north america-2-第2章

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　removed　a　considerable　distance　from　the　other。　　It　is　as　though　the　same　name　should　be　given　to　two　streets；　one　of　which　entered　St。　James's　Park　at　Buckingham　Gate；　while　the　other　started　from　the　Park　at　Marlborough；　House。　　To　inhabitants　the　matter　probably　is　not　of　much　moment；　as　it　is　well　known　that　this　portion　of　such　an　avenue　and　that　portion　of　such　another　avenue　are　merely　mythsunknown　lands　away　in　the　wilds。　　But　a　stranger　finds　himself　in　the　position　of　being　sent　across　the　country　knee　deep　into　the　mud；　wading　through　snipe　grounds；　looking　for　civilization　where　none　exists。　All　these　avenues　have　a　slanting　direction。　　They　are　so　arranged　that　none　of　them　run　north　and　south；　or　east　and　west；　but　the　streets；　so　called；　all　run　in　accordance　with　the　points　of　the　compass。　　Those　from　east　to　west　are　A　Street；　B　Street；　C　Street；　and　so　oncounting　them　away　from　the　Capitol　on　each　side；　so　that　there　are　two　A　streets　and　two　B　streets。　　On　the　map　these　streets　run　up　to　V　Street；　both　right　and　leftV　Street　North　and　V　Street　South。　　Those　really　known　to　mankind　are　E；　F；　G；　H；　I；　and　K　Streets　North。　　Then　those　streets　which　run　from　north　to　south　are　numbered　First　Street；　Second　Street；　Third　Street；　and　so　on；　on　each　front　of　the　Capitol；　running　to　Twenty…fourth　or　Twenty…fifth　Street　on　each　side。　　Not　very　many　of　these　have　any　existence；　or；　I　might　perhaps　more　properly　say；　any　vitality　in　their　existence。　Such　is　the　plan　of　the　city；　that　being　the　arrangement　and　those　the　dimensions　intended　by　the　original　architects　and　founders　of　Washington；　but　the　inhabitants　have　hitherto　confined　themselves　to　Pennsylvania　Avenue　West；　and　to　the　streets　abutting　from　it　or　near　to　it。　　Whatever　address　a　stranger　may　receive；　however　perplexing　it　may　seem　to　him；　he　may　be　sure　that　the　house　indicated　is　near　Pennsylvania　Avenue。　　If　it　be　not；　I　should　recommend　him　to　pay　no　attention　to　the　summons。　　Even　in　those　streets　with　which　he　will　become　best　acquainted；　the　houses　are　not　continuous。　　There　will　be　a　house；　and　then　a　blank；　then　two　houses；　and　then　a　double　blank。　　After　that　a　hut　or　two；　and　then　probably　an　excellent；　roomy；　handsome　family　mansion。　　Taken　altogether；　Washington　as　a　city　is　most　unsatisfactory；　and　falls　more　grievously　short　of　the　thing　attempted　than　any　other　of　the　great　undertakings　of　which　I　have　seen　anything　in　the　States。　　San　Jose；　the　capital　of　the　republic　of　Costa　Rica；　in　Central　America；　has　been　prepared　and　arranged　as　a　new　city　in　the　same　way。　　But　even　San　Jose　comes　nearer　to　what　was　intended　than　does　Washington。　For　myself；　I　do　not　believe　in　cities　made　after　this　fashion。　Commerce；　I　think；　must　select　the　site　of　all　large　congregations　of　mankind。　　In　some　mysterious　way　she　ascertains　what　she　wants；　and　having　acquired　that；　draws　men　in　thousands　round　her　properties。　　Liverpool；　New　York；　Lyons；　Glasgow；　Venice；　Marseilles；　Hamburg；　Calcutta；　Chicago；　and　Leghorn　have　all　become　populous；　and　are　or　have　been　great；　because　trade　found　them　to　be　convenient　for　its　purposes。　　Trade　seems　to　have　ignored　Washington　altogether。　　Such　being　the　case；　the　Legislature　and　the　Executive　of　the　country　together　have　been　unable　to　make　of　Washington　anything　better　than　a　straggling　congregation　of　buildings　in　a　wilderness。　　We　are　now　trying　the　same　experiment　at　Ottawa；　in　Canada；　having　turned　our　back　upon　Montreal　in　dudgeon。　　The　site　of　Ottawa　is　more　interesting　than　that　of　Washington；　but　I　doubt　whether　the　experiment　will　be　more　successful。　　A　new　town　for　art；　fashion；　and　politics　has　been　built　at　Munich；　and　there　it　seems　to　answer　the　expectation　of　the　builders；　but　at　Munich　there　is　an　old　city　as　well；　and　commerce　had　already　got　some　considerable　hold　on　the　spot　before　the　new　town　was　added　to　it。　The　streets　of　Washington；　such　as　exist；　are　all　broad。　　Throughout　the　town　there　are　open　spacesspaces；　I　mean；　intended　to　be　open　by　the　plan　laid　down　for　the　city。　　At　the　present　moment　it　is　almost　all　open　space。　　There　is　also　a　certain　nobility　about　the　proposed　dimensions　of　the　avenues　and　squares。　　Desirous　of　praising　it　in　some　degree；　I　can　say　that　the　design　is　grand。　　The　thing　done；　however；　falls　so　infinitely　short　of　that　design；　that　nothing　but　disappointment　is　felt。　　And　I　fear　that　there　is　no　look…out　into　the　future　which　can　justify　a　hope　that　the　design　will　be　fulfilled。　　It　is　therefore　a　melancholy　place。　　