do not ascend to the order, bat to the base of the line of i^iers
upon which the portico stands. From this a door enters the
basement. On the W. tlie portico corresponds witli that on
the E., with the absence of tlie steps to the order, in tliis case
the ascent being by a double fliglit to the basement. In the
E. Wing there are 4 doors entering tlie basement, 2 of wliich
are on the N. and S.
From the main portico a door opens into a spacious en-
trance hall or vestibule, with an arclied ceiling groined on 8
Doric columns and 10 pilasters. On the r. and 1. runs a cor-
ridor, whicli extends entirely around the main floor of the
building, and upon whicli open the various offlces of tlie De-
partment of the Interior. In tlie SE. angle is that of the
Commissioner of Patents. Here will be found a set of en-
gravings of the Commissioners, including a portrait of Dr.
William Thornton^ of Penn., designer of the original plan
of the Capitol, and Superintendent of Patents in the State
Department, 1803-1827. There is also a very valuable por-
trait of Robert Fulton^ of Penn., inventor of the steamboat,
and painted by himself. Fulton studied under Benjamin
West, of Penn., president of the Royal Academy of Fine
Arts, London. There are also 8 artist proof engravings of
celebrated inventors ixova original paintings in the collection
of and presented by B. Woodcroft, of the Great Seal Patent
Ofiice, London. The rooms of the Secretary of the Interior,
the Indian, Pension, and Census Offices, are on the N. cor-
ridor, the Office of Public Lands in the SW. angle, and the
Library on the S. corridor, room 77, near and on the W. of
the entrance hall. The visitor can make the entire circuit
of the building by this corridor. (See Department of the
Interior.) In each angle of the building are granite steps to
the basement, where are offices and storage vaults. The
building contains about 191 rooms, and cost 62,700,000. At
the end of the entrance hall a double flight of steps, ascend-
ing part way, unite and lead to a platform, from which a
sash door opens into the Model Rooms of the Patent Office.
Beneath these steps a double flight also descends into the
basement.
Model Kooms.— The model rooms of the Patent Office, sec-
ond floor, {open every daij^ except Sunday^ from 9 a. m. to 3 p.
m.,) which contain the model of every patent issued by the
United States since 1836, consist of a magnificent suit of four
halls, ranged on the four sides of the building, and around a
spacious court. The models are grouped uiicler 145 classes,
and again subdivided into various smaller divisions, for con-
148
PATENT OFFICE.
venience of reference. Each case is provided with a card
Indicating its contents.
MODEL KOOM — SOUTH HALL.
S. Hall, (entrance.) — This is a superb apartment, 242 ft.
long by 63 ft. wide and 30 ft. high. The prospect is broken
by 36 doriccohimns in quadruple rows, with their entablature,
20 ft. high, and corresponding pilasters, wliich support a se-
ries of groined arches of 10 ft. spring, artistically adjusted to
secure both solidity and effect. In the centre is a raised arch
40 ft. high, of beautiful construction, and pierced by an aper-
ture of 13 ft. in diameter. This part of the ceiling is admi-
rably adapted to harmonize the range of arches on either side
with the main design. The entire complicated structure of
the room is of solid masonry. The general style of decora-
tion is Pompeiian, with appropriate adaptation. The iron
stairway opposite the door leads to a storage room over the S.
