Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-07-16
MOUNT VERNON.
From the Boston Mercantile Journal.

y
The mansion house and the numerous out
houses of Mount Vernon are fast going to de-
cav With some trifling alterations made by
Judge Washington, every thing remains as LETT
by Gener al Washington, nearly forty years ago
At the death of Judge Washington, four years
since, the estate passed INTO the hahos OF Sohn
Washington, Esq, a collateral branch of the
Generals family. This gentleman died soon
after coming in possession of the estate, and
left it to his widow and three children: who are
now with ten or twelves slaves its only occu-
pants.
In approaching Mount Vernon from Alexan-
dria a distance of ten miles. you pass over
narrow private road, just wide enough for one
carriage About one-third Of it is level and
beautifully shaded with trees, whose branches
lock into each other, and is exceedingly plea
SAINT; the rest is uneven, rocky, and far from
being agreeable. About half a mile from the
house, YOU pass through gate kept by fe-
male Slave. who receives from each visiter
t,ife by which she is ma ntained. From this
gate YOU ascend gentle slope to the back part
of the house, where there is half or three quar-
tiers of an acre of grass ground, perfectly level
il is entirely destitute of trees and plants, and
was improved by General Washington as
flower garden
The house. as seen from the river, has an i'm
posipg appearance, but on close inspection it is
far less so. 1t is ornamented in front with
spacious portico, which is supported by light
square columns reaching from the bottom 10
the top of the house. The windows are SMALL
and the glass poor. All the pulidlngs seem
once TO have been painted white, but now ap-
near little or no better for it, except the man.
sion house. which looks tolerably well. At each
end of the house there are five or six arches,
four or five feet wide, through which you pass
from the front to the back part of the house.
The front yard, like the back, Is destitute OF
trees and plants; il is plain plat OF grass, STOP
49, ho xyh
of the Potomac in front of the house. The
house is about two hundred feet above the level
of the river which is seen gracefully winding
its way through the trees distance OF several
miles.
Ar the southeast corner of the yard, in front
of the mansion, is a summer house capable OF
seating twenty or thirty persons. 1t is covered
over from the oor to the ceiling with the initials
of the names of visitors, and Is rapidly crumb-
ling to pieces. At the north end of the house,
is garden, called by the slaves the "West In
dia garden" from the fact probably that it con-
tains great variety of West India plants
This garden was commenced by General Wash
ington not long before his decease.- The wall
was built and the plants removed by him from
the plain before alluded to in the rear of the
house. 1t has since been greatly ornamented
and improved by Judge Washington. 1t has
two spacious brick lighthouses, where the plants
are confined in cold weather. The lemons
which are daily falling from the trees, which
are numerous, are generally sold by the garden
er to the visiters for from twelve to twenty five
cents each;--the receipts go to the proprietor
The gate of the garden is kept always locked,
and though nothing is demanded by the garde-
nsr who is very polite and obliging, he is gene
raily compensated by visitors for his time and
attentions.
Hut the garden and its many attractions, and
,be mansion house with its beautiful prospects,
-,s,nteresting to the vsiter compared TO the
/. sos,h of w eshington To thisyou are conduct
"a as wen as to all other parts of the premises,
rh;s n,<usy valuav>