The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-08-23
Local Matters.


| BEAUTIFUL VIEWS or THE SURRoUNDIEG CoUH.
TRY.-There is hardly city Of the Union which
affords more picturesque and beautiful views from
its various points Of elevation than the city OF
Washington; for which reason its hill tops now,
when the more urgent demands of business have
been somewhat satisfied, are rapidly being filed
up with very handsome edifces-some Of them OF
the largest kind, fitted up in luxurious style, for
men of wealth and leisure, while others Of more
humble dimensions adapted to the, means OF
persons of less income, but still indicating great
neatness and taste on the part of their occupants
and owners. From more than one eminence AL
exandria is clearly perceptible, and, looking from
the tops OF some of our houses, away off on line
with the Mount Vernon cotton factory, and just be-
low the horizon, the cupoa Of the mansion at Mount
Vernon can be plainly seen, while Fort Washing
ton, on the Maryland side is still visible, with
the stars and stripes flying from the staff.
towards the west embraces, among the most promi-
nent objects, Annondale, Arlington, the Falls of
the Potomac, and Georgetown, and, extending the
line, Tennallytown, the highland at Laurel, and the
Eastern Branch, including the Navy Yard. Al
most at glance, the District of Columbia, Fair
fax and Prince William counties, Virginia, and
Prince Georges county, Maryland, are brought
within the angle of vision. Striking and delightful
indeed is the contrast between the country and the
town The dense foliage of forests, the ar-reach-
ing and wide sweeping meadows, the blue hills,
the lofty mansion and the modest cottage, with
all the minor dottings of rural scenery, sur
round US; and, like the picture in the frame,
Washington appears in bright relief with the Pres
dents House, the Observatory, all the departments
and public buildings, the Smithsonian Institu-
ton, the National Monument, the Capitol, the ra-
dating streets and avenues, slSrted with shade
trees compact rows of houses in some directions
and Struggling tenements in others in word, all
that outwardly pertains to the city. Here is va
riety, in the visual and actual proximity of town
and country, arranged according to natures most
enhancing forms.
A FINE HoUsE.-Mr. j. Crutchett, it is known
to our citizens, has recently erected on Capitol
HILL overlooking the new railroad station, large
and commodous house. 1t is four stories in height
and contains fourteen rooms, the larger number Of
them with lofty ceilings. The sashes and window
frames of cast iron from the foundry of Messrs
Ryder & Co. The style is Gothic. Some of the
squares are fifty inches in length, and these are to
be filled with plate and colored glass. Above the
fourth story attic rooms, and over these is an
observatory twenty two feet six inches in height
with four sides, each OF which is fourteen feet in
width. This ia surmounted by two feet elk inch
battlements, from the centre of which springs
octagon tower twenty six feet in height, likewise
surmounted by battlements, to correspond with the
observatory. The arrangements for binding the
upper fixtures consist of strong mast, sunk the
distance of three stories into the main building, to
and from which girders, trusses, and braces are
arranged. These upper works have spring of
five inches, so that they may rock and yield little
for safety to buffeting storms. There over
forty iron braces in the brick walls. From the
grade of the street to the summit of the tower the
distance is a hundred feet
Mr.. Morsell is the builder and Messrs. Kidwell
and Hamilton arc the carpenters.
THEFT Within the last two months we have
heard of twenty cases of larceny, in which
the thieves confined their operations principally to
articles found in kitchens and larders. In the
course of one night five six families in single
neghborhood were thus robbed. The last theft Of
which we have heard committed late on We'd
nesday night or carly on Thursday morning. The
deprcdators entered at the back gate and helped
themselves to considerable amount of bed-clothing
and body linen hanging the clothes line after
being washed, and even selected pieces from the
washing tub 4. Two chickens killed on the
spot and likewise carried away by them.
WAgsgisSToS SEMfsAEr.--The scholastic excT-
cises of this institution will be recommended on the
first day of September. The large number of pu-
pills in attendance during the last year--upwards
of four hundred-expresses more strongly than
words the popularity Of this seminary, which will
henceforth be under the presidency OF the Rev.
Samuel Barber.