New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-06-30
rather than Of the artist The skin Of bis hand and The
nspiration of his thought are wanting in both. The


be cast in bronze and placed upon the summit Of the
dome is, in the beauty Of its lines, the repose OF us
magnificent proportions, its quiet dignity, and noble
aspect worthy of the genius OF Crawford ana Oh inc
position for which it is designed
When in the last days of Pope Eugenius the Fourth
the learned Poggus assembled the Capitoline hill Of
Rome be beheld 8" the shapeless and enormous frag-
menis the marble tbeater, the obesks, the colossal
statues the porcoes Of Neros palace, the public aao
"prvate edifces that founded for eternity lying
PROSTATE, naked, and broken like the limbs oil q
mighty giant" and he moralzed upon the vicis-
"sudes of fortune, which spares neither man nor the
"proudest Of his works, and which bures empires ana
cities in q common grave" When that IL Is 70 DC
hoped far-distant day shall come when some thought
full antquary shall ascend Capito inc bill to muse
among rs ruins, he will reflect not merely upon the
yicssiludes of fortune but also upon the mistakes OF
men.
The best and most natural approach to the Capitol at
Washington is by Pennsylvania avenue, the principal
street Of the city, Looking back when the steps OF the
edice are gained one sees from this commanding eie-
walton the winding Of the Po omac, the distant
bills and woods dotted here and there, with pleasant
country seats the broad of the town radatng
from the Capitol az center to those magnificent dis
directions aud at various distances the imposing Gre
clan temples devoted the several departments OF the
bushes. of the Federal Government. The city starts
at the foot of the hill stretching out year by year,
further and further toward the horizon Upon all this
the busy town, the public and private edifces, the
monuments on all that is and much that is to be-the
Capitol turns s back. The approach to its front is by
ciIeumvention. Beyond the limited grounds belonging
Il. a xp;d rad
the center, but they constitute only struggling suburb
of few buildings of the lower order OF dwelling
houses Upon tbs extensive plain, it was supposed
mighty city would confront the Capitol, and such
city would have, no doubt confronted it had tne Gov
eminent been possessed of ordinary share of adg-
ment and good taste Indeed it is said by the COM
parsye chespness Of land the people chose to nestle
upon the other side of the circle in the low grounds OF
the banks of Goose Creek. The Government need not
have been influenced by any such consideration, and
probably was not. If permitted itself TO be governed
by any other law than that of chance, it consented to
scatter the public buildings throughout the principal
domain from weak notion thait was bound 10 be ion
partial and spread over the whole city whatever ben
eft might arise from the location of these buildings
We do not know that such has been the motive gov
erning successive Administrations but we eau conceive
OF no other reason for placing the Presidential mansion
and the Treasury more than mile away from the
Capitol the Patent Office ard the Post Office i'll
oller locality ard aside from the principal thorough
fare the consideration of the lcast moment in her
relative positions vas the convenience of the public
bpsiness But whatever has been the motive for this
announcement distribution of the public ediices the er
ror s one to be greatly hmented If the city chose to
plant itself behind the Capitol, the Government
under no obligation to follow rs bad example, 1t
should, en- the contrary, have set better one, and
have created public domain hich later,
the ely would have come. Had two hundred
fronting the Capitol been devoted TO that pur
pose, and the other Governmental buildings been
placed within such grounds, properly laid out, Wash
iDgtOn would have had another aspect. We easily
conceive how grand the effect would have been had
all these noble cdisoes baan grouped within such
extended area parts Of great whole, Of which the
Capitol should have been the central and commanding
figure.
1t is too late now. The arrangement, 80 much to the
benefit Of the Washington hack-drisers, cannot be
changed. It cannot be changed; but il is remarkable
that when it determined to extend the CAPITOL tue
fact not considered that in the progress of events
is front had become the Obviously the Capitol
should face the town, but the town has settled where
that face should be by getting behind the Capitol Tae
hint shoud have been taken, and the front changed
The thing was not 90 ocult to do ten years ag, il
sounds. The Capitol extension would have been had
the subject been properly considered the Capitol
construction. And sach in the end it will probably
prove to be. The addition of the wings has increased
the edfce 10 three times is original To complete
il with the proper architectural proportions dome
mbst he added TO the center. Ths dome will over
lap tie old walls by several feet though the fact ia
be hidden by device of construction which is to
make il appear to spring from its proper foundations.
Such architectural falsehood is unworthy of the
place. and rather than resort it the center should be
razed TO tie ground and built. Had this been con-
sdered at the outset Washington would have had a |
new Capitol placed in accordance with the actual state
of THU gs now, aud not as it was supposed fifty years
ago, they would be. But the mistake now will never |
be corrected and the citizens of the Republic be
content eLter their chief edice by backdOor sat-
ished that it has u front which they may see Alright
who will take q walk into dirty suburb where few |
go for any other purpose
TIE public domain belonging to the Federal Gov
erDment may, for aught We know. be 'extensive but
the portion laid out with any pretenson to landscape
gardening is very limited. This includes the /
grounds Of the Smithsonian Institution, and the |
yards Of the Capitol and the Presidential House.
The grounds Of the Institution were made by |
Downing, and bear the unmistakaole marks of |
his manDerism. Had he lived, doubtless be |
would have greatly improved them in the choice,
variety, disposition of trees as we cannot think
he considered their arrangement completed At the
back of the building they altogether in state of
raure, and there is generally the appearance of halt
6nthed and neglected condition, which belongs to al
WaAhInptOn ia IN he cd