Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-03-27
FROM WASHINGTON.
The weather-PrOmenades-A white
House ReeeptiOn-The Soldiers
HOme-MOunt Vernon
from a Lady cOrrespOndsnt.I

The Weather-PrOmenndesE WINNIE
House ReeeptiOn-The soldiers
Home-MOunt Vernon.
TFrom a Lady Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March %.
The warm pleasant weather of the past
week shows US that spring is really upon
US here in Washington While the deni-
zens of the Forest City are probably shiv-
ering over fires, chilled by the cold winds
from the Lake, we are sitting by open
windows enjoying days as bright and
sunny as any early summer could give
We were on the avenue this morning,
which was as crowded as was ever Broad
way on a sunny day. The shop windows
were especially gay, with their tempting.
display of spring goods, the bright ribbons
and flowers, and, most important OF all,
the spring "bonnets'' of every conceiva-
BILE style and trimming, though it is easy
to see that the coquettish little gypsy"
is to be the favorite above all others.
There are several very fine stores in
Washington, a great many fancy shops
especially, but the prices demanded are
generally SO exorbitapt that we can only
look and long for the pretty things.
There are not many pleasant walks or
drives around the city. For promenades
the favorite resorts arethe Capitol Grounds
and Jackson's Square, opposite the White
House. Around this Square are the
dwellings of several of the Cabinet Min
listers, the French Minister, who occupies
what is known as the Corcoran House,
and several of the leading Senators. This
Is the a~ristocratic "West End' of Wash
ington. Farther up on I and the streets
adjacent many of the members OF
Congress live.
1 attended the last morning reception OF
the ladies of the White House. They
receive every alternate Friday from one
o'clock till three. 1t was a very quiet
affair, hardly more than twenty persons
present while we were there. Quite a
difference from Mrs. Lincoln's matinees
last winter, which were always crowded
The last time / was in the White House !
had a kindly smile and cordial grasp Of
the hand from President Lincoln, who
was, if possible, always present on those
occasions. President johnson seldom
appears, l believe. We we're shown into
the Blue Room, where Mrs. Patterson and
Mrs. Slower received US very cordially.
They were both dressed quite plainly in
black. From the Blue Room we went
through what is called the Green Room
into the East Room. The Marine Band
was formerly stationed here, and their
playing was one of the most attractive
features of the reception, but their pres
ence has been dispensed with. From
the East Room we went into the conserva-
tories, where we saw a very fine show OF
azaleas, but the collection of plants is
more numer ous than choice. 1 noticed
among the guests Lady Emily Thurlow-
the niece of the British Minister, also the
wife of the Russian Minister and the
Baroness Won Limburg, formerly Miss
Cass.
Taking advantage of the pleasant
weather lately, we have been out to the
Soldiers Home, where President Lincoln
spent the last two summers of his life
To reach the Home you drive out on
Seventh street about five miles north from
the city. This Home for disabled soldiers
was founded by General Scott, who pur-
chased the land and caused the building
to be erected entirely at his own expense.
The location is a very healthy one and
commands a very fine view of the city
and river. There are three dwellings
within the grounds beside the Home, all
built in Gothic style and Of q white,
g~listening stone, brought from the Hud-
son river. One residence is reserved for
General Scott. The others are generally
appropriated by the Presidents family
for q summer home.
There are at present about one hundred
and thirty soldiers in the Home, all cared
for by the Government, most of them dis
abled in the Mexican campaign the rest
are Union soldiers. They have a reading
room with plenty of papers, a weli-flled
library, and car pass their time as they
choose. They take care of the grounds,
which are beautifully laid out, and well
kept. This place wa a favorite residence
of Mr.. Lincoln's, and its quiet must have
been grateful to him after his weary la
bors in the city he would often ride out
here late at night unattended, and, con-
sidering the loneliness of the road, it is q
matter of surprise that the first plans of
tho oonspirators we're not successfully ex-
ecuted. Near by is a soldiers cemetery
containing oven 500 graves, a great many
of them marked unknown"
On our way home we stopped at Have
dale hospital, a lovely place, formerly the
country residence of Mr.. Coreoran, a pre-
tended Unionist, but who lived abroad
during the war and furthered the rebel
cause as much as possible. On our way
out we stopped to break off some of the
ivy running over the Porter's Lodge, and
for so doing were soundly berated by Its
Irish keeper, who threatened us with all
sorts of dire ealamities. We further
heightened his Indignation by informing
him that the place did not belong to Nj.
Corcoran, but to the Government, and left
our Fenian friend fairly dancing with rage.
The property ought really to be confsca-
ted but Under the present Administration
will soon be restored to its former propri-
etor.
An excursion to Mt. Vernon is one of
the pleasures of which, during the war,
strangers visiting Washington have been
deprived. Last winter, when we went
down the river, on the way to Fortress
Monroe, guard boats were stationed at diff
ferent points along the shore to protect
the place, and no one could land without a
pass, and it was unsafe to do so without a
guard of soldiers, as Mosby's men were
very troublesome; but now everything
is changed, the dreaded guerrilla chief is
practising law at Leesburgh, his
followers have ~diRbanded, and the steamers
land their passengers at the little wharf
without fear of molestation. l had the
pleasure of making the trip q few days
since, with a party Of friends. The boats
are advertised to leave every other day al |
ten o'clock, but Notwithstanding that we
were told positively at the hotels that they
left two hours earlier. So after making
extraordinary exertions to be at the wharf
in time, we found we had two hours to
wait after all, much to the discontinue
Of some of the male portion of our party,
who were in the unphilosophical frame
IF mind oharaotariSfio Of THAR cav wba1 L