posed as the senate now is, when an impressive speech is in the act of delivery. On Washington's entrance the most profound and death-like stillness prevailed. House, lobbies, gallery, all were wrapped in the deepest attention; and the souls of that entire assemblage seemed pouring from their eyes on the noble figure which deliberately, and with an unaffected but surpassing majesty, advanced upon the broad aisle of the hall between ranks of standing senators and members, and slowly ascended the steps leading to the speaker's chair. I well remember, standing at the head of the senate, the tall, square, somewhat gaunt form of Mr. Jefferson-conspicuous from his scarlet waistcoat, bright blue coat, with broad bright buttons, as well as by his quick and penetrating air, and high-boned Scottish cast of features. There, too, stood General Knox-then secretary of war-in all the sleek rotundity of his low stature, with a bold and florid face, open, firm, and manly in its expression. But I recollect that my boyish eye was caught by the appearance of De Yrujo, the Spanish ambassador. He stood in the rear of the chair, a little on one side, covered with a splendid diplomatic dress, decorated with orders, and carrying under his arm an immense chapeau bras, edged with white ostrich feathers. He was a man totally different in his air and manner from all around him, and the very antipode especially of the MAN on whom all eyes but his seemed fixed as by a spell. I saw many other very striking figures grouped about and behind the speaker's chair, but I did not know their names, and had no one to ask; besides, I dared not open my lips. "The president, having seated himself, remained in silence, serenely contemplating the legislature before him, whose members now resumed their seats, waiting for the speech. No house of worship, in the most solemn pauses of devotion, was ever more profoundly still than was that large and crowded chamber. of the richest black velvet, with diamond knee-buckles, and square silver buckles set upon shoes japanned with the most scrupulous neatness, black silk stockings, his shirt ruffled at the breast and wrist, a light dress sword, his hair profusely powdered, fully dressed, so as to project at the sides, and gathered behind in a silk bag ornamented with a large rose of black riband. He held his cocked hat, which had a large black cockade on one side of it, in his hand, as he advanced toward the chair, and, when seated, laid it on the table. "At length, thrusting his hand within the side of his coat, he drew forth a roll of manuscript, which he opened, and, rising, held it in his band, while, in a rich, deep, full, sonorous voice, he read his opening address to congress. His enunciation was deliberate, justly emphasized, very distinct, and accompanied with an air of deep solemnity, as being the utterance of a mind profoundly impressed with the dignity of the act in which it was occupied, conscious of the whole responsibility of its position and action, but not oppressed by it. There was ever about the man something which impressed the observer with a conviction, that he was exactly and fully equal with what he had to do. He was never hurried, never negligent; but seemed ever prepared for the occasion, be it what it might. If I could express his character in one word, it would be appropriateness. In his study, in his parlor, at a levée, before congress, at the head of the army, he seemed to be just what the situation required him to be. He possessed, in a degree never equalled by any human being I ever saw, the strongest and most ever-present sense of propriety. It never forsook him, and deeply and involuntarily impressed itself upon every beholder. "His address was of moderate length; the topics I have, of course, forgotten; indeed, I was not of an age to appreciate them; but the air, the manner, the tone, have never left my mental vision, and even now seem to vibrate on my ear. "Washington was dressed precisely "A scene like this, once beheld, though as Stuart has painted him in Lord Lans-in earliest youth, is never to be forgotdown's full-length portrait-in a full suit ten. It must be now fifty years ago; Having closed the reading, he laid down the scroll, and, after a brief pause, retired as he had entered; when the manuscript was handed, for a second reading, to Mr. Beckley, then clerk of the house, whose gentlemanly manner, clear and silver voice, and sharp articulation, I shall ever associate with the scene. "When shall we again behold such a congress and such a president?" but I could this moment sit down and | siding over the jarring elements of his sketch the chamber, the assembly, and political council, alike deaf to the storms the Man. of all extremes; or directing the formation of a new government for a great people, the first time that so vast an experiment had ever been tried by man ; or finally retiring from the supreme power to which his virtues had raised him over the nation he had created, and whose destinies he had guided as long as his aid was required-retiring with the veneration of all parties, of all nations, of all mankind, in order that the