box, now they are fortified by hedges or walls of it. From the white-haired negro-gardener I obtained some slips of geraniums to send to England. The Americans of our party seemed surprised that an Englishman should manifest any interest in the scene; the little act of taking the geranium-slips opened their hearts to me at once. One young fellow brought some walnuts which he had gathered from a tree near the tomb, for me to plant in "old England" he said, and a lady gave me some seeds of the wild cypress to train up my porch at home. Another informed me that her husband was a Yorkshireman; while a real Yankee youth, after telling me that his father hailed from the same county, concluded an enumeration of his parent's peculiarities by saying "He liked his roast beef." Before the time came to leave, several of these new-found acquaintances had offered me the hospitality of their homes, if, as they said, “you should happen to come our way in your rambles.”

The property of Mount Vernon was purchased for the nation by the ladies of America. Their agent Mr. Herbert has charge of it, and the premises are kept from going absolutely to decay with money from a small sustentation fund. The founder's family in former times possessed large tracts of land which stretched back to the Richmond road, and had a frontage of some miles to the river. Some large trees still mark the boundary between the woods of the Washington-estate and those of the adjoining proprietor. Washington himself cultivated portions of his estate, and employed 1000 negro-slaves. Colonel John Washington, a direct descendant, was killed while serving in the Confederate army; but other offshoot families still live in Eastern Virginia; so the family name will be perpetuated, and may be again honourably known in American history.

Mount Vernon was respected by both armies during the war, though the tide of conflict rolled very near it sometimes. On one occasion a German Colonel and his officers rode up from camp to pay a visit to the lonely house. Not being an American by birth, the Colonel was disposed to deface and destroy certain landmarks of the place, in defiance of Mr. Herbert's protests. It so happened that a party of Confederate troopers galloped up on a morningvisit to the grave, and hearing from the curator of the work of destruction going on at the house, they determined to put in an appearance also. They met the Federals face to face. "This is no place for fighting" said they, but taking the Vandal German aside, the fiery Virginian captain, single-handed, thrashed him soundly; the soldiers of both flags looking on the while, and then the Southerners mounted and rode away. The church three miles away in the woods, which Washington attended when living, was destroyed in the war.

Returning again to the knoll in front of the mansion, I let my eyes wander over the beautiful landscape around. Beneath me stretched a sea of green leaves down to the water's edge, and beyond the river on the Maryland side, forest-trees only, in unbroken rank, met the view. Near the landing-pier, the river makes a sweep or reach to the south, while further away its mud-banks are covered with flocks of wild-fowl. On these deltas of mud and sand grows an aquatic plant, which has been called the wild celery, and to dive for its milk-white roots hither come millions of scarlet-hooded birds, whose blue-white backs mark them as that species so dear to epicures-the famous canvas-backed duck. A whistle is heard behind the point, and soon my old friend the "Arrow" is rounding to and signalling us to come on board. Thus

ends my day at Mount Vernon, a day long to be remembered.

Going up stream, we pass fortifications on the Maryland side. Fort Foot, a new battery is constructed on a bluff, and is to be mounted with 15in. Dahlgreen guns: Fort Washington is an old work and was badly used by the English ships in 1812. It would soon crumble away under the guns of an iron-clad. On the Virginian side stands the town of Alexandria. It was in this place that blood was first shed between North and South. Lieutenant-Colonel Ellesworth in the Federal service was passing up the street when he noticed a flag of new device flying from the top of a house; he ascended to the roof to take it down, and on reaching the door again he was shot down in cold blood. Blood once spilt, nothing could avenge but the letting out of rivers of blood.

THE EAGLE'S NEST.

Regions Cæsar never knew,
Thy posterity shall sway,
Where his Eagles never flew,
Reign invincible as they.

ATIONS have always been fond of an eagle-emblem.

Romans fought under it, Russians, Austrians and French carry it on their banners. But it is in America that the royal bird seems to have widest range and most undisturbed dominion. He is freely handled in speech by citizen orators, but they might safely let him alone; they cannot add to his greatness, the secret of which is liberty. I arrived at the head-quarters of the American eagle at sun-rise, and went first to look on a dazzling white eyrie in which he enthrones himself in the national Capitol. Such a sight on the Capitol-hill was to be remembered for a life-time. Up rose the day-star from his ocean-bed, smiling faintly on the land, as he chased away the gloom of night and the curtains of fog. Then he mounted higher on his throne, and at last looked down with eye undimmed and face unclouded upon the world below. Like a great "mountain of light," lay the mass of marble on the hill, so unique the material, so perfect the design, that the wanderer feels at once that this is the chef d'œuvre of American architecture. Surely there