The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-11-30

markaOle 10 discover that this appearance IL
caused by the quantity of tobacco they contriye
to stow away within the hollow of the cheek
tits strange enough, too, to see honorable gem
lleman leaning back in bis tilted chair, With
his legs on the desk before him, shaping
convenient ''plugp with his penknife, and
when is quite ready for use shooting the old
one lIOm his mouth as from a pOpgun, and
clapping the new one in its place.
was surprised to find that even steady old
chewers OF great experience are not always good
marksmeD, which has rather inclined me to
doubt that general proficiency with the rifle Of
which we have heard 80 much in England. Seye-
ra gentlemen called upon me who, in the course
of couversatioD, frequently missed the spittOon
at five paces, and one (but he was certainly
shortsighted) mistook the closed sash for the
open window, at three, On another OCCASION
when i dined out, and was sitting with two
ladies and some gentlemen round FIRE before
dinner one OF the company fell short of the FIRE.
place six distinct times / am disposed to think
however that this was OccasiOned by his not
aiming at that object, as there was q white mar
bic hearth before the fender which was more
convenient, and may have suited his purpose
better.
The Patent Office at Washington furnishes an
extraordinary example of American enterprise
and ingenuity, for the immense number
of models 1t contains are the accumu-
the whole of the previous collection having
been destroyed by FIRE. The elegant structure in
which they are arranged Is one OF design rather
than execution, for there is but one side erected
out of four, though the works are stopped. The
Post Office is a very compact and very beautiful
building. In one of the departments, amone
collection of rare and curious articles, are depo-
slted the presents which have been made from
time to time to the American ambassadors at
foreign courts by the various potentates to
whom they were the accredited agents of the
republic-gifts which, by the law, they are not
permitted 10 retain. | confess that looked upon
this as a very painful exhibition, and one by no
means flattering to the national standard of
hor esty and honor. That can scarcely be a
biph elatp Of moral feeling Uhtpb
gentleman of lepute and station likely to be
co oIupted, in the discharge of his duty, bV the
present OF snuff-box, or a richly mounted
sword, or an Eastern shawl; and surely the
nation who reposes confidence in her appointed
servants Is likely to be better served than she
who makes them the subject Of such very mean
and paltry suspicious.
At Georgetown, in the suburbs, there is a
jesuit College delightfully."- situated, and so far
as had an opportunity of seeing, we'll man.
aged. Many persons who are not members of
the Romish Church avail themselves, | believe
of these institutions, and of the advantageous
opportunities they afford Tor the education of
their children. The heights in this neighbor-
hood, above the Potomac river, are very pictu-
rescue, and are free, ] should conceive, from
some Of the insaubrities of Washington The
air, at that elevation, was quite cool and re-
treshng, when in the city it was burning hot.
The Presidents mansion is more like an Eng
lish clubhouse, both within and without, than
any other kind of establishment with which can
compare 1t, The ornamental ground about it
has been laid out in garden walks. They are
pretty, and agreeable to the eye though they
have that uncomfortable air of having been
made yesterday which is tar from favorable to
the display OF such beauties.
My first visit to this house was on the morn
ing after my arrival, when | was carried thither
by an official gentleman, who was so kind as to
charge himself with my presentation to the
President.
We entered large hall, and, having
twice or thrice rung bell which nobody
answered, walked without further ceremony
through the rooms on the ground floor, as
divers other gentlemen (mostly with their hats
on, and their hands in their pockets) were
doing very leisurely. Some of these had ladies
with them, TO whom they were showing the
premises; others were lonnging on the chairs
and sofas; others, in a perfect slate of exhaus
tion from listlessness, were yawning drearily.
The greater portion of this assembage were
rather asserting their supremacy than doing
anything else, as they had no particular busi-
ess there that anybody knew Of: A few were
closely eyelDg the movaoles, as II to make quite
sure that the President (who was far from popu-
lar) had not made away with any OF the
furniture, or sold the fixtures Tor his own pri-
vate benefit
After elancing at these loungers, who were
scattered over a pretty drawing-room, opening
upon terrace which commanded a beautiful
prospect of the river and the adjacent country,
and who were sauntering, too, about larger
state-room called the Eastern Drawing-room,
we went up stairs into another chamber where
were certain visitors waiting for audiences. At
sight OF my conductor, black, in plain clothes
ana yellow Shippers, WHO was BliulDg nOlSele5Sly
about, and whispering messages in the ear of
the more impatient made sign OF recognition,
and glided off to announce him.
We had previously looked into another
chamber fitted all round with a great bare
wooden desk or counter, whereon lay files
of newspapers TO which sundry gentlemen
were referring. But there were no such
means of beguiling the time in this apart
ment which was as unpromising and ttresome
as any waiting room in one of our public estI-
blshments, or any physicians dlning-room dur
ing his hours of consultation at home.
There were some fifteen or twenty persons in
the room. One, tall, wiry, muscular old man
from the West, sunburnt and sWarthy, with a
broWn-White hat on his knees, and giant UNI
brella resting between his legs, who sat bolt
upright in his chair, froWning steadily at the
carpet, and twitching the hard lines about his
mouth, as il he had made up his mind ITO FIX
the President on what he had to say and
wouldn't bate him a grain. Another, Ken
lucky farmer six feet six in height, with his
hat on, and his hands under his coat-tails, who
leaned against the wall and kicked the door
with his heel, as though he had Times head
under his shoe and were literally "killing" him.
A third an oval-faced, bilious-looking man,
with sleek black hair cropped close, and whis-
kers and beard shaved down 10 blue dots, who
sucked the head OF thick stick, and from time
TO time took it out of his mouth to see how it
was getting on. A fourth did nothing but whis-
tie. A fifth did nothing but spit. And indeed
all these gentlemen were so very perseVering
and energetic in this latter particular, and be-
slowed their favors so aOundadlY upon the
tial hOusemads have high wages, or, to speak
more genteelly, an ample amount of 'compen-
sation,n which is the American word for salary,
in the case of all public servants,
We had not waited in this room many
minutes before the black messenger re-
turned, and conducted us into another of smaller
dimensions, where, at a business-like table
covered with papers, sat the President himself,