Weekly national intelligencer., 1847-09-18
NATIONAL INTELLIGE ENCER.
WASHINGTON IN IT'S INFANCY.

Life. of JOHN CoTToN SMITH, lin his day distn-
guiyhed Member of Congress, of the Federal school
of politcs) we found ourselves much interested in
his account of his journey to WASHINGTON, to take
his seat in the first Congress which sat here, and
of the impressions which his arrival at Washington
then more of wilderness than now made upon
his mind. The forty-seven years that have inter-
vened having given birth to an almost entire new
race of men and women, we dare say that to them
this plain and straightforward report of the incidents
of past age will be sufficiently amusing il not in
sructive to justify our transferring it entire to our
columns.
1900 :";.h href s,n,;es e. .s -
first session Of Congress IN that city.
The first Congress under the Constitution held at the
city of New York. Among the important which
occupied their deliberations that Of selecting the territory
of ten miles square within which the National Government
should be permanently fixed, and which should
else exclusive Jurisdiction. The States Of Virginia and Mary
land having for this purpose ceded the United States the
ritoy which now constitutes the District of Columbia,
psng the cities of Alexandra and Georgetown with the pro-
jed city of Washington it resolved to remove the gov
thhe in the year 1900 its permanent residence
assigning the city Of Philadelphia its location for the inter-
mediate period In pursuance of this arrangement the second
session Of the Sixth Congress by law directed to COM
mepce the city Of Washington the 18th Of November
A. ID. lSOO
having occurred in the delegation Connect
cut the resignation of of her members writ OF election
issued for the choice of successor retuable to the ses
sion of the General Assembly in October
At that session was Speaker of the House of Representa-
ves and under little apprehension OF being chosen to
fill the vacancy just mentioned, especially there were two
or three other standing above mine the Congressional
nomination. On canvassing the votes however, both for the
special member and for the entire representation of Connec
cut Seventh Congress, my lot to be designated
both stations The event unexpected and the ques
ton of acceptance occasoned much embarrassment was IN
full practice the bar and strongly, to say passonaey
attached to domestic life, both of which would in small
degreee be sacrificed by compliance with the wishes OF my
constituents. No time allowed to confer with my below
ed wife and venerable father to both Of whose opinions was
accustomed to pay the utmost respect On the other hand
my the call of the people urged by Governor
Trumbull and other gentlemen in terms which, proessed
patriot found impossible resist. Accordingly return
ed an affirmative the Governors letter Of nohca
ton; and within three weeks my journey to Washington
must commence, resigned the Speakers chair with respect
u vaedctoy the House of Representatives. and made the
best of my way my domici My dear wife met with
kind repovng expected for the thought
of the approaching separation truly painful to US both
When the nchoae condition of Washington considered
and the consequent improbabiy of procuring comfort
able accommodations all thoughts Of her accompanying
abandoned and addressed ourselves to the necessary
preparations for my departure. Mrs. s. accompanied
Poughkeepse in private carriage, there being then
public conveyance and those days neither railways
steamboats, existed between that place and New York. pro-
ceeded to the latter in stage, where found arrival
several members of Congress their to the seat of
ernmen particularly the Hon. Theodore Sedgwick Speaker
of the House of Representatives. and the Hon. Messrs j.
Davenport, Jonas Pla and Henry Glenn. The Speaker
proposed that five should take entire stagecoach to
Philadelphia in comfortable of enjoying each others
society without democratic annoyance To the PROPOSE
ton all assented my part, confess, with less dread
though decided Fedeals of democratic annoyance than
those gentlemen whose feelings rendered excitabe
by previous collision the floor of Congress had
visited any part of the country south of New York. We
nearly days in reaching Philadelphia, journey
performed in five six hours The first day dined with
the Hon. Jonathan Dayton United States Senator, Eliza
behtown who received very coureousy sped us on
way the true spirit of hospitality welcome the
ing, speed the going guest.
We arrived Princeton in the evening" place Justly sn-
guhed for its celebrated seat of learning and scarcely less
the machess "ruse de guere of Washington in binding
eyes of the British commander at Trenton in the night by light
ed fres then crossing the Delaware and capturing large
body Of Hessans Princeton breaking the sumbers of the
British general by the of his artillery achievement
than which important results during that
memorable contest Near the close the day reach
ed Philadelphia On approaching it, Mr. Sedgwck told me
ustbe prepared the sidewalks beautiful women
both in face and FORM than any other city the
An unfortunate remark inasmuch awakened expeca-
tons which subsequent observation failed realize and
cited scrutiny injurious to faces and forms which might have
otherwise escaped criticism. They women, however,
whose appearance highly respectable, and whose dress
and department conformed more precisely with the simplex
mundits Of Horace than is usual in populous cities
generally Indeed, the city ITSELF though streets are laid
out with the regularity Of chess-boad, and admirably well
paved, and the buildings remarkable for superior style
neaness and in some instances of magnfcence, exhibits
the me less of the noise and hustle commerce.
gaudness of attire, and less pendor of equpage than any
other city Of equal not less population characteristics
probably derived from the plain and simple manners Of Will
liam Penn and his associates and After spend
ing day in Philadelphia, and receiving the cives Of
most respectable citizens party started for Washington
through region and to destination hitherto by
either OF u.s. The first object Of wonder floating bridge
the Schuyk composed Of logs chained together and
panked; but it fearful object unpractsed eyes
when behed the horses though driven with great Speed
sinking nearly to their knees water and the wheels Of the
stage pungng to at least equal Depth We passed
through finely cultivated country, good roads, and
ached stone bridges the smallest vulets the
handsome village of Chester where took breakfast thence
sixteen miles to the river Brandywine the dividing line
tween Pennsylvania and the State of Delaware the south
bank Of which situated the small but beautiful city of Will
mngon, through which lay course and after crossing
the State three miles to the Maryland ne passed on
Elkton at the head of the Chesapeake twelve miles, to
late dinner Hitherto the journey from New York had been
truly pleasant cheered by the weculvaed aspect of the
country and the intellectual conversation of my felow-tra-
veers in which displayed the sound learning Of Sedg
wick the polished literature Of Pa and the pety good
sense of Davenport not excepting the eccences of our
friend Gennt But evening had in when we rose from
dinner, and sixteen miles between Us and Havre
de Grace the west bank Of the Suquehanna where we
were to lodge Our through a desolate region
and mostly dense Forest the road extremely bad and
cloudy, dark night before us.