New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-04


rlssm. between re trees that sdorn TIE shores o
tie Hudson, the slorr all aloug tue river Is 10 sucl
condition that il with,.rsws the eye iron the ye,
low stream 10 its own uglHess. Nstsre alone Is al
wsys beautiful. Art may be so; but neglected
declaring Art hiss no redeeming features.
We wound in long Indian file mp the narrow
plank, occasionally giving vent to exclsmatiens o.
disgust, occasionally stopping 10 pluck son'en-
IN, but hurryng forward in hopes OF coming 10
something better. The FIRST thing We came to WAS
a little negro boy, some ten or twelve dismal VIII
tiers old, clad in greasy. faded wooden, barefoot,
with canes to SELL lie affirmed that he belonged
to Nr. Washington, and that the proceeds of hs
traffic enriched bis own pockets. Those who can,
may believe il. At the rate at hich he was selling
taese sticks, gnarled, kuotted pieces Of sapng just
as they grew 90 cents aplece) b. would have
been able to buy bis own freedom in two years at
the furtbest. At almost every point Of the plAnt
alton which We visited, was eolored boy or col
ored woman, or a colored man, selling canes or
cuttings, and one of the shops was occupied by
an old, gray haired carpenter, who was deToting
his whole energies to the manufacture Of cedar
canes. All told the same story as the hrst boy We
saw. credulOus person would have con-
euded that John A. esq., was the proprietor OF an
eeemosynary establishment, Llberisn aims
house, for the elevation Of the African race. What
mean, then, those advertisements Of runaways in
ally wreathe your columns Who would run FROM so
Kind master-a master who deyotes the profits of
his inanmate property TO the pecuniay advance
ment Of his animate estate-who neglects the
former for the sake of the latter, humorlog 1t so
far as to allow il to cut sticks IN the remOis cor
neTs Of the plantatstion, not where the cutting
would thin the visible forest and improve those
parts which every visitor must see What slave
would not enjoy such caring Anna rirrn-
que caro-.
Next 70 the black boy came the tomb. The vault
ia some feet behind grated door, but the remains
of George Washington aud wife are in two sar
cophagi in 'front.' which are inscribed with adver-
tiscments of the donor. Between these sarcophagi
are stones and pieces of broken brick and plaster
ing, which had dropped from the sides. The CRATE
and lock rusty If never opened, and the inner
walls sweat " it'll damp, and are covered with an
unhealthy mold. A man who should keep his pig
stye in as vile condition would deserve to live in it.
The days ofhero-worship are over, It'll said. Yes
and the days in which the tOmbs of the prophets
are whited and the sepulcbres Of the righteous gar
bished. Such scribes and Pharlsees are not at
Mount Vernon.
The old vault, from which the bodies were re-
moved in 1857, is upon the brow Of decliyity
nearer the house. and is utter ruin, but, being
covered by the kind hand of nature with verc ure,
looks mu n more inviting than the new tomb from
which all turned in disgust.
An hour and half only Is allowed to passengers
by boat-bUt half time enough to make thorough
examination OF the premises. Visitors are admitted
TO only two rooms, both upon the ground floor and
fronting the psZza. These were each 0rnamented
with several eppavnes of historic interest and one
was rendered cheerful by an open wood fire. In
the old fashiOneded hall was the famous key of the
Baste and Washington's spy glass All seemed to
be preserved with some care, wac also aroom IN the
back part Of the house seen through the window.
sir-tOttOmed chairs, formally set, lined the walls,
ana in the center stood Wasbingto rocking horse,
as stif of limb as any old mans hubby. But the
house lsef is evidently falling 70 ruin fast; the Pr
are propPed at every pillar, the clipbosrds
are dropping here and there, and not window is
without a patch the plan being, where pane is
broken, to putty it up, and so leave it. Mr.. Wash
iDeton was presumed to be somewhere up stlirs,
but the mulattO in chaTgeprohiblted ascent, and not
a sound dropped from above.
The garden, also, was closed to visitors, but its
broken walls were easily scaled. Many bricks had
fallen from the lower part four feet in hight,
and the wooden pal,Dgs above had rotted wholly or
partially away, and were fallen, or in act to fall.
The little gate at the rear of the garden was un-
hasped, and |, being Yankee, entered. This is
not the season in which to examine a garden. But
some signs uHmistakabe. The rough, I'M
trimmed hedges; the hot-beds, in each of which
perhaps two panes Of glass remained-would have
told the story, even III the CONDITION OF INC fence
had not limited it.
What seemed to be greenhouse attracted my
attention. There was scarcely one unpatched
pane the whole length but putty kept out the air
and cold we'll enough. Two boards formed door,
through which 1 entered, to find myself among
some rare specimens of tropical plants. They were
arranged with no care 10 their welfare, but the
glory of the palm and the glowing lemOn-trees
made forget for the time being even the puttyed
psncs and the undulating brick flooring through
chinbs in which sptaDg weeds.
The old mulattO caught sight OF vs. as we were
leaving with plueked mementOes of our stolen
pleasure and he shouted aud ran, and stood at the
pOsteTn, grinnDg wrath and shaking his finger.
What will Mr.. John A., who could have seen tho
whole thing from his upper window, do to the poor
old fellow | regret my luxury.
There is ruined ice-house, n ruined summer
house. ruined huts, ruined fences-eyerything
going to rack and ruin. Why should go into
further details! EI unO disco OmneS: Get al ink
ling Of the volume from single chapters.
The slaves whom we saw-blacksmitb, carpen-
ter, gardener, cook and little ones-One mother
was sitting before her cabin Ere in the center Of
group OF fine little girls and boys with shining faces
LOOKED, am bound TO say, cOntented. But |
could not help neutrality-suspicious. unchartably-
that these might be the show. slaves; the malcon
tents, the potential runaways, being at work in
unyisited parts of the plantation. could not help
wondering what would be the fate of these unfor-
tupates wien the ladies should have bought their
present habltatiOn. But, cOntented they seemed,
they were scarcely such happy souls as an Article
in magazine for the current month would have
US to believe. q.
THE MOENy-YERNON Fund