Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-09

and Pittsburgh. upon the best navigation.
and in the midst of a commercial territory.
probably the richest. and commanding the
most extensive internal resources of any in
America.
1T has. therefore many advantages to
recommend Z as an eligible place for the
permanent seat of the general government:
and. as it is likely to be speedily built. ard
otherwise improved. by the public-spirited
enterprise of the people of the United
States. and even by foreigners. it may be
expected to grow up with a degree of rapid
ity hitherto unparalleled in the annals of
cities.
Natural Advantages.
1.-The plan of this city appears to contain
some important improvements upon that of
the best-planned in the world. combining
in a remarkable degree convenience. reg
ularity. elegance Of prospect and free
circulation of air. The positions for the
different public edifices and for the sew
eral squares and areas of different shapes.
as they are laid down. were first deter
mined on the most advantageous ground.
commanding the most extensive prospects:
and. from their situation, susceptible of
such improvements as either use or orna-
ment may hereafter require. The Capitol
will be situated on a most beautiful emf
nence. commanding complete view of
every part of the city and of considerable
part of the country around. The Presi-
dents house will stand on a rising ground,
possessing a delightful water prospect to-
gether with a comma ndfng view of the Cap
itol and the most material parts of the
city. Lines or avenues of direct commune
cation have been devised to connect the
most distant and important objects.
THESE transverse avenues or diagonal
streets are laid out on the most advanta-
geOuS ground for prospect or convenience.
and are calculated not only to produce
variety of charming prospects. but greatly
to facilitate the communication throughout
the city. North and south lines inter
Sa,s taHh N-p 4 har a CT md
make the distribution of the city into
streets. squares. &c, and those lines have
been so combined as to meet at certain
given points with the divergent avenues. so
as to form on the spaces first determined
the different squares or areas.
On an Elaborate Plan.
The grand avenues and such streets as
lead Immediately to public places are from
10 to 100 feet wide. and may be conve-
niently divided into footways. a walk
planted with trees on each side and a paved
way for carriages. The other streets are
from M TO ITO feet wide
In order to execute this plan Mr. EIlicott
drew a true meridisnal plan, by celestial
observation, which passes through the area
intended for the Capitol. This line he
crossed by another. running due east and
west which passes through the same area.
These lines were accurately measured and
made the bases on which the whole plan
was executed He ran all the lines by a
transit instrument and determined the
acute angles by actual measurement leav-
ing nothing TO the uncertainty of the COM
pass"
In the Monthly Review of London for
July. 1893, page 80. is rather satrical
criticism on this GRAFTON of Winchester,
from which the following:
MIR. w. on the contrary. treats his
reader with much more than his title page
gives him reason to expect. Besides a Gu
rious description and plan of the intended
org maj ar,1 -
Washington, the buildings of which is act
ually going forward. the pamphlet contains
political hymns for America, composed dur
ing the late war. and a sketch OF the life
and character of General Washington Page
4S contains an explanation of the plan and
speaks of the stone bridge connecting
Washington and Georgetown as superior
to anything Of the kind in America
An Interesting Pamphlet.
1 cannot finish this description of Wash
ington before 1900 without referring to a
small pamphlet published anonymously, en-
titled Observations on the river Potamack
the country adjacent and the city of Wash
ington." 30 PIP, New York, printed by
Loudon and Brewer. in Water street, 1894.
This pamphlet has been enormously at
tributed to Andrew Ellicott.
Mr.. Griffin. photographer of the Library
of Congress. in his volume Of great re-
Washington Collection in the Boston Athe-
naeum," mentions a copy given to Wash
ington by the author. Tobias Lear Be
fore printing. Lear submitted two copies of
his MS. to Washington. One of these is
preserved among the Washington papers
in the State Department. The other was
returned to Lear. as appears from the fol-
lowing: Il have, however, run over your
observations on the Potomac navigation,
etc. etc. and in hasty manner, as I went
along at the first reading. made the notes
and remarks which are returned with one
of the copies. German Town. q November
1885. Washington to Lear.-From the
Washington letter book in the State De-
partment.
The copy of this pamphlet in the Library
Of Congress is unfortunately lacking the
map which is noted in the copy of the
Boston Athenaeum- Copious extracts could
be made from this little volume which
would be of present interest. This one.
however. is curious: Besides the buildings
for the accommodation of the government
OF the United States. a very suburb Hotel
is erecting the exDence of which is de-
highest prize. This building, with Its ac-
cunlmodations and dependencies. will per
haps be equal to any one of the kind in
Europe"
TwininE's Description.
This article is not complete without a
reference to a neat little volume published
In 1898 entitled. Travels in America 100
Years Ago, being notes and "reminiscences
by Thomas Twtning. The author was an
Englishman Journeying home from India
by way Of the United States. In his travels
through the country he stopped April %
1874. at the Indian Queen" at .'Blandens-
burg. small solitary inn, surrounded by O.
few rude cottages While at dinner one
of the party informed Mr.. Ross, the civil
landlord. that I came from Bengal Why
observed Mr.. Ross. 1.-The gentleman speaks
English as We do" Over the fireplace I'm
the dining room was a plan OF Washing
ton. with the streets. squares and public
buildings of the intended city infinitely de-
tailed The author further says and gives
a description OF the city which Is worthy
of preservation. II set out for Washing
ton, situated lower DOWN the Potomac, in
the territory Of Columbia. the name given
to portion of land ceded by the con-
tiguous states of Maryland and Virginia for
the construction and convenience OF the
new metropolis
Not Like II L. Today
''Hasing crossed an extensive tract of level
country somewhat resembling an English
heath. I entered a large wood through
which a very imperfect road had been
made. principally by removing the trees. or
rather the upper parts Of them. in the
usual manner. After some time this indis-