New-York daily tribune., 1857-10-17
FROM FASHINGTON.
from ou Own Corr~spcodsot.

fnxsyp T6
in hi,torr existed anywhere else over SO vast ar
ara. except in China. Allowing for the inevitable
,.,,r.l differences produced by climate and by
mare lscalty one American city varies little from
another in architecture, dress, or manners. In
Washington, however, the visitor from the North,
and especially from clean, compact, well-ordered
Boston, will be struck by several marked charac-
teristcs He will be impressed, painfully lmpressed'
ifhe be not accustomed to much walking, win .no
great territorial extent OF the city whose o.
of CO. 600 is spread over surface as great as tnas
occupied by New York, with more thSn uon
t;mes "a inany inhabitants. Admirable as lne
general plan of the city Is In some resPects, III
others it is highly inconyenient Inc oreautn vi ho
streets and the irregular angles at wlch tney are
ntersected by the avenues undoubtedly concuce 70
health by prcmotDg the circulation OF the air, but
tbey impede what IS perhaps equally important, the
circulation ofthe population To the man in hurry,
Az N tbe man who is fatgued, the long reaches OF
haired sidewalk which be has to traverse are fear
61R tsexatious Not less 80 is the breadth OF the
ayl des to the near-sighted man who has 10 cross
b.N the street to read a sign or make sure Ol
number The wide separation ofthe Capital from the
President's House and the great pu6lc oinces Is
another inconvenience. UDlke any QUIET Guy WIN
which am ACQUAINTED Washington has no center,
or which amounts 10 the same thing, 1t has several
the Capitol the Presidents House and the ad-
;o;n;no DensrtneDts. the great hotels, Seventh
s,ast on which are the Post-O Office and the Patent
Of;,a and the whole so@ length OF pennsylvania
avan,e better arrangement would have grouped
the Presidents House and the Government buildings
aropn6 the Capitol in which case the hotels and the
other plsces OF public resort would have clustered
near them. President Washington mad notion that
if the Departments were placed near the Capitol
dnfia fn stt ha
debates, and the Members Of Congress neglect theirs
10 loaf about the Government Offices. The Presi
dents House was meant for q sort of country seat
or villa remote from the buse of the town, and the
Departments were placed near it for Executive con-
venience. The result is that building and popula-
tOn tend toward the Presidents House rather than
to the Capitol the increasing greatness of the Re-
public having prOdigiOusy swelled the business of
The Departments, which are perpetually active, while
the Capitol is client aud sumbe rous for eight months
Ia enc year and three four months in the next as
the long and short Sessions alternate
With the present location of the Presidents
House. if the Departments, the Post Office, the
Patent Office, the Smithsonian building and other
public buildings, had been ranged along Pennsyl-
yaDia avenue, both the convenience and the arch-
tectura effect would have been immessurably
greater, and the National Metropolis, with no add-
fional expenditure, would have possessed at least
one handsome and stately street tt to take s place
among the famous avenues OF the world
Public opinion seems to be strongly in favor of
building a new Executive mansion. Beside the
objection to the White House as dwelling because
Of its unhealthfulness it is alleged with reason,
that il is improper to compel the President to reside
il bis Office, surrounded perpetualy by everything
TO remind him of the cares and tolls of business. AS
well might great merchant or manufacturer be ex-
pected to have bis store cOuntingrOom under his
family roof or the Postmaster General to reside In
the Post Office. The White Hsuse will do very
well for an office to which the President can resort
at stated hours for the transaction OF business, but
like other men, he should have home to retire to,
where he can be free from intrusion and from the
cares Of office. The good people Of Washington,
however at least those who are so fortunate as 10
own real estate, are greatly exercised In mind on
the subject of the location of the new mansion.
Every owner of lot OF course wishes and expects
to be in his immediate neighborhOOd and the ques-
ton of the site is therefore likely to be an exceed
ngly embarrassing one. .,
Another thing WITCH VIII at once impress itself
mon the Northerner in Washington is the want OF
cleanliness in many of the streets and public grounds
variety Of steUcbes will assail his nOstrlls as ne
pssses along suggestive of maiiria and OF pestI-
en,,, in one form or another. He who has Ocea-
mon 10 pass even BOw through the street at the rear
Of the National Hotel will be greeted by eftiuyia
suf6cent Of themselves to explain and account for
the National Hotel disease. There is 10 that quar-
ter combination of uDsavOry smells from musty
cellars leaky gas-pipes, reeking drains and cutters
peYpetally dribbling with filthy water. Much pains
have apparently been taken to ventiate the hotel,
but ventilation is OF little avail while the external air
ia permitted to be poisoned so fouly.
About One-6fth of the population of Washington
ara people of color of whom again about One-ttth,
| believe, are slaves. Apparently, the coored pop
ulation is in very comfortable condition. They are
well clothed well treated and well employed. l
have never before seen active, Industrious ntelh-
gent looking and civilized looking colored pOpula-
ton. Beside domestic service, which they share
largely with the Irish and Germans, they are EN-
plOy ed as pOrters tsamsters, cOachmen, and IN all
SORTS Of miscellaneous labor Tney have several
Ourishng churches and schools, and seem to be, IN
short quite well of as the common aboflng class
in any of our Northern cities.
On paper, that is tO say on the statute'Dook OF
the city, the colOred people are subject TO absurd
and osgracefu regulations, copied apparently from
the police codes of Vienna, Paris, OF some other
despohc capital. For example, no free person of
color can have dance, ball or assembly at his or
her house, without first having obtained r permit
from the Mayor Gas in Paris from the Chief of Po-
hce), in which shall be mentioned the place. time
of meeting, number of guests, and hour of break
inc I'D the party. No free black is allowed to go at
large through the City Of Washington at a
later hour than 10 O'Clock at nigat without a
pass, except the drivers OF vehicles. Offenders
against this statute may be arrested and con-
6Ded in prison until the following morning
and tten be fned $40, at the discretion Of Justice
Of the Peace. There are also regulations similar to
those in force in the despotic monarchies of Europe
BY which free people of color becoming residents OF
the city are obliged to register themselves and give
bonds for good behavior. Practically these statutes
appear to be nearly obsolete, and they are certainly
not generally enforced. To some extent they have
had good effect upon the morals OF the coio5ed
population by restricting their opportunities for dis
sipation. They miaht without much harm 10 the