Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-04-27
EVENING STAR.
WASHINGTON:
WEDNESDAY. APRIL q, 1853.
NOTES OF WASHINGTON.

poraries. 1t is truly gratifying to meet with
the following in the editorial correspondence
Of the Chicago democrat:
"WAsu1NGroN, April IL, 1853.
yesterday was one Of those beautiful
days for which this portion OF the Union is
80 justly distinguished. The man who
could not enjoy himself in SO lovely place
as Washington on such day must be an
insufferable cynic, or bitterly disappointed
ofice-seeker. By-the-by, there are scores
of those in and about the Capitol.
"With C. W. C. Huntington, chief of po-
lice, as my cicerone, to whom / am under
obligations for many favors, I assembled to
the top of the dome of the Capitol, and
spent one of the most delightful hours it has
ever been my good fortune to enjoy. To
the south and west, the beautiful hills of
Virginia skirt the horizon; at your feet are
the grounds of the Capitol, covered with a
rich carpet of green, and filled with stately
forest trees, and elegant evergreens while
Pennsylvania avenue, with its magnificent
hotels, and the White House at the further
end, lies before you and, winding along at
the base of the hills, and embracing the
city in its ample folds, rolls the majestic
Potomac.
''The cities of Alexandria and Georgetown
repose in quiet dignity upon the banks of
the river, and on every side are the abodes
of the magnates Of the nation, the repre-
sentatives of foreign courts, the unpretend-
ing homes of the farmers, or the humble
dwellings of virtuous poverty. The '.Model
Republic has no reason to be ashamed of
her capital. Though it has not the me-
mentoes Of by-gone centuries to invest it
with the veneration due to antiquity, it has
stamped upon its every feature the dignity
and the glory of American freedom. From
the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the North
to the Sonth-the UNION, and nothing but
THE UNION, warns every pulsation of the
American heart; and Washington is :the
centre of the fondest hopes OF millions of
freemen for all future time. Palsied be
the tongue that, in the faintest whisper,
would poison the affections of our people
for that glorious Union. 81 am an Ameri-
can citizen" has in it far-reaehing and
worldwide power-one Of which the old
Roman could never boast
''The top of the dome is..one hundred and
twenty-five feet above the floor of the
rotundo, and two hundred and fifteen feet
above the river The pictures of the Capt.
toll give very correct representation of its
appearance but no description or picture
can do justice to the view from the top of
the dome. The Maryland hills bounds the
view to the east and north, and at this sea-
son especially are picturesque and beautiful.
ga very fair commencement has been made
In the establishment Of an extensive botani-
Cal garden, under the direction of Mr..
Breckenridge. The grounds are ample,
and We trust they will ere long be an honor
to the nation.
"The buildings for the Smithsonian Insti-
tute are completed externally, and present
truly splendid appearance. As yet the
rooms are not finished. At the time of our
visit the doors were locked, and we could
only admire the elegance of the buildings
as it must strike every beholder. 1t is built
of Seneca stone.
''Washington monument has now reached
the height Of one hundred and twenty-si
feet. 1t is o most beautiful shaft of white
marble. A large number of the blocks fur
nished by the different States and various
societies have already taken their place in
the monument. Two buildings are filled
with those that are still to be put up. Some
Of them have very expressive and elegant
designs. Among all those we saw, the COP
per block from Michigan, inscribed with
native silver, bears the palm. Our fellow
citizen, Andrew Harvie, esq, at the time
resident of our sister State, had the honor
of presenting this beautiful tribute to the
Father of his Country
The editor of the Cleveland (Ohio) Plain