portico, used for documents. Near the entrance door are a
number of relics of historic value and interest. On the r. is
the printing-press of Franklin, at which he worked in London
in 1728. The case, nearly opposite, (No. 24,) contains a num-
ber of Washington relics, including a set of china and cande-
labra, presented to him by officers of the Society of the Cin-
cinnati; one plate to Martha Washington from Gen. Lafayette,
1781; the uniform of Washington, worn when he resigned
PATENT Oi'FICE. 149
his commission in 1783 ; a tea-board presented him, and his
sword, secretary, cane, compass, and sleeping-tent. Among
other relics in the same case is the coat worn by Jackson at
the battle of New Orleans ; Baron de Kalb's war saddle ; a
sword presented to Commodore Biddle by the Viceroy of
Peru ; sabres from Ali Pacha, Bey of Egypt, to the officers
of the U. S. ship Concord, 1832 ; a coat of Gen. Paez, associ-
ate of Simon Bolivar, and a cimeter. The case (No. 23) next
on the W. contains the original of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence^ Washington's commission as commander-in-chief,
dated at Philadelphia, June 19, 1775, treasure chest, furni-
ture, part of a set, tents and tent poles, camp chest, andirons,
curtains worked by Martha Washington, and two chairs. In
the same case are two guns of antique pattern, presented to
President JelTerson by the Emperor of Morocco, a model pat-
ented by Abraham Lincoln in 1847, for an improved method
of lifting vessels over shoals ; also a pair of gloves which be-
longed to President Lincoln. In the S. haU are 57 cases con-
taiiiing models of artificial limbs, beer and wine, bleaching
and dyeing, boots and shoes, caoutchouc, chemical miscella-
neous, clasps and buckles, clay, coffin, cutlery, dental, draft-
ing, electricit}^ fuel, gas, gunpowder, harness, horology, hose
and belting, ice, leather, manures, measuring-instruments,
oils, fats and glue, optics, paint, plating, preserving food,
signals, stills, sugar, surgery, tanning, trunks. This hall was
originally intended for an exhibition of home manufactures.
In 1842 it was set apart for the valuable collections in natiu*al
history brought back by the expedition of Commodore, after-
wards Rear Admiral, Charles Wilkes. These were subse-
quentlj^ transferred to the National Museum in the Smithson-
ian building. Later the plants, herbarium, and omnia were
transferred to the Botanical Garden and Agricultural and
Medical IMuseums respectively. In tlie hall were also a number
of interesting objects possessing historical associations, con-
tributed by the various executive departments, or belonging
to the National Institute.
E. Hall— On the 1. the S. hall opens into the E. hall, 271
ft. long and 63^ ft. wide. The groined arches of the ceiling
rest upon 28 marble piers and a requisite number of pilasters.
It contains 130 cases, containing models of apparel, beds,
boats, book-binding, builders' hardware, carding, cloth, cord-
age, crinoline and corsets, dryers and kilns, educational, felt-
ing and hats, line arts, fire-arms, fisliing, f m-niture, games and
toys, governors, jewelry, kitchen utensils, knitting and net-
ting, lamps and gas-fitting, laundrj', locks and latches, music,
ordnance, paper-making, paper manufactures, photography,
printing, projectiles, safes, sewing machines, ships, (2 classes,)
150 PATENT OFFICE.
silk, spinning, stationery, steam, (3 classes,) stoves and fur-
naces, toilet, umbrellas and fans, valves, wea^dng.
N. Hall, reached from the E. hall, is 266 ft. long by 59i
wide. The vast room is covered by a paneled ceiling com-
posed of iron girders, and entirely without support in the hall^
The number of cases here are 88, containing models of aera-
tion and bottling, baths and closets, bee hives, bolts, nuts,
and rivets, brakes and gins, casting, dairy, files, garden and
orchard, grinding and polishing, hardware manufacture, har-
rows, harvesters, horse shoes, metallurgy, metal working, (7
classes,) mills, nails, needles and pins, ores, plows, pneumat-
ics, pumps, railways, (4 classes,) saws, seeders and planters,
sheet metal, stabling, tubing and wire, water distribution,
water wheels, wire-working, wood-screws, wood-working, (4
classes.)
W. Hall is 271 ft. long, 64 ft. wide, and is the same in gen-
eral design as the N. It contains models of bridges, brushes
and brooms, butchering, carpentry, carriages and wagons,
excavators, fences, glass, hoisting, liydraulic engineering,
Journals and bearings, masonr}^, mechanical powers, paving,
presses, roofing, stone, lime and cement, thresliing, tobacco.
