of this district was taken from Maryland, and on that the city was
built. It comprised the pleasant town of Georgetown, which is now a
suburb--and the only suburb--of Washington. The portion of the
district on the Virginian side included Arlington heights, and went
so far down the river as to take in the Virginian City of
Alexandria. This was the extreme western point of the district; but
since that arrangement was made, the State of Virginia petitioned to
have their portion of Columbia back again, and this petition was
granted. Now it is felt that the land on both sides of the river
should belong to the city, and the government is anxious to get back
the Virginian section. The city and the immediate vicinity are
freed from all State allegiance, and are under the immediate rule of
the United States government--having of course its own municipality;
but the inhabitants have no political power, as power is counted in
the States. They vote for no political officer, not even for the
President, and return no member to Congress, either as a senator or
as a Representative. Mount Vernon was never within the District of
Columbia.

When I first made inquiry on the subject, I was told that Mount
Vernon at that time was not to be reached; that though it was not in
the hands of the rebels, neither was it in the hands of Northerners,
and that therefore strangers could not go there; but this, though it
was told to me and others by those who should have known the facts,
was not the case. I had gone down the river with a party of ladies,
and we were opposite to Mount Vernon; but on that occasion we were
assured we could not land. The rebels, we were told, would
certainly seize the ladies, and carry them off into Secessia. On
hearing which, the ladies were of course doubly anxious to be
landed. But our stern commander, for we were on a government boat,