members of the theatrical corps who visited Washington belonged 146 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. to the Philadelphia company, and always made their annual appearance here in the summer months. The talent of that company will long be remembered, and the matchless humor of Jeffersonj the exquisite drollery of Blisset and Entwistle, the Falstaffian humor of Warren, the tragic excel- lence of Mrs. Merry, Mrs. Mason, &c., will call up some of the most agreeable reminiscences of the past, in those who are still living to remember those early periods of the city. The old theatre, however, was not the first used for dramatic rep- resentations in this city. The building of which I have spoken in another place as standing on the site on which the fine edifice intended for the ac- commodation of the General Post Office has been erected, was used, in the infancy of the city, as a temporary theatre. A portion of it was fitted up by the company for this purpose, and Cooper made his cUhut in the metropolis, in the character of Hamlet, on the boards of that rude theatre. It was not long thus occupied, however, because it was found not to be a very profitable undertaking. The great diminution in the numbers that were wont to attend the theatre, has not arisen from any dislike or distaste to dramatic representations, but from other causes, which would seem to be antipo- des, religion and fashion. The religious senti- ment of the community is averse to such exhibi- tions, because they are regarded as sinful and im- proper ; and the fashionable balls, parties, and as- semblies given every night during the season when the theatre is open, take away the mass of those who might be disposed to visit it, and whose attend- ance would give it support and encouragement. PUBLIC AND PKIVATE PllUPEllTY. 147 Justices of the Peace for the County of Washington, who hold their commis SIONS FOR FOUR YEARS Richard Briscoe, Ap. 1840 Nathaniel Brady, 1840 Rob't. Henry Clements, 1840 Robert White, 1840 David Saunders, 1840 Benjamin B. French, 1840 George Adams. 1840 Samuel Smoot, 1840 Roger C. Weightraan, 1841 Lewis Carbery, 1841 John Cox, 1841 David A. Hall, 1841 Samuel Stettinius, 1841 Thomas Turner, 1841 Nich. B. Vanzandt, 1841 William Hebb, 1841 Robert Getty, 1841 William Thompson, 1841 B. K. Morsell, 1841 James Gettys, 1841 John Wells, 1841 C. H. Wiltberger, 1841 Nat. Loughborough, 1841 Thomas Carbery, 1841 Samuel Drury, 1841 William Waters, 1841 John F. Coxe, 1841 Joseph Forrest, 1841 Wm. H. Gunnell, 1841 C. T. Coote, 1841 Thomas R. Hampton, 1841 Samuel D. King, 1841 Vincent King, 1841 Gilbert L. Giberson, 1841 C. J. Nourse, 1841 Henry Howison, 1841 Joshua Pearce, 1841 Conrad Hogmire, 1841 Thomas Holtzman, 1841 Nicholas Callan, Jun., 1841 Zachariah Walker, 1841 Wm. W. Stewart, 1841 John D. Clark, 1841 Joseph N. Fearson, 1841 PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROPERTY OF THE CITY. The original proprietors assigned to the United States in the first division ten thousand one hun- dred and thirty-six lots; the amount of sales of these lots up to 1834, was $741,000 24; the esti- mated value of the lots unsold, was $909,221 ; and the estimated value of the lots givai aioay, 148 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. and not for city purposes, was $70,000, viz : $10,000 to the Washington Orphan Asylum, $10,000 to the St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum, $25,000 to the Columbian College, $25,000 to the Georgetown College; 541 acres of reserved ground, cstimatrd at ten cents per square foot, $2,356,596 ; from which must be deducted the re- servations Nos. 10, 11 and 12, end the squares A, B, C and D, amounting to $117,367. Estimated value of wharves, water lots, &c., $40,000, making an aggregate of $3,999,474. For the " reserva- tions," seventeen in number, containing five hun- dred and forty-one acres, one rood and thirty-nine perches, the Government paid £25 per acre, (66f dollars,) amounting to the sum of $36,099. There was expended by the Government up to 1814, on the public buildings and other public improvements, $1,214,202; and since that period, when most of these were destroyed by the British army, the expenditures up to 1834, have been $2,- 127,800, making an aggregate of $3,342,002; and leaving a balance in favor of the city, after deduct- ing all that has been expended for the accommo- dation of the Government and the city since 1800, of $657,381. The whole of this vast amount of property, moreover, has been, during the existence of this city, exempt from taxation, while a tax, averaging eighty cents on every hundred dollars worth of property has been paid by individual proprietors. The public grounds and buildings were valued by the assessors of the city, in 1838, in compliance with the act of the Corporation of the 29th of October, 1836, at $6,978,003. Had this property been taxed at the same rate as that of CORPOllATION. 149 the other property holders, the increased revenue to the Corporation would have amounted to nearly three millions of dollars. The following table will show the valuation of the real and personal property in thecity of Wash- ington, ovv^ed by private individuals, for the year 1840. Tax at 75 Wards. Lots. Buildings. Personal. Total. cents per 1st. «100 8 732,929 % 810,220 «246,225 Jgl,789,374 ;gl3,420 30f 2nd. 989,154 1,077,080 239,400 2,305,634 17,292 26 3rd. 1,735,959 1,812,925 360,300 3,909,184 29,318 SSi 4th. 207,422 297,100 56,400 560,922 4,206 911 5th. 171,482 171,070 22,850 865,402 2,740 52 6th. 111,996 216,800 43,100 371,896 2,789 22i «3, 948,942 ;g4, 385,195 «96S,275 ;?9,S02,412 Jg69,768 11 The additions to the assessment of 1840 w^ill be for the year 1841 considerable, as more improve- ments have been made during that year than du- ring any preceding one since the origin of the city ; and the aggregate tax on real and personal property cannot be estimated at less than $72,300. CORPORATION. The city of Washington was first incorporated by Congress, in May, 1802. By the charter then granted, the Mayor was appointed by the Presi- dent yearly, and the two branches of the City Council by the people, in general ticket. A sup- plement was made to this charter, in May, 1812; 150 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. by which the Corporation was made to consist of a Mayor, Board of Aldermen and Board of Com- mon Council; the former to be chosen by joint bal- lot of the two boards annually. In 1820 the pre- sent charter of the city was granted. By this charter the Mayor is elected every two years by the people, on the first Monday in June; the mem- bers of the Board of Aldermen at the same time, for two years, and those of the Common Council for one year; two Aldermen and three Councilmen from each ward. The Mayor and Aldermen are ex-ojjicio Justices of the Peace. Every white citi- zen of the United States of lawful age, and a resi- dent of the city one year previous to the election, and assessed on the books of the Corporation for the year ending on the 31st of December preceding the election, and who has paid all taxes legally assessed and due on personal property, when legal- ly required to do so, shall be entitled to vote for Mayor and members of the two boards. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be Mayor ; but in case of equality of votes, the two boards, by joint ballot, shall elect. The Mayor must be a free white male citizen of the United States, at least thirty years of age, a freeholder, and who shall have resided in the city for two years im- mediately preceding the election. In the event g( his death, resignation, &c., the two boards shall elect a person to serve during the remainder of the term, or during such inability. Each alderman and councilman must be over twent\r-five years of age, a free white male citizen of the United States, a re- sident of the city for one year next preceding the election, a resident of the ward for which he was CORPORATION. 151 elected, a f/eeholder, and assessed for the j^ear end- ing the 31st of Decennber next preceding- the day of election, to be qualified to serve. The city is divided into six Wards: the First Ward embra- ces that part of the city west of Fifteenth street west; the Second Ward that part east of Fifteenth street to Tenth street west; the Third Ward that part east of Tenth street to First street west and the north of E street south ; the Fourth Ward that part east of First street west to Eighth street east and north of E street south ; the Fifth Ward that part east of Tenth street west to Fourth street east and south of E street south; and the residue of the city consti- tutes the Sixth Ward. A tax of seventy-five cents is imposed on every hundred dollars worth of real and personal property; and real property, whether improved or unimproved, on which two or more years taxes shall remain unpaid after having be- come due, shall be sold to pay such taxes, with all cost and charges ; but the owner is allowed two years to redeem it, by paying all taxes, expenses, and ten per cent, interest thereon. By the fifteenth section of this charter, the Commissioner of the Public Buildings is required to reimburse to the Corporation a just proportion of any expense which may be incurred in laying open, paving, or other- wise improving any of the streets or avenues in front of, or adjoining to, or which passes through or between any public square or reservation; to be paid out of the sales of public lots in the city. Finances of the Corporation of Wash- ington. — Receipts, expenditures, and contiibutions to the general fund, for the year ending 1st of July, 1841; 152 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. General Fund, Receipts, - -$25,43170 Expenditures, - - - - 65,702 93 Contributions by several Wards, - 40,271 33 Total receipts in the general and Ward funds, including balances to the credit of the Wards, - - - 92,974 34 Funded debt to the 1st july, 1841 : Five per cent, stock on account ofgeneralfund, - - - -$194,722 49 Six per cent, stock on account ofgeneralfund,- - - - 524,809 52 719,532 01 Aggregate Ward debts, - - 100,968 99 820.501 00 Redeemed during the past year, - 1,156 72 Aggregate funded debt on 1st of July, 1841, - . - . $819,344 23 The first Mayor of this city was Robert Brent, who was appointed by the President under the first charter, and who served gratuitously, from 1802 to 1812, when a new charter was granted. Daniel Rapine, elected by the Council in 1812. James H. Blake, do. do. 1813 to 1817. Benjamin G. Orr, do. do. 1817 to 1819. Sam'l M. Smallwood,do. do. 1819 to 1820. and by the people, - - - 1820 to 1822. T. Carbery, elected by the people, 1822 to 1824. Roger C. Weightman, elected by the people and Council, - - 1824 to 1827. .Joseph Gales, Jun., do. Council, 1827 to 1830. John P. Van Ness, do. people, 1830 to 1834. CORPORATION. 15'i W. A. Bradley, elected by people, 1834 to 183G. Peter Force, do. do. 183Gtol840. W. W. Seaton, do. do. 1840 The Mayor's compensation is one thousand dol- lars per annum, and one dollar for every acknow- ledgment he takes. ABSTRACT OF THE CORPORATION LAWS. Assessment. — The property of the city is as- sessed every five years, by three assessors appoint- ed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, who are sworn to assess it at what they believe to be the cash value of the property at the time of the valua- tion. No new building is to be taxed until the 1st day of January after its completion. The asses- sors may require from the owner a written list of his property, and if he refuses he shall be subject to a fine of ten dollars. These general assessors are allowed two dollars per diem for their ser- vices, and required to make a return of their as- sessment to the Register, before the last Monday in September. The taxable property of the city is also assessed annually by three freeholders, ap- pointed like the preceding, whose duty it is to assess and value all real and personal property not before assessed, and to regulate any former assessment ; and they receive a compensation of forty dollars each. With a view to the security of the property holders, a Board of Appeals has been established, consisting of three freeholders, appointed as the for- mer, who have the power to hear and decide on all appeals from the assessment of the quinquen- nial and annual assessors; and to abate, increase, 154 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. alter, or amend the assessment previously made, so as to equalize the valuation of the assessable property. This board meets on the second Mon- day of October annually, in the City Hall, and there sits for five days. Their compensation is two dollars per diem. Coal and Wood. — All bituminous and anthra- cite coal brought to the city for sale is required to be measured, if desired, by sworn measurers ap- pointed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. Five pecks are allowed to the bushel of the for- mer, and twenty-two hundred and forty pounds to the ton of the latter. No measurer is permitted to deal in coal. Scales and weights are required to be kept by coal merchants, &c. The measurer is al- lowed twenty-five cents per ton of anthracite, and half a cent per bushel of bituminous coal, as a compensation. All wood brought to the city by water to be corded and measured ; each cord to be eight feet in length, four feet in breadth, and four feet four inch- es in height, well stowed and packed, and proper allowance to be made for crooked and defective wood. The measurers are appointed as other offi- cers of the Corporation, and allowed six cents per cord, to be paid by the seller. A penalty of two dollars per cord is imposed for selling without cording, and the measurer is not allowed to deal in wood. Collector of Taxes. — The collector is ap- pointed like other officers of the Corporation; is required to give a bond of fifteen thousand dollars, with sureties, to be approved by the Mayor; and receives a commission on the sums collected. CORPORATION. 