Evening star., 1921-03-20


abundant charm. The top point of
the ridge. which runs lengthwise in
the middle of the island, IS marked by
tumbled ruins of stone and brick,
though some tall and battered walls
are standing. Deep broad pits. heavy
| walled with gray stone and marked
by massive transverse walls, yawn in
the jungle of shrubbery, mostly allan
thus, that has overgrown them.
! These pits were the cellars and
storerooms and the walls were the
foundation Of the old house. There
was a wide portico on that side of
| the house facing Georgetown. On the
Little river side of the house and Il
| few PAGES up the island-that is. in
| the direction of the Aqueduct bridge
are heaps of ruinS-brick, stone and
mortar. These were outhouSeS of the
INSTRUMENTATION spinning house
! laundry. carriage house and perhaps
| "quarters' of the field hands. Spots
where other and later buildings stood
| may be made out. One was the pa
vilion of Tony Rodier when Analostan
| Island was summer excursion place,
| where the grand and great grand par
| entS of many of you who are trying
| to get interested in this story took
l
| evenings. You can trace where the
! icehouses of the Greet Falls Ice Com
| pany stood. when rlat company used
| to cut ice in Little river. the quiet
| stream between the island and Virginia
| shore. The spot where stood the
| happy (at one time) and picturesque
| island clubhouse of the Columbia Ath-
letic Club can be picked out. Traces
of roads and many paths may be seen
on the island. which. for the most
part. is upgrown in bushes and scrub
| by trees. though a few venerable trees
| of woodland size escaped the ak of
poachers.
| For two Sundays in succession the
Rambler has turned for you the pages
| Of an old book printed in Paris in 1916,
and written by David Baille Warden. a
, man of whose history the Rambler has
| SO far been able to learn almost nothing.
! He visited the District Of Columbia,
was received by many of the families
| having that quality called social stand
ing" and among those he tells of visit
| ing were the Custises, presumably of
| Arlington, and the Masons of Analostan
| Island. Warden was naturalist and
made a series of observations of plant
| and animal life on the island and in
| other parts of the District which may
/ be called classic" though it is hard to
| define to an inquisitive man what
classic" means The Rambler uses it
because it has an important and cultured
! look, because other great writer's have
, lugged it in when they wanted to be
impressive, and because it is IA word that
! has become associated in your minds
, , with things that some of you do not
, know anything about. such as Greek
statuary, Latin poetry and Beethoven
: music. When the Rambler seIs down
the word Classic in relation to Mr..
Warden's work on Analostan Island he
! means that Warden was probably the
first man to write of the flora and
fauna of the island, and that his writ
ings are accepted as satisfactory by
scientific men today. or course, the
Rambler could have said that without
bringing in the word classic" and dis
cussing it, but how can man interest
his readers merely by giving them
facts?
The Rambler got on the trail of this
Baillie Warden book by seeing quo
tations from it in bulletin of the
Biological Society of Washington,
bulletin which is entitled, "A Sketch
of the Natural History Of the Dis
trict of Columbia, Together With an
Indexed Edition of the U. S. Geologi-
cal Surveys 1917 Map of Washington
and Vicinity, by w. L. McAtee." 1t
says that many definite observations
on the natural history of the District
are recorded in charming little book
published in Paris in 1916. 1t has
, rather the forbidding title of "A
Ohorographical and Statistical De-
scription of the District of Columbia"
but the contents are enllVened by
shrewd comment on social customs of
, that day and enriched by informing
references to many plants and ami
n2JS The anfhOr is David B91llle
Warden. who was upon consular duty
in Washington. He dedicated his book
to Mrs. Custis, who. we are Informed
in the introduction, accompanied hlm
on some of his excursions"
In another place it is written: nv
Warden evidently spent some time
upon Analostan Island, and his notes
natural history. At any rate they are
far more than has since been written
on that place" The Washington
Biological Society is authority for
the statement that the first scientific
paper thus far brought to light
which mentions a plant possibly OBJ
tainei within the limits of District
of Columbia fora is entitled Re
marks by Mr. James Petiver. Apothe-
cary and Fellow of the Royal Society,
on Some Animals. Plants, Etc, Sent
Him From Maryland by the Rev. Mr.
Hugh Jones'" and which paper was
published IN London in 1898. The
next specific mention of plant from
the region of the District fora ap-
pears to be that of Gronovius in the
Flora Virginica of 1862. This fora
based on material collected by DR.
John Clayton, might better be known
as "Claytons Flora Virginica." lN
this connection do you know that one
of the early and beautiful flowers
which grow at your feet as you walk
through moist woodland around
Washington, is named for DR.. Clay
ton? You call this little flower
Spring beauty" but its official name
is Claytonia Virginica.
X X \:
Mr.. McAtee says that search of Nut
tails sylvia" Purch's Flora" and
Michauxs' Flora" and sylvia" have
revealed no definite record of plants
from the vicinity of the District. and
that is rather surprising. since all
those botanists visited this locality
and Nuttall worked in Washington
upon the collections of the National
Institute. The visit Of Andre Mchaux