WASHINGTON'S HOUSE. EVERY thing connected with the immortal Saviour of our country, is treasured, in the bosoms of Americans, as something hallowed. His personal habits-anecdotes of his life—and not least, his house at Mount Vernon, are objects of the intensest interest. No one, possessing a spark of patriotic fire, visits its vicinity, without a pilgrimage to its sacred precincts, with feelings almost chastened and devout as are those of the travellers to Mecca, when prostrate before the tomb of the Prophet. We feel assured that we could present to our readers a no more acceptable subject for our engraving, than that which adorns our present number.

The main portion of Washington's house was erected by his brother, Lawrence Washington, but the wings were added by himself. It is of wood, cut in imitation of freestone; is two stories in height, and ninety-six feet in length; having a portico running the whole extent on the side fronting the river. The roof is surmounted by a cupola. There are, on the ground floor, six rooms, and a broad passage-way. In one room, in the northis a marble chimney-piece, sent to General Washington from Italy; and, also, a fine organ, on which Mrs. Washington played with much skill. In another, at the south-east end, are busts of Necker, Paul Jones, and General Washington, and, also, a handsome library, the books of which were chiefly collected by Washington

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Mount Vernon received its name from Admiral Vernon, under whom Lawrence Washington once served. It is handsomely laid out in the vicinity of the house. front is a lawn, containing five or six acres of ground, surrounded by a serpentine walk, fringed with shrubbery. On either side of this lawn is a garden; that on the right being devoted to flowers. In it are two green housesone built by General Washington, the other, by Judge Washington-a hot house, and a pinery. It is prettily laid out, being intersected with walks with box-wood borders, of peculiar beauty. The hot and green houses, which are contiguous, are sheltered from the northern winds by a long range of wooden buildings for the accommodation of servants. They contain every variety of the most beautiful and remarkable tropical plants. There are groves of orange, lemon and coffee-trees, all in full bearing, and delighting the senses with their rich odor. Many bushels of lemons and oranges are annually produced; and the coffee-trees, also, yield an abundance of excellent fruit. Of the other plants, some of the most conspicuous are the night-blowing cereus, the guaon, aloes of a gigantic growth, the West India plantain, the sweet cassia, prickly pear, etc. The " "pinery" is appropriated to the cultivation of the pine-apple.

The house fronts north-west, the rear looking to the river. About two hundred yards from it, in a southerly direction, stands a summer-house, on the edge of the

river bank, which is here lofty and sloping, and clothed with wood to the water's edge. The summer-house commands a fine prospect of the river and the Maryland Shore; also, of the "White House," at a distance of five or six miles down the river, where an engagement took place with the British vessels which ascended the river during the last war.

The estate, as owned by Judge Washington, consisted of between three and four thousand acres, since divided among his nephews. It has been, thus far, an object with the relatives of General Washington, into whose possession the house and grounds have fallen, to preserve every thing, as much as possible, in the state in which he left it; but it is to be presumed that, in the natural course of things, those changes will, ere long, be suffered to occur, which will interfere with the hallowed and almost sacred associations which now form a link between the "Father of his country" who is gone, and his People who remain to revere his memory. At pres ent, his bones lie in repose within the precincts of Mount Vernon, and render it consecrated. It is well known that an effort was made by the General Government, a few years ago, to obtain the permission of his family to have them removed to Washington, and placed under the Capitol-at a time when it was necesary that they should be disturbed, to effect some repairs upon the tomb in which they had lain. This was refused, upon the very tenable ground, that the notoriety of such a transaction would have been unpleasant to his feelings in his lifeand they considered themselves sacredly bound to regard his wishes, and the simplicity of his character. Mount Vernon, therefore, for the present, and perhaps, for ever, will be his resting-place.

Attempts have been made, at various times, in different parts of the country, to procure funds to erect a suitable monument to his memory; but without success. A movement was made in New-York some years since, to this effect. Still later, an association at Washington have made collections for the same purpose. Only about thirty thousand dollars have been obtained, an insignificant amount for such a design. It is certainly a strange fact that, so indebted as the nation is to Washington, no stone records his greatness. Such a want would be justifiable and laudable, were it the ground of the deficiency, that his sufficient monument is in the hearts of his countrymen-but this is not, we believe, the paramount consideration.

In view of this position of the people, when it is considered that Mount Vernon is the repository of the ashes of the illustrious dead, as it was his retreat in life, it seems unfortunate that the national gratitude cannot be displayed, by the purchase of the spot by the General Government, so that it may be in the possession of the people-a fit monument of itself to his greatness and his deeds.

H. F. H.