History. — The Patent Office of the United States, where
models of all inventions patented since the fire of 1836 are
carefully preserved for exhibition, is an institution without
an equal in the world, and speaks, though silently, more for
the liigh character, and thoughtful, reflecting, energetic, and
practical bias of tlie American mind tlian could be expressed
in volumes of written history or description. We are able
here to trace, in practical detail, tlie progress of meclianical
arts in the United States, at least since 1836, and but for the
unfortunate and accidental destruction of the early models,
this same interesting investigation could be carried back to
the beginning of tlie Government. The first legislation in
Congress on the subject of inventions was the act of 1790 to
promote the progress of useful arts, which authorized any
person to petition the heads of any of the executive depart-
ments for a patent for any new invention. The patents were
recorded in the office of the Secretary of State.
The rapid increase in the number of inventions early led
Congress into special provisions for the accommodation of the
Patent Ofiice. In 1810 the erection or purchase of a suitable
building for the use of the General Post Office and keeper of
the patents and arrangement of the models was authorized.
Under this authority a structure known as Blodgett's Hotel, '
situate on E st., between 7th and 8th sts. w., now the site of
the General Post Office, was secured. Up to 1820 all appli-
GENERAL POST OFFICE. 151
cations for patents were examined by a clerk in the office of
the Secretary of State. In that year Dr. Thornton, appoint-
ed by IVIr. Jeiferson to issue patents, took upon himself the
title of Superintendent of the Patent Office. The most im-
portant measure, however, was the act of July 4, 1836, by
whicli the Patent Office Mas created a separate bureau of the*
Government, and its chief officer received tlie title of Com-
missioner of Patents.
In Dec, 1836, the building was completely consumed by
fire, and among the losses were the models accumulated dur-
ing a period of nearly Iialf a century. This was an irre-
parable calamity. After the fire tlie business of tlie bureau
was transacted in tlie City Hall, and remained there until it
was removed to its j) resent massive and imposing building.
The first patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins on July 31,
1790, "for making pot or pearl ashes," and the second to
Joseph Stacey Sampson, August 6, 1790, "for manufacturing
candles." No residence is given. In 1823 the number of
models was 1,819.
Up to 1836. a period of forty-six years, 10,301 patents were
issued, and from July 4, 1836, to July 4, 1873, 140,000, ap-
proximately an annual average of 224 against 3,783. The
number of patents granted for 1873 was 13,590.
On Jan. 1, 1873, the patent fund, from excess of fees over
expenditures amounted to $794,111 42. The annual receipts
amount to about $700,000, and expenditures $660,000. A
considerable sum out of the patent fund went to the erection
of the building.
GENEEAL POST OFFICE.
The General Post Office {open every â– day^ except Sunday,
from 9 a. m.to ^ p. m.) stands opposite the Patent Office,
on F St., and covers the square between 7th and 8tli sts. W.
and E and F sts. IST. It may be reached by the F-st. horse
cars from the E. and W., and those on 7th st. from the X.
and S. parts of the city.
Description. — The edifice occupied by the General Post
Office, taking its general stjde from the columns, is Corinth-
ian, and is the most richly finished public building at the
capital. The E-st. portion was commenced in 1839, and
finished by Kobert Mills, architect, and constructed of marble
from New York quarries. In 1842 Congress purchased the
152
GENERAL POST OFFICE.
N. half of the square to iF St., and in 1855 the extension of the
building over that spBce was executed bj'' Captain M. C.
Meigs, United States Engineers, superintendent, and Edward
Claris, assistant, from designs by T. U. Walter, architect of
the Capitol, and was built out of Maryland marble. As thus
completed, the building measures 300 ft. IST. and S., and 204
ft. E. and W., and has two stories, resting on a rustic base-
ment, below which are vaults. In the centre is a court 194
ft. long by 95 ft. \vide. The fapades are of white marble.
