Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-12-11
HISTORIC WASHINGTON.

WHEN WASHINGTON WAS ''R0sB"-CCRI0US PAB
TICULAR5 OF The Past SESSION IN WASHING
T0N-So HOUSES. No ROADS, No CARRIAGES p
F1REwOOD NO NOTHING - TRIBCJarIosS OF
PRESIDENT ADAMS wIFs-How The LADIES
DRESSED THgS-PRgs IDsSTfAL LEysBS-" I'll
RABBLs' NOT ADHITTgp-H0w JEFFERSON GPSgT
THB COUKrLY POMP or WASHINGTON AND
ApAM5-HOg he ASTAGoSIZgD TAG C3U At
LADIES' AND HORRIFIBD THE BRITISH MINIS rBR-
HOW He RECEIVED TOM MOORE SLIP -sHOD-
wAsHINsros A GREAT MARRYING PLACE EIGHTY
WEARS AgO-THB MADISON AND MOSROs AD-
a1SIsrRATIoSS-CUEIoUs STATISTICS OF TIL
CITY.
CHAPTER II.
A quaint little volume, called Pictures
Washington" written and published In 1S45 By
W. @ Force, then printer in this city, con-
tainS the following record:
at is an historical fact that eve q as far back
as 1868. more than century before the Reyolu-
tionary war, the ste OF the city OF Washington
was laid out and cal cd Rome. gentleman by
the name OF Pope was proprietor OF che SOIL and
the F1be7' ran through his tract. The stream
still flows at the foot OF the CapItolIne Hill, and
has its ancient name OF fame.
Here also, even when these names were not
remarkable among the people of those days
and when, though they were. they were not
looked upon aS prophetic, the Indians OF many
tribes cOhgTegaIed and delibeTated In council
Here they IGaGc treaties aud declared war. The
legend IS the and General Washington IL Is
supposed. WAS aware or the fact.
How sinsui1~ly. then, has this location he
come the sea- OF great empire. There Is a ro-
nance around every Incident Of lIfe aud here
We Ind IT, Here, where the NAME OF Rome the
mighty mistress - the world. dead but uuf0T-
SotteD, Was familiar TOrd hoy strangely has
IL happened thai al empire greater Than me
mother or empires herself has been eStab-
iishtu.'
John Cotton Saith. member OF Congress from
Connection IA 1899, wrote OF his first visit 10
Washington. In that year, as follows:
'Our approach TO the city was ACCOMPANIED
with Sensations not easy TO describe. one wing
OF the Capitol only had been erected, which,
Wit the Presidents House. mile distant rron
1t, both constructed with white sandstone were
shining objects in dismal contrast with the
scene around them. Instead OF recognizing the
avenues and streets portrayed on the plan OF
the City. not one was visible unless we except
a road, with TWO buildings on each side of it,
called New Jersey Avenue The PeanSyiva-
MA Avenue leading. as laid down on paper
from The Capitol 10 the Presidential Mansion,
was there. nearly the whole distance, a deep
moraSs, covered with alder bushes, which We're
cut through the width OF the intended avenue
during the then ensuing winter. Between the
Presidents House and Georgetown block of
houses had been erected which then bore the
name OF the Six Buildings There were also
Two other blocks, consisting OF two or three
dwelling houses, In different directions, and
now and then an insulated wooden habitatien,
the intervening spaces. and, indeed the sur
face OF the city generally being covered with
ShTtub-0dk bushes on the higher grounds
ONLY TWO GOOD HOUSES.
