Evening star., 1898-03-25
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
PICTURES OF THE CITY OF WASHINGTON IN
THE PAST. By Samuel e. Busey. MD.
LID. Washington: VIM Ballantyne x Sons

PICTURES OF THE CITY OF WASHINGTON IN
THE PAST By Samuel z. Busey. D.,
LID. Washington: VIM. Balantyne 4 Sons.
DR.. Busey's previous works concerning
LEGAL history have shown both a keen
historical sense and an ardent desire to
make a permanent record of those mat
ters directly concerning the national capi-
ia; that should be preserved for the bene-
ft of the people of the future city.
This book represents a vast amount of
research and may be taken as an accurate
digest of the great volume of material that
has beer written and printed in the past
concerning the beginnings of the seat OF
government AS DIR. Busey remarks in
Els preface, many misstatements have been
made by some writers who have essayed
to make the history of Washington city
story of romance and fiction. But stripped
of all these errors the story of Washing
ton is indeed fairly to be called romantic.
Evolved out of a virtual wilderness by the
legislative act of new nation, itself the
creation from many different and diver
gent elements. the city of Washington has
a story that teens with interest aside from
the political events that have been histori-
cally associated with it.
The unique relations between the munich
pGlity and the nation are today in such
striking evidence, owing to the recent ne
cessity for repeated efforts to prevent the
congressional abrogation of the organic act
OF 1878, that a close perusal of DR.. Buseys
Vclume Is to be recommended to every cfti
zen who desires to inform himself as to the
conditions existing in the early days with
regard to this matter. The work shows
clearly that at the inception of the capital
1t was regarded as the nations city, Gre
ated as such and maintained in the early
days as such. The direct interest of the
first President in the evolution of the capi-
tai from the farm LANDS at the confluence
Oh the Potomac and Anacostia rivers is to
be seen at every stage, as shown by the
first chapter of the book. President Wash
irgton typefied the spirit that prevails to-
day among some legislators, the spirit of
guardianship over the District set apart
for purposes of national administration.
DIR. Busey brings forward mass of evil
dence that cannot be counter-balanced to
show that at no time in the early days of
the republic and the city was the latter
considered. in the light of an ordinary mu-
from commercial agencies, with the need
for growth and development upon the usual
lines of corporate accretion.
In other features this book is of excep
ticnal interest and value The second chap
ter is written by Mr.. Wilhelmus B. Bryan,
end relates to the removal of the seat Of
government to Washington. In reprintins
this paper as chapter. of his book DR..
Busey pays a high compliment to Mr..
Bryan, whose studies in local history have
been exhaustive and productive of several
important results. Other chapters relate to
L'Enfant's map of the city, with exhibits;
the forests, houses, streams and springs in
the Territory of Columhfa-the original Off
clal name of the District-when the city
was founded; old homes and seats in the
vicinity of the city; old histories. guide and
sketch books and directories of the city
prior to and including 1850; the history of
Pennsylvania avenue prior to the same
year. boarding house and hotel life of
public men during the first half of the
century; social life within the same period.
Following these chapters is list of the
works that have been utilized by the au-
tor in his researches, in itself a valuable
compendium of authorities.
DR.. Busey complains bitterly and with
Justice about the failure of the nation to
carry OUT the original plans for the city.
upon the wisely broad lines OF L'Enfant.
Though now perhaps too late to rectfy
all those errors of omission it is worth
while for. the modern historian to turn
back to show what might have been had
the first conceptions of national capital
been wrought into permanent works. as ID
warning against other departures from
the strict lines of capital making that are
being followed today in the administration
of the local affairs and the progression
toward an IDEAL
PARIS. By Emile Zola Translated by Ernest