Washington, outside and inside. A picture and a narrative of the origin, growth ... and personages of our Governing City

Front matter

WASHINGTON, Outside .a.nd Inside. A PICTURE AND A NARRATIVE OF THE ORIGIN, GROWTH, EXCELLENCES, ABUSES, BEAUTIES, AND PERSONAGES OF OUR GOVERNING CITY. By GEO. AhFRED TOWNSEND, "gath," AUTHOa Of "THE NEW WORLD COMPARED WITH THE OLD," AND WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT OP THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE. •• WS .lo not know of any American newspaper-English which we like letter, as English than that of Mr. to. which is nothing less than poetical.'— N«w Yobk Nation. JAMES BETTS & CO., HARTFORD, CONN., AND CHICAGO, ILL. S. M. BETTS & CO , CINCINNATI, O. A. L. BANCROFT 8c CO., SAN FRANCISCO, CAL CHANDLER BROS., ST. LODIS, MO. 1874. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, By JAMES BETTS & CO., in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. CASE, LOCKTTOOD s brainard, WM. H. LOCKWOOD, PRINTERS AND BINDERS, HAETFOKD, CONN.

ZLECTROTYPER, HARTFORD, CONN. rhis book is inscribed to FCOTAI^JD pOWLES, pSq_, Editor Of the Cleveland Leader, -who took the firsf letters I wrote on polities and occurrences from the City of Washington in the year 1868, and -who has always been to me a considerate and thoughtful friend. ILLUSTRATIONS. FULL PAGE. N° PAGE. 1. Chief Justice Chase, Steel Plate Frontispiece. 2. Capitol Building, with Senate Chamber and House of Representatives Opposite 62 3. Marble Hall (Capitol Building) " fig 4. Ladies' Reception Room •> fig 5. House of Representatives " 70 6. Senate Chamber « 70 7. Lobby of Senate " 71 8. Dome (Inside Section) " 136 9 Dome and Spiral Staikcase in Conservatory " 142 10. View of Conservatory No. 1 " 144 11. " " '* No. 2 " 146 12. Cabinet Chameer (White House) " 196 13 Blue Room '* " " 198 14.

East Room " " " 200 15 Green Room " " " 202 16. Red Room " " " 204 17. View in Conservatory " " " 206 18. Congressional Library (Central Room) " 394 19. State, War and Navy Departments (New Building)... " 57C VI ILLUSTRATIONS. Major L'Enfant's Resting Place — The Digges Farm 51 Hallet's Plan of the Capitol 62 Tayloe Mansion 118 Duddington House .. 126 The Capitol as seen from Pennsylvania Avenue 137 Statue of Liberty 138 Jno. Welcker 176 Washington's WniTE House as it was in Philadelphia, 1790 194 The White House 190 Interior East Room 201 Mount Vernon 311 Ford's Theatre 390 Soldiers' Home 396 Smithsonian Institute 398 Columbia Slave Pen. — Freedman's Savings Bank 472 The Great Falls of the Potomac 5j9 National Observatory, on Observatory Hill 565 Treasury Building 567 United States Post-Office 568 Patent Office — South Front 569 Willard's Hotel 574 The Ebbitt House 575 Marcia Burns — Van Ness 604 Van Ness Mansion, and Davy Burns' Cottage 605 Van Ness Mausoleum 608 Mount Airy 614 Jefferson's Home — Monticello 627 Washington Monument 641 Mills' Washington TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Introductory. The Credit Mobilier investigation of 1873 — Excitement in the country over its developments — A review of the causes of our political demoralization—Eminent men affected by the scandal — Two Vice-Presi dents and the heads of the important committees scathed — The back pay plunder — How to approach the remedy. ........ 21 CHAPTER n. How Washington City came to be. Was it a job or a compromise ? — Had Gen. Washington interested motives in locating it ? — The land owners and their wrangles — Congress driven out of Philadelphia— The manner of buying the ground — Capital moving — Reminiscences of the site— Character of the early population — Washington rides out with the commissioners — His mortifications — What the town has cost the Government — Condition of civilization when the city was founded 25

Chapter III

The Civil versus the Congressional Service. Which is the most honest ? — Many of our evils inherited from colonial times — The constituency often responsible for bad Congressmen — Want of a national spirit — Provincialism in public life — Mr. Holman opposed to astronomy — Friendlessness of the federal institutions — Reasons for the decay of our navy yards — Private ship yards and green timber — The contract-getting Congressmen — Bureau life more responsible than political life — Instances of eminent clerks — Admiral Goldsborough — Dr. William Thornton — Wm. Lambert founds the CONTENTS. 53 Observatory — John C. Rives — Amos Kendall — Villages of clerks — Clerksville— Howardsvillc— Mr. Edward D. Neill — Railroad lawyers in the Land Office — Gen. Spinner — Sketch of John J. Knox, tbe comptroller of the currency 38