155 not exceeding fifteen hundred dollars per annum. He holds his office in the City Hall ; is required to furnish a detailed bill of taxes to each tax payer, and to deposite monthly the amounts collected by him in the Bank of Washington, Fie is also re- quired to advertise personal property for two weeks before the sale, and real estate belonging to per- sons not residing in the United States for six months ; to persons in the United States, and not in the District of Columbia, three months; and to those residing in the District, six weeks. No real improved property can be sold on which personal property of sufficient value to pay the tax can be found, unless at the written request of the owner of such improved property. All real property sold for taxes may be redeemed within two years, or at any time prior to the payment of the purchase money by the purchaser, by paying the amount of taxes and expenses and ten per cent, per annum. If not redeemed, the surplus over and above the amount of taxes and expenses goes to the original owner ; and if such owners be minors, mortgagees or others having an equitable interest in the pro- perty, they shall be allowed one year after such minors shall come to full age or after such mort- gagees, or others having equitable interest, shall obtain possession of or a decree for the sale of such property, to redeem the property so sold, by paying ten per cent, per annum, and the taxes and expenses from the day of sale till redeemed. Dogs. — Every owner of a dog is required to obtain a license for keeping such dog, for which he must pay two dollars for each male, and five dollars for each female, to be paid on the 1st of 156 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. January of each year, under a penalty of not less than five nor more than ten dollars. Every dog must have a collar with the name of the owner and the letters W C written or stamped on it; and if found going at large, the tax not having been paid and without a collar, he is liable to be killed. Dogs are prohibited from following their masters to the market at any time of the year under a pe- nalty not exceeding three dollars for each ofience. Free Negroes, Mulattoes, &c. — All free negroes and persons of color are required to exhi- bit satisfactory evidences of their freedom to the Register, with a list of the names, ages and sexes of their families, under the penalty of six dollars for every month they shall neglect to do so. The Register to furnish a written permit to each head of a family, authorizing them to reside in the city. All idle, disorderly or tumultuous assemblages of negroes are prohibited, and the person offending to be recognized with one or more sureties in the penalty of twenty dollars for his or her peaceable and orderly behavior, for a time not exceeding six months. If found playing at cards, dice or other game of an immoral tendency, or shall be present when such game is playing, shall be fined not ex- ceeding ten dollars. Not to have a dance, ball or assembly, at his or her house, without a permit from the Mayor, under the penalty of ten dollars. Not to go at large in the city without a pass from, a magistrate or respectable citizen after ten o'clock at night, unless engaged in driving a cart, or other carriage, under a penalty not exceeding ten dol- lars, and to be confined m the lock-up house till next morning. If found drunk in the public streets, CORPORATION. 157 •&c., or guilty of obscene and profane language or behavior, to be fined not exceeding three dol- lars for each offence. When refusing or neg- lecting to pay, or secure to be paid the fine, he or she shall be committed to the work house until the fine be paid, not exceeding six months. Slaves found offending against the law to be punished corporally with stripes, not exceeding thirty-nine. Every free negro or mulatto or person manumit- ted, required to exhibit to the Mayor satisfactory evidence of freedom, to be recorded by the Regis- ter, and to enter into a bond to the Mayor, &c., with five good and sufficient freehold sureties, in the penalty of one thousand dollars, for his or her good and orderly conduct, and not be chargeable to the Corporation, to be renewed yearly, under a penal- ty not exceeding twenty dollars; and when failing, to be ordered by the Mayor to depart forthw^ith from the city, and upon failure, to be sent to the work house for a period not exceeding six months in any one commitment. If unable to establish their title to freedom, to be committed to jail as ab- sconding slaves. The Mayor is empow^ered to dis- charge from imprisonment when evidence is fur- nished of their title to freedom, and that they and their families and dependents will forthwith de- part from the city; but upon failure to do so, or if they return at any time within twelve months thereafter, they shall be again committed. The children of such persons bound out to servitude by the guardians of the poor not to be released till the end of their term of service. No license for any purpose whatever to be granted to any free person of color, or person acting as agent, except to drive F I 58 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. carts, drays, hackney carriages, or ivagous. Not to sell or "barter any spirituous liquors, wine, cor- dial, porter, ale, &g., in the city, nor to keep any tavern, ordinary, refectory or eating-house, for pro- fit or gain, under the penalty of twenty dollars for each offence. All secret meetings, and meetings for religious worship, beyond ten o'clock at night, prohibited under the penalty of five dollars. Slaves. — No slave can reside in the city, unless owned by a resident, or hired by a non-resident to an inhabitant, for which he must pay a tax of twenty dollars per annum, if a male, and two dol- lars if a female ; under the penalty of twenty dol- lars for each neglect. Residents hiring such slaves liable to the same penalty, and also to a fine of five dollars per month while he or she shall continue to hue such slave. No slave of a resident shall keep house without a bond, in the penalty of five hun- dred dollars, with good and sufficient sureties for the sober, orderly and decentconduct of such slave, to be given by the owner, under a penalty of twen- ty dollars for every week such slave shall keep house, to be incurred by the owner. Every per- son bringing or sending any slaves to the city to hire or reside, shall, within twenty days thereafter, cause them to be recorded on the books of the Cor- poration, and make an alTidavit that they are bona fide his or her property, under the penalty of twen- ty dollars for each slave. Foot Walks. — Riding or driving any horse, wagon, cart or other carriage, on any paved or gravelled foot walks prohibited under a penalty of two dollars; or obstructing the same with boxes, barrels, building materials, &c., under the penalty CORPORATION. 159 of one dollar, and one dollar for every day the same shall remain, except wood, which may re- msLin forty-eight hours in the street and no longer. Building materials permitted to occupy one-half the width of the pavement and one-third of the breadth of the carriage way, and no more, and not to remain longer than thirty days after the house shall be completed. Gaming. — No kind of gaming tables, except li- censed billiard tables, is allowed, under the penalty of fifty dollars for every day such table or device shall be kept. Persons convicted to give bond with the sum of three hundred dollars, not to vio- late the law for six months, or be confined to labor in the work house of the city until the security be given; a person allowing any kind of gaming in his or her house to pay fifty dollars for every day or less time it shall be allowed, and if a tavern or ordinary keeper, or retailer of wine and spirit- uous liquors, he or she shall forfeit their license. Hackney Carriages. — All persons running or using a hackney carriage, cab, or any other vehicle for the conveyance or transportation of persons in or about the city, for hire, without pre- viously obtaining a license therefor, are liable to the penalty often dollars for every ofTence. The price of a license to a resident, or one who has resided for six months in the city previous to the issue of such license, is ten dollars per annum ; to one residing in Georgetown for six months previously, at the rate of twenty dollars, and to all other persons, fifty dollars per annum. Persons applying for licenses for hackney carriages, cabs, &c., required to give satisfactory evidence to the F 1 160 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. Register of their residence, and an affidavit that the hackney carriage, cab, &c., belongs to them, and is to be run for their exclusive benefit. Non- resident owners of hackney carriages, cabs, &c., required to give bond, with sufficient sureties to be approved by the Mayor, for the payment of all fines and penalties which the drivers of their car- riages may incur for violations of the laws of this city. The number of the license is required to be put on with metal, or painted in plain and legible figures at least two inches in length, on each side of the carriage, cab, &c., under a penalty of two dollars for each offence ; and persons aliixing or causing or sufTering to be affixed a number to their carriages, cabs, &c., without first obtaining a li- cense therefor, shall be fined ten dollars for each offence. The streets and avenues in front of any public spaces or squares, except opposite Market Houses, on the side next to them, are established as stands for carriages ; and the Mayor is authorized to es- tablish such other stands as he may think neces- sary. Every carriage, cab, &c., is required to be placed lengthwise the street upon these stands, and, if in front of any building, at least fifteen feet from the curb stone, and not to be in the line of other cross streets, or to prevent or obstruct the passage of wagons, carriages, or persons on foot from crossing in the line of the footways. Every driver is required, while occupying any stand, to sit on his seat or stand near the carriage, with the reins in his hands, and not to absent himself except in cases of necessity, without leaving the reins in the hands of some capable person. He is COKPOKATiON. 161 moreover prohibited from cracking and slashing his whip so as to annoy persons passing; from disturbing or annoying persons by boisterous or riotous conduct, or creating any unusual or unne- cessary noise or tumult, under a penahy to the owner of such hackney carriage, cab, &c., of not less than one dollar nor more than ten dollars for each offence. Every carriage, &c., is required while in motion to be kept on the side of the street which shall be on the risfht side of the driver ; and, on the del . . , ivery of passengers, proceed immediately to the proper stand; nor to remain near the footways longer than is necessary to take or deliver passengers, under a penalty of one dollar for each offence. On all public occasions private carriages, owned by persons subject to the operation of the local or- dinances of the city, are placed under the same regulations, and the owners and drivers are sub- jected to the same penalties as the owners or dri- vers of hackney carriages, cabs, &c. Fare. — Between day-break and eight o'clock^ P. M. From the Capitol square to the Eastern branch bridge, (known as the Navy Yard bridge,) 31 cts. From the Capitol square to the Eastern branch bridge, (known as the Middle bridge,) 31 cents; From the Capitol square to the Navy Yard, 25 cents; From the Capitol square to the south end of New- Jersey avenue, 25 cents ; From the Capitol square to C4recnleaf's point, 25 cents : 162 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. From the Capitol square to Seventeenth street west, 25 cents ; For any distance between the Capitol square and any of the abovementioned places, not exceed- ing one-half of the entire distance, I2i cents; but any distance more than one-half shall be reckoned as the entire distance ; From the Navy Yard to the Middle bridge, 25 cents ; From the President's square to Greenleaf's point, 25 cents; From the President's square to the western limits of the city, 25 cents; From the Baltimore Railroad depot to the Na- tional or Indian Queen Hotels, i2i cents; From the said depot to the hotel upon Pennsyl- vania avenue, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets, 25 cents ; From the National or Indian dueen Hotels, to City Hall, or from any place in the vicinity of those places, to the Steamboat wharf, \2h cents; From the Steamboat wharf to either of the said places, or places in their vicinity, 12i cents; From the National or Indian Queen Hotel, the City Hall, or any place in the vicinity of them, to any place east of Seventeenth street west, or to any place west of Sixth street east, or to any place south of P street north, or to any place north of K street south, I2i cents; For any distance between Greenleaf's point and the Navy Yard, the Navy Yard and Middle bridge, or between the President's square and Greenleaf's point, or the western limits of the city, not exceed- ing; one-half the entire distance, twelve and a half CORPORATION. 163 cents ; but any distance more than the one half, shall be reckoned as the whole distance. No charge, however, can be made exceeding twelve and a half cents per mile, for any distance above two miles. In case of detention of a hackney carriage, &c., over five minutes, the driver shall be allowed on the whole hack, &c., a sum not exceeding twelve and a half cents for every fifteen minutes: and for con- veyance of persons from one place to another, not mentioned above, at the rate of twelve and a half cents per mile. For detentions later than eight o'clock, P. M., at the rate of fifty per cent, on the foregoing charges in addition. Owner or driver refasirig to carry a passenger at the above rates, or who shall demand or receive any greater sum for conveyance, or shall take up, when more than two passengers are in a hack, or when they shall agree to pay for three seats, more passengers, with- out permission of tKe persons in the hack, shall pay jive dollars for every offence; and if such owner or driver shall demand or receive ^uy greater sum than that above specified, from any non-resident^ or shall refuse to carry him at the above rates, he shdiW forfeit and fay double the above penalty. Sleighs running for hire are subject to the same provisions, regulations and penalties as the hack- ney carriages, cabs, &c., and the owners are re- quired to take out license for running the same, provided they be not owners of hackney carriages, cabs, &c. An abstract of this law is to be furnished by the Register to every owner of a hackney carriage, cab, &c., and to each ordinary or tavern keeper, a f3 164 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. copy of the rates of fare established by this act, and a copy of the abstract neatly printed and framed ; and it is made the duty of every such ordinary or tavern keeper, on the receipt of it to hang it up for public information in the most conspicuous part of his house, under the penalty of six dollars for every week he may neglect to do so. No person under sixteen years of age is allow- ed to drive any hackney carriage, sleigh, or cab, under a penalty of five dollars for each offence. Hawkers and Pedlars. — All hawkers and pedlars are prohibited from hawking or carrying about in this city any goods, wares or merchan- dise, except such as are manufactured within the city, without a license, for which fifty dollars shall be paid, under the penalty of twenty dollars for each offence. Poultry, fish, meat, breadstuffs, but- ter, cheese, eggs, vegetables and fruits are except- ed. Health. — A Board of Health, consisting of one physician and one citizen of each ward, is annually appointed, who has the powder to adopt such a code of regulations for the preservation of the health of the city as may not be repugnant to the charter ; to declare what are considered by it as nuisances or sources of disease; to cause to be removed, under a penalty of from one to five dol- lars, any nuisance that may exist in any cellar or domestic enclosure, after giving notice thereof to the owner to remove the same ; and to demand entry into any house, cellar, or enclosures in which its members have cause to suspect that a nuisance, dangerous to the health of the city, exists; and the owner or occupier refusing to open the same and CORPORATION. 