446 MRS. ADAMS' DESCRIPTION OF WASHINGTON. September 18, 1793, the corner stone of the capitol was laid. Toward the erection of these buildings, Virginia subscribed $120,000 and Maryland $72,000. But the progress on the new city was so slow that even three years later scarcely 200 houses had been erected, the main buildings being the White House, which was nearly completed, and the capitol, which was progressing rapidly. A great portion of the city was a forest through which ran such streets as had been laid out,* but the beautiful squares, bridges, canals, etc., were still on paper. Congress was then requested to appropriate $300,000 to continue the work, and permission was given to borrow that sum on the unsold government lots. The building was then hurried forward, but even in June of 1800 the city was scarcely habitable. * The houses were mean; the roads were poor; there was no business, no industry, no society, and those of the merchants who were not negroes were of none too good a character.† Mrs. Adams gives a graphic account of the city in a letter written to her daughter in November of 1800. She says: "I arrived here on Sunday last, and without meeting any accident worth noticing, except losing ourselves when we left Baltimore, and going eight or nine miles on the Frederic road, by which means we were obliged to go the other eight through the woods, where we wandered two hours without finding a guide or the path. Fortunately, a straggling black came up with us, and we engaged him as a guide to extricate us out of our difficulty; but woods are all you see, from Baltimore, until you reach the city,-which is only so in name. Here and there is a small cot, without a glass window, interspersed among the forests, through which you travel miles without seeing any human being." Regarding the President's official residence, Mrs. Adams says: "The house is upon a grand and superb scale. requiring about thirty servants to attend and keep the apartments in proper order, and perform the ordinary business of the house and stables: an establishment very well proportioned to the president's salary! The lighting [of] the apartments, from the kitchen to parlors and chambers, is a tax indeed; and the fires we are obliged to keep, to secure us from daily agues, is another cheering comfort! “If they will put me up some bells, (there is not one hung in the whole house, and promises are all you can obtain!) and let me have wood enough to keep fires, I design to be pleased. I could content myself almost anywhere three months; but, surrounded with forests, can you believe that wood is not to be had? - because people cannot be found to cut and cart it! Briesler entered into a contract with a man to supply him with wood; a small part (a few cords) only has he been able to get. Most of that was expended to dry the walls of the house before we came in; and yesterday the man told him it was impossible to procure it to be cut and carted. He has had recourse to coals but we cannot get grates made and set. We have come indeed into a new country.' The house is made habitable, but there is not a single apartment finished, and all withinside, except the plastering, has been done since Briesler came. We have not the least fence, yard, or other convenience without, and the great unfinished audience-room I make a drying-room of, to hang up the clothes in. The principal stairs are not up, and will not be this winter. Six chambers are made comfortable; two are occupied by the president and Mr. Shaw; two lower rooms, one for a common parlor, and one for a levee-room. Up stairs there is the oval room, which is designed for the drawing-room, and has the crimson furniture in it. It is a very handsome room now; but when completed, it will be beautiful." DEATH OF WASHINGTON. In June of 1800, by the President's orders, the public offices were removed to Washington, but neither the President nor his wife had cause to complain of the condition of the city very long, as they were to reside there less than a year. Having Hardly had Congress settled down to business when an event occurred which threw the whole nation into mourning. Shortly after the opening of the first session of the sixth Congress, in December of 1799, announcement was made that Washington had passed away at Mt. Vernon. Having attended to such duties as commander of the army as seemed to be requisite in the event of an invasion by the French, he had retired to Mt. Vernon, where he divided his time between agricultural pursuits and the numerous public duties which it was impossible to put aside. On December 12 he was several hours on horseback, riding about and giving various directions for the improvement of his estate. It had rained the greater part of the day, and he had been soaked and chilled. The next day, despite a heavy snow storm, he went out again for a short time. He was aware from his hoarseness that he had caught a violent cold, but apprehended no serious consequences, and, after spending the evening with his family, retired at the usual hour. During the night he was seized with a violent ague succeeded by fever, and, at his Lodge, George Washington, vol. ii., p. 294; Irving, Life of Washington, vol. v., p. 332. 