State and all that part of the District lying on the right bank of the Potomac was a few years since retroceded to Virginia.

The situation of Washington is of unsurpassed beauty for an inland town. The sweep of the river, as you look from the balcony of the library on the Western front of the Capitol, the line of the Virginia hills beyond, especially when seen in the early part of the day, the encircling heights which stretch from Georgetown round to the North, destined at no distant period to be crowned with all the beauties of villa architecture, forest, and garden, (this anticipation has begun to be realized,) the noble streets and avenues before and beneath the eye, lined already in many places with stately private dwellings and magnificent public edifices, form altogether a panorama of extreme richness. Some errors no doubt may be pointed out by a fastidious taste in the plan of the city. Desolate spaces, neglected amorphous spots, abortive attempts at premature display,—the necessary incidents of a town called into being, in the first instance, by the exigencies of the public service, and sustained by a government patronage alternately profuse and parsimonious,-offend the eye on a close survey of the national Capital. But for natural advantages, beauty of position, the rapid progress already made in the comforts and refinements of social life, and in its capacity for almost indefinite improvement, under the fostering care of a paternal government, Washington fully justifies the interest taken by its illustrious Founder in its selection as the seat of republican empire.

NUMBER TWENTY-FIVE.

WASHINGTON'S SOUTHERN TOUR.

Washington's Southern tour in 1791 less known than his Eastern tour in 1789-Departure from Mount Vernon 7th of April-Accident in crossing the ferry at Colchester-Fredericksburgh-Richmond-Locks in the James River Canal-State of public opinion in Virginia on the assumption of the State debts and the Excise law-Petersburgh and the President's account of it-Innocent artifice to escape an escort-Halifax, N. Carolina-No stabling at Allen's-Arrival at Newbern and description of that place-Its present condition and appearance-Arrival at Wilmington and account of that place-The mode of taking the first census described by Washington-Present condition of Wilmington-Recent visit of the writer to North Carolina-Its general prosperity-Raleigh—Chapel Hill.

Or Washington's Southern Tour little in detail has been published. Of his tour in the Eastern States, two years before, some of the incidents, and particularly his relations with John Hancock at Boston, attracted general notice at the time, and have been narrated at some length in different publications. They furnish the matter of several pages in General Sullivan's "Familiar Letters" in Mr. Sparks' edition of "the Writings of Washington," and in the volume of Mr. Irving's Life of Washington just issued from the press. In addition to this, that portion of the Diary of Washington which contains the account of his Western tour, had within the past twelvemonth, as the readers of these papers have seen, been printed for private circulation.

Of the Southern tour, equally interesting in itself, much less has been said. It has been dismissed with a single paragraph in the Standard lives, and the portion of the Diary which contains the record of it, and which, as stated in my

last number, is now in the possession of Mr. James K. Marshall of Fauquier County, Virginia, (a son of the venerable Chief Justice,) has never been committed to the press. I have for these reasons felt confident, that I should gratify the reader by copious extracts from this portion of the Diary, containing as they do the impressions of its illustrious author recorded at the time, as to the principal cities in the Southern States of the Union, and the various occurrences of his tour.

Having completed the business which engaged his attention at Georgetown, as related in my last number, the President, on the 30th of March, 1791, left that city, dined at Alexandria, and reached Mount Vernon in the evening. Here he remained one week," visiting his Plantations every day," and on the 7th of April recommenced his "journey, with horses apparently well refreshed, and in good spirits." On crossing the ferry at Colchester, with the four horses hitched to the chariot, by the neglect of the person who stood before them, one of the leaders got overboard, when the boat was in swimming water and fifty yards from the shore. With much difficulty he escaped from drowning before he could be disengaged. His struggles frightened the other horses in such a manner, that one after another in quick succession they all got overboard, harnessed and fastened as they were. With the utmost difficulty they were saved, and the carriage escaped being dragged after them. "The whole of it," says the Diary, "happened in swimming water and at a distance from the shore. Providentially,-indeed miraculously, by the exertions of People who went off in boats and jumped in the river as soon as the Batteau was forced into wading waterno damage was sustained by the horses, carriage, or harness." The President this day dined at Dumfries" after which," says the Diary, "I visited & drank tea with my niece Mrs. Tho's Lee."

Starting at 6 o'clock the following day, the President breakfasted at Stafford Court House, " and dined and lodged,"

says the entry, "at my sister Lewis's in Fredericksburg." Saturday the 9th was appropriated to "a public entertainment given by the Citizens of the town." On the following day, Sunday the 10th, he breakfasted with General Spotswood, dined at the Bowling Green, and lodged at Kenner's tavern; in all a journey of thirty-five miles. He reached Richmond to dinner on the 11th at 3 o'clock, having “breakfasted at one Rawlings's" by the way. On his arrival he

"was saluted by the Cannon of the place-waited on by the governor & other gentlemen-& saw the city illuminated by night."

The President remained in Richmond from Sunday, the day of his arrival, till Thursday. His first care was to inspect the locks on the James River Canal, a work in which he ever took the deepest interest. He records with evident satisfaction the impressions made upon his mind, chiefly by Col. Carrington, the marshal of the district, with reference to the popularity of the general government. He "could not discover that any discontents prevail among the people at the proceedings of Congress. The conduct of the assembly respecting the assumption" [of the state debts] "he (Col. Carrington) thinks, is condemned by the people as intemperate & unwise, and he seems to have no doubt but the Excise law -as it is called-may be executed without difficulty, nay more that it will become popular in a little time." Col. Carrington evidently painted things couleur rose. On Wednesday the President attended a public entertainment given by the Corporation of Richmond. "The buildings in this place," he remarks, "have encreased a good deal since I was here last but they are not of the best kind. The number of Souls in the City are -" A blank is here left as in other similar cases for more accurate information. The industry of Richmond in all its branches was then in its infancy, and those topics which usually occupy so much of the President's attention are not mentioned.

The next day, Thursday the 14th, he went to Petersburg. Passing through Manchester he "received a salute from Cannon & an escort of horse, under the command of Capt. David Meade Randolph, as far as Osborne's, where” he “was met by the Petersburgh Horse & escorted to that place & partook of a public dinner given by the Mayor and Corporation & went to an assembly in the evening at which there were between sixty & seventy ladies." The President's account of Petersburg is in the following terms:

**

"Petersburgh which is said to contain near 3000 souls is well situated for trade at present, but when the James River navigation is compleated & the cut from Elizabeth river to Pasquotanck is effected, it must decline & that very considerably. At present it receives at the Inspections nearly a third of the Tobacco exported from the whole State besides a considerable quantity of Wheat & Flour-much of the former being manufactured at the mills near The town-Chief of the buildings in this town are under the hill & unpleasantly situated but the heights around it are agreeable.

"The Road from Richmond to this place passes through a poor Country principally covered with Pine, except the interval lands on the River which we left on our Left."

The President's anticipations of the falling off of Petersburg from a population of 3,000 have not been fulfilled. By the census of 1850, it was 14,010, a trifle smaller than that of Norfolk. It cannot at this time be much if any below twenty thousand.

On Friday the 15th the President started from Petersburg, practicing a little artifice as to the time of his departure, of which I recollect no other instance in his whole career, and which, involving no departure from the strictest truth, and resorted to for the best of reasons, will not be blamed. It is described in the following words :

"Friday 15th. Having suffered very much by the dust yesterdayand finding that parties of Horse and a number of other gentlemen were intending to attend me part of the way to-day, I caused their enquiries