The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-06-26
CORRESPONDENTS.
Mount Vernon.

Every day a party of tourists leave the
Federal city for trip down the Potomac
river as far as Mount Vernon-a beautiful
sail of fifteen miles from our national capi-
tai. The steamer "Arrow," neat and
commodious, and swift-winged as her name,
presents an attractive scene. The ladies'
cabin, handsomely furnished, and bright
with flowers and birds, is scarcely more
than reccption-room, except in the storms
of summer or cold of winter. The hpper
deck, half canvassed and half exposed to
heaven, takes the lovers of nature; and
here one may enjoy ad Hbit,8n some Of the
finest natural scenery in the world. Be
tween Washington and Alexandria the
ferry-boats ply hourly. Below the latter
city there is less Of commercial life the
river broadens, and winds with Nc
tlresqueness at once as impossible to de-
scribe with pen as to portray upon canvass.
For miles adown the stream the magnif+
cent dome of the Capitol looms up in the
perspective until enveloped in mist, it fades
away among the clouds. The river now
becomes the theme of every enchanted be-
holder: On either side, the eye takes in
feast of rural beauty bursting through Wis
tas Of evergreen, and from over the cluster
ing hills. The Maryland, constrasted with
the Virginia shores, lie lower, or seem so
from the graduated slopes of more de-
pressed and broken line of hills. Washing
toms choice seems still the favored of his
people. Bold and high-browed Virginia
will never bow her naughty head to all the
sunny slopes of Maryland. 1t is difficult to
realize the age of a country whose appear
ance is everywhere so new and natural
Nature left to herself in all her moods, pre-
sents a grand and attractive study; but
ones eyes yearn to see more life and civil
ization where God has decorated the hills so
richly and spread out such glowing land
scape. Here and there, an old antiquia-
ted habitation may be seen rising dingy
and sombre from out the densely wooded
hills-the pioneer of ancient days--and
anon, glittering from out some ambuscade,
a pier outstretches like hand of welcome.
The Forts passed, two in number, are
pleasantly located, but not particularly inn
posing III a military point Of view. Here
the river, though broad, abandons itself to
the loving embrace of lofty bank and deep
ening shade, every curve in its deep margin
mirroring the wealth of its forest-clad
hills. That so much beauty should have
been left almost wholly to the care and uses
of nature alone, through so many genera
tons, is as much marvel to us as it has
been loss to those who have failed to ap-
preciate and develop its wonderful resources.
With climate adapted to both agricultural
and horticultural pursuits, with every adj
vantage of soil and temperature for the sue
cessful cultivation of the latter in proximity
to one of the most attractive and interest
ing cities on our continent, why should this
grand river have been so long abandoned to
decayed gentility and the rude life of the
fisherman and hunter ? A new era is al
ready drawing. Northern families are COM
ing in rapidly, and the Old Dominion, al
ready throbbing with the fresh impulse of
new life.
AT Mount Vernon the past two years,
have been unprecedented improvements.
The grounds have been terminated with
young shade trees and fresh shrubbery from
the National gardens. The old trees and
terraces, once the pride and admiration OF
Washington, are tendcrly cared for, and
fall in gracefully with the modern pa,tct,e
looking riverward. The rich even sweep
of open ground, Immediately surrounding
the mansion, is feast in itself and would
be very paradise for croquet-play ing.
The old mansion, thoroughly aroused .om
its Lethean slumbers, is repaired and newly
furnished in antique style, looking through
its partings of foliage as freshly fair as in
"days lang syne.o In the old drawing
room, stands a mahogany harpsicord, a
wedding present from Washington to his
niece, Mrs. Lewis also, one of the old
parlor chairs, which graced this room in
those days. The marble mantle, still beat-
tilully preserved, is one of the most curious
and attractive mementoes of the past; of
the purest Parian type, delicately wrought,
and wonderfully elaborate in design, il
symbolizes the hour of rest.
The sun is setting behind the villa re
spires, the cattle homeward vending, and
the shepherd folding his snowy flock.-
Everything wears the look of closing day
and there is mellow sweetness and domes-
tic purity pervading the whole, rarely por-
trayed in the cold chiseling of marble. 1t
illustrates the finest class of human emo
tions, and impresses the soul with kindred
sentiments. Here, for more than half a
century, to the everlasting shame of the
guilty, this lovely work of art has been,
day by day and nick by nick, despoiled Of
its charms, until the sheep are sadly shorn
of their feeces, the cows robbed of their
most useful appendages, the little lambs
bereft of an ear, here and there, and a vari-
ETY. of similar outrages pelpetrated by the
lawless hands of strangers, whose fondness
for..mementoes scarcely atones for such in
excusable vandalism. Now, however, this
mantel is guarded by Wire screen, so that
all who desire to examine it must adopt the
prisoners style of ''loolSing through the
grates.'' Thus, the old mantel is encased
in defensive armor, and guarded with
other assailable portions of the house and
grounds. There is glass case containing
an old military suit of Washington's, an
embroidered vest worn before the Reyoln-
ton, and finy lock of his hair, which re-
quires the sharpest optics to discern from
its deep framing but the most interesting
thing the house contains lat least to us) is
the great black key of the old Bastile, de-
livered to Washington by Lafayette