Two years later Thomas Twining, an English traveller who had taken an important part in laying the foundations of the Indian Empire, visited Washington, and thus describes a trip from Georgetown to Mr. Law's house at Washington:
"Having crossed an extensive tract of level country
somewhat resembling an English heath, I entered a large
wood through which a very imperfect road had been
made, principally by removing the trees, or rather the
upper parts of them, in the usual manner. After some
time this indistinct way assumed more the appearance
of a regular avenue, the trees here having been cut down
in a straight line. Although no habitation of any kind
was visible, I had no doubt but I was now riding along
one of the streets of the metropolitan city. I continued
in this spacious avenue for half a mile, and then came
out upon a large spot, cleared of wood, in the centre of
which I saw two buildings on an extensive scale, and
some men at work on one of them. The only human
beings I should have seen here not a great many years
before would have been some savages of the Potomac,
whose tribe is said to have sent deputies to treat with
William Penn at the assembly he held at Chester.
"Advancing and speaking to these workmen, they informed me that I was now in the centre of the city, and that the building before me was the Capitol, and the other destined to be a tavern. As the greatest cities have a similar beginning, there was really nothing surprising here, nor out of the usual order of things; but
