The Columbus journal., 1879-02-05
LEAFLETS FROM I! SOUTHERN seNs.
The City Of WashingtOn-The City Of Mag.
niiieent BiStances--WOfk on the
Capitol Unfinished.
The Little Wonders, the Midgets.


terest occurring within the State OF
Virginia to chronicle at the present
time, at least from our part of it, ]
thought l would send you a few
notes concerning the city of Wash.
ington, where il has been my privi.
lege 10 spend a few days within the
past week.
This may indeed be styled the
beautiful city! The city commits
sioners seem not to be in want OF
funds with which to carry out their
ideas of taste and adornment. There
are many lovely aud extensive parks
in different parts of the city, but the
grounds Immediately around the
capitol surpass all in beauty; grassy
lawns, close cut, which in this eli
mate are never brown, but always
green, shady trees, winding carriage
drives of the smoothest asphalt, aud
not a particle of dirt is allowed to
accumulate; men are employed to
sweep drives continually; each man
has a certain beat, and he sweeps it
over and over all day long. Here
roll the carriages of senators and
governors drawn by splendid horses
with silver-mounted harness,-for
this is the gay season and it is very
inspiring to drive on Pennsylvania
Avenue and around the grand treas
ury building, past the White House,
on to the war department, amid this
whirling sea of life.
Most people think that the United
States Capitol is finished, even to
the great dome, tho it was but q
little while ago that the scaffolding
was still there,-but we were in
formed the other day that the fresco
which adorns the interior is not
quite finished. This magnificent
dome cost one million one hundred
thousand dollars; the height of the
interior, from the floor of The rotun-
da, is $50 feet, and the interior di-
ameter is 81 feet; 29l feet in circum-
ference, and, above a certain dis
tance, the whole interior is covered
with the most beautiful fresco; q
gentleman in our presence speaking
of this fresco, dropped the remark,
81 suppose that old man will work
until he drops" "What old man ?"
we enquired, and then he told us
that seven or eight years ago this
frescoing was given in charge of an
eminent artist by the name of Ber-
muda, and he feeling that this was
the grand and glorious opportunity
of his life, that his work would be
spread before the delighted and
wondering gaze of this and of other
generations, would delegate none of
this great work to others, but with
his own hands he has adorned the
whole interior, day after day for
seven years, collecting all his mate
rial into a kind of basket he has
allowed himself to be drawn up to
dizzy height, by ropes, and there
suspended above the hum of the
throng below, being such speck
there, high in the fresco as to be
unnoticed by most visitors. he has
worked on with untiring devotion
and enthusiasm.
In the line of amusements, an at
traction of a couple of little people
in a large hall daily drew large
crowds. They are called Midge,s,
and Tom Thumb, Commodore Mutt,
or Minnie Warren have been eclips-
ed entirely by these diminutive
wonders. The young man, termed
General Mite" weighs nine pounds.
The young lady, Laura Ozerate, less
than five; the General is much the
best looking of the two, and he is
very smart and talkative. They
sail Immediately on one of the
white star steamers for Europe.
What has come to our race that in
these latter years it should produce
such Lilliputians
We stepped into the Smithsonian
Institute, which is the great natural
museum, so full Of wonders. Here
are stuffed buffalo, with large, liquid
eyes; deer, antelope, and all kinds
of animals and birds. In one de-
partment there are hundreds of
birds nests, all with eggs i'm them,
varying in size, from little specks
about as big as peas, to those as
large as a small pumpkin. One en-
tire department is now filled with
contributions from the late centen-
nial. Here is the beautiful pulpit
of Lambath Battery. splendid in de.
sign, in coloring, and in execution,
the panels adorned with figures in
bas relief. Here, too, is an immense
colossal groupe representing Amer.
lea; also in pottery. Think of an
oven in which to bake images twen-
ty feet in hight! In short, wonders
abound on every hand until we
turned away with an aching head,
and thought that Solomon must
have been mistaken when he said
that the eye was not satisfied with
seeing. MRS. E. B. DAVIS.
FALLS CHURCH, Va.