The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-01-27
Our Washing ton Letter.


scri, ton of this building would be weari-
Some facts about it mey interest.
| has cost S13, 900, 900. How many cities
and even counties, there are Throughout the
country, the entire cash value of any enc
of which would not pay for it. The Brit
ish parliament house is located on the
banks OF the Thames, down amid the
sewers Of London our capitol is located a
mile distant from and one hundred feet
higher than the Potomac. The parliament
palace is ffty-four rods long; the capitol is
nine rods shorter. Both extend l~engthwise |
north and south. You csn enter the base
ment of the capitol at the north or south
door, and walk to the other, over o con-
tinuous stone or tile floor, forty-fivc rods
long, perfectly level, except in the central
part you go up and down, three or four
steps. The central part Of the building,
on the outside, looks like white marble, at
a short distance; it is sandstone, painted.
AS you go up the stone steps without and
within, you notice that human footsteps
have worn them till they look as is lrregu-
laIly bevelled. Coming from the west,
when you have reached the first story
above the basement, you can turn to the
right or left, and 60 west into the library
hall, or continue on eastward and enter the
rotunda this central room is $50 feet high
looking up from the floor you will doubt
this, but looking down from the top you
will not. AS you go up you will be shown
the indentation in the roof caused by the
head of the lunatic who leaped from the
dome. At the east entrance of the rotunda
the bronze door cast at Munich, containing
IN low relief scenes in the life of Columbus,
etc., with the bronze door Of the senate,
by Crawford, cast by Ames at Chicopee,
Mass, containing scenes from tie revolu-
tionary war, etc, assist in imagining the
beauties of the gates of the Baptistry in
Florence.
The house of lords occupies the southern
| part of the parliament palace, the commons
the north; it is reversed in the capitol, the
senate is in the north, the house of repre-
weanhT6f marble and OF frescoing,H 81
paintings and statuary, the countless apart
mcnts, at first half tewilder. You are
| gratifed to find so many statutes aud paint
ings by American artists; you are morti-
| fed that the nation could not furnish artists
to do the frescoipg, but must employ the
Italian Burmidi-he who painted the por-
trait of Senator Foot, now in the United
| States court room at Rutland. You arc
mortified that the national statuary hall
whose dome is similar to that OF the Pan
theon at Rome-that should contain some
seventy or more statutes, two from each
state, contains scarcely a dozen.
BUST OF MoRRIL
The son Of great men do rarely equal
their sires. Vermonters may naturally be
anxious about Preston Powers, the son Of
Hiram, being equal to the task of making
the statute of Judge Collamer what ii
should be; but the marble bust of Senator
Morrill, by Preston Powers in the parlor of
the senator, would be creditable to a sculp-
of the first rank.
AS you come out of the capitol toward
night, the evergreens on the western ter.
race, seem full Of twittering spsrrows.
WASHINGTON.
1t WIS during the first year of Washing.
IONS second presidential term-1S Sept.
703-a warm, sunny day, that a cavalcade
lett a tavern in Georgetown, went east
three miles to see Washington lay the first
foundation of the c~apitol-Washington
crossing the stream that divides George.
own from this city en- a fallen tree. But
Washington's second term had expired and
his own life had expired nearly a year be-
fore, when toward the close of the last
year Of the last century, Congress first
met in the capitol. Then this own was a
petty village of 5000 inhabitants now il
is yariously estimated TO contain-includ-
ing the floating population-from 1870, 000
to 200, 200 people.
New York dimes at 6 p. m. Washing,
ton at 3. Dinner here as in the country,
divides morning and evening but at first
it seems queer, TO hear ladies uniformly,
when meeting and parting, as late as 4 and
8 p. M, say "Good morning" Parties and
evening receptions here never begin before
nine o'clock. 1t is reported that a more
healthy hour has been inaugurated lately in
Montreal one lady high in rank gave out
her cards for a party from 6 to 10 O'Clock,
and when ten O'Clock came che left heI
drawing room.
Last Sunday evening Henry Morehouse
closed his Bible readings here-he is going
west. If his heart did not swell with Garth.
ly pride as the large Congregational church
was crowded, floor, aisle and gallery, 10
hear HIM; then christian graces or years
Of practice, or peculiar temperament, OF
all combined, have toned his character into
desirable symmetry. His fund of anec-
dotes Is vast. AT the close of the series,
less than a million of women came forward
to shake hands with him; and the good
natured boy, half laid down on the plat
~form,-which is three or four feet higher
than the floor-to indulge them in a luxury
that must tire President Grant.
Isaac sBassett, a very tall, gray haired
man, 81 years old, is a pleasant officer OF
the senate torty-fve years ago, through
the influence of Daniel Webster-a warm
friend of his father, Simeon Bassett-he
was appointed a page, and ever since has
held an official position in connection with
that body. II was suggested to him that
he might write sketches of the senator's,
with such anecdotes as might have come
within his own acknowledgement like Gree
ley's busy life, but Of an observing life.
He replied that the private lives of senators
would indeed interest the people but while
he was holding official position there, 1t