ith a cap e and the are on the t from it. rtment of stand on the same e building e, the city on library. the capi ad high in and here of these ms and a. bordinate e general y, and the ound view common labourer gets but 75 cents per day, and finds After amusing myself with those sons of thunder, I is a large The other 7 asylum, Presbyte. two for ians, two a theatre. Besides ps and of. thousand . contains engine.e built of hem from 5. The there are y, out of have any. i work; a The navy-yard is enclosed with a very high wall, and no one can be admitted without the permission of the commandant: I found some difficulty, although furnished with a letter, through the politeness of Mr. Seaton, editor of the National Intelligencer. The interior is guarded by a centinel, who parades before the gate, day and night, with his gun erect in his arms. Besides himself, a large cagle, cut out of solid stone, guards the пот Negues outside: it looks down from the top of a magnificent Directly fronting the gate, on the inside, stands the der ho wh exa was Barracks. The barracks are enclosed by a handsome brick wall, 400 feet in length, 50 wide, and 20 in height; the ground within is level, and neatly gravel. led, while the apartments for the marines, line the wall; the Colonel's house stands at the head of the barracks, surrounded with a neat shrubbery, and a handsome spot of ground in which he keeps the marines at work, when not on duty. These inen are mustered twice in the day, accompanied by an elegant band. Col. Henderson, the present commandant, waited upon me through the establishment, ordered the men to parade, and the band port Con sin the agnificent S, as well While Ging him 135 unmo arrows, ed to be tands the y of the nt, which nt artists. table em g. The evo, rep. ean, and stands ap epresent. ildren to repid acepresents la in pen r the god aduceses. Besides there are ich like cse cone midst of a hand and 20 in be wall; to play. He is of middling age, and a man of genteel manners. The Poor-House.-This wretched establishment only exists to disgrace Washington. I found several wretched children in this dreary and comfortless asylum, without one cheering voice, or hand of kindness to comfort or cherish them. Some were stretched on straw, unable to rise, others were bedecked with crocus, (I think they call it) the coarsest stuff I ever saw. The whole group had a squalid appearance, which filled me with disgust, and the smell of the place was insupportable. I asked one of the unfortunate women whose business it was to attend to these sufferers, what made the rooms smell so ill; but she was too simple to understand me. The intendant and his wife are Irish; he appeared to me to be wholly unfit for the place, and his wife a perfect she dragon. It is much to be lamented, that in such cases care is not taken to select persons of humanity, who are capable of administering comfort and consolation to affliction. The house is large and beautiful, and in the finest situation in the city, but death would be mercy compared to the situation of the unfortunate inmates. I was told that a part of the house was appropriated to a work-house, for the punishment of disorderly persons, but I had neither the courage nor the inclination to see more of a place so replete with human wo! and with an aching heart I turned my back upon those cheerless, friendless sufferers.* Three thousand dollars are appropriated annually for the support of this establishment! The Prison.-I found the prison of Washington under very different regulations from that of the poor y gravel house. Here I found health, cleanliness, and plenty of wholesome food; the prisoners cheerful and happy. I examined every cell that contained a criminal, which was twenty-four, and found neither desponcency nor complaint. They were severally laughing, talking, and singing; and but for reality it would not appear that they were confined. The debtors apartments are spa barracks, Some spot rk, when e in the enderson, ough the * Warden, speaking of this, says. “No friendly shade appears to supthe band port the feeble convalescent." cious and airy and in no part of the prison did I witness any thing but the greatest tenderness and humani ty toward those unfortunate beings. Much credit in due to the keeper, whoever he be, who thus does honor to himself, and to human nature. The prison is supported by the county, whereas the poor-house is sup ported by the corporation. CO bri ual and the the bri the ply ling are one upw the P prin the It is beau Orphan Asylum.-But the glory of Washington is the Orphan Asylum. This Asylum, which reflects the highest honor upon its promoters, is supported by private contribution, under the care and direction of a number of ladies. It is truly interesting to see those destitute and forlorn little creatures amply supplied with every comfort. I found fifteen female children in the asylum, from five to twelve years of age, who bear every mark of the tenderest treatment; they wore neat, and well clad, and had a healthy appearance. They were furnished with clean and comfortable bedding, disposed in suitable chambers. The Intendant, (Mrs M'Kenny,) is a lady, apparently well calculated to ful fil the high trust committed to her care. Unlike the ti gress of the poor-house, she is mild, sweet, and com. passionate. To these amiable qualities, she joins a highly cultivated mind, which enables her to teach those little orphans the rudiments of useful instruction. They are taught reading, writing, and needle-work. No male children are admitted. When they arrive at an age sufficient to procure a livelihood, they are dischar ged. Of all institutions which ennobles human nature, those which have for their object the alleviation of hu man misery, are certainly the most so; but no institu tion combines in one such a number of distinguished and laudable objects, or affords a greater instance of enlarged kindness and charity, thun thoso established for the benefit of orphans. To cherish and protect their infant state; to sweeten their cup of sorrow; to now the seeds of virtue, and "teach the young idea how to shoot," to draw out those hidden beauties of the mind, which gain our admiration, and fit them for the various of G duties of life, are certainly the most god-like acts of which our nature is capable. This establishment might gent enter foun the inter ever parts adher are a abou tomb Cease ditler squar dents 11 wit Jumani. redit is s honor is sup is supgton is reflects rted by on of a e those upplied dren in ho bear re neat, They edding, t, (Mrs to ful. e the ti ad com. joins a h those They i. No ve at an lischar nature, of huinstituguished 'ance of blished ect their : to sow how to e mind, various acts of at might be rendered more convenient by enlarging the building; but as it is, it is the brightest ornament of Washington. The Bridge.-The Potomac bridge, at Washington, is a mile in length, and wholly constructed of wood. It contains draw-bridges for the passage of vessels; these bridges are raised by a pulley, and by a single individual. This bridge cost ninety-six thousand dollars, and belongs to a company. At the end of sixty years the company is to be dissolved, and the bridge becomes the property of the United States. The profit of this bridge is nothing, except when the river is frozen, as the toll is abominably high. The numerous boats which ply the river, save the people a vast expense in travelling, and this among the rest. Besides this bridge, there are two others over the Eastern branch; opposite to one of these stands the magazine, on the Eastern branch, upwards of a mile from its mouth; and still higher up the river is the public burying-ground. Public Grave-Yard.-The grave-yard is among the principal ornaments of Washington: it is two miles from the capitol, and makes a very handsome appearance. It is seen at a great distance. The white points of those beautiful monuments glitter in the sunbeams with refulgent brightness. It is enclosed with a wall, which you enter by a stile; we (the party who accompanied me) found a number of tonibs and monuments scattered over the ground, which, however, bear no proportion to those interred in simple graves. These tombs (the first I had ever seen) are of solid freestone, and consist of five parts, viz. the top, the two ends, and sides-the whole adheres closely together, resembling a huge chest. They are about three feet in height, the lid or top projecting about one inch over the whole. On the top of these tombs are written or cut, whatever the friends of the deceased think proper, with the age, &c. The monuments differ very widely from the tombs, inasmuch as they are square at the bottom, high, and terminate in a pyramid. The most conspicuous are those erected to the memory of George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry, late vice-presidents of the United States. That erected in honour of 13 |