165 admit a free examination, shall forfeit and pay the sum often dollars. Hogs. — Hogs are prohibited from going at large, and it is lawful for any police officer or any other person to lake them up, and convey them to the Washington Asylum for the use of the asylum. The person taking them up and conveying them to the asylum, shall receive one dollar for each hog so taken up and delivered. Non-resident Merchants. — Persons not ac- tual- residents are prohibited from selling or offer- ing to sell any goods, wares, or merchandise, without (irst obtaining a license from the Register, for which they are required to pay one hundred and twen- ty-five dollars for one year, eighty dollars for six months, and sixty dollars for three months: no li- cense to be granted for less than three months. Per- sons offending against this law liable to the penal- ty of twenty dollars for every day they shall sell. Residents obtaining a license to sell goods, &c., not to allow any non-residents to sell under their li- cense, under a penalty of twenty dollars for each day they shall sell. Nuisances. — Persons making excavations in the streets or public reservations and suffering them to remain open twenty-four hours are liable to a fine of five dollars, and if after notice thereof by the commissioner, they neglect to fill up the same within ten days, to a fine of ten dollars. The owner of every vacant lot in which an excavation exists, is required to have it filled up, and upon refusal to fill up, drain, or enclose the excavation, drain the stagnant waters, or enclose the areas, he shall pay a fine often dollars, exclusive of the ex- *-4 166 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON, pense incurred in filling up, draining or enclosing the same. Persons having or causing any nui- sance or obstruction, to be fined one dollar, and if not removed in twenty-four hours after due notice in writing from the commissioner, to be fined ten dollars. Every cow, horse, &c., dying on any of the streets, &c., must be removed and buried by the owner within twelve hours after being duly notified, under a penalty of not less than five nor more than ten dollars. Persons leaving ofials of fish, without burying them, more than twenty- four hours, to be fined ten dollars ; making an ex- cavation under a privy instead of using a box, to be fined ten dollars, and the excavation to be filled up at the expense of the owner; and obstructing a bridge to be fined one dollar. When any member of the Board of Health shall give notice of any nuisance in warm weather, it must be removed within twenty-four hours under a penalty of five dollars, to be paid by the person offending; and all nuisances or obstructions whose removal is not otherwise provided for shall be removed by the commissioner of the ward, at the expense of the person offending, if it does not exceed the amount of the penalty. Police Officers of the city. — These con- sist of twelve magistrates, two for each ward, to be designated in joint meeting of the two boards, and ten Police Constables appointed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen: two for the First, two for the Second, three for the Third ward, and one for each of the three Eastern wards; the latter three also act as Commissioners of their respective wards. These constables are required to enforce the laws of the CORPORATION. 167 Corporation, and to make monthly returns to the Ma^'or, under a penalty of ten dollars for every neglect. Their compensation is fifty dollars per annum; but the Police Constables of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth wards receive an addition of fifty dollars each a year for performing the duties of Commissioners. Pumps, Wells, Springs, and Hydrants. — Water is supplied to a neighborhood by wells, pumps, springs, or hydrants, upon the application to the Mayor of two-thirds of the inhabitants, or so many as in his opinion constitute that proportion of the inhabitants of a neighborhood, and the ex- pense to be paid by the Corporation, and afterwards assessed on the real property within such distance of the pump, hydrant, or spring, as may be bene- fitted or the value thereof enhanced thereby; one half of the expense thereof to be reimbursed or paid by the owners of such property. The pumps, hydrants and springs to be afterwards kept in or- der or repair by the Corporation. No fish to be cleaned, clothes washed, horses watered, or casks filled and left at any public spring, pump, or hy- drant, by which the water may be rendered impure, under a penalty of five dollars for every offence. Shooting. — No person is allowed to fire a gun or pistol idly or for sport, within two hundred and fifty yards of any dwelling house in that part of the city contained in north M street, Massachu- setts avenue, Seventh street, Pennsylvania avenue, the Eastern branch, Sixth street, West Virginia avenue and Rock creek, or in any part of the city on the Sabbath, under a penalty not exceeding ten f5 168 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. dollars nor less than five dollars. Parents and masters accountable for those under them. Taxes. — All property, real and personal, within the limits of the city is taxable, with the following exceptions, viz: houses of public worship and the lots or ground on which they stand ; the property of the Corporation: burial grounds; the personal property of the United States; and the wearing- apparel, and the necessary tools and implements used in carrying on any trade or occupation. The tax on every hundred dollars worth of real and personal property is, - 75cts. On male slaves, property of residents, between fifteen and forty-five years of age, $2 00 Female do., property of residents, be- tween fifteen and forty- five years of age, - " - 1 ^^ Male do., property of non-residents, be- tween twelve and eighteen years of age, .-.--.--. 5 00 Male do., property of non-residents, over eighteen years of age, - - - - 20 00 Female do., property of non-residents, over fifteen years of age, - - - - 2 00 On dogs, male, 2 00 female, 5 00 On coaches, from - - - - - 2 to 15 00 For a license to run a hackney carriage, cab, &c., to residents, - - - - 10 00 For do., to residents of Georgetown, - 20 00 For do., to non-residents, - - - - 50 00 For license to keep a tavern or ordinary, 60 00 CORPORATION. 169 For license to sell all kinds and quanti- ties of spirituous liquors, wines, cor- dials, strong beer and cider, - - -$60 00 For license to retail spirituous liquors, not less than a pint, and to sell groce- ries, hardware, dry goods, &c., - - 20 00 For license to sell hardware, medicine, perfumery, jewelry, &c., - - - 20 00 For license to keep confectioner's shop, 10 00 For license to keep do,, with privilege to sell cordials and fermented and dis- tilled liquors, 60 00 For license to a merchant to sell bottled porter, ale, &c., ------ 50 00 For license for theatrical amusements, per day, 5 00 For license for keeping a billiard table, 100 00 For license for vending lottery tickets, - 300 00 For license to a broker or money ex- changer, - - 200 00 For license to sell hats and shoes not manufactured in the city, or to sell the same, in addition to any other li- cense, 20 00 For license to hawkers and pedlars, - 50 00 For license to auctioneers, - - - - 100 00 For license to non-resident merchants, 125 00 For license for selling fire-crackers, - 50 00 For license for dealing in slaves, - - 400 00 For license for running carts and drays, property of residents, each, - - - 2 50 For license for running wagons, each, 5 50 For license for running wagons, pro- perty of non-residents, each, - - - 8 00 f6 170 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. For license for running carts and drays, property of non-residents, each, - - $5 00 For license for exhibiting curiosities, per week, 10 00 All persons carrying on the same line of busi- ness for which the license was obtained, without a renewal thereof, within ten days from the expira- tion of the license, shall forfeit and pay ten dollars for every week they shall carry on such business, or neglect or refuse to renew their licenses. Trees. — Any person injuring any of the trees, and boxes around them, in any of the avenues or streets of the city, is liable to a fine of not less than five dollars, nor exceeding twenty dollars : and for tying a horse to any such tree or box he shall for- feit and pay five dollars. An abstract of the Building Regulations adopted by president washington and THE Commissioners of the city, in 1791-4. The first regulation declares, that all buildings on the streets shall be parallel thereto, or with- drawn therefrom at the pleasure of the improver. That the person or persons appointed by the commissioners to superintend the buildings may enter on the land of any person to set out the foundation and regulate the walls to be built be- tween the parties, as to the breadth and thickness thereof, which foundation shall be laid equally on the lands of the persons between whom such par- ty walls are to be built, and shall be of the breadth and thickness determined by such person proper ; and the first builder shall be reimbursed one moiety BUILDING REGULATIONS. 171 of the charge of such party wall, or so much thereof as the next builder shall have occasion to make use of, before such next builder shall any ways use or break into the wall; the charge or value thereof to be set by the person or persons so appointed by the commissioners. That no vaults shall be permitted under the streets, nor any encroachments on the footways above by steps, stoops, porches, cellar doors, win- dows, ditches, or leaning walls, nor shall there be any projection over the street other than the eves of the house, without the consent of the commis- sioners. These regulations were the terms and condi- tions upon which the conveyances were to be made according to the deeds in trust of the lands with- in the city. By a subsequent regulation so much of the foregoing is dispensed with as will allow and permit such areas or dit2hes to be made as are walled on the street side with good stone walls, at least eighteen mches thick of the height of the area, and palisaded with iron as aforesaid on the centre of the wall, leaving seven feet between the line of the street and the palisading. By a pro- clamation of President Monroe, it was declared that no wooden house, covering more than three hundred and twenty square feet, or higher than twelve feet from the sill to the eves, shall be erect- ed, nor shall such house be placed within twenty- four feet of any other house. By the acts of the Corporation of March 30, 1822, and July 10th, 1822, it is declared to be unlawful to erect any frame house higher than twenty feet from the sill to the top ridge of the roof, under the penalty of five 172 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. dollars for every week the same shall remain; and to erect any wooden dwelling house or other wood- en house nearer to a brick or stone building than twenty-four feet, under the penalty of twenty dol- lars, and five dollars for every week such wooden building shall be continued; and all frame houses intended to be occupied as a blacksmith's shop, factories, or livery stables, are prohibited under the above penalties from being erected within fifty feet of any brick or stone building. Every building one or more sides of which shall be of wood, though one or both gable ends are of brick, shall be considered as a wooden building. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. The President must be thirty-five years of age, fourteen years a resident of the United States, and a natural born citizen, or a citizen at the time the Constitution was adopted. In case of removal from oflice, death, resignation, or inability, the duties of the oflice devolve on the Vice-President; and in case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of President and Vice-President, the Presi- dent of the Senate 'pro iem'pore, and if no President of the Senate, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the time being is to act as Pre- sident. The President is the commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of the niilitia of the several States when called into PRESIDENT. 