The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-05-09

hocSr vERSos-TBx LADIES PuRcHAsE-
SrruLArross IN PATRIOTISM John A.
Washington, the present proprietor Of Mount
Vernon. has, it appears, made a very good
speculation in the sale Of the mansion and the
tomb of the father Of his country" and two
hundred acres OF the surrounding lards, to the
patriotic ladies Of the United States For the
property Indicated they are to pay him the sum
Of two hundred thousand dollars or at the rate
Of thousand dollars an acre. AS the adjoin-
ing estates, of the same quality Of soil, would
probably net Command the average of fifty
dollars an acre, nor anything like it, MIR. Wash
iDgton, II will be seen, has turned the patriot
ism with which his place Is and will be forever,
invested, TO very good account.
As the property of plain John Brown, and
wholly disconnected from any name and any
incidents Of individual greatness or public
glory, this Mount Vernon estate aforesaid would
be good bargain to the seller at fifty dollars
an acre. But take il at that, and how stands
the cases-
For Mount Vernon ,ci=dAg the patriotic associations
connected With ", ~ the home and the burial place Of
For Mount vernoc, n The ursaactnst property
oil Plaza !oha brown. .........-............. 10000
Net rroas from the uAms a,c fame OF Wash
toStea ..Slsoo Oo
Nor is this all. Within a year or two past
Mr.. John A. Washington, as we understand,
sold the standing timber Of these two hundred
acres aforesaid to Spectator in the city Of
Washington, for some twelve or fifteen thou
sand dollars. This timber was thus Bought to
be manufactured into patriotic walking sticks,
and q part of the contract was that Mr.. Wash
ington should furnish q certificate of the Mount
Vernon origin of every stick thus manufactur-
ed. A factory was accordingly built, and the
making Of these patriotic walking sticks at
twenty five cents piece (retaiD was commenced.
But whether the speculator has made or lost
money by the operation we do not know. 1t is
enough to know that American patriotism gave
to the standing timber of Mount Vernon q cash
value exceeding that which the whole estate
would have commanded as the property of plain
John Brown and that Mr.. John A. Washington
has made it pay.
A few years ago there WAS handsome forest
of beautiful American indigenous trees close by
the tomb of Washington; and there was another
pretty belt of fine timber, (including some sturdy
oaks, which were old fellows when Captain John
Smith made his explorations up the Potomac
along the declivity of the hill next the river,
in front Of the mansion; and there was
also another pretty grove on the north
side of the garden The patriotic walking stick
speculation, for all that we know to the con-
trary, hss destroyed all these groves calamity
which some, foolish people would regard as
scarcely second to the conversion of the man
zion itself into patriotic picture frames and
fancy workbOxes Those trees, coeval with
Washington, once cut down, can never be re-
planted; and yet 1t seems that neither Mr..
Everett, nor any one of the patriotic ladies in.
terested with him in the rescue of Mount Yer
non, have ever thought of interfering to stop
the woodchoppers Of that ruthless Spectator
The ladies could have bought him off; and the
groves which he has destroyed would have been
beyond all price as public property, trimmed up
and beautifed as parks and promenades for
visiting pilgrims. The trees that are left, If
any, should now be the first consideration Of
Mr.. Everett ard the ladies, even if they have tc
pay for them the full retail price which they
would command II converted into walking sticks
Fer some years past a line Of steamboats, has
been running from Washington to Mount Yer
non, under a contract with Mr.. Washington,
from which ne receives, we believe some twenty
five cents per pilgrim. This Per centage, together
with the canes sold by his niggers stationed at
the tomb, hes doubtless proved pretty good
thing and nobody has any right to complain.
Business is business, and if people are willing to
pay fox their patriotism, where they can't be
accommodated for nothing. il is al right. Mr..
Washington has suffered great inconvenencies
from the numerous pilgrims at oil seasons Of the
year to Mount Vernon, and II he has turned their
patriotism at last into hard cash, who can object?
Mount Vernon is cheap at 100000, az a pur-
chase for the American people 1t would be
cheap at 100000. Our only complaint il, that
Mr.. Everett. and the ladies were too slow in their
movements to rescue those groves from that
ruthless Spectator In Mount Vernon walking
sticks.
The FALLING Orr IN MMIGRATIoS.-Accord-
ing to the last report Of the Commissioners of
Emigration, the total number of immigrants
who have arrived at this port since the LIST of