The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 184?-1851, 1844-12-11
MOUNT VERNON.

II w Vic ullOFSN ihiiA-N W pun
and virtue, must ever be regarded by our coun-
trymen as a duty of the most interesting and i'm
pressive character. We had lately an opportuni-
ty of embracing the privilege, and a brief Incl
dental description of the journey may not prove
unacceptable. Mount Vernon is situated about
twelve miles from the city of Washington, and
the general route is by the way of Alexandria.
Having procured an Introductory letter to the
present occupant of the estate, our party took
the steamboat for Alexandria, and from thence
obtained d conveyance TO our destination. Much
injury has been w~antonly done to the grounds of
Mount Vernon by shameless persons, and visitors
are now obliged to procure a suitable letter as a
voucher for their character, to obtain admittance.
Arrived at The estate, the road leading to the
Mansion House, probably half a mile distant, is
in such neglected condition, that after several at
Temps to proceed in the carriage, we left the We
hicle and continued on foot. The estate is
bounded by a forest composed of venerable
trees, the ground gradually elevated as we pro-
ceeded; winding and sequestered paths are ira
ced through the opening foliage, and an entire
separation from the outward world is every where
apparent. Continuing %lelsurely our way we ap-
preached a field in which Ieapers were gathering
L6 ldIN6Sls ulu VII dohlIS NIlCSC NIL w dSlltLIS-
ton was to be found, were answered by a young
man with coat off and rake in hand, who inform
ed us that he answered to the person for whom
we enquired. Not a little surprised at the I'M
expected meeting, we presented our letter and
readily accepted an invitation to walk 10 the
house. Mr.. John Augustine Washington, a young
man about Is years of age, and the present oc-
cupant of the estate of Mount Vernon, is the
grand nephew of his great ancestor, and we be-
lieve the nearest living connection. The Man
sion House, at which we soon arrived, is an am
pie and com(ortable-looking wooden building,
two stories high, surmounted by IA small cupola
and weathercock. 1t is surrounded by the vari,
GUS conveniences of afarm, barn, %out-houses, &c.
A beautiful verdant lawn is in front and rear OF
the house, and its situation, on an elevated bluff
of the Potomac, commands a varied and exlen-
sive prospect eff beauty almost unsurpassed. The
taste which selected this enchanted spot for a re.
sidencc, is fully in consonance with the genera
character of Washington. 1t seems to possess
a delightful loneliness, joined to a perfect harmo-
ny reignfrg in all and every thing around. A
noble piazza with lofty and graceful columns
stretches across the front of the house, undel
the shade of which has often fingered and repo
sed the venerated being who now hallows it
The house in several places appears in want o
repair.
We were fist shown into the Library formerl,
belonging TO Washington; it is composed o
works in various languages, generally on histori
cal subjects. This room contains the bust o
r Washington, modelled from life by Houdon; ais,
t an engraving of Louis XVI which was present
S ed by the Monarch to Washington, at the tim,
= our first treaty was made with France. The ell
? craving is a splendid specimen of the art, and
Fl believed to be the only one now in existence
? the plate and the impressions having been de
D stroyed during the French Revolution. 1t is en-
( closed in a frame embelIished with the arms q
3 Louis and Washington. The dining-hall of tn
mansion is a spacious and hosp;table looking a
1 partment. Here we saw the picture and key 0
l. the Bastile, which we're sent TO Washington b
Lafayette, in 1890, as an "early trophy of til,
: spoiIs of despotism, and the first ripe fruits c
: American principles transplanted into Europe.
II The following is an extract from Lafayette's le
ter, accompanying the gift, whichbreathes a sp
n rt of deep feeling and affection.
"Giye me leave, my dear General, TO preser
n you with a picture of the Bastille, just as it lool
ed a few DAYS after ! had ordered its demolition
e with the main key of the fortress of despotisn
n 1t is tribute, which | owe as a son to my adol
c ted father, as an abide camp to my general, .
t a missionary of liberty to its patriarch"
We were Subsequently shown the various otht
apartments of the Mansion, all of which bett
e ken that air of comfort and convenience whic
generally characterize the dwellings, of our f
/ theirs. The room where Washington died, sti
G occupied as a bed chamber, possesses an intere
to be experienced only in pausing before thos
walls which heard bis last words, and in expre
sive silence responded to the parting spirit.
We have wandered through the house, adm
Q red its antique and beautiful ~cornices, stopped
Q behold each relic Of that majestic form whic
; was wont TO linger in these very halls, and ste
ping out into the verdant lawn, we wonder at Il
placid scenery which even the atmosphere seen
to possess, and inquire for the tomb Of Washin
ton. Following a sequestered path, we soon Q