rights of man might be conserved, and that his example never might be appealed to by vulgar tyrants. This is the consummate glory of the great American-a triumphant warrior where the most successful had a right to despair; a successful ruler in all the difficulties of a course wholly untried; but a warrior whose sword only left its sheath when the first law of our nature commanded it to be drawn; and a ruler who, having tasted of supreme power, gently and unostentatiously desired that the cup might pass from him, nor would suffer more to wet his lips than the most solemn and sacred duty to his country and his God required! The following beautiful eulogy on Washington, by Lord Brougham, may with propriety be introduced in this place: "With none of that brilliant genius which dazzles ordinary minds; with not even any remarkable quickness of apprehension; with knowledge less than almost all persons in the middle ranks, and many well educated of the humbler classes, possess-this eminent person is presented to our observation clothed in attributes as modest, as unpretending, as little calculated to strike or to astonish, as if he had passed unknown through some secluded region of private life. But he had a judgment sure and sound; a steadiness of mind which never suffered any passion, or even any feeling to ruffle its calm; a strength of understanding which worked rather than forced its way through obstacles, removing or avoiding rather than overleaping them. His courage, whether in battle or in council, was as perfect as might be expected from this pure and steady temper of soul. A perfectly just man, with a thoroughly firm resolution never to be misled by others, any more than by others overawed; never to be seduced or betrayed, or hurried away by his own weakness or self-delusions, any more than by other men's arts; nor even to be disheartened by the most "It will be the duty of the historian complicated difficulties, any more than and sage in all ages to omit no occasion spoiled on the giddy heights of fortune of commemorating this illustrious man; such was this great man: whether we and until time shall be no more, will a regard him sustaining alone the whole test of the progress which our race has weight of campaigns, all but desperate, made in wisdom and in virtue, be deor gloriously terminating a just warfare rived from the veneration paid to the by his resources and his courage; pre-immortal name of Washington!" "To his latest breath did this great patriot maintain the noble character of a captain the patron of peace, and a statesman the friend of justice. Dying, he bequeathed to his heirs the sword which he had worn in the war of liberty, charging them 'never to take it from the scabbard but in self-defence, or in defence of their country and her freedom; and commanding them, that when it should thus be drawn, they should never sheath it nor ever give it up, but prefer falling with it in their hands to the relinquishment thereof'-words, the simple eloquence and majesty of which are not surpassed in the oratory of Athens and Rome. Character of Debates in Congress.- lytes are to be made, and who are either The following is from a letter by a late English traveller : I have frequently visited the halls of the national legislature, since my arrival here, for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the operations of the government, and of listening to the eloquence which is sometimes to be heard within them. It strikes me that there is a considerable difference between the eloquence of the British parliament and that of the American congress. In the latter, they only are distinguished and have influence who handle the subject under discussion with ability-grasp it comprehensively-are familiar with all its bearings-bring to it a mind conversant with all its details, and cast upon it a concentrated blaze of light. In parliament, such a speaker would not be regarded as the most effective, or carry his point so easily, as one who avoids the real merits of the question, plays upon the outskirts of the subject, retorts with brilliancy, and detects and exposes the inconsistencies of his opponent. In congress, however, on all questions in which party considerations are involved, no speaker, whatever may be the power of his intellect, the extent of his knowledge, the flow of his diction, or the beauty of his elocution, will carry a single vote beyond the limit of the party to which he belongs, or the principles or doctrines supported by those who elect him. Almost every member of both branches of the legislature either speaks, or is expected to speak; but wo him who shall have the hardy independence to yield to the influence of truth, or be swayed by the power of eloquence, and shall dare to throw aside the reins of party, and think and act for himself. He knows that his fate would be at once sealed, and his political career closed, perhaps for ever. If a member of the senate, the legislature of the state which elects him would, in all probability, recommend him to resign; and if a representative, his constituents would send another in his place. The eloquence which is