Books. Chastellux's Travels in North America, (in French.) 2 $1.50 1 Pamphlet of the French Revolution at Geneva, The Works of Monsieur Chamousset, (in French,) 2 vols. 4.00 Letters of American Farmer, (in French,) 3 do. 4.50 Germanicus, (in French,) 1 vol. .25 Triumph of the New World, (in French,) 2 vols. 1.50 United States of America, (in German,) 1 vol. 1.50 Poems of M. Grecourt, 2 do. Court Register, 6 do. 12mo.. 6 Pamphlets, Political Journal, (in German,). Description of a Monument, 1 vol.. Beacon Hill, 1 do. Letters in the English and German Language, 1 do. A Family House-Keeper, 1 do. Pamphlets of different descriptions, Maps, Charts, &c. Chart of Navigation from the Gulf of Honda to Philadelphia, by Hamilton Moore Bay of Fundy, do.. to 40.00 Griffiths Map of Pennsylvania, and Sketch of Delaware, 8.00 .25 .50 .25 .25 1.00 1.00 Howell's Large Map of Pennsylvania, 10.00 Maps and Charts. Henry's Map of Virginia, Bradley's Map of the United States, Holland's Map of New Hampshire, Ellicott's Map of the West End of Lake Ontario, . $8.00 5.00 3.00 4.00 Hutchins's Map of the Western Part of Virginia, Mary Andrews Military Map of the Seat of War in the Neth- 1.00 Plan of the Line between North Carolina and Virginia, 2.00 M'Murray's Map of the United States,. 3.00 Military Plans of the American Revolution, 8.00 Evan's Map of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and 1.00 Plan of the Mississippi from the River Iberville to the Routes and Order of Battle of Generals St. Clair and Plan of the Government and House of New York. .50 gent, (two prints.) 4.00 General Wilkinson's Map of Part of the Western Territory, 1.00 Plan of Mount Vernon, by John Vaughan, 1.00 Specimen of Penmanship, . .50 Howell's Pocket Map of the State of Pennsylvania, A French Map of the Carolinas, Fry and Jefferson's Map of Virginia, Howell's Small Map of Pennsylvania, $5.00 3.00 .80 1.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 52.00 9 Maps of different Parts of Virginia and Carolina, and 50.00 3.00 40.00 . 100.00 Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, 4 vols. 8vo.,. Handmaid to the Arts, 2 vols. Bancroft on Permanent Colors, 1 vol. Washington's Library contained above twelve hundred books and pamphlets, about one hundred Maps Charts and Plans, and a considerable number of Engravings. The whole had an appraised total money value of about two thousand six hundred dollars. Nearly every work in the collection was of practical value to a man like Washington, and seemed to have been purchased for use as a mechanic would purchase his tools. Works of an imaginative character were comparatively few; yet there was a sufficiency of light reading for the healthful amusement and culture of the younger and less thoughtful part of the household. It will be observed that the Library was singularly barren in the more ephemeral political literature, both English and American, of the period immediately preceding the Revolution, when pamphleteers in both hemispheres were very active. The dearth of such literature in the Library at Mount Vernon may be partly accounted for by the fact that previous to the Revolution, Washington avoided politics and public employment as much as possible, as he had a natural dislike for them. He took only a general passing interest in the political agitations of the day, and lived the easy life of a country gentleman of wealth, more interested in social enjoyments and the management of his large landed estate, than anything else. There is one book in existence which was at Mount Vernon in the early years of Washington's married life, that does not appear in the catalogue. In a list of articles ordered by Washington, from London, for "Miss Custis, 6 years old," (see page 74,) is named a "spinet," and "books, according to the inclosed list"-books for musical instruction. One of these, an octavo, entitled "The Complete Tutor for the Harpsichord or Spinet," has upon a fly-leaf in the hand-writing of the eminent Elias Boudinot, the words, "Miss Boudinot's Book, presented by her friend, Mrs. Washington, 1780." Its frontispiece is a picture of a musician in the costume of about 1760, playing upon a Harpsichord in form precisely like the one delineated on page 282. The book is in the possession of John William Wallace, Esq., of Philadelphia, a descendant of Miss Boudinot. THE GROUNDS ABOUT THE MANSION. On page 156, mention is made of the lawn on the West front of the Mount Vernon Mansion, and the method observed in planting the trees. I have before me the original memorandum made by Washington, concerning distances on that Western side, or main front of the house; and also on the Eastern side or river front, where the great piazza is. The following is a copy of the memorandum : "MEMORANDUM. "From the middle of the front door to the centre of the line between the Garden Houses, is N. 56, 12 W.*; 111 feet to the west line of the store and Ho. opposite-148 feet to the outer part of the circle--174 to the line between the two necessaries-178 to the line of the trees-267 to the line between the centre of the Garden Gates-360 to the centre of the line be tween the Garden Houses. The line between the Store and Ho. opposite is N. 932, 15 E—132 feet. From the necessary in the Lower Garden to the Mulberry Tree-reckoning from the wall of the Garden, is to the Spanish Chesnut is and to the Cherry Tree is 25.9 63. 3 95.9 From the necessaries in the Upper Garden, the distance from the Garden Wall to the English Walnut, is 25, 9. to the Spanish Chestnut 63. 3. and to the Cherry Tree, 95. 9. the same as on the other side. * 8% feet to circle-29 to the grass-79 to Dial-post. + 128 to the edge of the inner circle. |