, 1873-03-25

not not rcnd very clearly, tho financial problems Of
tho tilno
WE'RE oFrsEr
by ts ao'ocioa of tho cSG, r @tom M on GG. s
Treas',ry policy adol,fod in oxohango tor It.
Witon Jefferson and l1nmtto'l camo to write
nbout oac' otllor VIC aro reminded OF tho ntiago
that, when the vino IL IN, tle VIE fs out bit 1t
in agreeable to reIock that they Wero both nc
cor!nnt with Washington OH this point a1'd Jof-
fcrson had gront influence oyor tho young Capl-
Congress- rnatlo reasonable decision on tho
Bllb1ect. Tho comforts OF Il home Woro to bo
nccordot ut Philadelphia for ten yoars, to quiet
Philadelphia, and ,neantimo new plnco was to
bo plaunod OH tho Potomac Nivor, md public
odiie9s oreos upon IT. Tho aesmn, saloeson
lectod BY tic President and thus tho .Foloral
City iB MI Executive act, elaborated botwoon
Washington and private citizons.
nGortifyng, indeed, was tho curly work. of
making tho Captal City for tho tliroo Commits
eionprs, whoao ranlsB woro removed aH ono grow
dosponlont and nnother onrago1:
IT was on July 10, 17U0, TINT President Waali-
ington approved tho bill Of six sootiona which
directed tho acceptance Of
It for tho perrnnnont sent Of tho Government"
3" botwoo11 tho mouths Of the Eastern Dganc1.
md Conogochoaguo." Tho bill had bocomo 4
Inv by closo voto In both Housos; and tho
thd dspSdts torna sf Of ' at o'ih to sre afes Fa
or nenr tho future battlo.slto of Balls
Bluir or undor tho presence Of THO sugar-Loaf
Mountain. IN tho vale Of tho Rtvor Anttctnm. II
is possible TINT Washington laimao!f' WHO hold
discretionary control over tho Commissioners,
wag not firmly of tho opinion t1int tho future city
should stand on tIdo wator for hc Ind previous
ly written lottors, III prniao Of tho thrifty Cor
But tllo nlnttor Of transportation md pasaago
was groatly dependent, in thoRo days. upon nayl-
gnblo wntor-courses, and 1t ia probab!o that,
whom tho lew passed, tho spot Of tho city WAS
ABOUT FIVE yEA1s BEFORE
solocting tho site for the Federal Capita1, Whs!l-
ington made canoe upon tic h1onocacy River,
and, dogconding to tho Potomac, mado tho ex-
ploration Of tho whole rivor, from tho mountainn
Of lock and dnm navigation. It is apparent,
from Lis lottors to Arthur Young, tho Earl OF
Duchan, and others, that ho was aware tint tho
yauo of his estates on tido-wator was declining,
tiguous to them. a noble ran might we'll how
evor, have that attachment to tho haunts Of Mo
youth which ho would would wish to eco 1t boau"
titled by \ city.
Now VI york M sis months iator, on jim q, 1791,
Washington, ut Philadelphia.
MADE PROCLAMATION
that "Aftor duly examining and Weighing tho
advantages and disadvantages OF tho several "
nations Within the limits" he had thrown tho
Federal torrltory acroas tho Potomac from Alox-
nnt}rin.
Tic eito Of the new district WAS not entirely
the Wilderness 1t has boon represented. Tho
Potomac had boon explored up to- this point,
| and as fur Oh tho Little Falls above by
1eo years before. Fidot was the first civilized
boinG who ovor looked upon tho aito Of Wash
ington mud his manaaerpt atoTy ct a. aseovding
| Leonard Calvert arrived in tho Potomac, in
1854 he went up to confer with this adventur-
GUS fur-trader, who had boon many years In tho
/ country.
tho contracted Potomac just above Georgetown,
| isis, without MI question, the most heaithful
aud pleasant place in all this country, and most
convenient for habitatiqn tho air temperate in
summer and not violent in winter IN; It abound. 2! I'D:
night commonly will cntch thirty Surgeons In a
placo whoro the river is not over twclvo fathon1
broad. And, for leer, buifaloes, bears. turkoyo,
| tho wooln do swarm with them, and tho soil il
| country Is rocky and mountainous, ul1o Cannida
| ...Wo Ind not rowod above throo inilos but nc
might hear tho Falls to roar."
