The daily union., 1852-09-05

persons employed in the Typographical department.
ecung The nest species OF drawing, found in the
most violent winds the least trembe OF the walls
AS TO the amendment proposed by the senator from
Pennsylvania, Mr. BRoDHEAD il is hardly worth while
10 consent TO il. II we do moi give the S20OOO0 had
oetsr n9 make The spP,o9r,at,9en at all
char) The question is the amendment 10 the amend
menl. to SpES slrse % out 100000 and insert $75ooo
Mi SHIELDS. will vote TO strike out because
think the building will not answer the purposes but
i Will not vote 10 put anything in
Thequeslon then being taken upon the amendment TO
the amendment II was rejected
Mr. RUSk asked for the yeas and nays on the amend
ment proposing an appropriation of 100000 Tor the
purchase , OF sad building; and they were ordered
/ Mr.. UNDERWOOD. | will ask if any gentleman can
state what the building cost and what the ground is es
mated at
Mi. PEARcE. stated few moments ago that the
ground contained about wentysix thousand feet and al
the lowest is supposed TO be worth $4,000 The
building contains four million bricks The laying of
these IS expensive II has vast deal of work upon i
1t has iron grders, and s covered by metallic roof The
exact cost cannot tell Several architects and builders,
among them Mr. Mills and Mr. Walter. have sail that
such building could not be pa, up for less than 25oooo
does not prove TO be perfectly dry and whether The base
ment story Of the Treasury building. containing large
% EARdRE n dREsD not sseev a5%e dv
is in the upper rooms The basement above ground
There is therefore, not the for dampness in
| it as in the Treasury building
The question being then taken by yeas and nays upon
the amendment 1t was rejected-yeas II, nays 27--as
follow:
YEAsKMessrs Badger, Bayard, Bell. Bradbury. Cooper
Dawson, Dodge OF Iowa, Hamn, James, Jones of Iowa
Mangum Merwether Pearce, Sone, Sumner, Upham, and
NAYS-Messrs Adams, Boand, Bright, Brodhead
Brooke. Butler, Chase Clarke Clemens Davis Desaussure
Felch, Fish, Geyer Houston. Hunter, Mason, Miller, Nor
Wade, and Weller--27.
| Mr.. PEARCE am instructed by the Committee on
Finance to offer the following amendment:
"For the payment of the Of salary due the late
rural architect A. j. Downing, deceased, from the st Of
May, 1852, the date of his DEATH and further allow
his widow, equal the salary for year, $4,000
Propded, That the said shall be in full OF all claim for
services OF the said deceased and for all models spec
hcatons, and drawings designed for the benefit OF the
United States, which are not in lis possession"
That amendment would have been offered by yourself,
sir, Mr.. BRIGHT in the chair if you had moi been in
the chair The reason for il is that balance OF 675 is
The reason for giving the additional compensaoa is that
his employment was contemplated for series OF years,
and that he had furnished number OF drawings and
chcatons of improvements 10 be made upon the public
grounds here For that reason the amendment has been
offered.
Mr CLEMENS wish merely to ask a question /:
While Mr.. Downing experimenting the public
grounds, understand he the editor Of paper 10
New York, and that his time here about three days,
OF perhaps four, in month want TO know if those are
the facts in The case. understand them TO be So
| Mr.. PEARCE believe he was the editor OF a paper
/ Mr.. CLEMENS And was in New York attending 10
his duties as editor. do not understand why should
Mr. PEARCE. This gentleman was employed by the
President OF the United States, at salary OF $4,000
year. under authority given by an act of Congress
Whether II was proper salary not is no, the ques
J tion now. Two thousand five hundred dollars his
salary il was contemplated that tie work would
cover series Of years He has furnished plans and
specifications He is undoubtedly ented TO the appro
priaon OF $675 on account OF his salary; and il is sup
posed that the drawings and plans which be furnished
ought 10 be paid for although the carrying out of them
under his superntendence was cut short by his melan
choly death.
Mr.. CLEMENS. He was employed by the govern
ment salary attend TO duties here aud be went to
New York and attended TO his business there. Tnose
understand 10 be the tacs do not understand them 10
be controverted In addition called upon
put his widow upon what is equivalent TO the civil pen
sion list | understand the amendment embraces the
payment OF twelve mouths salary Tor services never
rendered al all
/ Mr. BRIGHT, (having called another senator TO the
chair) II The senator will permit me, will say few
words understand that the gentleman, for the benefit
OF whose widow the amendment is presented, was os
lately upon the steamer Henry Clay that he thai
time on his way to this city for the purpose of transact
ing the business tor which he employed by the gov
ernment that he was in the hab the senator states
OF spending perhapsa week in each month here and haa
the time he employed unde that he should
not give than part OF his time out OF each month
here He had due TO him. at the time OF his death, be-
tween 5000 and 800 Of his salary He has-as am 10.
formed by MIR William d Breckenridge, agent for the
Improvement OF the public grounds, and believe the
successor OF MIR. Downing-urnished valuable drawings
and documents as preparatory steps Tor important i'm
proveRents IN the various public grounds of the city
Mr. Breckenridge addressed a letter, from which
read the following; .,.
"WAsHIroroN, August g. 1852
"The subscriber the successor Of the late A. Down.
ing agent for the improvement OF the public grouud hav
been associated with him for the past eighteen
charge OF the OF the grounds adjoining and
surrounding the Smithsonian Institution, and Lafayette
Square, honestly believes that the services OF the late Mr.
DJwning in the conception and design OF future improve.
ments-the execution OF which viii readily and easily
be carried the subscriber, from his knowledge
the different designs and plans OF Mr. Downng-are fairly
worth and above his salary SJ,O0J inasnnch
would cost at least that designs and
to revise what was done TO correspond with them," &c
think apparent from the statement OF this gentle
man, who is officer OF the government, the
plans which have in possession and have PERM
10 are worth more than propose to appropriate
for the benefit oil his widow Under these circumstances
the Committee Finance decided to recommend to
the Senate
from Alabama, IL he understood the facts of this
case, would not object 10 the amendment Mr. Down.
ing devoted his wnole life 10 this department of the
arts Perhaps no man in this naon--ceuainly no man
IN the present dayhad larger experience in business
OF this KIND The paper which he edited was a paper
connected with his business. He travelled ali over Inc
world and came here and brought the information 10 us
Wncn ne had gathered and II his life had been spared
my impression that he would have improved the TASTE
OF this capital. consider his death as a national Ioss
OF bs papers, and my impression is that his models and
plans Will be OF much more value il carried out faith.
iuily, than the money we propose to give
Mr. DAVIS. When came here last fall, found Mr.. |
downing gong on with the operations committed to him
had known him before through his periodical but not
personally He was of uncommon taste as a hor. /
ncuiunst and IN everything which related to trees. His