LETTER IX. WASHINGTON-SITUATION-PLAN-APPEARANCE-TIBER CREEK -CAPITOL-PRESIDENT'S HOUSE-IMPOLICY OF BURNING THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS-LIBRARY-MODELS OF THE PATENT OFFICE -PATENTS-COPY-RIGHT LAW-NAVY YARD-NAVAL MONUMENT-SENATE-HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES-USAGES OF THE AMERICAN CONGRESS AND BRITISH PARLIAMENT-SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES-TRUMBULL'S PAINTING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE-CHURCHES. Washington, September, 1818. I HAVE now the honour of addressing you from the metropolis of the United States. It is common here to call Washington the city in the woods,' I was therefore somewhat surprised to find that there is little or no wood near it. The aspect of the city indeed would have been much improved by a few trees, to fill up the vacancies, and thus afford something for the eye to rest upon between one group of buildings and another. The soil however is poor, and the probability is that there has never been much timber on this spot; I have noticed none of the stumps which are usually left when the forests are felled. The position which was selected for the Federal city, is a point of land embraced by the forking of the river Potowmak, about one hundred and twenty miles from its junction with the Chesapeake, and about two hundred and fifty miles from the sea. The principal branch of the river flows down upon the west, and unites with the smaller one from the eastward in front of the city. Ships of war of the largest size can float in safety three or four miles above the junction of the streams. It was expected that this situation would have been found particularly favourable to commercial enterprize, and consequently that the population would rapidly increase; hitherto however these hopes have not been realized. Georgetown, about a mile above upon the principal branch of the river, monopolizes the inland trade, and Alexandria seven miles below intercepts the foreign; while the barrenness of the surrounding country is discouraging to settlers. The prosperity of Washington therefore seems to be in a great measure dependent on its advantages as the seat of government, and these in a new government, economical even to penuriousness in the salaries of its public officers, cannot as yet be very important. Great however or trifling as they may be, the city did not till very lately enter upon the full enjoyment of them. Great doubts were entertained whether it was to continue to enjoy the presence of the chief magistrate, and supreme legislature; and capitalists felt no inclination to invest their money in property which was not otherwise valuable, and which might therefore be suddenly and irretrievably SITUATION AND APPEARANCE OF THE CITY. 253 2 depreciated. But what the natives were at a loss to decide, the British may be said to have decided for them. The burning of the Capitol and the President's house during last war, has settled the question, and it seems to be now ascertained to the satisfaction of speculators, that Washington is to continue, at least for a considerable time to come, in the undisturbed enjoyment of her metropolitan privileges. How an event so disastrous should lead to consequences so propitious, may seem to be in some measure a paradox, but it is one of easy explanation. When the rebuilding of these edifices came to be the subject of deliberation in Congress, the question as to the removal of the seat of the legislature was necessarily discussed; national feeling however co-operated powerfully with other considerations to influence the decision, the proposal was at once scouted, and the requisite amount was enthusiastically voted to efface the memorials of British triumph. Preparations were instantly made to rebuild the Capitol and President's house with more than their original splendour, the value of building ground and of houses took an immediate start, and Washington now exhibits abundant proof of the enterprize and elasticity of the national character. The original plan of the city was on a most extensive scale. A parallelogram more than four miles and a half long, and two miles broad, was regularly divided into streets, avenues, and squares, |