The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-29
INTERESTING RELIC
THE OLD CARLYLE HOUSE
 IN ALEXANDRIA,, VA.
Tale of the Days whsn nedeoess { Made Life Almost Unbsarable
 For Colonists.


 in 175S was drawn up the system of tax- ation which helped to bring on the ravo- lution twenty years later. says a letter from Alexandria. Va Alexandria was thed the metropolis of the British em- pire In Amarica. and soldiers and states men locked here. It was on April "A I755. that the Congress of Alexandria" open ed it's session in the blue room of the Carlyle house. its owner, John Carlyle. having rendered to the English general. Edward Bcaddock. its hospitality, and the general had invited to meet him six colonial goverrors-Dinwiddie of Virgin ia, Shirley of Massachusetts. De Lancey of New York. Morris of Pennsylvania, Sharpe of Maryland and Dobbs of North Carolina. The news of the assembling of this Congress had spread throughout the colonies and the village of Alexan- dria was, crowded with colonists who gathered to give evidence that they were ready to shed their blood for the crown. All was life, and the soldiers rejoiced in unlimited tobacco and got drunk on superabundant West India rum. The public square, or market square," was opposite the Carlyle house, and here it was that the soldiers and colonists held high carnival while the English gen. eral and the governors of the colonies discussed the situation in the blue room of the. mansion, George Washington had been summoned from Mount Vernon and offered a commission as major in the Brit ish army. and 1t was contrary to young washtnkton,s advice that the disastreus expedition to Fort Duauesne was plan ned. r @
 After the plans of campaign had been arranged. the Congress in secret session resolved that, having found 1t imprac- ticable to obtain in their respective gov, ernments the proportion expected by his majesty toward defraying the expenses of his services in North America, they are unanimously of opinion that 1t should be proposed to his maiestys ministers to find out some method of compelling them to- do it, and of assessing the sev- eral governments in proportion to theiF respective abilities" This was the reso' lution of the Congress. and when. the policy became public the Alexandrians and their visitors met in the court house a small frame structure opposite the Carlyle house.. and, with Washington in the chair, resolved: That there is noth' ing to warrant the belief that the colo nists will not contribute to the expense of defending the empire.
 Resolved, That txation and repreeen' tation are in their nature inseparabie.'
 Colonists Become Aroused.
 The ire of the colonists had reached high pitch, and Braddock's sojourn did not increase loyalty, and the colonist sol- tiiers had been dubbed "Bobtails," name given on account of their scRnt uniforms. Horatio Gates was here to tender the services of two New York regiments In the French and Indian war; Richard Henry Lee led country troop; Hugf Mercer, with the Fredericksburg volun- A r fho wfi1dapna with a retinue of Indians and halfbreeds; and Benjamin Franklin, deputy post master, to give mail facilities to the army. On April 20 General Braddock left Alex anaria. and on July he fell. Washing ton kept off the French and Indians from the town, and when the French power was broken he determined to settle down to a quiet life, and made the start by getting married. He became an ever day citizen of Alexandria, and mixed and mingled with her people, but mortified the "society people" by experimenting the running of market wagons to the Alex andria market from his Mount Vernon home. However, then, as now, whatever some people did was the thing. and 1t was not long before Washington had num- ber of followers in the market wagon business. It was on market and election
 
 with Colonel Payne. who gave him a severe blow, almost knocking him down. The blow was not returned, Washington, realizing that he was in the wrong, and the difflculty was settled over Q glass of wine at Washington's expense, after which they dined with Mir. Carlyle.
 For years and years. the old house, which figures so prominently in revolu- tionary days. has been shut off from the public eye by the brick hotel. the Brad dock house, built around the west, north and south of 1t. Recently there has been ation of Historic Alexandria" and the first effort of the socity Is to restore the Carlyle house. The society hopes to be able to buy the disreputable old hotel and tear it away, so that there will be noth- ing to obstruct the view of the historic house. The hotel has not been habitahls for long time, and Is used largely now as a wareroom for antique furniture. The Carlyle house is in a fair state of preseF- vation. and with some timely repairs can be made in perfect condition, a fact due to the excellent material used in its ex- terior and interior construction. Tradition has it that the house is built on stone fort erected more then two centuries ago. The massive stone walls upon which che house rests are eighteen or twenty feet high, inclosing all kinds of subterranean vaults, rooms and passageways, some of the openings leading no one knows where. Some assert that there is an un- derground passageway which leads to the Potomac. some 200 yards away. but there Is no trustworthy record of anyone hav-