The court is faced with granite. Above the basement rise
the various features of the order, including monolithic col-
umns and pilasters, with beautifully-worked capitals, the
whole extending through two stories, upon which rest the
architrave, frieze, and cornice, crowned by a paneled acro-
teria. The main front is on E st. The S. or main entrance
is in the basement, reached by marble steps, and is formed
of two Doric columns, one on either side, and opens into a
vestibule, on the r. and 1. of which are corridors, leading to
marble staircases to the upper stories. Over this entrance
are four attaclied columns of the Corinthian order. The E.
front is broken by a central projection of six columns, the
outer ones being coupled; and on eitlier side, towards the
extremities of this front, is a smaller projection of four at-
tached columns, coupled. Beneath the central projection is
GENERAL POST OFFICE.
a vestibule, supported on four Doric columns and four corner
piers. The ceiling, walls, and floor are finished in white
marble, and on either side is a niche. The W. front is the
same as tlie E . A carriageway here opens into the court,
wlie re tlie mails are received and despatched. Th keystone
GENERAL POST OFFICE. 153
of the arch of this entrance is intended to represent Fidelity.
On either side are figures in basso relievo, symbolizing Steam
and Electricity.
The W. front presents a recessed poiiico, consisting- of 8
coupled columns resting on an arcade of rustic piers corres-
ponding with, the basement. There are entrances to the
general ofiice on the r. and 1. of the central arcade, and from
which passages or steps lead to the corridors on the same floor
or above. The corridors are on three sides only. The build-
ing cost $1,700,000.
The Postmaster GeneraVs office is on the floor a1x)ve the
basement, S. side of S. corridor. Here may be seen a set of
photographs of the Postmasters General. The Dead Letter
office is on the IS", side, entered from the IS", end of the E.
corridor through a passage or anteroom. To gain admission
it will be necessary to procure a permit from the chief clerk
of the Finance oflice, on the same floor and in the SW. angle.
The building contains 81 rooms. The stau'ways are in the
angles of the building.
City Post Office. — The City Post Ofiice occupies the cen-
tral portions of the ^N". front. The Letter Delivery and Stamp
department is entered through the 3 arched doorways under
the N. portico. The ceiling, which is of iron and brick, is
supported on granite piers. The doors on the r. and 1., out-
side, before entering, lead, in addition to the corridors and
stairways, to the Chief Clerk's and Money Order and Eegis-
tered Letter offices respectively. (See General Information.)
History. — Before the erection of the present edifice the
General Post Office occupied a building which stood on the
S. half of the square, known as Blodgett's Union Public
Hotel. It was 120 ft. long, 50 ft. wide, and 3 stories high;
designed by James Hobaii, and built of brick, ornamented
with freestone. It was commenced in 1793. The structure,
however, was never completed by its projector. The plan
w^s to erect it out of the proceeds cf a lottery. The owner
of the prize ticket was an orphan child, who w^as witliout the
means of carrying on the work. Tho theatre of the national
metropolis held performances in it for a time. A number of
Msh and other emigrants also occupied the basement free of
rent. In 1810 it M-as purchased by the Government. ^ After
the burning of the Capitol, Congress held one session in it as
the only suitable building in the city. It was also occupied
by the General and City Post Offices, Patent Office, and Li-
brary of Congress. The latter was removed to the Capitol
in 1818. The building and contents were entirely destroyed
154 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
by fire on Dec. 15, 1836. Private buildings were siibseqnently
occupied till the completion of the present structure.
