290 NATURAL HISTORY OF NOUTII AMERICA, 



portico, approached by a long flight of steps, beneath which is 

 a beautiful fountain : the wings are plain. The other front 

 has columns throughout its entire length, both centre and 

 wings ; the portico is very fine, the capitals of the columns are 

 most beautifully worked. On each side of the door is a statue, 

 one representing Mars, the other Peace. One part of the 

 building I do not like, iiamehj, the huge dome in the centre, it 

 appears quite too large: it covers about 1| acre; it is 280 

 feet high, and there is a beautiful view of the city and sur- 

 rounding country from its summit. We had letters to Colonel 

 Burch, who is principal clerk; he showed us every part of the 

 building, with the exception of the library, which we could not 

 enter, as the librarian was out. There are upwards of a hun- 

 dred rooms for committees, &c. &c. The rotunda is truly 

 fine. There are paintings round the walls, of General Bur- 

 goyne's surrender. Lord Cornwallis's surrender, the signing 

 of the Declaration of Independence, and General Washington 

 resigning his commission. In the centre is a bronze statue 

 of Jefferson. The senate-room, and that of the representa- 

 tives, are fine semicircular rooms ; I think the latter is most 

 splendid, as well as the largest. These republicans quite 

 outshine us. 



At night, we went to Colonel Burch's, and spent a most 

 agreeable evening. I was exceedingly delighted with an old 

 negro fiddler, playing to amuse the children. He had been a 

 slave to Mrs. B.'s father, and though his freedom had been 

 given him, he would not leave the family ; in fact, they now 

 support him. After tea, all the young folks had disappeared ; 

 and as the notes of the fiddle told us what was going forward, 

 we went down into the yard, and there were the young folks 

 dancing in the open air, with no light but that of the stars 

 shining brightly above ; the old man was fiddling away most 

 zealously. Our candles showed us the negroes standing around 

 the happy young people, and the still happier old fiddler. 

 The whole scene was quite new to me, and 1 looked on with 

 the greatest pleasure. The old man afterwards came into the 

 drawing-room, and played us some nigger tunes, as " Jim 

 Crow," " Possum up a gum-tree," &c. Heraclitus would 

 have laughed to have heard and seen the old man. He 

 appeared most sincerely attached to the family ; the children 

 called him " Uncle," a term commonly applied to old house 



