, 1870-05-01
WASHINGTON.
Mount Vernon Since The Var.
Present State Of Waahington's Estate.
Future Of thc Potomac Country.
.Neighbors and Landmarks OF the
Chief.

glcge. Only ono man has since arisen to vie
with Washington in the love sud gratitude OF
the people, and his homo is practical frame
house, Of i disagreeable mud color, on the
muddy street Of an unfinished hAlf-citv, All
Of Mr. Lincoln that Is memorable to the eve Ia
found in Washington City. But Mount Vernon
is still the same noble tide-water estate. on one
u our elder tive1s, and the seener;es which,
lie around it amell Of tho ,Atlauti: and bear the
favor Of past great age VIC eha11 probably
never have place Of pilgrimage, take it tor
al in sl], to equal this, and those who revere
1lntoln most truly, hold as faithfully their a.
leeiAncs to him who waa first in the first war.
TIE RIVER WAT TO MOUNT vERnox.
little steamboat, With ! weak backbone,
Files daily to Mount Vernon from Washington.
The ~ AIzoE cAn cAzEy two hundred people
and her daily complement is not above ei1ty,
II IS fifteen miles from the capital to tie
shrine. and the fare is e1.5o, Of which q third
goes to the Mount Vernon Association. There
is Al poor restaurant upon the boat, and she is
ch1Herel by Ar. Sykes, II proprietor of VII
lanl's Hotel. You embark from tho foot of
Seventh st1eet,-a1ather drea1y set of piers.
and one OF two nearly condemned old steam
boats lying by. will few dilapidated man.
ein,ss looking down upon them from the clsv
hluG-,-and when, at half-pas 10 a. m., the
whistle has blown for the list time, 1oa nav
Fit on deck and look back at the ro,tico aud
E-crc Ct A-lington, the low, rickety Long
into the MARYLAND shore you see The site Of
,iss. Surratt's execution, and tho aczoa Of shot
sud cannon upon the lawn Of the
Arsenal. U the Eastern Branch,
whose mouth yon PASS. is seen The
(,no1 TYf3xy piphf 1n1 tHo
looking ike palace On steep- Helics 81 the
war arc observed, foz raAny = mile, in broken
wt:aryes, erected at great expense. and now
'ros'a N for fuel: IN tho forests cut on to the
stunys 70 give artillery space for Play, ind in
canrs and always the high mixed hills M
hoieinE their si1y rampalts two hundred foet
a5ov. the wster. We pull mp at Aexsndr;a.
and I'll are interested to zee eign on brick
bcuse Of
'HEoRaE wAsH1SaroN oUANo"
There arc ZONE negroes md h1ck-d1ireza on
the wharf, many EEad boats. some Canada
ttirs, vesc large and noble-looking, but no
American ships. OUR have ali foundered By tho
weight Of rig-5on piled upon them The town
Is still city, but client one. BARK! and up
u. 5soTn streets you can Sec the ghosts
OF the hsadcufled negroes 60, doring their
century Of cutses. Everything looks old and
waiting. waiting for the curae to be removed
from the ground. N Virginia NOW takes up
the nesE9es' cry: "How long, oh Lord how
lopg:" We leave belund the grassy battery OF
MeIsrdria. where ccws eat TIC moss from TIC
broken Eun-carragcs, tho 1ighthouse spire,
and tho Cameron Core. and, crossing to Mary
land again; stop at fort Foote, tho only earth
work Of the war etln kept in order and gsrri-
lon md sFsn y fo5g a9s stss position aaqhea hy
Abraham at Quebec Four miles below,
On the same eidn, is Fort Washington,
stone work, blown mp in 1914, but now
restored md bIlstling with guns, and as pic
.usesqoe spos as one can see- The nFer,
and nobie7, expanding into still, white lakes
and bays, With bold wooded shores, and many
shScnt mansions get amongst the chestnuta
saaa. ana oas5. En-, look down from Tho bluds and
scers tue tug-bo1ts which pun to drive their
9on osfges onward; the ahsd fshcrs, pulling
long sweeps, twent; men to u boat, and the
net playlnE out asteEu, and lying upon the
roson q the water Ike necklace Of cazbun-
clee, while ali the beachy shores arc eet With
w1ndiasses and huts where they are winding ia
Inc nets and ealhng the elad and herring. In
tho midst Of these far, white vistas and
peaceful pursuits, Mount Vernon is planted
amidst the h5llowed timber-tvees OF its former
noble foliage. - ''1-
TIE GRAVE or THE cH1Er n 1870,
Seventy odd years he has been dead" saya
sAA>NAI %Ao VIZ IALCu k44b uf6l Cllmp3$ GI tho
yellow mansion. with its red root, cupola, and
tall. slender pllaetera, aud ali the passeneora
cease to FpeaE and look up at fhe natural
lawn, dense with forest shade 10 The waters
e5gs. ~, We came to rest at Little pier, and,
ings, We begin to climb gentle gra7 elly path
which takes the advantage Of parina
and brook to mount to the plateau
OF o.. Mount Vernon, covered Ill the way
W'tn gracious shsde and musical With
C}QWlNE lfSTeN and ySr1r hfr3n
uses FL sut5ces to bring Us to the present tomb
OF Washington, standing amidst a little con-
Eregation Of family graves, ahont half wsy be-
~, .@esn i me f'yer aad the mansion and quietly
N .t,e,c s,ses whose heles ,se high they
,,l, ne somb q Washington iB plainer thsn the
Jealous american would expect. Il is ! pnck
genle slslSs lS:Se Sentea ted rod nd white h9t i
barred iron gate. II one should hunt Tor for
mean fcsembl3nces he would compare il to a
1tesnsy painted Rtable or m ice Eouse: and
yet, the man who lies uscreand the green woods
Whtch ta e9vet him shut ont tho worldly question
anaonest the yestigca Of his private sell, by TIC
EIDE OF TINT old wife wha obeyea him SO fsitb-
lnlis ana was happy in his seryce, ana his
Flosy Is not divided with mere marble or nr.li-
1ee1ofe: The aize OF tie tomb is nearly that
fanked With twoplain pilasterz, between WHICH
ahofe. is Ret in black letters; "Within
this enclosure rest the remains Of Gnner,1
George Washington" Looking through the
,s sass, one sees IN the shaded Light, two marble
t9Mafa the Spectator. Tint to the left Is
PlAln, and contains the dust Of Mrs. Wash.
