One hundred and sixteen years ago, Mount Vernon received its name, and from that time until the present year (1859) it has been owned and occupied by a Washington.

Lawrence Washington, as we have seen, named it in honor of his gallant friend, and from him it descended to his halfbrother, George, who occupied it more than forty years. By him it was bequeathed to his nephew, Bushrod, who lived there twenty-seven years. It then passed into the possession of John Augustine Washington, a son of Bushrod's brother Corbin. He died three years afterward, leaving it to his widow. At her death, in 1855, it became the property of her son, John Augustine Washington, who resides there.

For many years the Mount Vernon estate had been decaying. The ravages of time and the rust of neglect were rapidly destroying all that had received the care and culture of General Washington's mind and hand; and thoughtful and patriotic visitors often felt saddened when they saw the mansion and its dependent buildings, and other visible memorials of the great and good Father of his Country, evidently perishing.

The sad thoughts of these visitors led to patriotic action, and for a long time there was a growing desire felt throughout the Union, to have Mount Vernon become the property of the nation. The young owner, unable to keep the estate in proper order, and greatly annoyed by thousands of visitors every year, many of whom took liberties about the house and grounds, in apparently utter forgetfulness that they were private property, expressed a willingness to sell it for such a purpose. Congress was asked to buy it. The application was unsuccessful.

At length an American matron conceived the idea of ap

pealing to her country women in behalf of Mount Vernon She asked them to put forth their hands to the work of obtaining sufficient money to purchase it, that the HOME AND TOMB OF WASHINGTON might be a national possession forever. The idea was electric, and it was felt and responded to all over the land. Her invalid daughter, strengthened by the thought of being instrumental in accomplishing the great work, took the direction of the enterprise. She printed a strong appeal to her countrywomen; organized an association, and procured a charter of incorporation for it; bargained for the purchase of the mansion and appendages, and two hundred surrounding acres of the Mount Vernon estate, for two hundred thousand dollars, and began in great earnestness the work of obtaining that amount of money, and as much more for the restoration and support of the estate. By common consent she was constitu ted regent or chief manager, and she appointed vice-regents in every state in the Union as assistants.

The efforts of American women have been successful. They have been cheered and aided by the best and wisest men of their country. EDWARD EVERETT, one of our most sagacious statesmen and accomplished scholars, devoted his tongue and pen to the work. He went from city to city, like Peter the Hermit pleading for the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre, delivering an oration upon the character of Washington for the benefit of the fund; and delighted crowds who listened to his eloquent words, contributed so freely, that in less than two years he paid into the treasury of the Ladies' Mount Vernon Association, one quarter of the purchase money. The whole amount has been obtained, and now Mount Vernon is no longer a private possession, but the property of the multitudes of

men, women and children of the land, who have contributed in ever so slight a degree to its purchase. It is to be theirs and their posterity's forever. Nothing now remains for the Association to do, but to obtain a sum fully equal to that of the purchase money, for the complete restoration and future support of the estate, and a general supervision of its management. This, American women will speedily accomplish, for the heart of the nation beats in unison with their own.

We have now considered some of the most interesting of the past associations of Mount Vernon, connected with the illustrious man whose character has in a degree sanctified them all. But there are other associations that cluster around Washington and his home, in the presence of which these material things sink into utter insignificance. They are of a moral nature, and belong not only to the Past but to all the Future.

It is delightful to contemplate the character of Washington in its relation to the events in which he was immediately engaged, for it presents a most noble example; but far more delightful and profitable is it, to contemplate him with that broader vision which discerns his relation to all people and to all time to regard him as the fulfilment of the heart-prophecies of earnest lovers of freedom in the past; born, nurtured, developed, disciplined, and inspired, to lead a great people out of bondage, and to be forever a sublime model of a PATRIOT for the contemplation of generations yet to appear. We should become habituated thus to think of him, and learn to love the spirit which led him to the performance of great deeds, rather than the deeds themselves.

Such contemplations of Washington are not incompatible with a sober reverence for material things with which he was

as

intimately associated; and especially should we cherish precious memorial treasures, the HOME that he loved, and the TOMB wherein his remains repose. These may excite the mind to loftier views of the Pater Patriæ, and inspire sentiments such as filled the soul of the Rev. William Jay, of England, who, on seeing a picture of Mount Vernon, wrote impromptu

"There dwelt the MAN the flower of human kind,
Whose visage mild bespoke his noble mind.

There dwelt the SOLDIER who his sword ne'er drew

But in a righteous cause to freedom true.

There dwelt the Hero, who ne'er fought for fame,

Yet gained more glory than a Cæsar's name.
There dwelt the STATESMAN, who, devoid of art,
Gave soundest counsels from an upright heart.

And oh Columbia, by thy sons caressed,

There dwelt THE FATHER of the realms he blessed.
Who no wish feit to make his mighty praise,
Like other chiefs, the means himself to raise,
But there, retiring, breathed in pure renown,
And felt a grandeur that disdained a crown."

POSTSCRIPT

THE ENGLISH HOME OF WASHINGTON'S FAMILY.

Since the foregoing pages were written, many facts and things having a relation to the HOME OF WASHINGTON have been presented to the consideration of the writer. To make this reliquary of the Father of his Country more complete, these are here added.

On the earlier pages of this work, allusion is made to the Northamptonshire branch of the Washington family, from whom our illustrious countryman was descended. Recent investigations by the Rev. J. M. Simpkinton of Brington, England, and others, have brought to light some new and