freeze every thought of life and beauty, and the mind dwelt upon the rust of decay.[1]
Lafayette stopped at Mount Vernon when about to return to France after his visit to this country, in 1826, havinor reserved for the last his visit to Washington's Tomb, and the scene is thus described by Mr. Seward in his Life of John Quincy Adams:
"When the boat came opposite the tomb of Washington, at Mount Vernon, it paused in its progress. Lafayette arose. The wonders which he had performed for a man of his age, in successfully accomplishing labors enough to have tested his meridian vigor, whose animation rather resembled the spring than the winter of life, now seemed unequal to the task he was about to perform—to take a last look at 'The Tomb of Washington!'
"He advanced to the effort. A silence the most impressive reigned around, till the strains of sweet and plaintive music completed the grandeur and sacred sol-
- ↑ This sketch was written previous to the restoration of the place by the Ladies' Mount Vernon Association. Now it has been restored as far as possible, and many old relics have been returned to their apartments. The equestrian portrait of Washington by Rembrandt Peale, the harpsichord which was presented by Washington to his step-daughter, and which is well preserved, together with many old paintings and Revolutionary relics, adorn the once bare rooms. The bed on which Washington died has been restored to its place, and a number of pieces of furniture in the house at the time of Mrs. Washington's death are again there. The grounds have been put in excellent order, and the old farm is cultivated and yields a revenue to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, which deserves unfounded credit for rescuing the grand old place from destruction, and restoring it as far as possible to its former appearance and condition.
