The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-03-31


was surprised at this manoeuvre, and
asked the reason of it; / was told they
wee going to lay the ciotlr for supper.
In half an hour | retired to my chamber,
fearing lest the General might have busi-
ness, and that he remained in company
only on my account; but at the end of
another half hour I was informed that
his Excellency expected me at supper. |
returned to the dining room, protesting
against this supper; but the General told
me that he was accustomed to take some
thing in the the evening; that / would
seated should only eat some fruit and
assist in the conversation. | desired
nothing better. for there were no stran-
gers, and nobody remained but the Gen
erals family. The supper was composed
of three or four light dishes, some fruit,
and above all. a great abundance of nuts.
which were as well received in the even
ing as at dinner.
The cloth being soon removed. few
bottles of good claret and MADEIRA were
placed on the table. Every sensible man
will be of my opinion, that being
French officer. under the orders of Gem
eral Washington, and, what is more,
good whig, l could not refuse good
glass Of wine offered me by him; but
confess that | had little merit in this
comp1aisance, and that, less accustomed
to drink than anybody, aceommodh ted
myself very well,t to the English mode of
'toasting'';; you have very small glasses,
you pour out yourself the quantity Of
wine you choose. without being pressed
to take more. and the toast is only a sort
of check in the conversation, to remind
each individual that he forms part of the
company, and that the whole formed only
one society.
observed that there was more sol
emnity in the toasts at dinner; there
were several ceremonious ones; the
others were suggested by the General
and given out by his aide-de-camp who
performed the honors at the table at din
ner; for one of them is every day seated
at the bottom of the table, near the Cen
eral, to serve the company and distribute
the bottles.
The toasts in the evening were given
by Colonel Hamilton, without order or
ceremony"
While the Marquis was the guest of
Washington the former occupied a
small room in the Dey House upstairs
Washington apologized for the rather
limited quarters he had been compelled
to assign to him. When the Marquis
speaks of Washington's family he refers
to the military family consisting of the
staff of the Commander-in Chief.
The Marquis intended to proceed fur
ther in his travels on the 25th, but was
prevented from doing so by the inclement
weather. but on the 26th he set off for
Philadelphia.
The house is remarkable for its archi-
tectural symmetry and the artistic finish
ing of the masonry. 1t stands about one
hundred yards from the main road, fac
ing South; it is two stories in height
with double pitch roof, through which
in more recent years windows were pierre
ed, giving it the appearance of mansard.
The building is ffty-two feet long and
thirty feet deep. The front is of brick,
the doorway and windows trimmed with
brown sandstone squared and set in the
most accurate manner; the sides and rear
are of rubble work, the windows and
doors trimmed with brick, the sides
above the caves being carried up in brick.
The walls are perfectly 6rm and are
good for many years. and it was and
still is a pleasant and comfortable resi-
denee. The timbers where exposed in
the cellar and attic are of hewn oak of
the nssxt massive description. and pinned
with wooden pins. Through the centre,
from south to north. runs hall twelve
feet wide, on. either side of which are
two rooms. fireplace faced with rubbed
brownstone in each. The ceilings on the
FIRST floor are about nine feet and on the
second floor about eight feet high. The
rooms occupied by Washington are in the
southeast corner of the first floor. II
was his audience chamber and dining
room; the family dined in the great hall.
On the second floor, on the southeast
corner, was the bedroom occupied by
the General.
There are ffty-six and thirty one
hundredths acres Of land connected with
the Manor, running from the main road
down to the middle Of the Singae Brook,