447 request, was bled, but he would not permit a messenger to be sent for the family physician until the following morning* On the arrival of Dr. Craik on Saturday, the 14th, various remedies were employed to alleviate the pain, but in vain. Toward evening he went to bed, after remarking with much effort: "I die hard, doctor, but I am not afraid to die. My breath cannot last long." He then thanked the physicians for their kindness and asked to be permitted to die quietly in his bed. Nothing further was done, and between ten and eleven o'clock at night Washington expired. Thus quietly and unostentatiously passed away our first, if not our greatest President, the man who, more than any other, had helped the country to get on her feet and kept her up until she could well stand alone. On the 18th of December his remains were deposited in the family vault at Mount Vernon.|| Irving, Life of Washington, vol. v., p. 334. For Mr. Lear's interesting account of the last illness, death, and funeral of Washington, see Sparks, Life of Washington, pp. 531-538, and the edition of Washington's letters to Lear (pub. by Doubleday, Page & Company, 1906, pp. 129-141). || Marshall's address in the House, December 19, will be found in Annals of Congress, 6th Congress, 1st session, pp. 203-204; Benton, Abridgment of Debates, vol. ii., pp. 433-434; Sparks, Life of Washington, pp. 539-540; Irving, Life of Washington, vol. v., pp. 411-413; A. B. Magruder, Life of John Marshall, pp. 139-141. The text of the address of the Senate to the President December 23 (slightly differing) will be found in Richardson, Messages and Papers, vol. i., pp. 298–299; Annals of Congress, 6th Congress, 1st session, pp. 17-18; Irving, Life of Washington, vol. v., pp. 413-414; Benton, Abridgment of Debates, vol. ii., p. 403; 448 REPUBLICAN POLICIES. Meanwhile the Republicans were taking courage from the state of affairs, not only in Congress, but all over the country. Cabot had said that if his party controlled Congress," the hands of the country need be bound no longer, and in that case I think the Executive can do everything."* The Federalists still had a majority in Congress, Sedgwick was again chosen Speaker of the House, and, in the absence of the Vice-President, Samuel Livermore was appointed President of the Senate. But the Federalist majority was composed of conservative men who would not go to extremes being "new and moderate men,'' and as a result support began to fall away until the radicals found themselves in the minority. Sparks, Life of Washington, pp. 540-541. The reply of President Adams is in John Adams, Works, vol. ix., pp. 142-143; Richardson, Messages and Papers, vol. i., pp. 299-300; Annals, pp. 18-19; Benton, pp. 403-404; Irving, Life of Washington, vol. v., pp. 415-416. The resolutions of Congress December 23 are in Annals, pp. 18–19; Benton, p. 404; Sparks, pp. 542-543; Irving, vol. v., pp. 416-417. Lee's oration, in which he used the words "First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of his Countrymen be found in Annals. pp. 1306-1311; G. W. P. Custis, Recollections of Washington; American State Papers, Miscellaneous, vol. i., pp. 192–194. Tuckerman's character of Washington will be found in Henry T. Tuckerman, Essays Biographical and Critical; or, Studies of Character, pp. 5–28. " will The contempt with which the Federalists overwhelmed the Republicans welded the latter together, so that even Washington cried in despair: "Let that party [but] set up a broomstick, and call it a true son of liberty - a democrator give it any other epithet that will suit their purpose, and it will command their vote in toto. According to Jefferson, the Republicans were "attached to the preservation of the Federal Constitution according to its obvious principles, & those on which it was known to be received; attached equally to the preservation to the states of those rights unquestionably remaining with them; friends to the freedom of religion, freedom of the press, trial by jury, & to economical government; opposed to standing armies, paper systems, war, & all connections, other than commerce, with any foreign nation.”† These policies were loudly proclaimed and caused numberless desertions from the Federalist ranks. The Republicans won many adherents, particularly among those living in rural districts, where distrust of the Federalists was strongest. Adams also was becoming less and less tactful as time passed, being described by McHenry as one who "whether spiteful, Mason's funeral oration is in Works of Dr. John playful, witty, kind, cold, drunk, sober, M. Mason, vol. iv., pp. 477–496. Talleyrand's remarks are in Lodge, George Washington, vol. i., p. 1 et seq. * Gibbs, Administrations of Washington and Adams, vol. ii., p. 110. Fuller, Speakers of the House, pp. 27-28. ‡ Ford's ed. of Jefferson's Writings, vol. vii., p. 446. angry, easy, stiff, jealous, careless, cautious, confident, close, or open, is * Ford's ed. of Washington's Writings, vol. xiv., p. 191. Ibid, vol. ii., p. 450. |