American telegraph., 1851-05-27
AMERICAN. TELEGRAPH
THE CITY OF WASHINGTON.
From the New York Observer.

[Concludcd] .......t..
1t is said that Washington's attention had
been called to the advantages which this place
presented for city as long previous as when
he had been youthful surveyor of the country
around His Judgment was confirmed by the
fact that two towns were. afterwards planned
on the spot, and the first maps of the city re-
present it as laid out over the plains of Ham
burgh and Carrollsville. rg .a.-a,a lla la ,a.4
The first public communication on record in
relation to- arrangements for laying out this city
is from the pen Of General Washington, and
bears date 1th March, l79l; in a subsequent
letter, of the 30th April he calls it the Federal
City. Four months later, in a letter by the
original commissioners, Aessrs. johnson, Stuart,
and Carroll, dated Georgetown, September 9th,
1871, addressed to the architect, Major IL En-
FAINT, he is instructed to entitle the district on
his maps, |" the Territory of Columbia, and the
city, :" the City of Washington .t
On the 18th September, 1892, the southeast
cornerstone of the north wing of the Capitol
was laid by General Washington. a.
Much discussion took place relative to the
plan, which was drawn by Major IEnfant, and
which, while it presents some fine features, has
many defects, and in its execution has greatly
detracted from the beauty of the site. He COM
menced by laying down streets, which crossed
each other NJ right angles, as at Philadelphia,
at irregular intervals, however; and which We're
numbered or lettered. In order to give the
city its, distinctive national feature, great ave-
nues, from one hundred to one hundred and
sixty feet wide, were made to radiate from par
ticular centres, such rs the Capitol and Presi-
dents house, so as to bring all the buildings
to view from every quarter--a grand idea--but
it cut the building lots into ugly triangles, and
no da haCa EDas for tho nfhar Tho
streets, too, are wider than necessary. though
members of Congress from the country like to
have plenty of breathing room. ....~
1t was remarked of L'Enfant, that he was not
only a child in name, but in education; as, from
the names he gave the Streets he appeared to
know little else than A, B, G., one, two three
1t appears, however, by q letter of the commits
sioners, that they gave these names to the city !;
for convenience, a good arrangement, since the
streets could more easily be found by q stran-
ger under such designations. .a1
The distances at which the public buildings
are separated from each other have been fire.
quently remarked. But letters from Washing
ton and the commissioners show the reasons of
this. satH~
/. AS a measure of security, SO that only one
could burn at a time. If enemies should enter
the place, they would, in the first onset, de-
stroy every thing but, as they progressed. their
fury would cool down. This proved true in the
infamous attack ON the public buildings by the
British during the last war !; they having spared
the Patent and Post Office buildings, which
would have met the fate of the Capitol had they
been under the same roof. s.. a's r.. rr
2. 1t had been remarked at Philadelphia
that the vicinity of the executive to the legis-
latiye departments exposed the former to con-
slant interruptions from the latter. General
Washington said that some of his secretaries
had found themselves and their clerks so much
annoyed by the intrusions of members of Con-
gress during Office hours, that they had been
obliged to retire to their homes, and lock them
selves in, in order to attend to their ordinary
duties. 1t was therefore desirable that the
executive officers should be sufficiently far from
the Capitol to exempt them from visits, except
at particular hours, when Congress were not
in session. -. .".
1t is not generally known that the plan con-
templates complete connexion between the
gardens of the Capitol and those of the Prcsi-
dents House by means of the mall, a plan
which could have been carried out twenty years
ago, at comparatively small expense, by set
ting out trees, and levelling where necessary.
The Smithsonian Institute is to be placed
thereon, and there is a prospect that the be-
quest of an enlightened foreigner will supply
what Congress has neglected. ~.
Some of the magnificent intentions with re-
gard to the establishment Of the city were emu
merated. Most of them might have been car
ried out at trifling expense to the nation and
in all it is to be observed how admirably Gen.
Washington's sideas combined utility with beauty,
especially in his plan for furnishing to all for
eign governments lots of ground whcreon to
erect houses for their ministers; in which it
L., ,I,x l,l l.l
that Of furnishing each Secretary with house.
most Of our Secretaries are obliged by their
position to receive almost as much company as
the President, and the furniture and rent of
house is, with their uncertain tenure of office,
a serious burden upon many.
Another plan was, to give each State square
of ground to ornament in such a manner as
they chose, either by houses for members, or
obelisks to its representatives who should die
at the seat of Government.
The State of Virginia made donation of one
hundred and twenty thousand dollars towards
the public buildings, and Maryland seventy-two
thousand dollars This was soon exhausted
1t is q fact not generally known, and evidence
of the intense anxiety Washington felt in the
matter that, when all other resources failed he
made personal application to the Legislature
of Maryland for loan and the letter written
on this occasion is remarkable for its terseness
and propriety, and disregard of mere etiquette;
for it seems that the Attorney General advised
against its being sent, on the ground that it was
not usual for the President to correspond, ex-
cept through certain officers.
The Legislature Of Maryland granted the
loan Of 100000 on the strength of this letter,
and the personal security of the commission
ers-a fact, showing Mt how low an cbb the
credit of the Government had arrived, since
they were not willing to trust the nation alone.
Washington was not destined to see Congress
seated in the Capitol, which, in one of his let
tcrs, he speaks Of as one of the events he most
earnestly prayed for. lie died on the 18th of
December, 1899; Congress assembled there in
1900. All the speeches, at the opening of the