Postmasters General. — 1789, Samuel Osgood, Mass. ; 1791,
Timothy Pickering, Mass. ; 1795, Josepli Habersham, Ga. ;
1802, Gideon Granger, Conn. ; 1814, R. J. Meigs, Oliio; 1823,
John McLean, Oliio ; 1829, W. T. Barry, Ky. ; 1835, Amos
Kendall, Ky. ; 1810, J. M. ISTiles, Conn. ; 1841, Francis Gran-
ger, K. Y. ; 1841, C. A. Wiclilifte, Ky. ; 1845, Cave Johnson,
Tenn. ; 1849, Jacob Collamer, Vt. ; 1850, ^. K. Hall, ^A. ;
1852, S. D. Hubbard, Conn. ; 1853, James Campbell, Penn.;
1857, A. V. Brown, Tenn. ; 1859, J. Holt, Ky. ; 1861, Hora-
tio King, Me. ; 1861, Montgomery Blair, Md. ; 1864, W.Den-
nison, Ohio; 1866, A. W. Kandall, Wis.; 1869, J. A- J.,
Cressv/ell, Md.
On Sept. 22, 1789, Congress passed an act for the temporajiy
establishment of the Post Oflice. The powers and salary were
the same asunder the resohitions and ordinances passed by
the Congress of the Confederation . The Postmaster General
was made subject to the direction of the President in all mat-
ters pertaining to his office. In 1792 a "General Post Office^'
was permanently established, under immediate direction of
a Postmaster General, who was authorized to appoint an as-
sistant and deputy postmasters at all places where found
necessary, and to provide for carrying tlie mail of the United
States "by stage-carriages or horses." From this primitive
beginning the operations of the General Post Office have ex-
panded to a degree fully up to the requirements of the increased
population and intelligence of tlie people.
The Postmaster General is ex officio a member of the Cabi-r
net of the President. Previous to 1829 he was not so recog-
nized. The precedent was established by President Jackson^
who invited Postmaster General Barry to a seat in the Cabinet-
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
The Department of Justice {open every day., except Sunday ^
from d a. m. to 3p. m.) occupies rented accommodations on
tlie upper floors of a fine building on Pennsylvania av. be-
tween 15 and 15J sts., and opposite the Treasury Department,
erected by the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company. The
entrance is at the W. end. The Attorney GeneraVs Office
DEPARTMENT OE JUSTICE. 155
is near the top of the first flight of stairs. Here may be seen
a number of fine portraits of the Attorneys General of the
United States. Under the Attorney General are the officers
of tlie District and Circuit Courts of the United States, the
Reform School, Metropolitan Police, and Jail of the District
of Colimibia, and the law officers of the different depart-
ments.
Attornetis General. — 1789, Edmund Randolph, Va. ; 1794,
William Bradford, Penn. ; 1795, Charles Lee, Va. ; 1801, Levi
Lincoln, Mass. ; 1805, Robert Smith, Md. ; 1805, John Breck-
enridge, Kv. ; 1807, Caesar A. Rodney, Del. ; 1811, William
Pinknev, Md.; 1814, Richard Rush, Penn.; 1817, William
Wirt, Va. ; 1829, J. M. Berrien, Ga. ; 1831, Roger B. Taney,
Md. ; 1833, B. F. Butler, IS". Y. ; 1838, Felix Grundy, Tenn. ;
1840, H. D. Gilpin, Penn.; 1841, J. J. Crittenden, Ky. ;
1841, H. S. Legare, S. C. ; 1843, John Nelson, Md. ; 1845,
John Y. Mason, Va. ; 1846, :N'athan ClilTord, Me.; 1848,
Isaac Toucey, Conn. ; 1849, Reverdy Johnson, Md. ; 1850, J.
J. Crittenden, Ky. ; 1853, Caleb Gushing, Mass.; 1857, Jer.
S. Black, Penn.: 1860, E. M. Stanton, Penn.; 1861, Ed-
ward Bates, Mo.; 1864, James Speed, Ky. ; 1866, H. F.
Stanbery, Ohio; 1868, W. M. Evarts, K. Y. ; 1869, E. C.
Hoar, Mass. ; 1870, A. T. Ackerman, Ga. ; 1872, G. H. Wil-
liams, Oregon.
