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almost hopeless decay. The massive brick walls around both gardens remain in perfect preservation.

On the north side of the flower-garden Washington erected quite an extensive conservatory for plants, into which he collected many rare exotics. Some of them were presented to him as testimonials of esteem, and others were purchased at the garden of John Bartram, near Philadelphia. Bartram was a member of the Society of Friends, and an eminent botanist. He had died during the Revolution, leaving his business in the able hands of his son William, who, in 1791, published a most interesting account of his botanical explorations through the Southern states of our Union.

A few tropical plants found their way to the Potomac occasionally, upon vessels from the West Indies. Among the latter, on one occasion, were some fine lemon-trees of large

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growth, and from them Washington selected two or three. Others were propagated from these by cuttings, until, at the time of his death, they had become quite a grove in one end of the conservatory. Only one of these now remains. It was standing in the flower-garden when I was there in 1858, by the side of a fine century-plant, which was sent to Washington by a gentleman at Porto Rico, in 1798. The tree is about fifteen feet in height; and, though bearing fruit in abundance, shows signs of decay.

At the junction of two of the principal avenues in the

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VIEW IN THE FLOWER-GARDEN AT MOUNT VERNON-THE SAGO PALM.

flower-garden, I saw one other plant-and only one-that had experienced the fostering care of Washington. It was a Sago Palm, an East India production, from which is obtained the article of domestic use known as pearl sago, a species of fecula or starch. It stands in a large tub in which flowers were blooming; and its tufted leaves, like immense feathers, growing from the heavy stem seven feet from the ground, were fresh and beautiful.

The Lemon Tree, the Century Plant, and the Sago Palm, are all that remain of the movable plants which belonged to Washington, and were taken from the green-house when it

was destroyed by fire in December, 1835, the same night when the destructive element consumed more than five hundred buildings and other property valued at more than twenty millions of dollars, in the city of New York. The fire originated in a defective flue connected with the conservatory, and

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that building, with the servants' quarters adjoining it, was laid in ashes in the course of a few hours. What plants were saved from the flames were mostly destroyed by the frost, for it was one of the coldest nights on record.

The conservatory was never rebuilt nor the ruins removed. These, now overgrown with vines and shrubs, form a picturesque garden wall, but lose some of their attractiveness to the eye of taste, by the presence of two tall, perpendicular chimneys, which are seen above the shrubbery from every point of view in the garden. These broken walls, too, strike the visitor unpleasantly. They are at the modern carriage

entrance to Mount Vernon, and are the first objects associated with Washington that meet the eye on approaching the mansion from the public road

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Eastward of the flower-garden, and on the opposite side of the present entrance to Mount Vernon, Washington constructed an ice-house, after his retirement from public life, at the close of his presidency. It was something new in Virginia; indeed, ice-houses were not in very common use elsewhere at that time. It is well preserved, and is finely shaded by tall trees, which form a beautiful grove on the north side of the mansion.

Previous to the erection of this ice-house, Washington had used, for the purpose of keeping meat, butter, and vegetables cool in summer, a large dry-well at the south-east corner of the lawn in front of the mansion, just on the brink of the high precipitous bank of the river. Into this a descent was made

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