employed, therefore, is not intended so much for this arena as for the people among whom prose An to be brought over to the principles which the orator maintains, or retained in the errors which he supports. angel's tongue could not move the political partizan from the course his constituents expect him to pursue, and the contest between the orators on both sides in congress is a mere intellectual gladiatorial combat, without any other purpose there than to exhibit their respective powers of eloquence, and call together a numerous audience to listen to them. Members of the legal profession are very numerous in both houses of congress. Few of any other profession obtain the honor of a seat in that assembly, and of course most of them are speakers, if not what may be called orators. In congress, as well as in parliament, there are many very common men both as to education and talents-in so large an assembly, and chosen as they are, that must be expected. Even among the educated and talented, there will often be some decidedly superior to the rest. In the senate of the United States this is strikingly exemplified. I do not hazard much in saying, that there is not to be found at this time an equal body of men of higher intellectual powers, or greater general intelligence. I have become personally acquainted with most of them-witnessed their battles of mind, and listened to their eloquence; and I am satisfied that it would be impossible to surpass them." THE PROSPECTS OF WASHINGTON.On the completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, the cities of this district are destined to a rapid augmentation in population and wealth. Few persons but those who have resided here, know of the immense resources of this locality. The water-power of the Potomac and its branches is immense, sufficient to turn hundreds of mills, and the agricultural advantages in the immediate vicinity are superior, or at least equal to, those of any other section of the country. From the coal-mines in Cumberland and its vicinity alone, large fortunes can easily be realized. The supply of that useful, that necessary article to comfort and enterprise, in its quantity, has exceeded alike belief and calcula- | four miles west. An investment of capital here by the enterprising citizens of the north, would be sure of rapid and abundant returns. It is incredible that the attention of the sagacious capitalists of New England and New York should not, ere this, have been directed to this quarter. The anticipations of General Washington may yet be realized. It is said, that in the papers of that illustrious man has been found a calculation of what would be the value of the Mount Vernon estate, when Alexandria should assume that importance in the rank of commercial cities which her happy position intended. The completion of the canal will be consummated in little more than a year. Its resumed continuation will, of itself, give a great impetus to all kinds of enterprise, and additional value to real estate, in the cities and country at and near its terminus; and it is confidently anticipated that the metropolis will yet attain to eminence among wealthy and populous cities. From that spot the eye embraces a wide and beautiful scene: the broad, shining surface of the Potomac, from where it emerges from between the high and rocky banks which confine its channel above Georgetown, to where it begins to spread out in front of that city, and where, divided by the gently-sloping lawns of Mason's island, it extends on one side along the Virginia shore, and widening on the other, appears to wash the foundations of the president's house as it skirts along Washington, and, passing by the point where was erected the longest, if not the last, bridge that can ever be thrown across it, passes on to Greenleaf's point, where it receives the waters of its western branch. These together form a spacious bay, the northeastern extremity of which is occupied by the United States navyyard, while a canal crosses the low cape which separates them. Further down the Potomac is seen a part of its broad course, almost to the spot where it receives a sad and noble gloom from the overhanging precipices of Mount Vernon. Roll softly, Potomac! thou wearest away The shore that he trod, and the dust where he lay." The Cumberland Road.—This grand At a spot on the shore of this stream, work, which long engaged the solici- at the foot of the falls, a little above tude of congress, and was constructed Georgetown, at a convenient landingand kept in repairs at great expense place for boats, tradition reports that from the national treasury, has its com- General Braddock debarked with his mencement at Washington, and extends troops, when proceeding on his fatal thence through Fredericksburg (Mary-expedition against Fort Du Quesne, in land), and through a considerable portion the French war. The place formerly of Virginia. It is broad, ascends and de- bore the name of "Braddock's landscends the hills and mountains by easying," and is interesting from its associagrades, and, whenever the soil and circumstances are favorable, offers a smooth and hard surface. It