Daily American telegraph., 1852-04-14
An Editor,s m.moranda OF a Journey.

Baltic, was Louis Gaylord Clark, the accomplish
ed editor of the Knickerbocker Magazine. We
have gathered some random leaves from his note
book, and herewith offer them to our readers:
About noon, we arrived at Alexandria; and
really, we were most agreeably disappointed in
the ASPECT of the place. In what Mrs. Parting
ton would call the "out-squirts," its appearance
is not striking; but as we approached the wharf,
amidst the welcoming roar of some very spunky
pieces of artillery, and saw up into the more STIR
ring parts of the city, il seemed alive with people,
and presented the appearance OF much enterprise
and spirit. In the distance doomed up Washing
ton; and beyond, the beautiful heights of George
town. There was the Capitol, white as snow,
looking from its lofty site upon scene of rare
beauty; there were the departments" and the
Washington Monument Our heart beat thick as
we went over the side of the Baltic, and thought
how soon we should be, for the first time, in the
capital of our "ger-reat and gelorious d'ntry I"
Nine cheers split the welkin for The Baltic" and
"Collns"- and we left him standing like proud
conqueror on her deck, as we moved of for the
Getty of Magnificent Distances
We have now been in Washington some FIVE
days; and we declare it as our decided convic-
ton that in multitudnous respects, it is the most
picturesque, the most beautiful city we ever saw
But first let us speak of the Capitol, its browning
glory. 1t is perfect dream OF architectural
beauty. We have seen it, now, from every point
of the compass Mt all hours of the day, and
morning and evening twilight; whether looming
through the mist or haze Of the cleaning, as seen
from the Presidents House, terminating the broad
and handsome Pennsylvania avenue, or cleaning
white in the uprising sun; OF standing, "sculp-
tured soft in the pale moonlight in every point
of view and at all times, it is prominently beau
tful. What dignity Of space it has, in the edifce
itself, and all its surroundings! All honor to La
trobe, its architect: it is living monument and
long may it remain So of his taste and genius
One scarcely knows which most to admire, the
eastern or western front. The former, i'll a
three quarter sde-view from the right, we do not
believe can be matched for richness and grace by
any edifce in the world while the approach to
the other side is so grand, and the edfce towers
up from its proud position so lofty surmounted
by it's graceful swelling DOME that one can hard
ly help exclaiming, 'After all, this is the most
beautiful 'front.'" And then the views from the
broad espanade are SO magnificent; the several
Departments, cleaning in white marble; the
Smithsonian Institute" rising sombre from its
spacious grounds, and the white shaft of the
Washington Monument, near by; the silver Po>
tomac and the Heights of Georgetown, and cold
Virginia" beyond; all these conspire to form
view, which to us, stranger, was always sur
passingly lovely.
One thing touching Washington: it is the most
hospitable place we ever visited. Not an hour
had elapsed after our arrival at the National,
before we were taken from the "Dexter-arm' of
that house by an esteemed friend, and domicil
lated in his pleasant family, where we could en-
JOY rich collection of fine pictures, statuary, and
objects of taste and vertu, in rare profuson; and
whence, by day and by night, we radiated, to en-
joy metropolitan hospitality scarcely less hearty
and cordial 1t was something worth while, at
this home of enjoyment, to sit down to the peru
sal of some hundred and fifty letters from General
Washington, all in his own hand writing-forming
small part only of what is doubtless the best
collection of autograph-letters from eminent per-
sons, European and American, literary, military,
and other to be found in the Union. &" Illus
trious Mcclure ~ as the Yankee-Irishman said
to Kossuth, may your " shadow" and your love
and appreciation of the beautiful and the rare in
art, "never grow less"
Some folks to the contrary notwithstanding,
there is much, very much, to admire in the Smith
sonian Institute at Washington. There are points
of view in which its external architectural COM
binations are not only i'll n high degree pic
turesque, but positively beautiful On the other
hand, one can, by another focus of vision, so
group the towers and turrets, and piunacled
adornments as TO show "a mass of things, but
nought distinctively." We found the interior
better adapted to its purposes than from - the
papers, we had been led to suppose it could be.
we glanced hastily through the Indian Gallery,
tarried in the pneumatic department, and were
most kindly accompanied by the young but tho
roughly capable superintendent Of the animal
and piscatorial departments beneath, where the
processes of preparation and preservation were
going on, under his keen eye and careful super
vision. OF the marves here encountered, we
hope to have somewhat more to say hereafter
The grounds Of the Institution are spacious, and,
in connection with the other public grounds, are
receiving the benefit of the educated taste and
experience of Mr.. Downing, of Newburgh, the
government superintendent.
Passing the National Hotel, at two o'clock on
this bright and cloudless warm Sunday, we saw
a tall figure, clad in blue cloak, attended only
by a lady and child, enter a coach before the
door. Once seen, it was a face never to be for
gotten 1t was HENRY CLAY. That eagle eye
was not dimmed, though the great statesman's
natural force was abated. We raised our hat,
and bowed our reverence and admiration our
salutaton was gracefully returned, and the car
rage was driven away. As we walked on, to
keep an engagement to dine, we thought of the
late words of that eminent patriot: " If the days
of my usefulness, as | have too much reason to
fear be indeed passed, desire not to linger an
impotent spectator of the oft-scanned field OF life
have never looked upon old age, deprived Of
the faculty Of enjoyment, Of intellectual percep-
tons and energies, with any sympathy and for
such think the day Of fate cannot arrive too
SOON" One can hardly choose but drop tear
over such remark from such q man.
Tho city Of Washington should be regarded
with affection and reverence by all portions of
our great and growing republic. 1t is the focus
of our laws; the centre of our government and
oil its structures all its adornments, should be
looked upon with wide and general national
pride. But we have always observed that any