The Portland daily press., 1888-04-28
VIRcINIA's QUEER CAPITAL.
An Old Curiosity shop with Historic
Associations.
[RIehmond Letter 70 chIeago rrIbune.l

[Riehmond Letter to Chicago Tribune.l
The old capitol at Richmond is a yeritable
curiosity shop-a mine Of wealth to the anti
quarian who does not care to go back Of
Pocahontas and John Smith. One can see
there old deeds and records dating back to
1920 when Virginia's capital was at James
town. They are curious looking old things
on parchment nothing left but the seals and
the mold. The writing became illegible half
century ago. The old building itself Is 1903
years old, its cornerstone having been laid
in 1856. Thomas Jefferson brought the
design from France in 1901, and with 1t
model, that of the Maison Carree, an ancient
Roman temple at Nismes, France. Exserl-
orly the model was faithfully adhered to- but
the interior, Of course. had TO be adapted to
circumstances. 1t is quaint old building,
and so dirty. The eolored population Of
Richmond seem to have full possession. APP
Piles, cakes. pies and all manner Of catch
penny viands are thrust at one from every
niche and granny. Beggars. hideous cripples
all sorts Of helpless folk assail one at every
turn, and the smell Of it all Is dreadful.
But for Its historic interest and the Value
OF its contents the progressive Virginia OF to-
day would be justified in setting fire to it, the
niOlS 81 10 IL OccuDlcS the Only Sue aNdlldDlt
Tor a first class modern structure. The base
ment floor, with Its little seven-foot ceiling
It's creaking doors, with old cast-iron locks,
us brick flooring, and its array Of negro ped
dlers, Is not inviting. Here are the auditors
OF the state OF Virginia the treasurer, and
register Of the land office. The walls are be-
grimed, the carpets cheap ingram, and the
furniture was made In 1880 a guide said
and his story was believed. The snpsrin-
tendent Of the land Ofhce, having but littls
now In do lg pX-Offlci0 custodian Of the atafa
house. His land duties and his custodian
ship seem to hit alike lightly upon his shout
ders. What they call in Richmond the "ro-
tunda" OF the capitol Is the floor above. IL
Is about three times as large as one OF the ell
evator cages in the Chicago city hall.
In the middle, surrounded by heavy iron
rail, stands the one great authentic and au-
thoritative likeness Of Washington. This Is
the great Hnd0n statue. Houd0n was Q
French sculptor sent over frof France In
1855, by Lafayette The General assembly
Of Virginia employed him at Lafayette's re-
quest to make life size picture and portrait
OF Washington as he then existed-the re-
tired soldier and President M. Houd0n spent
two weeks at Mount Vernon. took cast OF
the Washington face, measured his head, his
body, his legs, and got a fac-simile Of his
cane, his rufte and his shoe buckles, and the
result was In two years more the famous
now extant Is supposed TO be so natural as
this. For many years the government has
accepted Nj. HOndOn's likeness a. the one to
b.. put on bonds, postage stamps, and all
other public prints. The two cent postage
stamp IS an exact reproduction Of the profile
OF HOndOn's face of Washington, and as such
not an American soul that ever writes and
mails letter can fail to see and know Ii.
There are some replicds. One Is ia painted
copper in the capitol at Washington. Another
IN plaster is said TO be In Albany, N. Y.
None OF these can equal the original as ID
stands today in that old Richmond capitol.
a riekety iron railing surrounds II. The
brick floor Is covered with orange peels and
banana SKINS. Colored beggars assail the
visitor, book agents badger one, the iron rail-
ing itself Is rusted, the great statue has
greasy and m0uldy l0ok-nOt s0iled, but yell
lowed and dinged with age. From the gal
lery above, where the portraits are. the top
OF the head is seen 10 be covered with dlrt
half an inch thick. There seems to be some
thing wrong about 10 all
The old portrait gallery is better preserved.