has proved of great value to the regions through which it passes, and is a monument to the skill of American road-makers, as well as to the liberality of congress toward a portion of the country, although a later construction of the constitution has put an end to the appropriation of money to works of such a nature. One of the finest views of Washington, Georgetown, and the surrounding land and water, is found at an elevated point of the Cumberland road, three or tion with the history of the country at that. melancholy period, and with the early life of General Washington, who so highly distinguished himself in the unfortunate catastrophe which terminated the expedition. The wild, picturesque scenery which marks this part of the course of the Potomac, and to which we have before referred, bears marks of the violence with which the current pours by in the season of floods. Evidence of its ravages may often be noticed by the passenger, who will not be surprised that even the chain bridge, constructed with so much caution, solidity, and skill, proved insufficient to avoid or to resist its impetuosity. During a high flood, about five years ago, it was swept away, the piers receiving so much injury as to discourage its restoration. Among the numerous objects in Washington worthy of particular attention, most of which have been alluded to in a passing manner, are several of the paintings and sculptures which adorn the rotunda of the capitol. The "Surrender at Yorktown:" in this picture, the American army, with the French allies, is presented drawn up in two parallel lines-seen in perspective in the fields of Yorktown-and the head of the British column is marching between them toward the spectator: presenting accurate and spirited portraits of many of the distinguished men of the day belonging to the three great nations represented. The splendor of military costume is beautifully harmonized with the pacific aspect of the scene, and the pleasing anticipations which it was well calculated to excite. "General Washington resigning his Commission," the closing picture of this invaluable series, gives a view of the old hall occupied by congress at that period (in Annapolis, Maryland); and the illustrious hero of the piece is placed in a dignified attitude, well corresponding with his character and the nature of the scene. One of the most interesting individuals introduced among the spectators is Lady Washington, accompanied by several members of the family and friends. The "Declaration of Independence" presents a grave, deliberative assembly (the old congress), at an instant when a scene of the highest importance and the greatest results was performing. The select committee, appointed to draw up a statement of rights and injuries, are in the act of presenting their report, which was the original of the document since so celebrated throughout the world as the "Declaration of Independence." John Hancock is seated in the chair of the speaker, and the members are ranged at their desks; while Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin (the committee), in the foreground, are presenting the report to Hancock. All Four other scenes connected with the personages present are represented the revolution were painted by Colonel by portraits for which they sat-many Trumbull, which were not chosen by of them to the artist himself. A few congress, although not on account of exceptions, however, are to be made their want of interest or value. those who were dead before he began The "Battle of Bunker's Hill," the his task, and who left no portraits be- first in the series of historical pictures, hind them. The hall, which is still pre-represents the instant when the British served in its original condition (in the old statehouse in Philadelphia), is accurately given in the picture. The "Surrender of Burgoyne :" here the British forces, who surrender after the battles of Saratoga, are seen marching out of camp, after stacking their arms, on a small plain on the Hudson, to which they had retreated. The American staff occupy a conspicuous position; and the whole effect, increased by the picturesque scenery of the spot, is striking and highly agreeable. Some of the American troops, occupying neighboring eminences, had convinced the defeated invaders that further retreat was impossible; and the event thus recorded marks one of the most important periods of the revolutionary war. troops, with some of their officers at their head, were making their last and successful assault upon the height whose name was rendered so famous by the events of that day. General Warren has just fallen, and Putnam is seen pressing from behind toward the front, sword in hand; while the mingling of Americans, some of them in their simple workingdresses, with the splendid uniforms of their enemies-the combinations and contrasts of figures and groups, many of them in costumes and with forms and features copied from life, by an artist who was a contemporary and a fellowsoldier-together with the importance and the animated action of the scene, give this fine picture an interest of a superior kind, and impress the feelings |