Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-20
THE WASHINGTON OF 1912
QUAINT LETTERS DESCRIBING THE
CITY AT rhAr TIME.
Pen Pictures Of a Drive Through the
Center of the Tswn and of
Visit to Mtavernon.

Lighted streets, It's pretent1OuS nOSteiries' It's
splendid private mansions and Its teeming
population. is what rises in the mind when
the capital of the nation is mentioned to-
day; and half the New Workers who have
visited it could not answer positively
whether it has suburb called Georgetown
or not This is a decided change from the
days when Georgetown was a port Of COM
mercial consequence and Washington an ao-
joining settlement, largely marsha paper
capital with nothing to commend 1t TO the
stranger but an ambitious pan, and nothing
to trade upon except that vague and mtan-
gibIe asset, future OF great promise
From an attic chest 4 take a lew letters
now yellow with age, written from the DIS
tl1ct OF Columbia in the autumn OF lolZ, u
his wife and children, by New YORK mer-
chant of prominence who had been called
sCutn on business. The permanent capItai
had then been settled for a dozen years,
and the Capitol and the Executive Mansion
STOOD as tAey were before the British burned
them. There was no White House then,
for the paint which gave the Presidents
nome that distinguishing color was only
put on some years later to cover the stones
and stucco which the fire had backened
To his children he writes from George
town:
Il have the pleasure to inform you that 1
arrived here, at The seat of the great Gov
eminent of these United States this after
noon about O'Clock without accident, Dut
most excessively Idl4Sueu as you may wen
suppose, having rode about $50 miles since
the day before yesterday morning. L lodge
N This town, which joins the city OF WASH
ington as the best public house IS here.
In coming here l passed through the center
of the great nam'd CIty-that is, by the
Capitol, the Presidents House. &c, &c.
which are one or two miles from my lodg-
ings, and l am almost enchanted with 1t
l mean the situation for City for there is
nothing yet here constituting one, being
comparatively without Houses or streets.
AS to Houses, there are very few, and those
very scattering; and as to streets, there are
none except you would call common roads
streets. The site, however, for City Is
the most delightful that can be imagin'd-
far beyond my expectation.
Saturday night | lodg'd in Phila, last
night in Baltimore, which, what l saw OF
it. l did not Ike. l DID not. however see
much, for we arrived in the evening be-
tween and o'clock. and left before sun
rise. From Phila the appearance or
the country generally was very poor, par
ticulary from about 80 miles before you
came to Baltimore to this place, inclusive.
The best Idea can give you of 1t is that It
looks very much like the Brushy plains on
Long 1sland-not so many Houses to be
SEEM and almost all you do see are equally
miserable. Inhabitants look half clothed
and half starv'd, the Negroes appear worse,
and those are more numerous in the Houses
than the Whites.
Il took Hack after dinner, to visit Nathl
Maxwell, and altho he lives near the center
of the great city, yet such was the state OF
the roads streets, perhaps they are cal'd),
that | considered my life in nearly as mucn
danger as when l was cast away last spring.
/ had to return before night, and before 1
otherwise shd have done, on that account
| The distance on straight line does not eX
coed half mile, but had to ride up and
down very steep Hills, with frightfuI Gull
lies on almost every SIDE. l could not have
wak'd, for it storm'd violently, and even II
| it had not, should, if alone in dark night
have CONSIDERED my neck in danger. y
Na1 (Nrs .Ir,n,. har tl,n+
| into the stage two very respectable looking
| Quakers. who rode with us about 100 mi les.
| and promised myself, at first, much pleas
ure with their company. One. however,
| who was very chatty. proved a rank demo-
crat-the other too demure to be agreeable
| and both too fond Of Brandy and Water.
| They were Maryland Quakers, and perhaps
| 1t Is customary for them to drink more
than usual for that class Of people. l sup
pose they left me without reuctance--it is
certain felt none at parting from them.
To his wife, some days later, October Z:
| Il wrote you evening before last, which
hope you will receive on Friday-whether
at all is somewhat questionable. for 1t was
| the evening of my arrival. The House
| and my room very intricate. AS the mail
| closed at o'clock in the morning 1T was
necessary to post letters in the evening. 1
| directed the servant not to go to bed until
| he took my letters to the post office /
however, did not finish them till near l.
o'clock, when / rung the Bell again and
again without 1t being answered. Suppos-
ing the rascal asleep in the kitchen, l took
| candle and left my chamber, which was
| in one of the wings of the House, to tind
him. After hunting for him q long time
without being able to find either him or the
| kitchen, l opened a door that led to the
| yard. AS 1t rain'd and blew violently, out
| went my candle and left me in total dark
ness. l then endeavored TO gain my cham
Der again but that was not so easy. II
| appeared 4 labyrinth, and II l was as capa-
| HE Mrs Ralcl. fl write a
would write one to describe this incident.
After being cOmpleatly bewitched, l ex.
erted my lungs to rouse some person as g
| guide, but received no reply except the echo
Of my own voice. At length | succeeded In
gaining my chamber, and concluded to &c
to bed and endeavor to wake up timely tC
rouse some person to take my Letters fol
if l had undertaken them myself l couIc
not have found the post office. Luck. y
however, after l got comfortably in bed. 6
Waterman came passd my window, bawing
out Past / O'Clock, and a very stormy
night on which l sprung out of bed anc
called to him to take my Letters to the
post office, which he consented to do.
accordingly wrapt them in sheet OF paper
to protect them from the wet, with quar-
ter of a dollar, and threw them out of the
chamber window to him, and 1 hope he pu
them in the post office as he promised to DO
Il am very well, the weather very cold
If you could see me, you would find me st
ting writing by good fire, two sperm can
dies, snuff Box, and watch before me. Th
| latter points to ten O'Clock, and my eye
tell me to go to bed.
And on the evening of Friday, October .
he writes again to his wife. who was a
the time in Providence X. L., with som
members of Their family:
II am very happy to inform you that
finished my business in this city this after
noon and have taken my seat in the stag
!. to depart for home tomorrow morning at
o'clock. l shall get to Baltimore at dinner
and probably stay until Monday morning
to be at home on Tuesday or Wednesda.
evening. l long to see you all very much
When | think 1 am 500 miles from you
feel very sad, for it almost appears as tn,
1 was in some other country.
Il wanted you with me more than once
particularly yesterday, for l went with MI
Maxwell to Mount Vernon az miles, to IN
seat of the late Father Of our Country.
more delightful place cannot be imagined
Great attention is paid to strangers, and o
course to US. HIS old servants and Gar
, dener f1ock'd round US. with eyes sparkln
with joy, telling thousand anecdotes o
their great and good master, showing wit
unspeakable pleasure everything worth
notice After viewing the Garden. hot an
!, Green Houses and grounds, then we wer
J shown the ooms, and lastly his tomb. b
, fore this / felt an awful, ndescribable SCI
sat.on. But when l saw the Tomb. raihe
more common than Is generally seen /