Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-07-14

feet, with papered walls. The marble chin
ney piece and tables, the mirrors and chande-
lier, with other furniture, give the appearance
of rich and consistent style of decoration
and finish. On each side of the room, and
communicating herewith, is square room Of
thirty by thirty-two feet. These three rooms
form the suit of rooms in which company is
usually received. To the west of these is the
company dining-room, forty by thirty feet,
aud on the northwest corner is the family
dining-room. All these rooms are finished
handsomely; but less richly than the oval
room. On the east end of the house, is the
banqueting room, extending the whole depth
of the building, with windows to the north
and south, and large glass door, leading to
the terrace roof of the offices. This room is
eighty by forty feet, and twenty-five feet high;
it is finished with handsome succeed cornice,
and elegantly prepared and furnished.
The principal stairs on the left of the en-
trance hall are spacious, and covered with
BRUSSELS carpeting. On ascending these, the
visitor to the President is led into spacious
ante-room to wait for introduction in regular
succession with others, and may have consid-
cradle time to look from the south windows
upon the beautiful prospect before him, when
in course to be introduced, he ascends few
steps, and finds himself in the east corner
chamber (the Presidents cabinet room, J
where everything announces the august sim
plicity of our government. The room is about
forty feet wide, and finished like those below.
The centre is occupied by large table which
is generally covered with books, papers,
parchments, etc., while the President is seat
ed at smaller table near the fireplace, COW
cred with the papers which are the subject of
his immediate attention. The other chambers
are appropriated to family purposes. The
cost of the building, previous to the destruc-
tion of the interior in 1914, was 1888, ,2O7, and
the expense of rebuilding, etc., was 1901, =
496. Since 1880 large sums have been ex-
pended on the house and grounds, and it is
now far inferior to the seats of many of the
nobility and wealthy commoners Of England,
and bears no comparison with the residences
of the petty princes of Germany, or the grand
dukes Of Italy-it exhibits no rich marbles,
fine statues or costly paintings. In the latter
respect, and in the air of comfort which rem
ders SO many family mansions attractive, it is
excelled by many private residences in the
United States
The customs which General Washington
introduced on his accession to the presidency,
in 1889, though much criticised at the time,
have ever since regulated the etiquette of the
Presidents household In regulating his in
tercourse with the public at large, he was
anxious to adopt such a system as, without
overstepping the limits of republican simplici-
ty, might best maintain the dignity of the Of
fee, and secure to the President that COM
mand of his time essential to the proper dis
charge of his duties. He laid it down as a
rule TO return no visits. To secure himself
from being overrun by mischievous callers,
certain fixed days were appointed for Presi-
Dental levees-and to avoid the embarrass-
ments to which the Presidents of Congress
had subjected themselves by keeping sort OF
open table, so that every caller at least con-
sidered himself entitled to be invited, no din
ner invitations were given, except to official
characters and strangers of distinction. The
arrangements Of the ceremonials connected
with the President at Levees and elsewhere
was left to Colonel Humphreys, of Connecti-
| cut, who had been formerly an aid-de-camp to
Washington, and more recently, Secretary Of
Legation at Paris, whence he had returned
with foreign airs and notions. Some rather
trlhlng matters, such as placing Washington
and his wife on an elevated seat at a public
ball, which the dancers, before commencing
approached with low obeisance, became in
the party struggles of after years, things of
no little importance, as palpable and convinc-
ing proofs, it was said, of the monarchical
tendency of the federal party.
Mr.. Jefferson, in his ''Ana,'' in February,
1898, says
Edmund Randolph tells Madison and my
self curious fact which he had from Lear. =
When the President went to New York, he
resisted for three weeks the efforts to intro
duce levees. At length he yielded, and left il
to Humphreys and others to settle the forms.
Accordingly, an ante-chamber and presence
room were provided, and when those who
were to pay their court were assembled, the
President set out, preceded by Humphreys
After passing through the ante-chamber, the
door was thrown open, and Humphreys en-
tered first, calling with loud voice, ''The
President Of the United States'' The Presi-
dent was SO much disconnected with it, that
he did not recover the whole time of the le-
wee, and when the company was gone he said
to Mr.. Humphreys, ''Well, you have taken
me in once, but you shall never take me in a
second time''
The Inauguration Of President Washington
took place at New York, on the 3Oth of April
1889, and about a month afterwards, Mrs.
Washington, having arranged her affairs at
Mount Vernon to admit Of her absence, ar
! rived at New York. She was met by the
/ President and various official attendants at
.Elizabethtown Point, and embarked for New
York. As the boats passed the Battery, the
federal salute of thirteen guns was fired. and
Mrs Washington was welcomed by a, crowd