New-York tribune., 1870-12-12
WASHINGTON SKETCHES.

turlatiou. Cereo perhaps the CongFessmen VIII 90 'r
handsome thing which win also be the just tmng ana
the wise thing for the capital We arc iuh OF iallh anu
nrophctc gratitude. Our prayer is simply, For what
we are 10 receive make truly grateful" We nave
waited patienty meeky and long, for the improvements
abont the great temple Of liberties, now going
on only too slowly. At times things have seemou
70 take no dirccton-to make no adVahoo-',"u
we have doubted whether we should suNN0 ~
the doleful Drift Period" But the avenue paw
lncnt Is really coming on brayely, IN u way -.
not even Chicago would despise. The nSpi.ne 49, '"~p
~ tho rqmrncr rcsounds from square 10 Sq"'i0
and the fragrance Of tar is on the ar IN 'o ~ o.
ably fine weather we have had FToSIeh0e soo "
have smiled on the good work. when VIII Oe su' W.
derfu prevcntive OF profanity in hackdvers ana Dc
lated diuers-out When all is finished ana gouty
Cr.ss,,o, or Admiral can roll in his carriage from
,ho caritol 70 the White House without q vince,
croan or an oath, TO have grand earnlNal u
do as the Romans do, without going to Rome we are
going 70 have a great turnout Of the arisocracy win
their turr-outs They say Mr.. Robert Bonner VIII De
80 Ditb his pcercss fast horses and Commodore Van
dorIt with his and James Fisk jr., and Dr. Helmbold
and LET us hope that George Francis Train will he in
time TO be on hand and eclipse them all AS for me- my
tastes are equine and my desires are moderate aspire
only 10 see the fast horses not the famous drivers am
no hero-worshiper. There has been great discussion
over the proposed jollifcaon Some simply think IL
rdiculous for us TO 20 prolonged ecstasies and eXu
tations the laying down of wooden-block pave
Inent which ought have been laid long ago. ana Wouu
have been II Congress and the city authorities had only
put their heads together. Others fear that II VIII De
sort OF second Inauguration Ball. broke loose and tear
fng M and down the Avenue, dsgracng us anew by
mismauagement confusion, drunkenness and roWdylSm
witnessed a Roman Carnival some sixteen years ago.
and even then and there had degeneraed from the
grand festi Of the old romantic times when danes Of
high degree from their gorgeous balconies, threw real
bonJons TO gay cavaliers, who in return flung costly
bouquets II had fallen into the hands of strangers and
tie common people, who threw down handtuls OF blind
ing stinglng cOlcHi-a vile imitation Of confectionery
being Of rain seed, coated withime Those
peting with this frequently peted in return with
a. vile limitations Of bouques-buncheso OF coarse flowers,
evergecns and gorse. s there some real ladies
and gentlemen engaged in the iroic real bOnbons
and flowers were thrown There much rudeness and
confusion at times and vugarity and bad temper
were displayed, chiefly among the English and Amer-
cans but there also much real merrment very sat
acory fun and oty and, as far as saw no drunken
ness can get along without that and be reason
ably Jolly the ftie will be "a good importation from the
Papal city-hetter than Qcumenical Council or the
Pope himself We shall miss the picturesque foreign et
fccs OF grand old architecture and quaint and varied
Costumes. We blessed with ruins Swiss Guards,
begging Friars and poor, but honest peasanty st,
our coored friends Will help u.s. with their gay dresses
and shining faces. Thank heaven they are citizens now,
aud have right to dance, well to help pay the fd
der. They have adopted Fourth Of july why not adopt
the Carnivall hope they will ALL high aud low, join in
joty, and that Nlr. Reyels will the appropriateness
OF leading the way. Hope however, shall not adopt
that cruel brutal feature Of the Roman Carnival the
race of rderess horses urged by spiked balls dang
ling at their Sides and by wild shouts, TO desperate,
frenzied speed-pcrhaps to manning and death. II we
must have IT, let poor old omnibus horses resigned to
die be run, IL possible, Of the sorry political
hacks with which the town is Overtocked By all MEANS
let this carnival ike the Roman close with the mOeo-
the GROWING evening rOc in which everybody carries
taper, which everybody else makes 1t point to ex
tngush. No game can be imagined mcrrier or more ex
citing. 1t will be pretty sport for the politicians the
are so used trying TO put out each others little lights
The authorities are dredging about TO dredge tn
useless stanant old canal to render 1t nayigable one
more, though for what or by whom cannot learn II
10 he hoped that dredging will have deodorzlng efe'
on this venerable institution. As 1t now is, in he
weather it is "mot toerable and not to be endured
~ Passing early any Summer September nornn
you frequent spectral shapes OF mist arising rOl
It's Shiny surface; and agues getting up for I'll
day Mr.. Smith, Superintendent OF the "Congressioni
Gardens" has think excellent idea in regard to ID
"ragng canawl" 1t is TO have it filed up, frOl
Thirdst 10 seventh thereby saving or recaiming som
five acres of valuable land and doing away with
eyapOrating pan for miasms Between Eighth and Mint
st ne Ey basin could be formed for purposes Of
negce, If commerce there be.
Mr.. Smith a gentleman OF intelligence and tas
and has dhough he is not Americanborn) deep into
est in the improvement OF public grounds. H.
plans for uniting the Capitol grounds with those OF t
Smithsonian and the Agricultural Department so as
make continuous drive 10 the Monument and tn
White House are believe, the same as Mr. DOwning's
the only practical plans for relieving the CaptO
Of its present confined and isolated appearance. Mr.
Smith desires that Government should set aside on,
OF the small parks Of the cy-say Lneoln-square-as
Of nursery the Oriental plane tree, the finest
for bOucvarls. has been proved by careful
pertinent and abundant experience in Paris He is most
rNin I, have fhgEp fraaa f--fo haV
planted all directions through the wastes of the city,
the ana triangular spaces, that they may grow
while sleep, wrangle party questions or
squander time receptions and Congress- die. He s
always doing whatever the present moderate apprOpa-
ton viii allow him TO do. TO improve and beautify his
narrow but most interesting domain Of garden and
grcen-houSe with and then building fOun-
tain, with tasteful grading and, above al, with the
faithful and aectonatc care, the most enthusiastic cul-
ture OF rare plants and trees He does not grumbe
denounce Congress for not helping him do more
canny Scot he knows that they wEoye in caSs-houscs
shouldn't throw stones" His whole heart is in his
work, and his faith in the future OF Washington as
noble and splendid capital, with complete and pic
uresque parks and boulcyards tdfyngy strong in The
face OF wicked 81 Lons CCuyeutionsscdtuus proceed
ings which enough to make the Father OF his Country
turn in the struthCrs sarCOplagus
For months unti quite lately, the ground on the east
front OF the Capitol las had in addition its usual
Of rubbish great stone slabs piled up
lying about loose though young earthquake had
been dsportng himself thereabous At last these slabs
have chiefly been put in place to form fine espanade
and payements in front OF the great steps The rubbish
has been cleared away Oy unfortunate oversight Per
sico's groups left behind, grassploS have been
laid out with granite coping, and altogether the dreary
spot has been much improved The world. the world
Of Washington. moves! Houses and blocks Of houses
going forward Capitol Hl. especially, is looking up
The new Coast scryey building is very handsome. The
Offices OF the Old Coast Survey, which were once