The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1856-09-05
MISCELLANY.
From the Charleston Couricr.l
The Capital and the Capitol.

Our National Capital is rather hacknicd
theme, but love it for its glorious and hal
loved name, and 1 value it TO- my coun-
try's sake, and therefore proceed to indite
so,nethpg Of it in the descriptive and his
to,ic vein, expecting to say little or nothing
new, (for "there is nothing new under the
sum-, hut rather TO indulge ia the iteration
of tho ti,rise~toii tale
Washington City, the Capital Of tile T.
iited States of America, is situated on the
Eastern side of the Potomac, in that portion
Of the original ten miles square, or District
of Columbia, ccded by the State of Mary
land to the Uunited States, Virginia having
made up the complement 10y the cession Of
portion Of her territory, which was, few
years since, rctrocedcd to her, and is now
again embraced within the limits of the
"Old Dominion" Its place OH the map of
the world is N. latitude SO deg. SO min.
As sec- and w. longitude &c deg. SO min.
80 sec from Greenwich, or 70 deg. 20 min
from Paris. Its distance from Baltimore is
40 miles S. W., with which place it is con-
nected by branch Of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, SO or 40 miles in length :;
from Philadelphia, 1877 miles S. S. W. !;
from New York, o24 miles S. W.; from
Boston, 450 miles S. W.; from St. Louis,
$50 miles E. by s., and from New Orleans,
1908 miles N. E.; from the Atlantic Ocean,
via the Potomac River and Chesapek Bay,
it is distant about 200 miles. Its location
rs one of much natural beauty, greatly en-
l.anced by art, as well us by the Potomac
River aud the Anacosta, or Eastern Branch,
at the junction Of which streams it stands,
and from which it derives great commercial
facilities and advantages. The extent Of
the city is about l-2 miles from N. w.
to S. E., and about Q l-2 miles from L. to
S.W. its entire area being 3,0lG acres,
with'a circumference of IA miles. Occu-
pying an undulating site Of hill and dale,
encompassed by forcst-crowned hills, it pre-
ssnts diversified prospect Of picturesque
scenery; and the adjacent elevations, COM
Inanding fine views of town and country,
and Of the broad bosom and gentle mean
derings of the Potomac, invite to the erec-
tion Of the frequent villa or elegant rivate
residence. The streets run N. and S. and
f. and W., intersecting one another at right
angles and vary in width from 20 to 100
feet, and are numbered and named 1st, 2.l,
= Sd, and so on, when running from N. to S.,
and are designated alphabetically, as A street,
Bstreet, G street, &c, when running from
E.to w. Thesquares are cut and travcrsed
diagonally by spacious avenues from 100
toyl8O feet wide, bearing the names Of the
different States of the Union. Conspicu-
ous and chief among these great thorough
fares rs Pennsylvania Avenue, so named in
Honor ;of the keystone State-the Key.
@stone of the Federal arch-wbich, trust
will ever continue to bind that arch indis.
. .solnbiy together. Tt runs from the Capitol
TO The Presidents House, and is one of the
nohest and most elegant thoroughfares in
tho world. OF these avenues, five radiate
.frotnFthe Capitol aa their centre, and FIVE
from tbe, EXECUTIVE mansion-thus affordine
to these promipept places the readiest com.
mpnication with every part OF the city.
sThe City," says "ApPLEroN's U. S
rrsyellers'. Guide" "is laid on plan O
g.eat magnitude; and will, if the design
of. its founders be carried out, and their an
ticipatjqss realized, beat once amagnifcen
memorial Of the great man from whom It il
named, and city, the gigantic proportions
Of which shall harmonic with the power
and ,sstept, Of the mighty republic Of which
it'WAhbssthe capital. The ground on which
the Gty IS built has an elevation, for tn
sst Rs5., S5tS 5 feet eel above ss the he level z
Mst,far trorp i,.;itl,e base of the ) capitol
tl.eSe runs through the city small tribu