to be published. It is the only letter we know of in which Washington indulged in anything like humor.

MOUNT VERNON, 28th August, 1762. DEAR SIR: I was favoured with your Epistle wrote on a certain 25th of July, when you ought to have been at Church, praying as becomes every good Christian Man who has as much to answer for as you

the days of Noah (how unkind it was of Noah, now I have mentioned his name, to suffer such a brood of Vermin to get a birth in the Ark!) but perhaps you may be as well of as we are--that is, have no Tobacco for them to eat, and there I think we nicked the Dogs, as I think to do you if you expect any more-but not without a full assurance of being with a very sincere regard,

D Sir, Yr Mo Affect. & Obed.,

Go. WASHINGTON.

P. S. don't forget to make my compls to Mrs. Bassett, Miss Dudy, and the little ones, for Miss Dudy cannot be classed with small People without offering her great Injustice. I shall see you, I expect, about the first of November.

To Coln Bassett, at Eltham.

The "new production," so much admired by Colonel Bassett, to which Washington jestingly alludes, was a baby son and heir. Two daughters had preceded this infant, and as the estate, before the Revolution, was entailed, a son had been ardently desired by Colonel Bassett, who was the sole representative of his family; his father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather, having each been, like himself, an only son. "Miss Dudy," was Miss Judy Diggs, the daughter of a neighboring farmer and remarkable for her size and strength. She had, on one occasion, been induced to wrestle with a young man, a guest at Eltham, on condition he would treat her with all due respect. The trial of strength and skill went on for awhile in perfect good-nature, but the young gentleman on finding that "Miss Dudy" was getting the better of him, lost his temper, and roughly handled his amazonian adversary, whereupon her spirit rose-she tossed him on the floor, and, in spite of all his efforts, tied him hand and foot to await sentence from Colonel Bassett.

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have-strange it is that you will be so blind to truth that the enlightning sounds of the Gospel cannot reach your Ear, nor no Examples awaken you to a sense of Goodness-could you but behold with what religious zeal I hye me to Church on every Lord's day, it would do your heart good, and fill it, I hope, with equal fervency-but hark'ee-I am told you have lately introduced into your Family, a certain production which you are lost in admiration of, and spend so much time in contemplating the just proportions of its parts, the ease, and conveniences with which it abounds, that it is thought you will have little time to animadvert upon the prospect of your Crops, &c., pray how will this be reconciled to that anxious care and vigilance, which is so escencially necessary at a time when our growing Propertymeaning the Tobacco-is assailed by every vil

lainous worm that has had an existence since

Miss Dudy was for a while housekeeper for Mrs. Bassett, and Washington had often seen her in his visits to his brother-in-law, her position in the family being that of an humble friend rather than a paid domestic, and had laughed heartily at the account given him of the wrestle.

Eltham is situated at the head of York River, a quaint old homestead, a hundred and fifty feet in length, having a center building and two wings; it was built by Governor Bacon of Virginia, for his ward,

owner doubtless protecting it. It has recently been destroyed by fire.

The most valuable relic bequeathed by Captain Lewis to his daughter, and carefully treasured by her, is the family Bible, containing the record of Augustine Washington's marriage with his second wife, Mary Ball, and the birth of their children. It was probably written by the General's mother, as the one page on which are entered deaths as well as births, is headed by this second marriage. George Washington's birth is entered, according to the old style, as occurring on the "11th of Feb. 173132." The backs of the Bible, now loose from the sacred volume, so old and so much used, are covered with dark leather, and enveloped in an outer covering of faded brown and yellow homespun, said to have been woven by Mary Ball Washington herself during the days of the Revolution, when the most aristocratic lady in the land thought it not beneath her dignity to take her maid's place at the loom, and manufacture her own dress.

It was from this Bible, with its profusely illustrated pages, that the mother of Washington taught her grandchildren, as she had taught her children in earlier years. The remarkable, and sometimes ludicrous pictures, impressed the young people so deeply that the stories connected with them could not be easily forgotten. Captain Lewis retained, until his death, a loving recollection of the Sunday evenings spent at his grandmother's knee, listening to the holy lessons drawn from scripture narratives, while he gazed with childish wonder and admiration at the rude representations of saints and angels, and the joys of the redeemed, and shuddered at the sight of the skeleton death and devils with horns and hoofs, holding in their claws pitchforks of fire. From this Bible he taught his own little ones the sacred truths of religion, and his daughter's children have in their turn learned the same lessons of faith and love from the stained and yellow pages of the ancient volume.

Several years ago an old Bible was sold in Philadelphia for the sum of $1,500, purporting to be the genuine Washington family Bible. It was on exhibition there for a while, and was mentioned in many of the papers. It did not claim ever to have held the family record.