173 the service of the United States. He grants re- prieves, and pardons offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. He has power to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators concur; to nominate, and by and with the consent of the Senate, appoint all ambassa- dors, other public ministers, consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, established by law, whose appoint- ments are not otherwise provided for by the Con- stitution and laws. His salary is twenty-five thou- sand dollars per annum; which cannot be in- creased or diminished during the term for which he was elected, and which term is four years. He and the Vice-President are elected by electors, chosen as the Legislatures of the several States may provide. The electors shall equal in num- ber the Senators and Representatives of the seve- ral States at the time of election ; and no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, can be ap- pointed an elector. The votes for President and Vice-President are given by the electors on the first Wednesday of De- cember, in everyfourth year, throughout the Union. The electors meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President sepa- rately. The lists of the number of votes given and persons voted for are sealed and transmitted to the seat of the Government, directed to the President of the Senate, who, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, opens all the certificates, and the votes are counted by a committee appointed for that purpose. If no person has a majority of votes r8 174 GUIDE TO WASHIKGTON, then the House of Representatives chooses imme- diately the President from the persons, not exceed- ing three, having the highest number of votes on the list of those voted for as President. But in choosing the President, the votes are taken by States, the representation from each State having one vote. A majority of all the States is necessary to a choice. The following table will show the number of Presidents who have filled the Executive chair since the organization of the Government, and the period of their birth, inauguration, and age when elected. All but Washington have resided in this city. Born. Inaug. Age. 1. George Washington, Feb. 22, 1732 1789 57 2. John Adams, Oct. 19, 1735 1797 62 3. Thomas Jefferson, April 2, 1743 1801 58 4. James Madison, Marcli 5, 1751 1809 58 5. James Monroe, April 2, 1759 1817 58 6. John Quincy Adams, July 2, 1766 1825 59 7. Andrew Jackson, March 15, 1767 1829 62 8. Martin Van Buren, Dec. 5, 1782 1837 55 9. William H. Harrison, Feb. 9, 1773 1841 68 iO. John Tyler, March 29, 1790 1841 51 VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, The Vice-President is ex-officio President of the Senate. His compensation is five thousand dol- lars per annum. His duty is to preside over the deliberations of the Senate, and when he does not, his place is supplied by a President pro tempore, who is chosen from the body of Senators by ballot, and who receives an additional compensation, The STATE DEPARTMENT. 175 Vice-President is not a member of the cabinet; and both he and the President of the United States are removeable by impeachment. No person con- stitutionally ineligible to the office of President is eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. Previously to the year 1789 this Department was styled the Department of Foreign Affairs ; to which it should now be exclusively confined. The Secretary is a member of the cabinet. He con- ducts the negotiations of all treaties with foreign powers, and corresponds officially with the Ame- rican Ministers at foreign courts, and with those of foreign powers resident near this Government. He performs the duties also of the Home Department. He has charge of the seal of the United States, but cannot affix it to the commission until after being signed by the President. He is entrusted with the publication and distribution of all the acts and re- solutions of Congress, and all treaties with foreign nations and Indian tribes. The original of all the laws and treaties, and the public correspondence with foreign nations, are preserved in this depart- ment, with copies of the statutes of the several vStates, which the Secretary is required to procure and preserve. He also grants passports to Ame- rican citizens visiting foreign countries; preserves the evidence of copy-rights, and has the control of the Patent Office. Like all the Executive officers, he holds his office at the will of the President. His salary is six thousand dollars per annum. 176 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON, PATENT OFFICE. This office was established by an act of 1 790, to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing-, for a limited time, to authors and inven- tors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries. According to this act the Secreta- ries of State and War and Attorney General, or any two of them, were on application, to grant patents for such inventions as they should deem sufficient- ly useful and important. This duty being found too laborious for these officers, who had other du- ties to attend to, the law was altered in 1793, and it was made the duty of the Secretary of State to issue patents, under the revision of the Attorney General. It then became a part of the State De- partment, and has continued so ever since. The first superintendent of the Patent Office was Dr. W. Thornton, a gentleman of consider- able talents, and great attainments, who continued to officiate for many years. In the year 1836 the office was destroyed by fire, and almost all the models, records, &c., were consumed. Upwards of nine thousand patents had been issued during the period between 1790 and 1836. In that year a new law was enacted, repealing all former acts on the subject. By this law the office is attached to the State Department, under the title of the Patent Office, and the chief officer is denominated the Commis- sioner of Patents, who is appointed by the Pre- sident, and whose compensation is three thousand dollars per annum, with the privilege of franking all letters and packages relating to the business ol STATE DEPARTMENT. 177 the office. He appoints, with the approval of the Secretary of State, his chief clerk, and subordi- nate officers^ who are interdicted frojn acquiring-, except by inheritance, any right or interest in any patent which has been or may be granted. The Commissioner is required to provide a seal Avith a suitable device ; and all copies of records, books, papers, or drawings belonging to the office, under the signature of the Commissioner, or chief clerk when the office is vacant, with the sealaffixed, shall be competent evidence in all cases in which the originals could be evidence. All patents are issued in the name of the United States, and under the seal of the office, signed by the Secretary of State, and countersigned by the Commissioner, and recorded with the specifications, &c. Every patent shall contain a short description or title of the invention or discovery, and shall grant to the applicant, his heirs, &c., for a term not exceeding fourteen years, the exclusive right of making, using, and vending the invention or discovery. Ap- plication in writing for a patent may be made to the Commissioner, and he, on due proceedings had, may grant the patent; but the applicant must pre- viously deliver a written description of his inven- tion, in full, clear and exact terms, accompanied with a drawing and written references, or with specimens of the ingredients in sufficient quantity for experiment. These descriptions and drawings are to be signed by the inventor, and attested by two witnesses, and filed in the Patent Office. He must also make oath or affirmation that he believes himself to be the original inventor, and that he does not know or believe that the art, machine. 178 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. &c., to be patented, was ever before known or used, and of what country he is a citizen. Upon filing this application, and the payment of thirty dollars, the Commissioner causes an ex- amination to be made of the alleged new inven- tion, and if it appears to be original, and is deemed of sufficient usefulness and importance, a patent is issued. If, however, it should appear to have been previously invented, the applicant is notified of the fact, and if he pleases to withdraw his applica- tion, relinquishing his claim to the model, he shall be entitled to receive back twenty dollars; but if he persists in his claim for a patent, he will be required to make oath or affirmation anew, and on an appeal and request in writing, may have the decision of a Board of Examiners, to consist of three disinterested persons to be appointed by the Secretary of State, and under oath, who shall re- ceive for their services ten dollars each. This board can on examination of the matter referred to them, reverse the decision of the Commissioner, in whole or in part, and he shall be governed thereby. Before the board shall be instituted, the applicant must pay twenty-five dollars. If the Commissioner is of opinion that the application would interfere with any other patent for which an application may be pending, or any unexpired patent, it is made his duty to notify the applicant of the fact, and if he shall be dissatisfied with such decision, he may appeal from it, and apply for a Board of Examiners, in the manner above stated. No original inventor, having previously taken out letters patent in a foreign country, and the same having been published within six months STATE DEPARTMENT. 179 next preceding the fiJing of the specification and drawing, shall be deprived of the right to a patent for such invention. But before any apphcation for a patent can be considered, the applicant must pay into the Treasury of the United States, or into the Patent Office, if a citizen of the United States, or an alien residing in the United States for one year preceding, and has made oath of his intention to be- come a citizen, thirty dollars ; if a British subject five hundred dollars, and all other persons three hundred dollars. The moneys thus received con- stitute a fund for the payment of the salaries of the officers and clerks, and the expenses of the Patent Office. The executor or administrator of a person to whom a patent might have been granted, and who dies before such patent shall have been issued, , has the right to apply for and obtain such patent for the heirs at law of the deceased. Patents are assignable in law, either in whole or in part, by an instrument in writing, which shall be recorded in the Patent Office, within three months after its execution, and for which the as- signee shall pay to the Commissioner three dol- lars. Persons desiring further lime to mature their inventions, may upon paying twenty dollars into the Treasury, or Patent Office, file a caveat, describing his machine, &c., and praying protec- tion of his right till he shall have matured it; and the amount so paid shall be considered, if he after- wards takes out a patent, a part of the sum required to be paid for a patent, and the caveat shall be filed in the confidential archives of the office. If a patentee desires an extension of his patent beyond the term of his limitation, he must apply 180 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. for it in writing to the Commissioner, and set forth the grounds for such application. And the Com- missioner, upon the applicant's paying- forty dol- lars to the credit of the Treasury, shall give notice in the principal newspapers of Washington, &c., of such application. 1'he Secretary of State, the Commissioner of the Patent Office, and the Soli- citor of the Treasury, shall constitute a board to hear and decide upon the evidence adduced before them, and if it shall appear to them just and pro- per to extend the term of the patent, it shall be the duty of the Commissioner to renew and ex- tend the patent for the term of seven years after the expiration of the first term ; but no extension shall be granted after the expiration of the term for which it was originally issued. In consequence of the destruction of the Patent Office by fire in 1836, Congress passed a law m 1837, making it the duty of the Commissioner, among other things, to procure a duplicate of such of the models destroyed as were most valuable and interesting, and a temporary board of commission- ers was appointed to consider and determine upon the best mode of obtaining models of a suitable construction, and what models might be procured in pursuance of this section of the law. In con- sequence of this provision a large number of the lost models and drawings have been replaced, and the model room is rapidly filling up. TREASURY DEPARTMENT. This office was created in 1789. The Secretary superintends the fiscal concerns of the Govern- TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 181 merit, and recommends to Congress measures for improving the revenue. He is a member of the cabinet. This department is empowered to issue warrants of distress in the nature of executions upon judgments upon certificates of balances from the first Comptroller against principals and sure- ties in default; and the judges of the courts of the United States are clothed with extensive chancery jurisdiction, to correct any evil that might result to individuals under such warrants. In 1830 the office of Solicitor of the Treasury was created. He superintends all civil suits com- menced in the name of the United States, until they are carried into the Supreme Court, where the At- torney General takes charge of them. He also instructs the District Attorneys, Marshals, and Clerks, in all matters and proceedings relating to those suits, and receives from them, after the end of each term, reports of their condition and pi'ogress; and receives from the collectors reports of custom house bonds put in suit, &c. A portion of these duties had previously been performed by the Fifth Auditor, as agent of the Treasury. The Treasury Department is divided into the office of Secretary, (who superintends the whole, but is not absolute,) tiuo Comptrollers^ five Audi- tors, a Register^ a Treasurer^ and a Solicitor. All moneys appropriated for the War and Navy De- partments must be drawn from the Treasury by warrants of the Secretary of the Treasury, upon the requisitions of the Secretaries of those depart- ments, countersigned by the Second Comptroller, and registered by the proper Auditor, All advan- ces of public money are prohibited in any case ; 182 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. and all persons who receive public moneys for disbursement must render quarterly accounts to the proper accounting- officers of the Treasury for settlement; and all officers of the Government who neglect to comply with this regulation are forthwith reported to the President, and dismissed. The salary of the Secretary of the Treasury is $6,000 per annum. OFFICE OF FIRST COMPTROLLER. This officer examines all accounts settled by the First and Fifth Auditors, and certifies the balances arising thereon to the Register; countersigns all w^arrants drawn by the Secretary of the Treasu- ry ; reports to him the official forms to be used in the offices for collecting the public revenue, and the manner and form of keeping and stating the accounts of the several persons employed therein. He superintends the preservation of the public accounts, and provides for the regular payment of all moneys which may be collected. His salary is $3,000 per annum. OFFICE OF SECOND COMPTROLLER. The Second Comptroller decides