Portable habItatioDs In all respects within the
bounds OF the city, one Of which belonged to
Dudley Carroll esq. and the other to Motley
Dung, VINO were the former propriet0r5 OF
large proportion or the land appropriated to the
A sidewalk was attempted In one instance
oy a covering OF the chips OF stone. A
laudaole GeoiIe was manifested by what few
residents there were 10 make Us comfortable
our little party took residence with Mr.. Pea
cock in one Of the houses on New Jersey ave
nue. Our diet was various but always SuOStan-
tfal, and We were attended by faithful Servants
lodgings at Georgetown. which, though OF a
superior order, were three miles from the Cap
ito!, ana rendered The daily employment OF
hackney Coaches Indispensable.
the second session or the Sixth Congress,
as firSt held IL Washington and the
last under he Federal administration, opened
0y an exc !lent speech from the President, de-
nFeTed before b3tl houses in the Senate CHAM
Der. sage required that an answer to the
speech Should De presenter In personal at
tendance o. the whole House at the presidential
But now could this be done? The
only access Was by road long and clrCuitous
10 avoid the swamp already mentioned, and the
mud very deep Fortunately q recruit OF hack
ney coaches from Baltimore enabled Us to pro-
coed In fine style, preceded by the Sergeant-at-
arms. on horseback, bearing the mace. We
were received with great courtesy. the answer
Well read by the Speaker, the members all
standing. After partaking of refreshments the
House IeturEed 10 the Capitol in the same
Sona4 lntefvie" b5JTeen a President or the
legislature.
There were no places of public worship. ex
cepJ a small R1Lnlsn chapel Ia remote DIRT OF
the city, 3 d i Tobacco house Temporarily fiL[td
up by al EpiScopti minister
WHAT oIIVsE. wOLC0TT WROTE TO HIS WIFE
The following extracts are from a letter writ
ten oy Oliver u 0lcOtt, July 4th, i 3d. then Sec
rotary or the Treasury, TO his wife:
for the Use of the Treasury department, In the
city OF Washington; and this being a day OF
leisure, / shall ee able TO give you some idea OF
! MS famous place the permanent seat OF Amer
The Capitol Is situated on an eninence.
which should suppose was near the center OF
Tue liitftelt>r cpiltrg hire called Tie city. There
Is one good tavern about forty rods from the
capitol and several other houses are built and
erecting, but do not perceive how the men,
oers OF Congress cnn possibly secure lodgings,
unless they VIII consent TO live like scholars In
a college or monks IN monastery, GRO wded ten
or twenty Ia one house and utterly eX cluded
from society. The only resource, think, will
lie Georgetown.
1 nave made every exertion to secure good
lodgings near the Office, but shall be compelled
10 take them at tae distance or more tina O half
a mile. There are, in fact. but few houses at
any one place, and most OF them small. miSera-
Ole hutS TIE people are poor and as far as
can Judge, they live Ike fishes, by eating each
other. You may look In almost any direction
over an extent OF ground nearly as large "a
New York city, without seeing a fence OF any
object except brick kiins and temporary hut3
for laborerS- There are at GreenIears Point
NIFTY OF sixty spacious Douses 1iye or six OF
which are Occupied by negroes and Migrants
and Few more by decent looking people; but
there are 40 fences or gardens or the least ap-
pearance OF business. It presents the appear
anee OF considerable town which haa been de-
stFoyed by some unusual calamity"
MIS- ADAMS ROCGH EXPERIENCES.
Abigail Adams writes 70 her daughter. Mrs.
Smith. as fellows:
NAsHIsGTon;, 2lst November, 1900
MY DEAR CHILD II arrived here on Sunday
last, ana without meeting any accident worth
noticing except losing ourselves when We left
baltimore. AMI going eight or nine miles On the
FREDERICK road. Dy which means We were Obliged
10 go the iher eight through the woods. where
we wandered ten hours without finding guide
or The path Fortunately a Struggling black
came up with Us, and we engaged him as q
guide 10 eXJTicate Us cut OF our difficulty; but
The woods are ali you see from Baltimore till
gou Teach tie c,tJ which is oDiy so In name
here and There IS a small cot without glass
Wihdo", lhterspeToed among the forests,
through winch YOU travel miles Without seeing
any human oeing. 10 the city there are ouild.
1ogs enough, II they were completed. to accom-
tnoQate Congress and those attached 10 IL. hui
as tney are, and scattered aS they are see no
great comfort Tor them. The river which runs
up 10 Alexandria. Is In full view of nv window
ana see inc vessels as they pass and rena5S
The house Ii upon grand and superb scale
recurring about thirty Sprvanfa IN atropd 80