Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-04-08
W..hing.on Correspondents. q he rribun. rsl.r.yh

Washington Correspondents Of HE Tribune Telegraph
View from theCapitol-the ii1onumepi
of Washington. Smithsonian Inst
tuition Stanley's Indian gallery O
paintings-the aquarium. The Smith
sonian legacy, Mt. Vernon.
To one who stands at the west enter
ence of the Capitol of the United States
and takes . front view, the scene is on.
of great interest and picturesqueness.-
To the left is seen the pleasant cleaning
waters of the Chesapeake bay into which
the Potomac here joins it, and beyond
as well as to the front and the right tn.
landscape is closed in by gentle hills
Upon one OF these is the plantation o
the late George w. p. Gusts, the step.
son Of the immortal Washington. The
white walls of an old Virginia mansion
with the out-buildings clustering around
are distinctly visible among the trees
From the Capitol several large avenues
from twelve to fifteen rods in width di
verge-these are named after States Of
the union Pennsylvania avenue being
the Broadway ofthe City. At the head
of the latter, at the distance of one mile
stands the Presidents house, known
among the politicians as "the White
House." The other public buildings
are located indiscrimintely around ths
City without any particular reference to
the Capitol.
One of the most conspicuous objects
the eye rests upon from this point is the
unfinished statue of Washington. This
has now attained the height of one hun.
dred and twenty-five feet and is suffered
to stand still for want offunds. Congress
wastes in time and uselessappropriations
enough each year to finish this structure,
but declines appropriating any thing to-
wards its progress. 1t will be remem-
bered that nearly if not quite all the
states as well as some foreign countries,
societies, corporations and individuals
have contributed blocks of stone with
appropriate devices to be placed in this
monument. These are to be arranged
that in making the spiral ascent in the
interior of the monument they may be
read by the visitor. Should this great
work be completed according to the de-
sign of its founders and according to
the plan so far followed, it will be the
highest monument in the world, not ex-
cepting the highest of the pyramids.-
Mankind in both hemispheres will &C
knowledge the propriety of it. for so
lowered the deeds and character of
Washington above all other men known
in ancient or modern history. 1t may
not be generally known, but such is the
fact a. learned from a reliable source,
that the site of this monument is the ex-
act spot which Washington's himself
had selected, in case his countrymen saw
fit to erect some token of their rsmem-
berance to his memory.
Not far distant to the left is the Smith
sonian Institution-a large sand stone
building with octagonal towns builta after
the European style of architecture. A
rich Englishman who became an adopt.
ed citizen of this country few years
ago, dying, left an immense property to
certain trustees to be spent in the "di-
fusion of knowledge among mankind. :"
The money has been difussed quite lib
orally, but the knowledge comes slowly
should judge. The building is in an
unfinished state-ths library not large
and the grounds bear marks of neglect.
In one wing of the institution are some
coarse paintings of the different tribes
of Indians, such as portraits of Chiefs, do
mestic scenes &c. These are drawn and
painted by an American by the name OF
Stanley if l remember right. 1 am told
they are very truthful, and if so ought to
be purchased by government and placed
in proper galleries. They would be-
come in few centuries ut least, very
interesting indeed, and perhaps the only
mementoes the age would possess OF
the once original, powerful and probably
then extinct races. The last of the red
men upon this continent will then have
been numbered and the future anthro-
pologist will look upon them with the
same feelings that the modern zoologist
does upon the organic remains of the
the mastodon and other hugeani mails
that once existed upon the earth.
In another room containing a few
rather poor pictures of some oriental
cities, together with models of buildings
both ancient and modern is an "aguar.
ium" on limited scale, however, the
same having just been started. This is
something quite new in this country,
and in 8 few years will form quite q
pleasing as well as instructive feature
in our musems and collections of natur-
al history. There is already quite an ex-
tensive one in Barnum's museum, New
York. 1t consists of long cubical glass
vessels containing sea water in which is
reared a variety Of marine animals and
marine plants half animal and half veg.