1'ho carly settlers Of Maryland and Virginia
kept to tho nayfgable streams, and tho car!iosl
wore Scotch and Bcotch-1rlsh, aonlo Germans
and fow Catholics.
oEouourow,r AND nrLuAvrx
! for Aio3nndrin) woro rnthor old places wlaon tlt
suryoya woro made for, Washington City, ant
tho former llad boon laid out fully forty years
Tho army of Con Drnddock had landed at Alex
andria and laggo portion of hs army marchot
from RToa otis hoa rs caea leS f1a for eR Rrs
egieEtoun erSi nA' and ' the Ohio. a. oarl!
as l7G3, tho father of Gen. James Wilkinson
purchased q tract Of 500 acroB Of land on tht
:ryber and Potomac, which probably .compro
chascr's vito objected to removal to such III
isolated spot, and tho property was transfcrret
to one Thomas Johns. In ITO, tho young VIII
kinaou "BIoullored d firolock ut Georgetown
Quaker, Thomas RIchartlaon,'' in Which also thu
future Gon. Lingan was a subaitern, and thlt
full company drilled for tho 1teyolutionar,
struggle Ton small spot Of table-land hanging
over Kocl Creek, below tho uppc4E; +; bridge" A.
infer flat Georgetown was tho most considerable
placo in all this quarter of Maryland. As eGrl
as 1879, ,Wiiliam Writ, whose parents, rosded
wens TO and Ss end obo1
long boro remembrance Of tho paseag'
Of tho French a,ld American armies fror
north to south over tho ferry at TINT place, Q
at haora a%nasm hao M Grad and wagon
Washington also designated Georgetown as on
Of the three great places Of deposit for militar
stores; ind so important WIS Mexaneria TIN
Charles Leo, in his plan Of treaaon, had propose
| 10 CUT k1t NOAt1c4A 9te|Co AA1AA VIZ N'oAtA -
occupying it with permanent detachment c
British troops, who should keep open tile fprric
bctwoen Alexandria and Annapolis, md, b
1uenacing tue rich farms of the German settler
in tho up-country, compel thcm to starYo on
tho Patriot armies.
Tho port-town Of Bladcnsburg was now tut
upon tic decline, nnd the period had como Whe
| tho interior parts Of Maryland, pennaylyanfl
and Virginin wero showing forth the
promiao. Maryland had contained COL
hhiderably more population than Ne
York during tho Revolutionary Var, md VIC mn
conceive Georgetown and Alexandria to have bee
amongst the 6cst grade Of secondary towns Il
that period. Thoy stood, aB now in full sight c
cacl other; and the rldgy basin and lower ter
races between them, where tho Federal City wa
to riso, presented fow good farms tilloa b
slayes, aud wan already marlsed for q
/ COUrLE OF RIVAL eETTLEMENTS
boforo tho Commissioners adopted it.
Ono Of these prospective settlements VI
| locatod noar the present National Obseryator,
and took tho name Of Hamburg, aftertwar
F11nkatown; the other was projected near tt
present Navy-Yard, and was named after til
: proprietor Of the estato Carrollsburg. At al
rato, there were enough pcoplo on til
site to give the Commissioners q gre:
deal Of trouble with their bickoriil
md rapacity; and it is likely that Il
| idea hhd got abroad in advance OF tho olilc
choice, that hero was to DO tho mighty Capita
! and therefore lands aud lots had boon matters I
: considerable speculation.
Fnuv WIN hn,1 rnaaeI tho fnrrv ut Gnnyretow1