upon all ac- counts originating in the War and Navy Depart- ments ; and from his decision there is no appeal except to Congress. In addition to the examina- tion and revisal of accounts settled in the offices of the Second, Third, and Fourth Auditors, he also decides on all appeals from the decision of the Auditors; registers the reports of certificates of TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 183 balances for or against the United States ; regis- ters and countersigns all the requisitions drawn by the Secretaries of War and Navy, warranted by law; registers and preserves all contracts and bonds entered into or taken by those departments; directs suits and stoppages on account of delin- quences; keeps the account with each specific appropriation, and makes the annual and other statements of disbursements, and the state of the appropriations required by law, or the heads of departments, and prescribes the forms and man- ner of keeping and stating the accounts, and su- perintends their preservation. His salary is $3,000 per annum. OFFICE OF FIRST AUDITOR. This officer receives all accounts accruing in the Treasury Department ; and after examination, certifies the balances, and transmits the accounts, with the vouchers and certificates, to the First Comptroller for his decision. His salary is the same as that of the Comptroller's. OFFICE OF SECOND AUDITOR. The duties of this officer are confined to tlie settlement of accounts arising out of the military service, viz: to accounts relative to the pay of the army, subsistence, and forage, and pay of offi- cers and their servants; to those belonging to the clothing and purchasing department ; to those lor the contingent disbursements of the army, where there have been no specific appropriations by Con- 1S4 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. gress; to those relating to the purchase of medi- cines, surgical instruments, hospital stores, ^c, and to all accounts growing out of the medical de- partment of the army; to those relating to the recruiting service, the various arsenals, fortifica- tions, arming and equipping the militia, &c.; for disbursements at the national armories; and in the Indian Department, such as the payment of agents, presents, annuities, holding treaties, running boun- dary lines, &c.; and to the property accounts of the army arising out of the above expenditures. His salary is $3,000 per annum. OFFICE OF THIRD AUDITOR. In this office all accounts for the Quartermas- ter's Department, both as to money and property, are audited, and ail accounts for subsistence for the army, and for fortifications; for the Military Aca- demy, roads, surveys, and other internal improve- ments; for revolutionary, invalid, and half pay pensions; pensions to widows and orphans; out- standing claims arising before and during the last war, and all unsettled accounts of the War Depart- ment, from the commencement of the Government to the 1st of July, 1815. His salary is $o,000 per annum, OFFICE OF FOURTH AUDITOR. The Fourth Auditor receives all accounts grow- ing out of the Navy Department. He examines them, certifies the balances, and transmits the ac- counts, with I he vouchers and certificates, to the TKEASL'JIY DEPARTMENT. 185 Second Comptroller for his decision. His salary is $3,000 per annum. OFFICE OF FIFTH AUDITOR. The Fifth Auditor attends to all accounts rela- tive to the State Department, General Post Office, and those arising out of the Indian trade. He transmits the accounts, with the vouchers and cer- tificates of balances, to the First Comptroller for his decision. He also superintends the building and repairing of light houses, light vessels, bea- cons, buoys, and piers, the supplying the light houses with oil, and the adjustment of the expendi- tures of the light house establishment. His salary is $3,000 per annum. OFFICE OF THE TREASURER OF THE UNITED STATES. The Treasurer receives and keeps the moneys of the United States, and disburses the same upon warrants drawn by the Secretary of the Treasury, countersigned by the proper Comptroller and Au- ditor, and recorded by the Register. Salary $3,000 per annum. OFFICE OF REGISTER OF THE TREASURY. The Register's duty is to keep all accounts of the receipts and expenditures of the public money, and of all debts due to or by the Government. He also keeps the district tonnage accounts of the Uni- ted States: receives from the Comptrollers the 186 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. accounts which have been finally adjusted, and pre- serves them, with their vouchers and certificates ; records all warrants for the receipt or payment of moneys at the Treasury, certifies the same, and transmits to the Secretary of the Treasury copies of the certificates of balances of the accounts ad- justed. He is also required to prepare statistical accounts or statements of the commerce of the United States, to be laid before Congress annually. Salary $3,000 per annum. GENERAL LAND OFFICE. The head of this office is appointed by the Pre- sident and Senate, and is called Commissioner; and the office is a branch of the Treasury Depart- ment; but prior to 1812 patents were issued irom the State Department. In that year the General Land Office was established, in which all patents for land are now made out and recorded. The salary of the Commissioner is $3,000 per annum. The public lands, or national domain, are those originally ceded by the States, which, by virtue of their several charters, laid claim to them, and the lands held by France in Louisiana, and by Spain in the Floridas, at the time of purchase. The Indian title to these lands is extinguished by pay- ing an equivalent in money and goods. When the title is thus extinguished, the territory is laid off into land districts, and land offices are established thereon, and the duties of these offices are executed by a Register and Receiver of Public Moneys. The lands, before they are offered for sale, are surveyed. Thoy arc divided into townships, six TREASURY DEPARTMENT. 187 miles square, which are subdivided into thirty-six sections, one mile square, containing each six hun- dred and forty acres; and are sold in whole, half, quarter, and half-quarter sections; complete pay- ment must be made on the day of purchase, and the highest bidder at a public sale failing to pay, the tract must be again offered for sale, and the failing bidder is rendered incapable of purchasing at such sale. The minimum price of these lands is fixed at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. The Commissioner gives due notice of the times and places at w^hich the sales are to take place ; and all patents for lands sold or granted by the United States, are issued by him, upon certifi- cates from the several land offices or military land warrants. Salt springs and lead mines are reserved from sale, but may be leased by the President; and one section, of six hundred and for- ty acres, in each township, is given as a fund for the perpetual support of schools in the township. Warrants for Virginia military bounties issue from the Virginia Land Office of the State, and are checked at the General Land Office of the United States, before patents can be issued on them. Warrants for military bounties for Revolutionary services, and services in the late war, issue from the Department of War. These warrants are in the nature of certificates, and the location of the two latter classes is determined by lot. By act of Congress, of 1841, the residue of the nett proceeds of the sales of these lands, after de- ducting the ten per cent, to be paid to the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri, Mis- sissippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Michigan, over 188 (JUIDE TO WASHINGTON. and above what each of those States is entitled to by the terms of the compact between them and the Uni- ted States, is to be divided among the twenty- six States of the Union, the District of Columbia, and Terri- tories, according to their respective federal popula- tion as ascertained by the last census ; provided the distributive share to which the District of Colum- bia shall be entitled, shall be applied to free schools, or education in some other form, as Congress may direct. Moneys due and payable to any State, or the District of Columbia, as its portion, shall be first applied to the payment of any debt due and payable from such State, &c., to the United States. The nett proceeds to be faithfully applied to objects of inter- nal improvement, within the States aforesaid ; to be, when completed, made free for the transportation of the United States mail and munitions of war and passage of troops. WAR DEPARTMENT. This department was established in 1789. The head of it at first had the superintendence of naval affiiirs, but a new department was soon organized. The Secretary of War superintends every branch of the military service, is a member of the cabi- net, and is removeable at the will of the President. To this department belongs the erection of all fortifications; making topographical surveys, sur- veying and leasing the national lead mines, and directing the intercourse with Indian tribes. Attached to this department, and under the im- mediate direction of the Secretary, are the following- bureaus, viz: a Bureau of Requisitions; of Bounty vvAii DEPARTMENT. 189 Lands; of Pensions; of Indian affairs; and an En- gineer office; an Ordnance office; a Commissary General's office; a Paymaster General's office, and a Surgeon General's office. All these are located in Washington, together with the Head- Quarters of the Major-General, and the Adjutant-General's and (Quartermaster General's offices. One of the most important bureaus attached to this department is that of Indian Affairs, to which all matters touching our Indian relations are referred, and, under the superintendence of the Secretary of War, acted on. This bureau is growing yearly more important, from our relations w'ith the Indian tribes, removed and being removed beyond the Mississippi, A new organization of the department should be formed, and a separate and independent department created, which should be exclusively confined to the transaction of In- dian affairs, under the supervision of the President alone. ENGINEER DEPARTMENT. The head of the Corps of Engineers holds his office in Washington, and directs and regulates the Corps of Engineers, and those of the Topographi- cal Engineers who may be attached to the Engi- neer Department, and is also the Inspector of the Military Academy, and charged with its corres- pondence. To this department belongs the duty of recon- noitering and surveying for military purposes and internal improvements ; the preservation of topo- graphical and geographical memoirs and draw- 190 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. ings; the selection of sites, the formation of plans and estimates, the construction, repair, &c., of for- tifications, and the disbursements of the moneys ap- propriated for those objects, including those of the Military Academy. Also the superintendence of roads, canals, navigation of rivers, repairs and im- provements of harbors, or the entrance into them^ &c., authorized by Congress. The head of the Topographical bureau is also- stationed at Washmgton, and, among other duties, he is charged with the safe keeping and preserva- tion of the instruments, books, charts, maps, &c., belonging to the Engineer Department, and respon- sible for their preservation and arrangement. ORDNANCE OFFICE. The senior officer of the Ordnance Department is stationed at Washington. The duties of this department consist in providing, inspecting, dis- tributing and preserving all the articles coming under the head of ordnance and ordnance stores; in supplying the troops, posts and garrisons ac- cording to the wants of the service, and also in providmg and distributing the arms and equip- ments authorized for arming and equipping the whole body of the militia. QUARTERMASTER GENERAl's DEPARTMENT. The objects of this department are to insure an efficient system of supplies to the army. The (Quartermaster General is stationed at Washing- ton, and his duties are multifarious. He occasion- WAR DEPARTMENT. 191 ally visits the stations of the subordinate officers of the department, and he has the exclusive control of all the quartermasters, and assistant quartermas- ters, of all officers and agents making disburse- ments on account of the department, and of all re- gimental and company officers, in everything rela- ting to barracks and quarters. An assistant quar- termaster is attached to the office of the Quarter- master General, who officiates during the absence of the head, and is charged with the disbursements at Washington. All communications relating to the duties of the department, or any branch or officer thereof, must be addressed to the Quartermaster General. The officers of this department are charged with providing quarters and transportation for the troops, and for all military stores, provisions, camp and garrison equipage and artillery, and for open- ing and repairing roads, and constructing and re- pairing bridges necessary to the movements of any part of the army. They must provide good and sufficient store houses for all military supplies; appoint storekeepers, when necessary ; purchase all forage, fuel, straw, &c., for the use of the troops ; dragoon and artillery horses, and horses, oxen, wagons, carts, and boats, for the transportation of baggage and for garrison purposes ; and provide materials for constructing and repairing barracks, hospitals, stables and bridges. Every officer of this department, before enter- ing upon the duties of his office, must give bond to the United States, with two or more good and sufficient sureties, for the faithful performance of his duties: the Quartermaster General in the sum 192 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. of fifty tkousand dollars, quartermasters twenty thousand dollars, assistant quartermasters ten thou- sand dollars, and storekeepers five thousand dol- lars. PURCHASING DEPARTMENT. The head of this office is the Commissary Gene- ral, whose duty it is to purchase, on the orders and estimates of the War Department, all clothing, dra- goon saddles and bridles, tents, camp kettles, &c., and all articles required by the army, except such as are ordered to be purchased by the Ordnance, Quartermaster's, Subsistence, and Medical Depart- ments. This department is subject only to the orders of the Secretary of War. The office is at Philadelphia. PAYMASTER GENERAl's DEPARTMENT. This officer is stationed at Washington, and is charged with all the military responsibilities of the department in all its details. The subordinate Paymasters or officers are subject only to the orders of the Secretary of War and the Paymaster General; but are liable to arrest by the senior officer of the department or command to which they may be arranged for the regular payment of the troops. SUBSISTENCE DEPARTMENT. The Commissary General of Subsistence is stationed at Washington, and it is his duty to make WAR DEPARTMENT. 