THE FOUNDING OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 233 



tied over their white satin dresses. The men of Maryland and 

 Virginia were like centaurs, who lived in the saddle, and 

 thought nothing of pursuing a fox-chase thirty miles, through 

 two or three counties. Even the grave and sedate George 

 Washington would set off fox-hunting at five o'clock on a 

 frosty morning, with a party of youngsters, or oversee the haul- 

 ing of a seine of shad in the Potomac, at the head of a gang of 

 yelling negroes. Such severe training in out-door life gave 

 vigor and endurance to the physical system, and made the 

 Maryland Continentals the flower of the Revolutionary armies. 

 The houses of those days were always surrounded with ample 

 grounds, and even in the cities such a thing as a block of houses 

 was unknown. The old Maryland term ' manor ' was applied 

 to the country estates, which always had a mansion with ample 

 porch in front, where the members of the family sat in fine 

 weather for air and shade, with a wide hall running through the 

 house for ventilation. Large estates had their own mills for 

 grinding flour and meal, meat-house, corn-house, hen-house, 

 and many servants' outbuildings, and even the smallest farm- 

 houses had a smoke-house for curing the domestic pork and 

 beef. Within, there reigned a cheerful hospitality. The huge 

 yawning chimney ate up' untold cords of wood (for coal was 

 then unknown) and in summer tea was served alfresco on the 

 lawn. Cool tankards of sangaree or lemon-punch stood invit- 

 ingly in the hall, and in the cellar was a cask of Burgundy, and 

 often a pipe of Madeira. West India rum, however, was the 

 favorite beverage of the less wealthy class, because it was cheap, 

 and that was bought by the puncheon. The tables were sup- 

 plied with a bountiful variety of viands to tempt the palate. 

 At breakfast, there were huge mounds of muffins, hot corn 

 pone, plates of Maryland biscuit, steaming pots of coffee and 

 tea, pigs' trotters and venison steak, fresh fish, or succulent 

 oysters, or soft-shell crabs. The dinner-table rejoiced in great 

 joints of beef or mutton, roast goose and cider apple-sauce, 

 stewed rabbits, wild turke}^ roast pig or opossum, and often 

 boiled corned beef, pork and cabbage, with sweet potatoes, juicy 

 succotash, and other vegetables, and dessert of plum-pudding 

 and pumpkin pies. You will concur with me that the eating 

 and drinking were somewhat hearty. 



