The Portland daily press., 1866-03-07
Terms ss per annun,, dn adrance.
Letter from the Federal Capital.
Z -aslal WASHINGTON, Mar. 2, 1866.

4 ~ WAsBNeToN, Mar. 2, 1866. ~ r.
oAs Ed'sor Of the Press: No. tat - ,li
I Sums iacts and figures relative to the colored
popuiauon OF thus vicinity may be ofinterest as
lseverytmng' In fact, tending to throw any
/ hght upon the great problems connected with
| the colored race in this country. The coIored ,
population Of Washington, as learned during
! arecentvisit to the Head Quarters of the Freed
| mans Bureau, is 24,os6, owning taxable prop
erty to the amount of 81 10000, of whom 74O9
can read. There are in the city 22 schools for
colored pupils, with 65 teachers, SAL scholars,
averaging in attendance 2343, of whom 1880 are
in the alphabet and primmer, 1040 in geography p
1858 in arithmetic, 1456 in writing, and los in
higher branches. The number of scholars is
s6 more than at the last previous report, and
the average attendance shows gain of 73 Yn
Alexandria has a colored population OF 7763
souls, owning property to the amount Of S99,S04,
OF whom 174 can read. The colored schools in
that city are ten in number. with 20 teachers.
iooz pupils, and an average attendance of751.-
OF these scholars 292 are learning the alphabet
24S geography, 645 arithmetic, AIS writing. and
81 higher branches. lblll 6 IMP y 20 CCrt
Georgetown has colored ponulat;on lnuu-
inere are iour coiored schools in that city,
with SIX teachers and S76 pupils, average atten-
dance ZIG, in alphabet 1l3, geography 50, arith-
metic 12O, writing n, higher branches 10.
The Frecdmans Village, Arlington Heights
Va, has population OF OF, of whom 1853 are
able toread. There are at this place 2 schools,
with teachers and 81 pupils. 7p.4 ai .-...7 n,
There are also, under the superintendenoe of
the Bureau, schools at Fort Strong, Camp
Wadsworth, Falls Church, Peach Grove, and
Leesburg, Virginia; and also Good Hope, Md,
and at Sixth District. Co. of Washington. Sum
day and night schools are not included in the
above statement. -ss5l 81. ~ -.---l ,,,-
There are, to recapitulate, in this Freedman's
Bureau District, 10 schools, log teachers, 55Ss
pupils, with an average attendance of 1891, of
whom az are over 16 years of age, 1906 are al
ways present, 1878 are always punetual, 2SOs
are learning the alphabet, 1869 geography, l549
arithmetic, 206l writing, 1S9 the higher branch
es. The whole attendance is 39I, and the aver
age attendance 201 larger than at the last prev
ious report There are also in addition TO the
abovel2 night schools with an attendance of
75s pupils. '-4A 'a- - h5t''a p. = n1os =.
A few additional facts respecting the opera
tions of the Freedman's Bureau in this city may
be interesting as illustrating the character OF
that abused, and persistehtiy misrepresented /.
institution. 1t has established one hospital in
this city tor colored patients in which there are
| now z50, one in Alexandria, and one at Freed
mans Village, under the care OF one assistant. j
and ten acting assistant surgeons. Four acting
assistant surgeons are employed by the Bureau
in visiting the sick among the coiored popuia-
! tion who can not otherwise obtain medical at
| tendance. Two soup house have been provided
where meals are given to the old and destitute,
| equal at present to 800 rations. Blankets and
shoes are given at this season to the utterly des-
titute. The great work of the Bureau is find
ing employment for the unemployed, of whom
more than 5000 have been provided with places
since the 10th of last July. There are three in
dustrial schools under the Bureau, where i50
women are taught sewing and other domestic
arts. There are i've other similar Schools un-
der private patronage. There is also colored
orphans henie in Georgetown, of which Mrs
Senator Trumbull is president, in which there
1t must be remembered that there are many
thousand freedmen in this District, thrown to-
gether by the mutations of the times, ignorant,
2 rudest kind oflabor, and often to but one kind
OF that, homeless and triendle. s, and that with
2 out some such kind agencies as I have deserib-
4 ed, OF which the great end and aim is to make
2 them capable OF self support as soon as possi-
Z Die, the most appalling suferings must have
been endured. Nor is it possible, though 1
write 1t with shame, that even here, in this 10y
1 al city, under the shadow OF the Capitol, the
freedmen be tolerably safe in the enjoyment of
4 their rights, without the protection Oh the Bu-
! reau. While sitting in the office the other day,
! note just received was handed me. 1t was
from mother who had hired out her daughter
aged IA years, to white woman at six dollars
per month. For a few months the white wo-
man paid the wages, but then refused either to
i pay the girl or let her go, saying that she be-
i longed as much to her as to her mother The
/ mother besought the interposition of the Bu-
/ reau in her behalf. And this, Il was assured is
not an exceptional case at all but only sample
of those constantly arising. What then, one
may well ask, must be the condition of the ex-
i slaves in the Tar South with out the very imper-
feet protection offered them by the Bureau?
i I may add in conclusion, that in the eleven
rebel States, there were Dec. 1st, 1865, 665 col
A@oO
500 schools supported by the freeomen them
selves. 1t may also be remarked that some OF
the colored schools in this District are among
the best conducted and most efficient L have ey-
er seen anywhere. Those instructed by Miss
Lord Of Maine and Miss L. A. Flagg OF Mass,
are believed to be worthy of special mention.
4 Such are few facts illustrating the condition
ofthe freedmen here, and those most Christian
efforts now making to relieve, educate and ele-
vate them. Though these schools and other in
stitutions are in most instances under the pro-
lection and supervision of the Bureau, they are
very largely supported by the charities of north
ern people. Though much has already been
. effected, this great field now opened to Chris
, tian benevolence, here and farther South, calls
for the united and untir.ng efforts of al who
love their country and their kind,-of all who
aspire to cooperate in tine sub line work of Him
who came to relieve and to save the poor, the
degraded, and the oppressed. rs. p.
! PRESENTING A BoUoEr BY TELEaRAPH.-
/ A Paris letter in The Nation gives the fol-
lowing bit of gossip: .in5ng.ls ll. bLo.l.n.
The most splendid entertainment vet is the
bail just given at the Prussian embassy to
: Prince and Princess Hohenzo.lern who are
making so Tonga stay at the 1ui cries. The
, hotel OF the embassy is a very handsome build
, ing, containing seven magnificent drawing
rooms, opening one out oil another and splen-
J dldiy lifted up. These rooms, with others ad-
; joining, were sumptuousiy oInameated with