Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-07-01
y'atlp argus.
Letter from LIE Nard.
Trip to Mt. Vernen-Amusing scsnes BY the
Way-sharp Criticism on the Management
of tbs ESTATE

Trip to Mt. Vernen-Amusing scsnes BY the
Way-shArp Criticism on the Management
of tbs Estate.
WASHINGTON, June %.
Everyday, Sunday excepted, the steamer
Arrow leaves the foot Of 7h street wharf
ior Mt. Vernon and as almost everyone
VINO comes to Washington has a remnant of
curiosity or venerstion for the past left, there
are always number of nice people on board
who submit to the extoriion Of 81 so for the
trip and admission to the grounds. The
Arrow starts at 10 A. NJ, and as l detest be-
ing last anywhere, moved my watch halt
an hour ahead of time, then supposed all
the others in the party slow, and tins had
ample time to en- Joy the wharf-scenes, in
spite of the growing of the injured ones,
who vowed to capture the lunch basket as
consequential damages for being hurried
away from their hash. Close to US lay
the "Alice" bound for Glymont, and gath
! ering in" any number Of children. What
shouting they kept up it made one young
again to hear them and then, when two
"culled gemmen" took position with banjo
and violin, and opened their Jubilee with
really well-plsyed waltz, everybody seemed
as well pleased as if Gilmore had graciousIy
sent us an ecbo of his After the waltz
came all aboat that famous old Ned who
had no wool on the top of his head, with
sspirates sounding as if exploded by
the aid of nitro-g ycerlne; then came
Maggie, Maggie" followed by the fervent
wish Of ooh, that were single again." in
which some of the &c ntlemen present ap.
peAred ready to join, sd not their restrain.
ing influences looked at them with anything
but approval in their eyes; after that a gepu-
inc old.time plantation song with very little
solo and great deal of chorus, and then
that inevitable Brown Jug" Of course
hat with the banjo around it appeared at in
lervsls for the relief of purses present, and
tough must have been the clasp indeed
which proved unyielding to this Black Art.
| But 10 o'clock came and we started past
the beautiful arsenal grounds; past Gees
boro Point, which during the war was the
chief cavalry depot, and past numbers Of
dismsntled forts we approach Aexandris,
which lies there on the edge Of the river as
dead to all appearance as Pompeii and Her.
culsneum. Strongly charged with energy
and enterprise must be the battery indeed
which gslvsnizes this corpse of city into
active life and it can not be applied too
soon for it's actual need. A few miles
further down the river, on the Maryland
side, is Fort Foote and beyond that Fort
Hamilton. at both OF which the steamer
landed, thus giving us little more time to
look around. At the latter place sgnl6-
cant picture presented itself; there at q
woodpile four prisoners. guarded BY a
soldier, we're saving wood, while bald
eagle perching on the pile, dropped his tail IN
the most melancholy manner, with never e
scream for liberty or death, one evidently as
much Disguised with the military as the 9th
er. Ii was after twelve o'clock when we
landed at the little pier and scceaded the
carriage road which leads to the vault con
tsiug the ssrcophsRus Of George Washing.
ton and also that of his wife; there we press
ed our noses as in duty bound against the
iron bars, read the advertisement Of the
stoneeutter, and then turned to the piles OF
marble wasted to commemorate the mo-
mentus fact that some fortysecond cousin
of his vife's aunt died somewhere at some
time or other. From there we followed the
road to the mansion and outhouses. which
after due inspection we're pronounced "nO
great shakes" by some wealthy farmer from
the north. The interior Of the house has
been greatly changed since I was there il
find portions Of il 60 altogether out Of keep
ing with what re naturally expected. The
dining room" which contains the creates
curiosigies, beautifully carved mantlepiece
: representing morning and evening in the
country, and q rough model 10 stone of III,
bastile, besides the old-fashioned harpsi
It chord given BY Warrington to his step
daughter, has on a stand in a corner the
II Of fCb II
selves they are good enough but whai
business have those new books, which ht
: never laid eyes on, 10 place visited for The
{. sake of one we were taught
to love and revere when we
story some rooms are looked and one
beautifully furnished ia modern style. th'
, bedroom Of the regent" has half door
thst visitors may note by its appointment
how we'll taking charge Of the place paws
70 TIE associations of the place are destroyed
e by it however, and l for one cannot per
oeive why this property, bought with none.
e collected from the public, shall be the coS
!. whose milk is to support the old ladies whc
: form the association Ether let the gov
l. eminent take it in hand and keep it in sucl
Il way that some of the halo surrounding
e may De Eelaibf0; OEg il mhhiuR boHtY Is iu'
: sole object, then let it be supplied with tn
convenIeuces OF summer resort, that pee
= pie need not pay exactly double WashingtoI
prices for everything they eat aud drink
Ten cents for glass of milk, twenty for {
saucer of berries, and everything else i
proportion, besides the contribution DO
which ever gapes for more, ought not to b
required to keep up an estste which nigh
ct least be self-supporting. No. even thi
place, around which cluster some of on
dearest snd purest regards, is prostituted t
fur nish support to barnscles, and the soone
a change is naugurated the better. Will
0 We were vet recalling historical incidents
and trying to fix upon the sell
-' same SPOT where this or that must have OF
Cured, the signal sounded for return, an
we babe adisu to Mt Vernon fervsntl
hoping that soon better day may dawn 70
it. LIZ NARD.