193 all estimates of expenditure for his department; re- gulates the transmission of funds to his assistants ; receives their returns and accounts, and adjusts them for settlement. MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. The Surgeon General is stationed at Washing- ton. He issues all orders and instructions in re- lation to the professional duties of the officers of the medical staff, and receives their reports. He also receives confidential reports from the medical directors of armies, &c., relative to the condition of hospitals and infirmaries; the character and con- duct of the surgeons and assistant surgeons, state of their books and accounts, medical topography, prevailinor diseases, causes and treatment adopted. He also receives from every surgeon and assistant surgeon duplicate semi-annual returns of the pub- lic property under his charge ; and annual requi- sitions for the supplies required for each hospi- tal, regiment, post, or garrison, for the ensuing year; and transmits them to the Apothecaries De- partment. From the officers of this department he receives duplicates of all invoices of supplies, put up for and delivered to the several surgeons, &c., and also a return of the several articles pur- chased, received, and issued by them. He exa- mines the returns and accounts of surgeons, &c., and if correct, certifies them, and at the end of each year, and oftener if necessary, sends them to the Second Auditor of the Treasury for final settle- ment. It is also his duty to make to the Secreta- ry of War such reports and returns as may be G 194 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. necessary to explain all the concerns of the de- partment under his charge, NAVY DEPARTMENT. This office was organized in 1798. The Se- cretary issues all orders to the navy of the United States, and superintends the Avhole naval estab- lishment. He is a member of the cabinet ; and holds his office at the will of the President. In 1815a Board of Navy Commissioners was created to aid him in the discharge of his duties. Hi^ salary is $6,000 per annum. BOARD OF NAVY COMMISSIONERS. This board consists of three officers of the navy, in rank not below that of a post captain: the offi- cer holding the oldest commission presides. It is attached to the office of the Secretary of the Navy, and, under his superintendence, performs all the duties relative to the procurement of naval stores and materials, and the construction, armament, equipment, and employment of vessels of war, &c. The board appoints its own Secretary, and its books are at all times subject to the inspection of the Pre- sident of the United States, and the Secretary of the Navy. The salary of the Commissioners is $3,500 each per annum. Historical Sketch of the Navy, At the commencement of the Revolutionary war there was not a single armed vessel belong- ing to any of the Colonies. In 1775 Rhode-Island NAVY DEPARTMENT. 195 litted out two small schooners to defend the coast- ing trade, and Connecticut also had two small ves- sels. In the spring of 1776 Massachusetts fitted out several armed vessels, the flag of which bore a figure of the pine tree, and the motto ^'Ap- peal to Heaven i^ which is thought to be the old Colonial flag. The first naval battle took place about three weeks after the battle of Lexington. A British schooner, armed with four six-pounders and swivels, and attended by two sloops, was at- tacked by about thirty young men, commanded by Captain O'Brien and Joseph Wheaton,* and cap- tured, and all on board made prisoners. Whea- ton had the honor of being the first to pull down the enemy's flag. General Washington under- took to get up and send out an expedition of six vessels, and was obliged in his instructions to the commanders to address them as part of the army. Congress had taken no steps to organize a naval force. Rhode- Island was the first to recommend the formation of one, and the Assembly of that State instructed its delegates to use all their efforts in Congress to effect it ; and that body passed resolu- tions to fit out a fleet, and organize a court for the trial and condemnation of prizes. In December, 1775, Con^gress commissioned several other vessels, amounting to thirteen. And thus commenced our gallant navy; which now consists of eleven ships of the line, seventy-four and one hundred and twenty guns ; one ship razeed, fifty-four guns ; fourteen frigates first class, forty-four guns; two frigates * Joseph Wheaton was the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House, when the seat of Government was removed to this city, and resided here for several years, Gl 196 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. second class, thirty-six guns ; eighteen sloops of war, sixteen to twenty guns ; two brigs of war, ten guns; four schooners, four to ten guns; four steamers ; three store ships ; three receiving ves- sels, and five small schooners, making in all sixty- seven vessels. There are two dry docks, one at Norfolk and one at Charlestown, constructed of hewn granite. The former cost $872,220, and the latter $652,482. ATTORNEY GENERAl's OFFICE. This office was created in 1789. The Attor- ney General is a member of the cabinet, and holds his office at the will of the President. It is his duty to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court, in which the Government is con- cerned, and to give his advice and opinion upon questions of law, when required by the President, or requested by the heads of any of the depart- ments, touching any matter that may concern their departments. His salary is $4,000 per annum. This office was organized in 1789, and is under the superintendence of the Postmaster General, who is now a member of the cabinet. He is aided in the discharge of his duties by two Assist- ants, who are appointed by the President and Se- nate. He has the sole appointment of all Post- masters throughout the United States ; the making of all contracts for carrying the mails; the super- intendence of the business connected with mail POST OFFICE DEPARTxMENT. 197 depredations; the payment of balances due by Postmasters ; the bank accounts of the depart- ment, and all other matters in relation to its ad- ministration, not committed to his Assistants. His salary is $6,000 per annum. The First Assistant Postmaster General ar- ranges the connexions of the mails on all the mail routes in the United States ; regulates their speed, the frequency of their trips, and mode of convey- ance; advertises for mail service; receives propo- sals, and prepares them for the action of the Post- master General. He attends to the execution of contracts ; prepares for decision all propositions for changes in mail service ; fixes on the location of distributing post offices; provides and sends out mail bags, locks and keys, and performs all acts appertaining to post roads, «&c. All letters relating to these several duties are addressed to this officer. His salary is $2,500 per annum; and his office is called the Contract Office, The Second Assistant Postmaster General at- tends to all matters relating to the establishment and discontinuance of post offices, changes of sites and names, appointment and removal of Postmas- ters, under the direction of the Postmaster Gen- eral, and all matters relating to the reception, pro- per management, and distribution of the mails. He is appointed by the President and Senate ; and all letters relating to the duties abovementioned, and all recommendations of, and complaints against Postmasters, are to be addressed to him. His sa- lary is $2,500 per annum, and his office is called the Api^ointment Office. g2 198 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. Third Assistant. Postmaster General. This officer receives and sends letters and packages in relation to the business of the office, free of postage. His salary is $2,500 per annum, and his office is called the Inspectio?i Office. The Auditor of the General Post Office is ap- pointed by the President and Senate, and receives $3,000 per annum. His duty is to audit and set- tle all accounts of the Post Office Department, and to certify the balances to the Postmaster General; he is required to report to the Postmaster General the official forms of papers to be used by Post- masters and other officers of the department ; the manner and form of keeping and stating its ac- counts; to keep and preserve all accounts, with the vouchers, after settlement; to report promptly all delinquences of Postmasters : close the account of the department quarterly, and transmit to the Secretary of the Treasury quarterly statements of its receipts and expenditures; enforce prompt pay- ment of moneys due to the department ; institute suits for the recovery of balances due, and cause them to be prosecuted to judgment and execution, or direct suits in chancery, &c. All Postmasters whose pay exceeds one thou- sand dollars per annum, must be appointed by the President and Senate. POSTAGE. Rates of postage, as established by the act of Congress of 3d March, 1825, and the amendator act of 2d March, 1827. For single letters composed of one piece of paper POSTAGE. 199 Miles. Cents. Any distance not exceeding - 30 6 Over 30, and not exceeding - 80 10 Over 80, do. do. - 150 12^ Over 150, do. do. - 400 18} Over 400, 25 Double letters, or those composed of two pieces of paper, are charged with double those rates. Triple letters, or those composed of three pieces of paper, are charged with triple those rates. Quadruple letters, or those composed of four pieces of paper, are charged with quadruple those rates. One or more pieces of paper, mailed as a letter, weighing one ounce, are charged with quadruple postage, and at the same rate should the weight be greater ; and quadruple postage is charged on ail jpackets containing four pieces of paper. Newspaper postage. — For each newspaper, not carried out of the State, but carried not over one hundred miles, one cent. Over one hundred miles, and out of the State in which it is published, one- and-a-haif cents. Magazines and Pamphlets, if published pe- riodically, distance not exceeding one hundred miles, - " - - - U cents per sheet. Ditto. over 100 miles, 2i do. If not published periodically, distance not exceed- ing 100 miles, - - - 4 do. Ditto. over 100 miles, 6 do. Small pamphlets, printed on a half or quarter sheet of royal, or less size, are charged with half those rates. Eight pages quarto are rated as 07ie sheet, and all other sizes in the same proportion. g3 200 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. The number of sheets which it contains must be printed or written on one of the outer pages of every pamphlet or magazine to be sent by mail. Where the number of sheets is not truly stated, double postage is charged. Every thing not coming under the denomina- tion of newspapers or pamphlets, is charged with letter postage. Letters to Canada are forwarded through the agents of the United States at Kingston^ Upper Canada, and Montreal, Lower Canada, The postage on shi'p letters^ if delivered at the office where the vessel arrives, is six cents; if con- veyed by post, two cents in addition to the ordinary postage. Any person, other than the Postmaster General, or his authorized agents, who shall set up a foot or horse post, for the conveyance of letters and packets, upon any post road, which is, or may be established as such by law, shall incur a penalty of not exceeding fifty dollars for every letter or packet so carried. Privilege of Franking. Letters and packets to and from the following officers of the Government, are by law received and conveyed by post, free of postage : The President and Vice President of the United States; Secretaries of State, Treasury, War and Navy; Attorney General; Postmaster General and Assistant Postmasters General; Comptrollers, Auditors, Register and Solicitor of the Treasury ; Treasurer; Commissioner of General Land Office; FRANKING. 201 Commissioners of Navy Board ; Commissary Gen- eral ; Inspectors General ; Gluartermaster Gen- eral, Paymaster General, Superintendent of Patent Office, Speaker and Clerk of the House of Repre- sentatives, and Secretary of the Senate, and such individual who shall have been, or may hereafter be, President of the United States ; and each may receive newspapers by post, free of postage. Each member of the Senate, and each member and delegate of the House of Representatives, may send and receive, free of postage, newspapers, let- ters and packets, weighing not more than two ounces, (in case of excess of weight, excess alone to be paid for,) and all documents printed by order of either House, during, and sixty days before and after each session of Congress. Postmasters may send and receive, free of pos- tage, letters and packets not exceeding half an ounce in weight, and they may receive one daily newspaper, each, or what is equivalent thereto. Printers of newspapers may send one paper to each and every other printer of newspapers withir the United States, free of postage, under such re- gulations as the Postmaster General may provide. Violation of Franking Privilege. Any person who shall frank any letter or let- ters, other than those written by himself or by his order, on the business of his office, shall, on con- viction thereof, pay a fine of ten dollars ; and it is made the especial duty of Postmasters to prosecute for such offence. The law provides, however, that the Secretaries of State, Treasury, War and Navy, and Postmaster General, may frank letters g4 202 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. or packets on official business, prepared in any other public office in the absence of the principal thereof. If any person, having the right to receive letters free of postage, shall receive, enclosed to him, any letter or packet addressed to a person not having that right, it is his duty to return the same to the Post Office, marking thereon the place fro m whence it came, that it may be charged with postage. Any person who shall counterfeit the hand- Avriting or frank of any person, or cause the same to be done, in order to avoid the payment of pos- tage, shall, for each offence, pay five hundred dol- lars. No Postmaster or assistant Postmaster can act as agent for lottery offices, under any color of pur- chase, or otherwise vend lottery tickets, nor can any Postmaster receive free of postage, or frank any lottery scheme, circulars, or tickets. For a violation of this provision of the law, the persons offi3nding shall suffer a penalty of fifty dollars. No Postmaster, assistant Postmaster, or clerk employed in any JPost Office, can be a contractor, or concerned in any contract for carrying the mail. CONGRESS. This is the forty-first year that Congress has assembled in the city of Washington, and for that space of time it has been the seat of the Federal Government. The first President who lived in it was John Adams, and who came with the Govern- ment when its scat was removed from Philadelphia CONGRESS. 