Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-01-14
Correspondence of the Keowee Courier.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA., Dec 9G. 1859.
w. Ethtor: Perhaps it will not be altogcth-
or nn'nfcrcstlng to some of your readers to sec
nm account of Il trip which We have Just made
to Washington City:
In company with several Of our ,ellow-studcnts
we stepped aboard the cars for Washinatop--
distant about l20 miles. After some three or
four hours ride We arrived at the city of Alex.
ahur'a' with population of about u, 900. Soon
we were on board the George Page and tho no.
Die steamer ploughng the waves on tho bosom
OF the broad Potomac. Washington, with its
spires and minarcts and domes, was in sight. and
seemed to be Just ahead" and vet at the same
time about eight miles Off But it was only y
httc while until we wore there, when we took
an omnibus and drove, not rapidly, but slowly,
to browns Hotel where nearly all of the South.
crn members of Congress have rooms we ar
rived about ~ O'Clock, and immediately proceed.
cd To see that far. famed body, the American
Congress i'll session. The forenoon of the next
day we spent in visiting the Patent Office and
me capitol One could spend q week in the
Patent Office and never tire of seeing the benuti
ful models ut nil the inventions for which nm
tents have been obtained since the foundation
of the government. They have there the coat
and pants in which Washington delivered un
his commission to Congress--the original com
mission itself, and ais the original draft of the
Neclnraton of Independence. The Cnpitol is
said to be one of the finest buillincs in The
world, and indeed after looking ut it, one could
lmrdly conceive how any finer or any 6rondcr
could be built Through the kindness of col
ASfMoRE, wo shown the various an,,rt.
mcnts IN the Capitol--thc Speakers room which
contains the cciebratcd 1900 dollar mirror which
the Southern Opposition last year made so unch
fuss ovcr--thc Committee rooms and tho Virc
IrGSldents room. 1t is true that they are all
htfed up IN very costly manner bnt not more
so than becomes the Capitol of a Great nation
bike ours. The Capitol is built almost entirely
nd marble great portion of which is obtained
an tennessee. We saw the old Senate Cham
ber oonsccrated by the many rccnlleetions Of
our own great Calhoun which cluster around
" @o saw and stood upon the very placc
where the brave and noble hearted Brooks rnncd
that hurlesque upon Senator, Charles Summer.
and where hc exclaimed, "Oh! I'm most dead,
IN most dead, and for which he has abandoned
n'hScl =. rom TIC Senate for nearly two years.
IL is great pity that he did not die. 1t would
have been political blessing if nos = social and
moral one, to the whole country In the old
llonse or Representatives stands the statue of
. Freedom which is to surmount the dome Of
the Capitol whcn completed 1t was the last
%ork OF tho American scultor, Crawford tbs
one OF the most beautiful pieces of statuary we
have ever had tho good fortune TO behold On
one side is q shield, while in tho riebthand is \
sword, and in the left an olive wreath. Stand.
lug upon tie dome Of the Capitol the eye com
maids VIEW of Washington aud Georgetown
aud severalsmics of country around Directly
an 'front.' OF the Capitol stands tho unfinished
Washington National Monument while q little
3 tothe left stands isolated and grand the Smith
Son'an lnstitute with grounds very beautifully
and tasteinliy arranged, with gravelcd walks
lined with various kinds OF shrubbery 4 iitt,,
further on rolls in silent majesty the broad po.
tomoc bearing in its bosom both the waters of
the little brook that comes trckling down from
the rocky slopes of the Blue Ridge, and still
larger waters coming from almost every direc-
tlon, until they find themselves united i'm the
mighty Potomac: While standing upon the
dome we were reminded of the remark of Mr.
LEOARE, about Washington: ."Tlrat it was \
city Of magnificent distances, boardine.hoase
keepers and Government clerks" The Smith
sonan Institute is an object of great attraction
to visitors. We spent several hours there, and
while there saw great many things to CRAFTY
the eye and please the taste. We spent some
time in the Stanley Gallery of Indian paintings.
which contain some $50 splendid paintings rem
resentiDg the most noted Indian characters of
. this country. and some of the most promitent
characters Of Indian life Froa this we went
into another Gallery containing specinlens Of
The rarest birds and animals from almost oyery
part of the world. In one part Of the Gallery
was can containing the eggs ofell tho differo1t