ineton the other is e1nhc1lishoa upon Tho i'd
Ma,n spread caglc,. flag and shield, and
ho,z ha1, n INC loot WITH the donors name. It
ucs - 1T neloR TIE insignia the single word
nasmngton:" Doth marble coflns are large
and long behind them door opens into Ito
ua1k vault Of subsequent Washinstons, and
u'f scHp5nfa1 passage il letterod above 1t
that beicveth in Nc. though be we're dead,
yet skeil he live" >~1'
Outside this enclosed tomb aro four uonu.
menta, fuu Of the wordy inscriptions p1acod
ds,aI aIos1ne'M ne ana p1etentious people over their
aead. me Nashinstons who lie around their
.nciaentM relative were just able to support
Their derived dignity. and they haye tried to
Lt1ne tIat achievement to tho notice Of DOS
.ef'tE. E!eE respectable -imericaa who loves
.nd ~ 1sa @Hn MaAhington's practical devotion
Dasnrod Washington, or John A. Washington,
or az tie Cnstises. Thereis not tlroD of In
1 hofTi Upon the earth. Nature never sflictoI
Me e!ory with rosterity.
box low much Of the form Of tho GannrI
tnoa!a We find remaining: Probably Ittlc
more than some blackened bones. a1,i snmc
dried or liquid dust.
ALL EVACUATED TQMB-
The old tomb Of Washington at.nds m
higher ground, bctween the present vault aud
the mansion. II is bank of sod. oyeTTnoWn @
With cedars, and email trees, approached by
s,eeIrs s,,eer walk T. Of few yards il length. a1d
low. moasy arch Of brick Here 1Wsshing-
tens body remained thirty yea7r, or unEI O.
tober :, 1857, although he had left directions
IN lis viii to have prepared for. him a Yxult,
IT,, .le g; rsesenf vanlt requiring repairs, and be-
Eelfs and executors we're in no hurry to 20 to
tnis expense, Willie they stout]v refused to
FlVe the remains TO the government, and, At
!ast, .'ne desperate person, probably irapos-
lhg upon himself the work which had been ne
elected, forced the door Of tue old 1ault md
carried Away The lest preserved bopes and
tkn'l LIE could find Then outside parties rro- |
toeed to help The Washingtona remove the |
hods, and Philadelphia masblc4utter pro |
hehted the family with the present sarcophA- |
Ens. Ih!s nan aud his ally, aud fellow con-
fs1Eu'ar. hare answered the question above |
FroInu,:Ged.
In the old vault they found Fragments Of |
cofsins, dccarcd wood. l,onur, bugs. and snaile |
=, stss"n together over the hoor,. and the graye
". w. ..h;, a runscs.t and nnwholesomo smell
iuf'tcst part Of the vaalt, and the coffin OF the
zero APPEARED to have been disturbed; for the I
ooter easc Of wood vas decayed, and the inner
tura ~ ,ead , Nas sunkcn and fractured. They
,,,,..s :. oA HIAi TIE itp OF the ]eaden c1Be
Ilss. iIlon Hsett. and e1po~cd 10 view ~ head and
seeleI, scets1 .. w. la1gs dimensions Tbs eye
Nas no appearance Of grave clothes. t,,o nasar
waS dark, and lad the appearance al dr;sd
Tseh %e a.~ and ~ s5n ,; ;.dhe.ng closely to lie bonss
oder s IN rcn ~ W. ei 1n n'5 wss thsEe offensive
down 1;cn .Le leaden c..e rhea n. re,npa rs,pPeaa
brought" VIC naa
Tn: Is the tale Of mortality. They se,led
nP With ccncut the old lead md ity contenfs