A Philadelphia gentleman, who had seen the valuable relic we have described, in the home of its Virginia owner, inspected this volume, and found it to resemble in many

respects the old book with the record, and from the proofs shown him doubted not that it was once owned by the Washington family. It was said that he published his information on the subject, giving the names of the real owners of the family Bible, but his article did not seem to find a place in papers outside of Philadelphia.

Another most interesting souvenir of Washington, left by Captain Lewis to his daughters, was a full suit of the General's clothing, worn by him in mourning for his mother. The coat, knee-breeches, and waistcoat are of black, uncut velvet; the lining of the waistcoat showing it had been a good deal worn. This suit was given Captain Lewis by his aunt, Mrs. Washington, after her husband's death,-a proof of her own recognition of his fondness for this nephew..

This plain, unpretending costume, worn by the first President, was examined with great interest and curiosity by numberless friends of the Lewis family. These friends then brought their visitors, among them occasionally a foreigner, who viewed these relics of departed greatness with even more reverence than Americans.

Among the many sight-seers, there came one day a party of Frenchmen, who, with the enthusiasm characteristic of their nation, were deeply interested in one who had earned a world-wide fame, and who was, in addition to this, the personal friend of their own hero, the chivalrous Lafayette. They handled the coat with the utmost reverence, and were profuse in their thanks for the honor shown them.

Some years after this, a Virginian traveling in France was surprised to find among some relics displayed to view in one of the palaces, a small piece of black velvet handsomely set in a massive gilt frame, and labeled, "A fragment of General Washington's coat." This fact was reported to the owner, who, all unconscious of the theft, and with some incredulity and curiosity, examined her valued relic-when, lo! the genuineness of the fragment and the perfidy of the French visitors were at once confirmed. From the lower corner of one of the skirts of the coat, a small piece had been neatly cut with a sharp instrument.

A still worse fate befell the plain gold shoebuckles worn by the General, and afterward owned by his great-nieces. These were constantly displayed to admiring spectators with the other relics, until at last they both were missed ;—the admiration of one of the sight

seers had been beyond his or her control; the buckles had been pocketed and the paper in which they had been wrapped carefully folded and replaced in the box from which it had been taken.

Washington's sun-glass, in a massive silver rim, with solid silver handle of quaint device, his sword-belt worn through the Revolutionary war, and a number of letters never yet given to the public (one of which we have copied here), are all in possession of one lady; also a small steel key-ring, given to Robert Lewis by his uncle under the following circumstances: Lewis was on a visit to Mount Vernon at the time, and had occasion to take a bunch of keys from his pocket in Washington's presence. The particular and methodical General surveyed with surprise and displeasure the string with which they were fastened together, and exclaimed sternly:

"Robert, is it possible you have no ring for your keys?”

Robert meekly owned he had not. His uncle at once took his own keys from his pocket, removed them from the ring on which they hung, and, giving it to his nephew, said:

"Here, take mine-I've another-and never let me see you without one again."

Treasured with these souvenirs of Washington is a pincushion made of a piece of Lady Washington's wedding dress,-cloth of silver, with the old glitter of the silver threads still shining dimly through the timeworn fabric,-and a needle-book covered with a fragment of the dark maroon-colored brocade she wore at her last levee. Her loving relatives thus preserved specimens of the costumes of her whose grace, dignity and elegance made her the ornament of the republican court. Beautiful and courtly women have reigned in the White House, and won high praise from the representatives of kings and emperors, but upon the wife of Washington alone was conferred the title of Lady.

The story told of one of the pictures at Mount Vernon I have seen in print, but the treasure of words on its back I have never found recorded in connection with it.

A gentleman passing a china shop one day, saw in the window a pitcher, on the side of which an excellent picture of Washington had been burnt into the fine porcelain. He at once entered the shop and purchased the valuable pitcher, but only to break it with care in order to obtain the

coveted picture. Having placed it in a frame he then sent it as a gift to the General, who hung it upon the walls of his homestead. This picture was long considered the best of all likenesses of the President.

After Washington's death, some unknown visitor to Mount Vernon (the date of whose visit, even, is a mystery), who probably knew the history of the pitcher portrait, took it down from the wall and wrote on its back the eloquent eulogy given below.

Visiting Mount Vernon in 1857, the writer sought the famous porcelain miniature, and found it in what was once the General's dining-room, hanging on a nail within reach from the floor. We took it down and with difficulty deciphered the faded characters, for the paper was stained and yellow with age. The eulogy is written in a neat, small, but distinct hand.