Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-06-06
Private LIE or washington.

We copy Tue lohp"inB nhcscn ~ ucn W ASH
ington's private life from Washington's biography
Of that ilustrious man.
His marriage Was sngularly happy one. He
had no children, but devoted himself 10 the care
of the two which his wife had by her first marriage
Mount Vernon, to which he had succeeded, was
his residence, and there he lived for several years.
as wealthy country gentleman, liberal in hospi-
tally, fond of hunting and the field sports follow
ing agricultural life from choice and occasionally
devoting himself to the business focal legislation
washington, by his marriage, had added above
$780, 900 to his already considerable fortune, and
was enabled to live In ample and dignihed style.
His intimacy with the Farfaxes and bis intercourse
with brother officers of rank, had perhaps had
their influence on his mode Of living He had his
chariot and four with black Positions in livery,
for the use Of Mrs. Washington and her lady visit
ers. As to himself, he always appeared on horse
back. His stables were well filed, and admirably
regulated. His stud was thoroughbred and in ex-
cellent order. His household books contain regis
tiers of the names, ages and marks of his favorite
horses--such as Ajax, Blueskin, Valiant, Magnolia
IAN Arab &C. Also his dogs, chiefly fox-hounds
Vulcan, Singer, Ringwood Sweetlps, Forester,
Music, lockwood, Trustlove, &c.
| A large Virginia estate, In those days, was a
| little empire. The maneion. house was the seat Of
government, with its numerous dependencies, such
as kitchen, smoke-house, work shops, and stables.
| In this mansion, the planter ruled supreme. His
| steward or overseer was his prime minister and
executive officer. He had his legion Of house
negroes for domestic service, and his host Of field
negroes for the culture Of tobacco, Indian corn,
and other crops, and for other out-of-d0or labor.
Their quarter formed kind Of hamlet apart COM
posed Of various huts, with little gardens and
poultry yards, all well stocked and swarms Of
little negroes gambolng in the sunshine. Then
there were large wooden edces for curing tobacco,
the staple and most profitable production, and mills
for grinding wheat and Indian corn of which large
fields cultivated for the supply Of the family
and the maintenance Of the negroes
! Among the slaves were artfcers of all kinds
talors, shoemakers, carpenters, smiths, wheel
wrghts, and no forth-so that aplantation produced
everything within itself for ordinary use. As to
articles Of fashion and elegance, luxures and ex-
pensiye clothing, they were imported from LON
don for the planters on the main rivers especially
the Potomac, carried on an immediate trade with
England. Their tobacco was put up by their own
negroes bore their own marks, was shipped on
board of vessels which came up the rivers for the
purpose, and consigned to some agent in Liver
pool or Bristol with whom the planter kept an
account
The Virginia planters were prone to leave the
care Of their estates too much to their overseers,
l
ington carriedinto his rural affairs the method
activity, and circumspection that had distinguished
| him in military life He kept his own accounts,
posted up his books and balanced them with mer-
| camille exactncss. We have examined them, as
well as his diaries recording his daily occupations,
and his letter-books, containing entries Of ship
ments of tobacco, and correspondence with his
London agents. They are monuments OF his BUSH
ness habits.
The products Of his estate also became 80 noted
for the faithfulness, as to quality and quantity,
with which they were put up, that 1t is said any
barrel of -four that bore the brand Of George
Washington, Mount Vernon, was exempted from
the customary inspection in the West India ports.
He was an early riser, often before daybreak in
the winter, when the nights were long. On such
occasions he lit his own FIRE, and wrote read by
candle-ight He breakfasted at seven in summer,
at eight in winter. Two small cups Of tea and
three or four cakes of Indian meal (called hoe
cakes, formed his frugal repast Immediately after
breakfast he mounted his horse and visited those
| parts Of the estate where any work was going on,
seeing to everything with his own eyes, and often
aiding with his own hands.
Dinner was served at o'clock. He ate heartily,
but was no epcure, nor critical about his food His
beverage was small beer or cider, and two glasses
Of old Madeira He took tea, of which he was
very fond, carly In the evening, and retired for
! the night about o'clock.
| If confined TO the house by bad weather, he
took that occasion to arrange bis papers, post up
bis accounts, or write letters-passing part of his
time in reading, and occasionally reading aloud to
| the family.
He treated his negroes with kindness, attended
to their comforts, was particularly careful of them
/ in sickness but never tolerated idleness and ex-
acted faithful performance Of all their allotted
tasks. He had quick eye at calculating each
mans capabilities An entry in his diary gives a
curious instance Of this -Four of his negroes, en-
ployed az carpenters, were hesing and shaping
timber Il appeared to him, In noticing the amount
OF work accomplished between two succeeding
mornings that they loitered at their labor Sitting
down quietly, he timed their operations--how long
Il took them to get their cross-cut saw and other
supplements rcady--how long to clear away the
branches from the trunk Of fallen tree-how
| long to hew and saw it--what time was expended
/ in considering and consulting and, after all, how
much work was effected during the time he looked
on. From this time be made bis computation how
much they could execute In the course Of day,
working entirely at their ease.
At another time we 6nd him working for part
Of two days with Peter his smith, to make a pow
on new invention Of his own. This, after two or
three failures, he accomplished. Then, with less
than hisusual judgment, he put his two chariot
horses 10 the pillow, and great risk Of spelling
| them, In giving his new invention a trial over
ground thickly swarded.
Anon, during thunderstorm, a frightened ne
| gro alarms the house with word that the mill is
| giving way, upon which there Is general turn
out Of all the forces, with Washington at their
head, wheeling and shoveling gravel, during a
pelting rain, TO check the rushing water.
Washington delighted in the chase. In the
hunting season, when he rode out early in the
morning to visit distant parts Of the estate, where
work was going on, he often took some Of the dogs
with him for the chance Of starting fox, which
he often did, though he was not always successful
| in killing him. He was bold rider, and ad.
mirable horseman, though he never claimed the
merit Of being an accomplished fox-hunter. In
the height Of the season, however, he would be
out with the fox-hounds two or three times week,
accompanied by his guests at Mount Vernon and
the gentlemen Of the neighborhood, especially the
Fairfaxes Of Belvoir, Of which estate his friend
George William Fairfax was now the proprietor
On such occasions there would be hunting dinner
at one or other Of those establishments, at which
convivisl repast Washington is said TO have en-
| joyed himself with unwonted bilarity."
From the Intelligencer.
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