The Executive Department of the Government of the
United States, known as the Department of Justice, of which
the Attorney General is the head, was created by act of Con-
gress approved June 22, 1870. Tlie office of Solicitor Gen-
eral was also created to assist the Attorney General and act
during his absence. All prosecutions on hehalf of the Gov-
ernment are conducted by the department. The Attorney
General reports annually to Congress the business of his
department, and any other matters appertaining thereto tiiat
he deems proper, including statistics of crime under the laws
of the United States, and as far as practicable, under the laws
of the several States. The Attorney General is also required
to give his advice and opinion upon all questions of law,
when asked for by the President of the United States, or
when requested by the heads of one of the Executive De-
partments. He is also, ex officio., a member of the Cabinet
of the President.
Not only is the Department constantly employed in in-
vestigating the qualities of foreign agricultural products,
with a view to their introduction into the United States, but
in collecting a vast amount of foreign and domestic scientific
and practical information of value to the agricultui-ist.
156 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
DEPAKTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE.
The Department of Agriculture {open daily ^ except Sunday^
from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m.) occupies that portion of the Mali: lying
E. of 14th St., and between the Washington Monument and
the Smithsonian Institution. The building commands a view
of the business quarter of the city, and in turn itself makes a
fine appearance from 13th st. W., which it faces.
Grounds. — The grounds in the immediate vicinity of the
building are beautifully laid out. On the N. front is a con-
creted surface the entire length of the building, and 50 ft.
wide, which makes a spacious carriageway to the main en-
trance, and is also used by pedestrians. A terrace wall
about 4 ft. high, ornamented with stone balusters and pedi-
ments with plant vases, runs the length and parallel with
the front of the building, and at a distance qf about 100 yds.
At each extremity of the wall is a small iron pavilion of
suitable design. The terrace divides what are known as the
Upper and Lower Gardens. The former is laid out in beds,
with intervening walks, and is devoted to flowers, vases, and
rustic statuary. The lower, and all the grounds lying in
front of the building line, with the exception of the flower
garden, has been laid out as an arboretum^ with walks and
drives, and a well-selected collection of the hardier trees and
shrubs. The flower garden contains no shade trees, which
aflx)rds an unbroken view of the building. The trees and
plants in the arboretum are planted on strictly botanical
rules, the order and tribe of plants being grouped. The
effect, however, by careful arrangement of the blending
types is peculiarly atttactive, and has not the formal appear-
ance of a scientific classification.
Plant Houses. — On the W. of the department building are
the plant houses. The main structure is 320 ft. long and 30
ft. wide E. and W., with a wing 150 ft. long projecting to
the rear or S. of the centre of the main building. The centre
pavilion is 60 ft. long, 32 ft. wide, and 30 ft. high, and is de-
voted to palms and the larger tropical plants, such as ban-
anas, pine apples, &c. The pavilions at the extremity of the
wings are 30 ft. square, 26 ft. high, and are the orangery and
for other semi-tropical fruits. These terminal pavilions are
joined to the centre by connecting ranges 100 ft. long, 25 ft.
wide, and 17 ft. high, and are occupied by the miscellaneous
collection of plants of practical use, such as medical plants
and those furnishing textile fibres, useful gums, sugars, and
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 157
dyes. The S. projecting wing is the grapery, and contains
the fine collection of foreign grapes. The roots are planted
in borders on the ontsicie, and the stems are conducted into
the graperj^ through apertures in the brick wall. The dark
varieties are on one side and the light on the other. There
are 100 varieties in all.
The plant houses are heated by means of hot water, circu-
lated through 5,000 ft. of 4-in. pipe, and supplied by two
boilers. The boilers are arranged with a cut-ofi', so that they
may be operated separately or together.
These houses are not only pleasing in their architectural
effect, but are substantially constructed, having foundation
walls of red sandstone, with bluestone bases and caps. The
doors and windows of the centre and wings are designed in