The Effect Produced By A Dozen
Such At The Back Of A Noble Doric Porch, Looking Down Among The
Pillars, May Be Imagined.
In the interior of this building the Minister of the Interior holds
his court, and, of course, also the Commissioners of Patents.
Here
is, in accordance with the name of the building, a museum of models
of all patents taken out. I wandered through it, gazing with
listless eye now upon this and now upon that; but to me, in my
ignorance, it was no better than a large toy-shop. When I saw an
ancient, dusty white hat, with some peculiar appendage to it which
was unintelligible, it was no more to me than any other old white
hat. But had I been a man of science, what a tale it might have
told! Wandering about through the Patent-office I also found a
hospital for soldiers. A British officer was with me who pronounced
it to be, in its kind, very good. At any rate it was sweet, airy,
and large. In these days the soldiers had got hold of everything.
The Treasury chambers is as yet an unfinished building. The front
to the south has been completed, but that to the north has not been
built. Here at the north stands as yet the old Secretary of State's
office. This is to come down, and the Secretary of State is to be
located in the new building, which will be added to the Treasury.
This edifice will probably strike strangers more forcibly than any
other in the town, both from its position and from its own
character. It Stands with its side to Pennsylvania Avenue, but the
avenue here, has turned round, and runs due north and south, having
taken a twist, so as to make way for the Treasury and for the
President's house, through both of which it must run had it been
carried straight on throughout. These public offices stand with
their side to the street, and the whole length is ornamented with an
exterior row of Ionic columns raised high above the footway. This
is perhaps the prettiest thing in the city, and when the front to
the north has been completed, the effect will be still better. The
granite monoliths which have been used, and which are to be used, in
this building are very massive. As one enters by the steps to the
south there are two flat stones, one on each side of the ascent, the
surface of each of which is about twenty feet by eighteen. The
columns are, I think, all monoliths. Of those which are still to be
erected, and which now lie about in the neighboring streets, I
measured one or two - one which was still in the rough I found to be
thirty-two feet long by five feet broad, and four and a half deep.
These granite blocks have been brought to Washington from the State
of Maine. The finished front of this building, looking down to the
Potomac, is very good; but to my eyes this also has been much
injured by the rows of windows which look out from the building into
the space of the portico.
The President's house - or the White House as it is now called all
the world over - is a handsome mansion fitted for the chief officer
of a great republic, and nothing more. I think I may say that we
have private houses in London considerably larger. It is neat and
pretty, and with all its immediate outside belongings calls down no
adverse criticism. It faces on to a small garden, which seems to be
always accessible to the public, and opens out upon that everlasting
Pennsylvania Avenue, which has now made another turn. Here in front
of the White House is President's Square, as it is generally called.
The technical name is, I believe, La Fayette Square. The houses
round it are few in number - not exceeding three or four on each
side, but they are among the best in Washington, and the whole place
is neat and well kept. President's Square is certainly the most
attractive part of the city. The garden of the square is always
open, and does not seem to suffer from any public ill usage; by
which circumstance I am again led to suggest that the gardens of our
London squares might be thrown open in the same way. In the center
of this one at Washington, immediately facing the President's house,
is an equestrian statue of General Jackson. It is very bad; but
that it is not nearly as bad as it might be is proved by another
equestrian statue - of General Washington - erected in the center of a
small garden plat at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue, near the
bridge leading to Georgetown. Of all the statues on horseback which
I ever saw, either in marble or bronze, this is by far the worst and
most ridiculous. The horse is most absurd, but the man sitting on
the horse is manifestly drunk. I should think the time must come
when this figure at any rate will be removed.
I did not go inside the President's house, not having had while at
Washington an opportunity of paying my personal respects to Mr.
Lincoln. I had been told that this was to be done without trouble,
but when I inquired on the subject I found that this was not exactly
the case. I believe there are times when anybody may walk into the
President's house without an introduction; but that, I take it, is
not considered to be the proper way of doing the work. I found that
something like a favor would be incurred, or that some disagreeable
trouble would be given, if I made a request to be presented, and
therefore I left Washington without seeing the great man.
The President's house is nice to look at, but it is built on marshy
ground, not much above the level of the Potomac, and is very
unhealthy.
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