The　society　into　which　one　falls　there　consists　mostly　of　persons　who　are　not　permanently　resident　in　the　capital；　but　of　those　who　were　permanent　residents　I　found　none　who　spoke　of　their　city　with　affection。　　The　men　and　women　of　Boston　think　that　the　sun　shines　nowhere　else；　and　Boston　Common　is　very　pleasant。　　The　New　Yorkers　believe　in　Fifth　Avenue　with　an　unswerving　faith；　and　Fifth　Avenue　is　calculated　to　inspire　a　faith。　　Philadelphia　to　a　Philadelphian　is　the　center　of　the　universe；　and　the　progress　of　Philadelphia；　perhaps；　justifies　the　partiality。　　The　same　thing　may　be　said　of　Chicago；　of　Buffalo；　and　of　Baltimore。　　But　the　same　thing　cannot　be　said　in　any　degree　of　Washington。　　They　who　belong　to　it　turn　up　their　noses　at　it。　They　feel　that　they　live　surrounded　by　a　failure。　　Its　grand　names　are　as　yet　false；　and　none　of　the　efforts　made　have　hitherto　been　successful。　　Even　in　winter；　when　Congress　is　sitting；　Washington　is　melancholy；　but　Washington　in　summer　must　surely　be　the　saddest　spot　on　earth。　There　are　six　principal　public　buildings　in　Washington；　as　to　which　no　expense　seems　to　have　been　spared；　and　in　the　construction　of　which　a　certain　amount　of　success　has　been　obtained。　　In　most　of　these　this　success　has　been　more　or　less　marred　by　an　independent　deviation　from　recognized　rules　of　architectural　taste。　　These　are　the　Capitol；　the　Post…office；　the　Patent…office；　the　Treasury；　the　President's　house；　and　the　Smithsonian　Institution。　　The　five　first　are　Grecian；　and　the　last　in　Washington　is　calledRomanesque。　　Had　I　been　left　to　classify　it　by　my　own　unaided　lights；　I　should　have　called　it　bastard　Gothic。　The　Capitol　is　by　far　the　most　imposing；　and　though　there　is　much　about　it　with　which　I　cannot　but　find　fault；　it　certainly　is　imposing。　　The　present　building　was；　I　think；　commenced　in　1815；　the　former　Capitol　having　been　destroyed　by　the　English　in　the　war　of　1812…13。　　It　was　then　finished　according　to　the　original　plan；　with　a　fine　portico　and　well　proportioned　pediment　above　itlooking　to　the　east。　　The　outer　flight　of　steps；　leading　up　to　this　from　the　eastern　approach；　is　good　and　in　excellent　taste。　　The　expanse　of　the　building　to　the　right　and　left；　as　then　arranged；　was　well　proportioned；　and；　as　far　as　we　can　now　judge；　the　then　existing　dome　was　well　proportioned　also。　　As　seen　from　the　east　the　original　building　must　have　been　in　itself　very　fine。　　The　stone　is　beautiful；　being　bright　almost　as　marble；　and　I　do　not　know　that　there　was　any　great　architectural　defect　to　offend　the　eye。　　The　figures　in　the　pediment　are　mean。　　There　is　now　in　the　Capitol　a　group　apparently　prepared　for　a　pediment；　which　is　by　no　means　mean。　I　was　informed　that　they　were　intended　for　this　position；　but　they；　on　the　other　band；　are　too　good　for　such　a　place；　and　are　also　too　numerous。　　This　set　of　statues　is　by　Crawford。　　Most　of　them　are　well　known；　and　they　are　very　fine。　　They　now　stand　within　the　old　chamber　of　the　Representative　House；　and　the　pity　is　that；　if　elevated　to　such　a　position　as　that　indicated；　they　can　never　be　really　seen。　　There　are　models　of　them　all　at　West　Point；　and　some　of　them　I　have　seen　at　other　places　in　marble。　　The　Historical　Society；　at　New　York；　has　one　or　two　of　them。　　In　and　about　the　front　of　the　Capitol　there　are　other　efforts　of　sculptureimposing　in　their　size；　and　assuming；　if　not　affecting；　much　in　the　attitudes　chosen。　　Statuary　at　Washington　runs　too　much　on　two　subjects；　which　are　repeated　perhaps　almost　ad　nauseam：　one　is　that　of　a　stiff；　steady…looking；　healthy；　but　ugly　individual；　with　a　square　jaw　and　big　jowl；　which　represents　the　great　general；　he　does　not　prepossess　the　beholder；　because　he　appears　to　be　thoroughly　ill　natured。　　And　the　other　represents　a　melancholy；　weak　figure　without　any　hair；　but　often　covered　with　feathers；　and　is　intended　to　typify　the　red　Indian。　　The　red　Indian　is　generally　supposed　to　be　receiving　comfort；　but　it　is　manifest　that　he　never　enjoys　the　comfort　ministered　to　him。　　There　is　a　gigantic　statue　of　Washington；　by　Greenough；　out　in　the　grounds　in　front　of　the　building。　　The　figure　is　seated　and　holding　up　one　of　its　arms　toward　the　city。　　There　is　about　it　a　kind　of　weighty　magnificence；　but　it　is　stiff；　ungainly；　and　altogether　without　life。　But　the　front　of　the　original　building　is　certainly　grand。　　The　architect　who　designed　it　must　have　had　skill；　taste；　and　nobility　of　conception；　but　even　this　is　spoiled；　or　rather　wasted；　by　the　fact　that　the　front　is　made　to　look　upon　nothing；　and　is　turned　from　the　city。　　It　is　as　though；　the　facade　of　the　London　Post…office　had　been　made　to　face　the　Goldsmiths'　Hall。　　The　Capitol　stands　upon　the　side　of　a　hill；　the　front　oc