The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1860-12-15
MOUNT VERNON H0TST KEEPING.


,lemen efA'ssHty years ago surrounded thcmsel-
Washinston's life has enabled us to form a def
mite uea of the style of house-kee maintained
by gentlemen in that period when our grandsires
were mensof activity, anu elegant people had their
dwellingain all street, and the hth avenue
cabbage sileld.
Tie furniture of every room and bedroom and hall
is descriled, that discover the very idea
of the arrangement. 1t is curious to read the ia
miliar tides Of the divisions of the housejust such
as grow INTO III almost every one dwelling lex
ccpt where the people celebrated the May Day by
a perpel lual movement, New koom the Little Par
lor. the study, Washington's Old Room, the Room
Mrs. Washington now kceps.'
Two large looking glasses IN the New Room
op,ra ase,l at for both OF them $500, and tie win
dow curukns ut $1UO, which sums would net 60
very TAI lay the iurnlslina Of rooms sNith,
broad sweep of French mirror, OF enveopIng the
crystal na1e windows with sumptuous folds OF da-
mask and lace brocatelie In chairs, however, the
New Room coplous. The General liked COM
Portable company, hence there are recorded Tor TINS
apartment ~ mahogany chairs, which are valued
at $40 each This favortc article Of furniture
as the inventory makes mention in all the rooms of
Isl
The four silver plated lamps Ut s25 each may be
considered among the most luxurious OF alpcn-
dagcs of the New Room.
The looking glass in the Little Paror' could
rot by the scrupulous Conscience Oh the appraisers,
b" valued at more than $50; but some prints are
but in at large figures. The sea fight between the
Bon Homme Richard Of Raul Jones and The Serepis
quoted IA S25, ard the Distressed situation
of Queu,c,' which sum of course, Il ose identical
prints would now easily br1S-but Eot without their
FeInou association
We are all curious to know what was IN the
Front Parlor, for t. that room CAME ae Chateaubli
and and all OF the loEg train OF admirers IRON ali
parts of the world who came to see tue man for
whom alone, of ali mankind, ErsAlne declared his
reverence.
There the elegant looking-slass is of the worth Of
$50 and the sofa is at $40, ad five china Hover pots
o.o}, I,1t catty r; that
room in portraits 1t seems to have been family
Portrait Gallery, the Washingtons and Custises
and La Fayettcs there, set down at moderate
prices and probably in al: judicous appralsemcnt;
yet eeould like to know why Mr.. Lcar's inventory
should have placed his own portrait at $50 and the
Generals sat only $50 The appraisal OF postefity
is not in that order. Perhaps we are mistaken
about the of these rooms In the 1ront Paf1or
the window curtains only $40, while III the new
they were worth 500. The company
have been seen III the latter, Tor marina ash
ii,eton was human and feminine, and no lazy ever
yet lived in civilized lands but would have preferred
to show tie ,alntler dalnask
In the dining. otm where the true old Virginia
hospitality of h CHEST and most uns'liled page OF
its history was maintained, the two din ng tables
are but. $50; the mahogany sltleboard S23, ana
there but ten chairs One OF the prints that
adorned the walls, Was the representation OF hlaS
Alfred dividing his loaf with the Pilgrim In this
.o1o ,---.1 General " olfc and Ritten-
house and Frankln-abnniantly suggestive themes
in each of those for the conversation at the
dinner.
The love of the ou: door life is shown in the fact
that there were thirty window chairs on the Piazza.
The costliest article in Mrs Washing tons Old
room was the time piece, which must have been a
beauty as it is estimated at 500. In the room she
retained, the entire furniture was only Of the value
Of $40
Rather curiously the enumeration of the furniture
of the study commences with seven swords, four
canes seven guns and eleven spy-glas>eS these
were significant books Of study as George w ashns-
ton had read them. This stndy' is not appro-
priatel7 named, all that was IN the room were
the articles used 10y the General IN the campaign or
aS surveyor.
The library has very interesting catalosue-in
tcresting specially because these are the books Sc
lectcd by George Washington a man who read hard
read to learn, and formed his English not out OF
his school, but out of his library.
In the iron chest the General could show some
thing whc!, few elegant mansions OF day of lux
urv nassess There arc a set of shoe and knee buck
les which Mr. Lear values at s2oO-and MS oecor"-
tions of the Cincnnat-those suggestions OF noblil-
ty at whose coming, John Adams made such grey
ous mention indicating that 1t was time tor him to
retire into the Quiet of sccusion, if this order was
allowed Washington had two gold and one d'a-
mond Cincinnati eagles, which, together, are appral
i cd at over $40
he CORPORATION of New York of that time-hon-
orcd their CITY and themselves by presenting the
General with gold box. his is among the pre-
cous deposits OF the iron chest
And with the mention OF this git by our CITY, o2r
look at the interior of Mount Vernon ceases except
to aude to the impressive fact, that this avorite OF
the civilized worid--this gentleman 10y birth an as
sociaton, whose position no man diSp ,ted-was the
owner only of forty four pounds an fifteen ounces
! of silver plate il. value only Sooo
| Such, then, was the place where one OF the most
elegant of all our fathers lett on
! But, after all, Mount Vernon had its grandeur in
the man. oENfiNEL'
! TRYING Ii On.
Burchart. the rers .iist, Was il the habit OF adj
dressing his COM; cation III THIS manner:
'.Isa1n ;,,ng to pray. and want all that desire to
be prayed for to seI.d uf their names on piece OF
paper -.
| On the occasion to which We refer, there was at
once sent UP to the desl. qui pie OF little Sips
| 10 a,res,le.,' as lie said, with the Almghty.'