2Q3 to Washington, then but little else than a forest, the principal avenues being formed by cutting openings through it. General Washington fre- quently visited it while in progress, before it be- came the seat of Government, and often expressed his admiration of the beauty of its locality. The first session of Congress commenced on the 4th of March, 1789, and terminated on the 29th of September, of the same year. There have been, up to 1841, sixty-two sessions, including five extra sessions; one in the year 1797, under the presidency of John Adams, which continued for fifty-seven days ; one in 1809, under the presidency of James Madison, of thirty-eight days duration ; one in 1813, under the same President, of seven- ty-one days duration; one in 1837, under the pre- sidency of Martin Van Buren, of forty-two days duration; and one in 1841, under the presidency of John Tyler, of one hundred and five days dura- tion. The two longest regular sessions were in the years 1797 and 1811, which lasted two hun- dred and forty-six days each. Several of these sessions commenced earlier than the usual period, viz : in September, October, and November. Names of the Speakers of the House of Repre- sentatives, who have been chosen since the forma- tion of the Government: Frederick A. Muhlen- berg, Jonathan Trumbull, Jonathan Dayton, Theo- dore Sedgwick, Nathaniel Macon, Joseph B. Var- num, Henry Clay, Langdon Cheeves, John W. Taylor, Philip P. Barbour, Andrew Stevenson, John Bell, James K. Polk, R. M. T. Hunter, John White. Of these, Mr. Muhlenberg was chosen twice, Mr. Dayton twice, Mr. Macon three times, g5 204 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. Mr. Varnum twice, Mr. Clay six times, Mr. Cheeves twice, Mr. Taylor twice, Mr. Stevenson four times, and Mr. Polk twice. The rest presided during but one Congress. The Congress of the United States consists of a Senate and House of Representatives, and must assemble at least once a year, on the first Monday in December, unless othervi^ise provided by law. The Senate is composed of two members from each State; and, of course, the present regular number is fifty-two. They are chosen by the Legislatures of the several States, for the term of six years, one-third of them being elected biennially. The Vice-President of the United States is the President of the Senate, in which body he has only a casting vote, which is given in case of an equal division of the votes of the Senators. In his absence, a President pro tempore is chosen by the Senate. The House of Representatives is co^.iposed of members from the Several States, elected by the people for the term of two years. The Repre- sentatives are apportioned among the different States according to population; and one Repre- sentative being returned for every 47,700 per- sons, computed according to the rule prescribed by the Constitution, The present regular num- ber is two hundred and forty-two Representatives, and three Delegates. The compensation of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, is eight dollars a day, during the period of their attendance in Con- gress, without deduction in case of sickness; and CONGRESS. 205 eight dollars for every twenty miles' travel, in the usual road, in going to and returning from the seat of Government. The compensation of the Presi- dent of the Senate pro tempore, and of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is sixteen dollars a day. EXTRACT OF THE RULES OF THE SENATE. The unfinished business in which the Senate was engaged at the last preceding adjournment, shall have the preference in the special orders of the day. On a motion made and seconded to shut the doors of the Senate, on the discussion of any busi- ness which may, in the opinion of a member, re- quire secrecy, the President shall direct the gallery to be cleared ; and during the discussion of such motion, the doors shall remain shut. The special orders of the day shall not be called by the Chair before one o'clock, unless otherwise directed. All confidential communications, made by the President of the United States to the Senate, shall be by the members thereof kept secret ; and all treaties which may be laid before the Senate, shall also be kept secret until the Senate shall, by their resolution, take off the injunction of secrecy. When nominations shall be made in writing by the President of the United States, a future day shall be assigned, unless the Senate unanimously directs otherwise, for taking them into considera- tion. All information or remarks, touching or con- g6 206 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. cerning the character or qualifications of any per- son nominated by the President to office, shall be kept secret. When any question may have been decided by the Senate, in which two-thirds of the members present are necessary to carry the affirmative, any member who votes on that side which prevailed in the question, may be at liberty to move for a recon- sideration ; and a motion for reconsideration shall be decided by a majority of votes. The Secretary of the Senate, the Sergeant-at- Arms and Door-Keeper, and the assistant Door- Keeper, shall be chosen on the second Monday of the first session of each Congress. COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE. There are twenty-two standing committees of the Senate, appointed at the commencement of each session of Congress ; nineteen consist of five mem- bers, and three of three members each. In the appointment of the standing committees, the Senate proceeds by ballot, severally, to appoint the chair- man of each committee, and then, by ballot, the other members necessary to complete the same ; and a majority of the whole number of votes given is necessary to the choice of a chairman of a standing committee. All other committees are appointed by ballot, and a plurality of votes makes a choice. All bills on a second reading are consi- dered by the Senate in the same manner as if the Senate were in committee of the whole, before they can be taken up and proceeded on by the Se- nate, unless otherwise ordered. CONGRESS. 207 COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA- TIVES. All committees are appointed by the Speaker, unless otherwise especially directed by the House; in which case they are appointed by ballot; and if upon the first ballot the number required shall not be elected by a majority of all the votes given, the House then proceeds to a second ballot, when a plurality of votes prevails. There are thirty stand- ing committees in the House of Representatives; twenty-one consisting of nine members, and nine of five members each. Twenty-three of these committees are appointed at the commencement of each session, and continue for one session only; six are appointed at the commencement of each Congress, and continue to the first session of the succeeding Congress. All the standing commit- tees have leave to report by bill or othervv ise, upon any matter committed to them. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE HOUSE. It is a standing order of the day, throughout the session, for the House to resolve itself into a com- mittee of the whole House on the state of the Union, in which every proposition for a charge upon the people, and for appropriations of money, must be first discussed. No sum or quantum of tax or duty, voted by a committee of the whole House, can be increased in the House, until the motion or proposition for such increase shall be first discussed and voted in a committee of the whole House, and so in respect to the time of its continuance. g7 208 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. ORDER OF BUSINESS OF THE DAY. As soon as the journal is read, the Speaker shall call for petitions from the members of each State, and delegates from each Territory, beginning with Maine; and if, on any day, the whole of the States and Territories shall not be called, the Speaker shall begin on the next day where he left off the previous day. Provided, that after the first thirty days of the session, petitions shall not be received except on the first day of the meeting of the House in each week. The petitions having been presented and dis- posed of, reports, first from the standing, and then from the select committees, shall be called for and disposed of And not more than one hour in each day shall be devoted to the subject of reports from committees, and resolutions; after which the Speaker shall dispose of the bills, messages, and communications, on his table, and then proceed to call the orders of the day. The business specified in the two preceding rules shall be done at no other part of the day, except by permission of the House. LOCAL OR PRIVATE BUSINESS. Friday and Saturday in every week shall be set apart for the consideration of private bills and pri- vate business, in preference to any other, unless otherwise determined by a majority of the House. THE STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE ARE, 1. A committee of Elections, to examine and report upon the certificates of election or other cre- dentials of the members, and to take into conside- CONGRESS. :^o. ration all petitions and other matters touching elec- tions and returns. 2. Committee on Ways and Means, to consider reports of the Treasury Department, and all mat- ters relating- to the revenue; to inquire into the state of the public debts, revenue and expenditures; to examine into the condition of the public depart- ments, and particularly the lav/s making appro- priations, and whether the moneys have been dis- bursed agreeably to law ; to report from time to time such measures as may add to the economy of the departments and the accountability of their officers; must not include in the bills they may prepare appropriations for carrying into effect trea- ties made by the United States; and must exclude such appropriations from bills referred to them. 3. A committee of Claims, to consider all mat- ters touching claims and demands upon the United States. 4. A committee on Commerce, to consider all petitions and matters touching the commerce of the United States. 5. A committee on the Public Lands, to consi- der all petitions and matters respecting the lands of the United States. 6. A committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, to consider all petitions, resolutions, and matters relating to post offices and post roads. 7. A committee on the District of Columbia, to consider petitions and matters relating to that District. 8. A committee on the Judiciary, to consider all petitions and ma-tters relating to judicial proceed- ings. g8 210 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON, 9. A committee on Revolutionary Claims, to con- sider petitions, matters or things touching claims and demands originating in or arising from the Revolutionary war. 10. A committee on Public Expenditures, to examine into the state of the several departments, and particularly into the laws making appropria- tions of moneys ; to report whether they have been disbursed according to law, and such provisions as may be necessary to add to the economy of the departments and the accountability of their officers. 1 1. A committee on Private Land Claims, to consider all claims to lands. 12. A committee on Manufactures. 13. A committee on Agriculture. 14. A committee on Indian Affairs. (No specific duties are assigned to those com- mittees.) 15. A committee on Military Affairs, to consi- der all subjects relating to the military establish- ment and public defence ; and to report from time to time such measures as may contribute to econo- my and accountability in this establishment. 16. A committee on the Militia, to consider all subjects in relation to the militia of the United States. 17. A committee on Naval Affairs, to consider all matters which concern the naval establishment ; and, also, to report, from time to time, such mea- sures as may contribute to economy and account- ability in the said establishment. 18. A committee on Foreign Affairs, to consi- der all matters which concern the relations of the United States with foreign nations. CONGRESS. 211 19. A committee on the Territories, to examine into their legislative, civil, and criminal proceed- ings, and to devise and report to the House such means as, in their opinion, may be necessary to secure the rights and privileges of residents and non-residents. 20. A committee on Revolutionary Pensions, to consider all matters respecting pensions for services in the Revolutionary war, other than invalid pen- sions. 21. A committee on Invalid Pensions, to consi- der all matters respecting invalid pensions. 22. A committee on Roads and Canals, to con- sider all petitions and matters or things relating to roads and canals, and the improvement of the navi- gation of rivers. 23. A committee of Revisal and Unfinished Business, to examine and report what laws have, or are near expiring, and require to be revived or further continued ; also, to examine and report from the journal of last session, all such matters as were then depending and undetermined. 24. A committee of Accounts, to superintend and control the expenditures of the contingent fund of the House of Representatives, and to audit and settle all accounts which may be charged thereon ; and to audit the accounts of the members for their travel to and from the seat of Government, and their attendance in the House. Committees on so much of the Public Accounts and Expenditures — 25. As relates to the Department of State. 26. As relates to the Treasury Department, 27. As relates to the Department of War. 212 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. 