Chapter IV

The Jon of Planning the Federal City. Major L 'Enfant, the landscape gardener — Jefferson's influence in the plan of the city — L 'Enfant discharged — His lonely life and death — Vindication of his extravagance— His quarrel with Daniel Carroll — Sketch of Andrew Ellicott, L 'Enfant's successor — Benjamin Banneker, the negro surveyor — Washington's prediction concerning his namesake city. 47

Chapter V

The Architects of the Capitol ajtd their feuds. Stephen S. Halle t, the French architect — His claim to have won the premium for the great structure — An examination of his drawings — Want of information about him — Dr. William Thornton the successful architect — His life and versatility — Hallet discharged by the commissioners — Employment of George Hadfield — His public constructions — His criticism upon Thornton's plan — Discharged — Employment of James Hoban — Hoban's career in America — He builds the White House — He is succeeded by Latrobe— Account of that fine architect — He builds the wings — Quarrels with the commissioners — Is succeeded by Chas. Bulfinch of Boston — Romantic story of Bulfinch — He builds the center, rotunda, and library — Is succeeded by Robt. Mills — Mills builds the old Treasury, Patent-Office, and Post-Office — Is discharged — The stone quarries at Seneca and Actinia Creeks — The new wings designed — Life of Thomas U. Walter, the great classical architect — Cost of materials — Expense of the Capitol — Renown of the great building — Its associations

CHAPTER VL

The Lobby and its Gentry. Definition of lobbyist — Jefferson makes the architect screen the lobby — Fine abilities of some lobbyists — Lobbyists relations with newspaper men — The poker-playing lobbyist — Anecdote — The cottonbug scheme to refund the cotton tax — Its failure — Extravagant scheme — Adolph Sutro and his tunnel — He is opposed by the Bank CONTENTS. IX 75 87 of California— A daring and expensive experiment — The Com stock lode — Horace Greeley endorses it — The irrigating lobby The French spoliation claims — Sketch of their agent — The Missis sippi levees — Scheme to rebuild them at the national expense. . .

Chapter VII

A running History of Government Scandals. Corruption coeval with the Government — The first breach of decorum in 1 798 — Matthew Lyon spits in Roger Griswold's face — Question of his expulsion — Griswold canes Lyon in his seat — Misfortunes of Lyon — He is sent to prison for violating the sedition law — Reflected by his constituency— Thomas Pinckney refused permission to take presents from foreign rulers — Burning of the Treasury building — The great Limantour claim — Frauds under Spanish, Mexican, and British titles — A New Hampshire judge impeached for drunkenness, profanity, and insanity, in 1804 — Impeachment of Judge Chase — The Vice-President presides under indictment for murder — Chase acquitted — Meanness of John Randolph — The elder Dallas charged with bribery — Secret service money to bribe France — Judge Sebastian charged with treason — Commander-in-chief Jas. Wilkinson ditto — Senator John Smith and Burr's treason — Edward Livingston's Batture claim — Albert Gallatin and the Whisky Insurrection — Pennsylvania defies the Government and confiscates prizes — A day ordained for private bills — Wrangle over the United States Bank — The case of John Henry — Clay and Calhoun conspire against the newspaper writers — Settlement of the Yazoo claims — Second National Bank — It is abetted by Dallas and Calhoun — The General Government makes the first large appropriations for roads and public buildings in 1815 — Origin of the Preemption rights — Scandal over the Second National Bank — Amos Kendall tells the story — Clerks taking advantage of their positions — Abel R. Corbin — George Cowlam CHAPTER VIH.

Some Queer People in Washington. Lorenzo Dow and his wife Peggy — Miss Ann Royall — The romance of a clerkship — A supposititious earl of Sterling — His celebrated trial in Scotland for forgery — He moves to Washington City and dies — Caleb Cushing, the veteran publicist — His long and rich career — A lively etching — The life and resources of Beau Hickman — Living X CONTENTS. by one's wits — The little shop of the government instrument maker — The national corn-cutter — Humorous and extravagant account of the gentleman who repairs the feet of our statesmen. . . 100

Chapter IX

The New Year's Ceremonial at Washington City. Origin of the custom — Reminiscences of Mrs. Ogle Tayloe — Mrs. Madison institutes the habit — Her influence on Washington society — Personal description — Madison inhabits the Tayloe mansion — The foreign ministers — i-keteh of the marine band — The brilliant Winter of 1825 — Lafayette in ihe city — A general resume of fine society — Great feed — Lafayette meets an old friend — Toast making — John Quincy Adams builds a house — A President's son-in-law — Gen. Jackson's receptions - — Society in Fillmore's times — Harriet Lane— New Year's customs extend to private houses — Growth of Washington City — The appropriations of 1873 — The board of public works — Rejuvenated Washington in 1873 — Extraordinary improvements 117