Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-02-22

the various avenues and streets, will at some
future day, be planted and einbellished, so as
to make an ABUNDANCE Of gardens and shady
promenades all over the city. There are no
grand palaces, such as make splendid at
traction in foreign capitals; but the Presidents
House is elegant and appropriate, and fully
satisfies all our republican ideas on this point
But the Capitol, when il is finished, will be as
grand government building as can be found
in the world, and besides its vastness and ele-
gance. it has advantages of situation above
those of al the European palaces. The Patent
Office, or more properly speaking, the building
OF the Interior Department, is noble struet-
ure and the Post-otfice, when finished, will be
scarcely inferior to it. The colounade Of the
TreasHary is deservedIy admired, and the pro
posed new buildings for the State, War and
Navy Departments will doubtless be made cor
respondiRgly handsome.
In works of art Washington, although def
cient as compared with European capitals,
much SURPRISES all other American cities.
There Is no national gallery of pictures, but the
pictures in the rotunda are the only national
pictures we have. Trumbulrs unpoetic but
faithful works have historical value which
compensates for their artistic defects; and while
the Baptism Of PocahontaS, the Landing of
Columbus, and the meiO-dramatie, highly col
ored and very French picture ofthe Discovery
of the Mississippi, may be objected TO for want
of fitness or for certain defects in execution, all
visitors must be attracted and touched by The
exceeding beauty of Weir's Em5arcatiOn Of the
Pilgrims The statuary of the Capitol is not
what it should be, and Greenough's Washing
ton, sitting with bare arms and shoulders 10
the open grounds, is rather an unpleasant rep
resentatlon of the Father of his Country. But
the Jackson statue-let rigid old world criti-
eism say what it pleases-is a noble work, and
one that every spectator must be struck with
as bold, original design, admirably carried
out and much more interesting than nine
tenths of the equestrian statnes that are seen
abroad
The catalogue of Washington's artistic en-
bellishments is soon run through. But for
the infant metropolis of a nation in its homage
it does very well. Congress, too, can afford
to be liberal for the sake of improving the at
fractions of a city that is resorted to by the
people of every State, and in which every
State has an interest. The residents of Wash
ington, however should not depend too exclu
sively upon government support. There Is no
reason why commerce and manufactures should
not flourish in Washington as well rs in Balti-
more; and individual enterprise should go
hand in hand with that of government in en-
larging the resources Of the place and inoreas-
ing the inducements for people to reside there.
The vast expenditure of late years upon public
buildings makes it almost certain that thegov
eminent will never be removed from Washing
ton nd indeed the extension of railroads and
te!egraphs destroys the force of the chief argu-
ments in favor of such removal. So the peo-
pie of Washington can safely employ their cap
itsl in home investments that will he of mate
rial advantage, and feel secure that there is no
danger of a reaction or of loss from the reno
val of the seat of government.