28. As relates to the Navy Department. 29. As relates to the Post Office. 30. As relates to the Public Buildings. These six committees are appointed at the com- mencement of a Congress, and continue to the first session of the succeeding Congress. They are re- quired to examine into the accounts and expendi- tures submitted to them respectively ; and to in- quire and report whether the expenditures of the respective departments are according to law; whether the claims paid by them are supported by sufficient vouchers ; whether they have been dis- charged out of the funds appropriated therefore, and whether all moneys have been disbursed conforma- bly to appropriation laws; what provisions are ne- cessary more effectually to provide for the proper application of the public moneys, and to secure the Government from unjust and extravagant demands. To report also whether any, and what retrench- ments can be safely made in the expenditures of the departments; what abuses, if any, exist in the failure to enforce the payment of money due to the United States from public defaulters or others, and such provisions as may be necessary to add to the economy of the several departments, and the ac- countability of their officers. APPENDIX. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS. John Tyler, President. $25,000 Samuel L. Southard, Vice-President 5,000 STATE DEPARTMENT. Daniel Webster, Secretary ,f 6,000 Fletcher Webster, chief clerk 2,000 Patent Office. Henry L. Ellsworth, Commissioner $3,000 Joseph W. Hand, chief clerk 1,700 Charles M. Keller, chief examiner 1,500 TREASURY DEPARTMENT. Walter Forward, Secretary... ., $6,000 McClintock Young, chief clerk 2,000 James N. Barker, First Comptroller 3,500 James Larned, chief clerk 1,700 Albion K. Parris, Second Comptroller 3,000 Jonathan Seaver, chief clerk 1,700 Jesse Miller, First Auditor 3,000 Alexander Mahon, chief clerk 1,700 William B. Lewis, Second Auditor 3,000 James Eakin, chief clerk 1,700 Peter Hagner, Third Auditor 3,000 James Thompson, chief clerk 1,700 Aaron O. Dayton, Fourth Auditor 3,000 Thomas H. Gilliss, chief clerk 1,700 Stephen Pleasonton, Fifth Auditor 3,000 Thomas Mustin, chief clerk 1,700 Thomas L. Smith, Register 3,000 Michael Nourse, chief clerk 1,700 214 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. William Selden, Treasurer .^3,000 William B. Randolph, chief clerk 1,700 Charles B. Pem-ose, Solicitor 3,500 General hand Office. Elisha M. Huntington, Commissioner ,*|3,000 John M. Moore, chief clerk 1,800 Charles Hopkins, Solicitor , 2,000 John Williamson, Recorder 2,000 Joseph S. Wilson, chief clerk, private lands 1,800 William T. Steiger, chief clerk of surveys 1,800 Ephraim Gilman, principal draughtsman 1,500 WAR DEPARTMENT. John G. Spencer, Secretary $6,000 Daniel Parker, chief clerk 2,000 Indian Biireau. T. Hartly Crawford, Commissioner $3,000 Daniel Kurtz, chief clerk 1,600 Pension Bureau. James L, Edwards, Commissioner $2,500 George W. Crump, chief clerk 1,600 Army. Winfiold Scott, Major-General $6,535 Aids-de-camp, Captains Aldcn and Kerney 1,594 Roger Jones, Adjutant-General 3,234 Brook Williams," chief clerk 1,200 Thomas S. Jcsup, Quartermaster-General William A, Gordon, chief clerk 1,600 John C. Goolrich, clerk clothing bureau 1,000 George Gibson, Commissary Gen'l. of Subsistence 3,138 Richard Gott, chief clerk 1,600 Nathan Tovvson, Paymaster-General 2,500 Nathaniel Frye, chief clerk 1,700 Thomas Lawson, Surgeon General 2,500 J. G. Totten, Colonel Engineer Office 2,958 John J. Abert, Colonel Topographical Bureau.... 2,958 George Thompson, chief clerk 1,4'iO APPENDIX. 215 George Bomford, Colonel of Ordnance f$3,138 A. Mordecai Captain do 1,594 George Bender, chief clerk 1,200 NAVY DEPARTMENT. Abel P. Upshur, Secretary ^6,000 John D. Simms, chief clerk , 2,000 Lewis Warrington, Navy Commissioner 3,500 William M. Crane do 3,500 David Conner do 3,500 Charles W. Goldsborough, Secretary 2,000 William G. Ridgely, chief clerk 1,600 Navy Yard. Beverly Kennon, Captain Commandant $3,500 G. J. Pendergrast, Commander 2,100 E. B. Boutwell, First Lieutenant 1,500 Cary Selden, Naval Storekeeper 1,700 W. B. Scott, Navy Agent... 2,000 GENERAL POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT. Charles A. WicklifFe, Postmaster General $6,000 John Marron, chief clerk 2,000 Selah R. Hobbie, Contract Office, First Assistant Postmaster General 2,500 William H. Dundas, principal clerk 1,000 Henry A. Burr, Topographer 1,600 Philo C. Fuller, Appointment Office, Second As. sistant Postmaster General 2,500 Eben L. Childs, principal clerk 1,600 John S. Skinner, Inspection Office, Third Assist- ant Postmaster General 2,500 Thomas B. Addison, principal clerk 1,600 Elisha Whittlesey, Auditor General Post Office.. 3,000 Peter G. Washington, chief clerk 2,000 CITY POST OFFICE. William Jones, Postmaster .$2,000 George Sweeny, Assistant Postmaster 1,700 ATTORNEY GENERAL. Hugh S.Legare $4,000 216 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON^ SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice, Baltimore, Md... $5,000 Joseph Story, Associate Justice, Cambridge, Mass. 4,500 Smith Thompson do New- York 4,500 John McLean do Cincinnati, Ohio.... 4,500 Henry Baldwin do Pittsburg, Penn 4,500 James M. Wayne do Savannah, Georgia. 4,500 John Catron do Nashville, Tenn..... 4,500 John McKinley do Florence, Alabama, 4,500 Peter V. Daniel do Richmond, Virginia. 4,500 Hugh S. Legare, Att'y Gen. Washington, D. C. 4,000 William T. Carroll, Clerk Washington, D. C. Fees. Alexander Hunter, Marshal.. Washington, D. C. Fees. CIRCUIT COURT, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. William Cranch, Chief Judge $2,700 B. Thruston, Associate Judge 2,500 J. S. Morsell do 2,500 Philip R. Fendall, United States Attorney Fees. Alexander Hunter, Marshal Fees. William Brent, Clerk, Washington Fees. Edmund I. Lee, Clerk, Alexandria Fees. CRIMINAL COURT. James Dunlop, Judge $2,000 Philip R. Fendall, Attorney. I William Brent, Clerk. Alexander Hunter, Marshal, j T. Woodward, Coroner. THE orphans' COURT. N. P. Causin, Judge $1,000 E. N. Roach, Register of Wills Fees. PENITENTIARY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. Thomas Sewall, Washington, Inspector $ 250 Bernard Hooe, Alexandria do 250 Thomas Donolio, Washington do 250 John B. Dade, Warden 1,500 Noble Young, Physician 400 William Wheatley, clerk 1,000 John A. Young, assistant keeper 750 J. C. David do 750 APPENDIX* 217 OFFICERS OF SENATE. Asbury Dickins, Secretary « $3,000 Lewis H. Machen, principal clerk 1,800 Edward Dyer, Sergeant-at.Arms...»» 1,500 Robert Beale, assistant doorkeeper 1,450 OFFICERS HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES. Matthew St. Clair Clarke, Clerk $3,000 Samuel Burche, principal clerk... 1,800 E. M. Townsend, Sergeant-at-Arms 1,500 Joseph Follansbee, Doorkeeper 1,500 William J. McCormick, Postmaster 1,500 David H. Burr, Draughtsman .per month. 125 John S. Meehan, Librarian of Congress $1,500 William Noland, Commissioner Public Buildings. 2,000 Robert Mills, Architect 2,500 Police, David M. Wilson, principal guard $1,450 James M. Waller, assistant 1,100 Thomas Scrivener .do 1»100 Isaac H. Wailes do 1,100 John Wirt do 1,100 James Maher, principal gardener, in the public grounds 1,200 DIPLOMATIC AGENTS ACCREDITED TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary, From Great Britain Henry S. Fox. From Franco M. Ad. de Bacourt. From Russia M. Alexandre de Bodisco. From Spain The Chev . A. P d' Argaiz. From Argentine Confederation, Brigadier General Don Carlos Maria de Alvear. Charges d^ Affaires, From Netherlands Chev. Adr. Martini. From Portugal... J. C. de Figaniere e Mordao. 218 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. From Belgium M. Charles Serruys. From Denmark M. Steen de Bille. From Sweden Chevalier de Nordin. From Prussia Baron de Roenne. From Sardinia Count de Colobiano. From Texas Bernard E. Bee. From Brazil Chevalier Gasper Jose Lisboa. Foreign Consuls resident in the District of Co- lumbia. Christopher Neale, Brazil, Denmark, and Portugal. Ant. C. Cazanove, Bremen. C. .Tean Cazanove, Russia. John H. Brent, Sweden and Norway. N. E. Fowle, Two Sicilies. Ministers of the United States in foreign Coun- tries* App^d. Country, Capital. Edward Everett, Mass. 1841. G. Britain. .London. Lewis Cass, Ohio 1336. France Paris, Charles S. Todd, Ohio. 1841. Russia...... St. Petersburgh. Henry Wheaton, N. Y.1837.Prussia Berlin. Daniel Jenifer, Md 1841. Austria Vienna. W. Thompson, S. C....1841.Mexico Mexico. William Hunter, R. I. ..1841. Brazil Rio. de Jeneiro. Minister Resident. David Porter, Penn 1839.Turkey Constantinople. Secretaries of Legation. Henry Ledyard, to France $2,000 J. Lathrop Motley, to Russia 2,000 T. R. Morris, to Prussia 2,000 John R. Clay, to Austria 2,000 * The pay of Ministers Plenipotentiary is ,$9,000 per annum salary, and an outfit of $9,000 ; that of Charges d' Affaires is $4,500 salary ; that of resident ministers $6,000 ; and that of Secretaries of Legation $2,000 per annum. APPENDIX. 219 Brantz Mayer, to Mexico.. ^2.000 R. M. Walsh, to Brazil 2,000 American Charges cV Affaires. App'd. Country. Capital, Aaron Vail 1840. ..Spain Madrid. Virgil Maxcy 1837 . . . Belgium Brussels. J. R. Jackson 1841. ..Denmark Copenhagen. Chrit. Hughes — 1830. ..Sweden »fcNorway.Stockholm. H. Bleecker 1839. ..Holland.. Hague. Ambrose Baber. . .1841 . . . Sardinia Turin. W. Barrow 184 1 . . . Portugal Lisbon. Wm. Boulware.... 1841. ..Two Sicilies Naples. James C. Pickett.l838...Peru Lima. J. S. Pendleton... 1841. ..Cliile Sant-Iago. Allen A. Hall 1841. ..Venezuela Caraccas. James Semple 1837.. .New Grenada Bogota. Joseph Eve 1841. ..Texas Austin. Note. — There are about one hundred and sixty Ame- rican consuls at foreign ports ; of whom, it is stated, but forty-eight are citizens of the United States ; and out of thirty-four consuls appointed to the ports of Great Bri. tain and her Colonies, orAj five are American citizens. This should not be allowed, as much injury might grow out of it, by placing our commercial interests abroad in the power of rival commercial nations. 220 GUIDE TO WASHINGTON. EPITOME of the whole Population of the States and Territories of the United States, exhibiting the general aggregate amount of each description of persons by classes. FREE WHITE PERS0N8. Males. Females. Under S years of age, Of 5 and under 10, Of 10 and under 15, Of 15 and under 20, Of 20 and under 30, Of 30 and under 40, Of 40 and under 50 Of 50 and under 60, Of 60 and under 70, Of 70 and under 80, Of 80 and under 90, Of 90 and under 100, Of 100 and upwards, Total number of free 1,270,790 Under 5 years of age. 1,203,349 1,024,072 Of 5 and under 10, 986,921 879,499 Of 10 and under 15, 836,588 756,022 Of 15 and under 20, 792,168 1,322,440 Of 20 and under 30, 1,253,395 866,431 Of 30 and under 40, 779,097 536,568 Of 40 and under 50, 502,143 314,505 Of 50 and under 60, 304,810 174,226 Of 60 and under 70, 173,299 80,051 Of 70 and under 80, 80,562 21,679 Of 80 and under 90, 23,964 2,507 Of 90 and under 100, 3,231 476 Of 100 and upwards, 315 7,249,266 6,939,842 white pei-sc nS) • 14,189,\P3 FREE COLORED PERSONS. Males. Under 10 years of age, Of 10 and under 24, Of 24 and under 36, Of 36 and under 55, Of 55 and under 100, Of 100 and upwards. 56,323 52,799 35,308 28,258 13,493 186,467 Females. Under 10 years of age, Of 10 and under 24, Of 24 and under 36, Of 36 and under 55, Of 55 and under 100, Of 100 and upwards. Total number of free colored persons, 65,069 56,562 41,673 30,385 15,728 361 199,778 386,245 Males. Under 10 years of age, 422,599 Of 10 and under 24, 391,131 Of 24 and under 36, 235,373 Of 36 and under 55, 145,264 Of 55 and under 100, 51,288 Of 100 and upwards, 753 1,346,408 Total number of slaves, - - • Females. Under 10 years of age, Of 10 and under 24, Of 24 and under 36, Of 36 and under 55, Of 55 and under 100, Of 100 and upwards, Total aggregate 421,470 300,075 239,787 139,201 49,692 580 1,240,805 - 2,487,213 017,062,566 APPENDIX. 221 White persons included in the foregoing, who are deaf and dumb, under 14 years of age, ----------- 1,919 AVhite persons included in the foregoing, who are deaf and dumb, of 14 and under 25, 2,056 White persons included in the forgegoing, who are deaf and dumb, over 25, 2,707 White persons inchided in the foregoing, who are blind, - - 5,024 White persons included in the foregoing, who are insane and idiots at public charge, ------..-.--- 4,329 White persons included m the foregoing, who are insane and idiots at private charge, -..------.-.- 10,179 Slaves and colored persons included in the foregoing, who are deaf and dumb, - 977 Slaves and colored persons included in the foregoing, who are blind, 1,892 Slaves and colored persons included in the foregoing, who are insane and idiots at private charge, --------- 2,093 Slaves and c ilored persons included in the foregoing, who are itisane and idiots at public charge, --------- 833 Total number of persons employed in mining, ----- 15,203 Total number of persons employed in agriculture, - - - -3,717,756 Total number of persons employed in commerce, - . - - 117,575 Total number of persons employed in manufactures and trades, 791,545 Total number of persons employed in the navigation of the ocean, - 56,025 Total number of persons employed in navigation of canals, lakes, and rivers, ---------..---- 33,067 I'otal number of persons employed in learned professions, - 65,236 Total number of pensioners for revolutionary or military ser- vices, 20,797 Total number of universities or colleges, - ------- 173 Total number of students in universities or colleges, - - - ^ 16,233 Total number of academies and grammar schools, - - - - 3,242 Total number of students in academies and gi-ammar schools, 164,159 Total number of primary and common schools, - ----- 47,209 Total number of scholars in common schools, ----- -1,845,244 Total number of scholars at pubhc charge, ------- 468,264 Total number of white persons over twenty years of age who cannot read and write, ------------- 549,693 a Total number of persons on board of vessels of war in the United States naval service, June 1, 1840, 6,100 : to this must be added 786 as cei-tained by a new census to have been omitted in the former returns in Montgomery county, Maryland, making the total aggregate popula- tion of the United States, 17,069 452. ERRATA. Justices of the Peace for the County of Washington, whose names are omitted in the list, page 147 : James Marshall, Edward Mattingly, George Naylor, B. F. Mackall, John I. Stall. H 70 893 ^^0^ ^ ♦ ^. .r?;^ ' :• X.^*"" ,^^ *. ' 'oV o %^^^ .^ 6 y' "O^ ''^^ -"-. I^JUN 89 ijv y N. MANCHESTER I «