Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-18

esting account, not only of the resources Of
the country, but of the habits and the
customs of the people. He reached this
city in the spring of 1875, travelling by stage
from Baltimore and Annapolis and Upper
Marlboro. He says: From the tops of the
mountains which border upon the Eastern
branch the river Potomac Is seen far be-
yond Georgetown and as far as Alexandria
The Eastern branch is also seen in its course
for five or six miles. and In short, there Is
prospect Of the whole site Of the new
city. the public and private buildings Of
which may be distinguished as they rise
This view Is sublime and beautiful, but
sufficiently confined by the heights beyond
the Potomac to enable the eve to embrace
In Its immensely.
There Was No Bridge Then.
THE Eastern branch is passed in a tolera-
BILE good boat. a little too fiat and great deal
too small for the quantity Of horses which
are taken into 1t. I passed in this boat with
ten horses and carriage. and was uneasy
TIL arrived on the other side The pas
sage over this river is from three quarters
of a mile to league After having crossed
it you enter into Federal city, that is, to
say in its site. for at present there are only
a few houses to be seen in this capital of
the United States: In this metropolis Of
North America"
He states that the Presidents house is
sufficiently advanced to be covered in this
year; that the wing Of the Capitol. which
ifice is so extensive that the execution Of
two-thirds of 1t has been abandoned to an
indefinite period, may, perhaps, be covered
In during the succeeding year. About $50
traced out for the city. each of the four
quarters Of the city having from thirty to
forty houses, for the most part very distant
from each other
Visit Like People in the Country.
The duke. in continuing his account Of the
city. says: The site of the city, as have
already observed, is well chosen. The plan
is both judicious and noble. but 1t is, in
fact the grandeur and magnificence Of the
plan which renders the conception no bet
ter than dream" He adds that $500, 900
had already been expended on the part of
the public and nothing is erected but the
walls, timbers and staircases on the wing
of the Capitol and the Presidents house
To complete these two buildings and to
erect others for the different departments
of the administration S6OO,OOO are still want
ing, on the computation Of the Commits
sioners themselves. and even then there will
be no courts Of justice. prisons. churches,
pavements, amps, fountains or public gar
dens He states that the number of its
inhabitants Is at present varying consider
able, and they are so scattered that If they
were less occupied with their speculations
rivalry and hatreds they could still form no
society. They visit like people in the coun-
try, living at a distance from each other
The tradesmen and laborers, for the most
part, reside at Georgetown, where the in
habitants of the othei quarters are obliged
to send for almost all necessaries. The few
shops that are in the heart of the federal
city are miserably provided and excessively
dear, and the workmen are the very refuse
Of that class. and. nevertheless. very high
In their demands. Provisions are furnished
almost by chance, and this is so absolutely
the case with respect to butchers meat
especially that during the six days passed
there l never once saw any. Eggs are
brought from time m inn frrrV, fSa
try, but neither constantly nor often In
short, have not been in any of the OBJ
scurest parts of America where 1 found
provisions so badly furnished. The stone of
which the Capitol and Presidents house are
built Is extremely white and the workman
ship Is excellent but do not admire the
architecture Of those buildings"
Mr. Hines RecOllections.
Perhaps the most interesting contempor-
aneous account of the city is that which is
found in a small pamphlet entitled EARLY
Recollections of Washington City," by
Christian Hines. published in 1865 Mr..
Hines spent his early years in Georgetown
He lived to an advanced age, and in his
eighty-second year, with the help Of his
brother, he wrote down what he could
recollect Of the city from his youth His
memory carried him back with remarkable
cistfnctness of details to the year 1907
when he was fifteen years of age. In that
year he was engaged by a Georgetown mer-
chant to assist in a clothing store, which
the latter had established at Greenlea rs
Point. and he recalls his many journeys be-
tween those two points and the appearance
st ns i fss IF II the s tina, TIT time He
from Georgetown to the Presidents house
he recollects having seen but one house on
pennsylvania avenue Except the Six and
seven buildtngs), and that was an old frame
which stood on II street between 18th and
18TH streets, near where DIR. Hagner now
yves, and which was surrounded by a grove
or beautiful forest trees. After passing
the Presidents house." he says, "our road
lay along f street until we arrived at l1th