Here are the eanvases of all the old govern
ors OF Virginia from Lord de la War and
Alex. Sp0tswo0d down to GIL Walker and
kemper. All have their names on the
frames except Gil Walker. His magnificent
white hair and m0u5tache are left to speak
for themselves. Moreover, the trswe con-
tanning his picture Is put up In the neither
most corner, where he who runs will have
to know the man and read quick TO know his
identity. They have put Kemper's name on
his picture because he was Vlrginian, but
1t Is put well up out Of sight. The succeed
ing governors have not yet been honored.
But the whole OF one end of the quadrangle
has been cleared to honor some other people
Here appear the pictorial evidences Of Vir-
ginis's pride and boast in the last half CEN
tury. There are but three pictures, but they
take up all OF one Of four sides. The Spots
woods, the Masons, the Randolphs. the Mon
roes, the Tylers, even Jefferson, Washing
ton (by Peale), Light Horse" Harry Lee,
Lord Dunmore. Patrick Henry-all have to
submit to a doubling up to make room for
the three great life sized portraits which
Virginia patriots felt they must buy before
they adjusted their debt.
That of Robert e. Lee Is a magnificent
work. 1t is full thIee-quarter figure, life
size, the study made while he was president
OF the Washington and Lee university. The
frame Is massive and 10 occupies the centre
OF the space. To the right Is another full
sized painting of Stonewall Jaeksos. This
Is In full Confederate uniform, the only one
of note, by the way, that Is so represented
To the left is the third great Virginia sol
der, General Joseph Z. Johnston. Like
General Lee he is portrayed In ciIizens
dress, the figure being three-quarter draw
ing, life size. General Johnston looks In the
picture just as he does In the office Of the
United States Railroad commission. He
doesn't seem to have grewn an hour older.
Smaller portraits hover about these, notably
A. L. Hill, Jeb Stuart, General Pickett Of
Gettysburg fame. The old darky guide, In
taking one around the gallery is prolix when
he comes to the colonial governors and
Thomas Jefferson, but as he approaches the
great portraits he simply says: General
Lee, Gineral Johnston, and Old Stonewall."
and then the miserable old hyp0erit puts his
handkerchief to his eyes. He thinks that IL
good for another northern dime at least.
One gets somewhat inspired with the glo-
ry OF "Ole Varginny," 1t must be confessed,
as he goes through the corridors In q re-
cess near the portrait Of Washington By
Peale, is the old chair sent from England in
1870 for the use OF the speaker OF the house
Of Burgesses, then meeting az Williamsburg.
II is curious old thing. The back Is nine
wide. A modern speaker like Sam Cox
might sit on its edge, but Carlisle would
have hard work, and fat man like Kelrer.
of the FoTty-eighth Congress cOuldn'g reach
speaker Of the Virginia house Of delegates
might get his coattails In it, but no more. ID
is an odd piece Of furniture, upholstered In
old fashioned red silk, so faded as to be cell
Orless. The top Of the back is a carved sun
burst, and there is hole through the uphol-
stery that looks as II 1t might have been
made by bullet. The old chair
was brought up from Williamsburg.
Just ahead of Mcclellan. in 1862. and
through it. The old stove. too, is great
curiosity. 1t was the first warming box"
ever brought to America. 1t was made in
England in ITO and sent over by the Duke
Of Beaufort as present to the COLONY Of
Virginia" It was used for warming the
House OF Burgesses in Williamsburg until
the capital was removed TO Richmond. 1t is
a three story" affair, standing seven feet
high, but nothing unique in its appearance.
1t shows simply that the science Of stove
making has not advanced much in the last
100 years. The same principles Of radiation
appear in the old Virginia "Rarmlng box"
that we have in the ordinary wood stove Of
today.
The library, on the upper floor, contains
many objects OF interest. There are law
yer's fee book" kept by Patrick Henry; JEFF
Persons marriage contract, written in his
own hand, Lord Corvallis parole at York
town, signed by himself; Stonewall Jack
sons last official dispatch, written IN lead
pencil on the field Of Charlottesville an
hour before his death; and number Of 9th
er things.