Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-03-27
Louis Phillipe's Visit to the Uni
ted States.


ted States. -
A correspondent of the Washington
ssStar" furnishes the following:
Amongst my books on Washington is
one entitled France, it's King, Court and
Government. By an American This
book was published in 1910, and contains
an interesting account of the visit OF Louis
PHILIPPE to the site Of Washington in 1881.
December "a, 1876, the future king arriv-
ed in Philadelphia, where he remained I'M
til slow Swedish ship brought his two
brothers. Philadelphia was then the cap
ital of the United States and General
! Washington President. The exiles heard
him deliver his last address to Congress,
and saw Mr.. Adams inaugurated.E Then.
| at Washington's invitation, they went to
| visit Mount Vernon, passing, of, course,
through the new and imperfect capital,
| without streets, and full Of slashes and
stumps. 80 5. as
He was entertained by the eccentric and
rich Thomas Law, by whom he was intro
: duced to General John Mason, of Mason's
or Analostan Island. AT that time George
town contained two hundred and fifty
houses and Alexandria FIVE hundred. The
Presidents house was Incomplete; Blod-
gets hotel, on the site of the present post
office, was rooted in, and the Capitol was
raised only to the basement floor. A num-
Der of houses were finished and remained
for rent or for sale, and there were more
houses at Greenleaf's Point, near tile Arse
nal than anywhere else ;5,O0Opeople was the
population, including the workmen; the
whole place was covered with trees, except
around the public buildings, and where
vistas of streets had been hewn through
deep woods.
Louis PHILIPPE, and his two brothers, the
Dac de Montpensier and the Count de
Boujeaulais, stopped on Mason's Island,
then beautifully cultivated in flowers, vines
and fruit trees, all blooming in the spring
weather; and General Mason, who was q
man of great force, entertained them law
ishly, and made them accompany him to
the Great Falls of the Potomac, where the
party had a picnic. That year was born
James M. Mason, on Analostan Island,
who became the Commissioner Of the Con-
federate States to Europe in 1861, and died
little while ago on farm near Al exan-
dria, within sight Of his lost patrimony.
From Mason's Island the princes went
to Alexandria, which was well built al {
with good paved streets then by execra-
BILE roads they passed to Mount Vernon,
which they found in some dilapidation,
owing to Washington's long absence, and
inhabited. by his slaves. His gardens and
fields locked as if he had begun the business
ofcultiyating them for profit instead of
show. The following lines convey Louis
Phillipe's idea of the most celebrated man
Of the world at that period:
HE was comparatively silent, somewhat
reserved, methodical in the division of his
time, and careful in The use Of it. The az
rangement of his household was unostenta-
tious, comfortable, and leaving his guests
10 fill up their hours as they saw fit, and at
the same time providing whatever was
me- essary for pleasant employment. One
morning, after the usual salutations, the
Prince asked his distinguished host how
he had slept the preceding night. 1t is
probable, from the answer, that some pecu
Liar circumstance had turned his thoughts
towards the evils too often produced in So
ciety by reprehensible publications. How
ever this may be, that answer deserves to
be engraved upon the hearts of his coun-
trymen: I always sleep we'll for l never
wrote word in my life which had after
wards cause to regret.''
General Washington, whose months on
earth were to be few, prepared for theprin-
ces an itinerary of a journey to the western
country, and gave them several letters Of
introduction. They started on horseback
with saddle bags, Bradley's maps, and
creature comforts. and went by Leesburg
and Harper's Ferry to Bush's hotel, at
Winchester, Bush being an immigrant
from Mannheim, Germany. Bush turned
them out Of the house because they demur-
red to eating at the public table. They
proceeded to Staunton.