Washington, July 1, 1850
Among the many improvements now in progress in our city, both of a public and private kind, with great pleasure I witnessed the commencement of a National Botanic Garden. The site selected for that purpose is the handsome square of ground lying between Pennsylvania and Maryland avenues (known as the old Botanic Garden) and separated on its east side from the grounds around the Capitol by a street. This square contains near 12 acres, and will, when graded, be laid out in various compartments adapted to the arrangement and classification of both foreign and indigenous plants and trees, to each of which it is intended to attach a durable table, on which will be painted, in legible characters, the scientific name, then the local one, native country, together with its uses as applicable to the arts, &c., &c.
The ranges of conservatories for the protection of tropical and other tender plants during winter will, when finished, be over 300 feet in length, and the walls of some of these plant structures are already three or four feet above the surface, and towards their completion. Congress has very liberally appropriated $5,000.
The nucleus of the present very large collection of plants (the preservation of which gave rise to the above appropriation) was laid by the roots and seeds brought home by our Exploring Expedition under Capt. Wilkes; since then, however, through the instrumentality of officers of our government, residing or visiting foreign countries in our national vessels, many interesting plants have been added, so that the collection as it now stands, numbers about 11,000 species. From the rapid addition, through the number of plants sent in, and the necessity of occupying the grounds on which the old Green-houses stood, in order that the Patent office could be extended, decided Congress in granting a larger square or space, where the collection could be seen to better advantage, and thereby aid in the beautifying of our city, and at the same time afford space enough to test new esculent fruits and roots, and these, when found worthy of preservation, to be propagated and disseminated [illegible] our wide extended country for the benefit of the many.
Our citizens generally will be gratified to learn that this valuable acquisition in the metropolis is now in rapid progress, under the superintendence of the scientific, experienced and successful gardener, Mr. William D. Brackenridge.
Conrad's boarding house was on the south side of Capitol hill and commanded an extensive and beautiful view. It was on the top of the hill, the precipitous sides of which were covered with grass, shrubs and trees in their wild uncultivated state. Between the foot of the hill and the broad Potomac extended a wide plain, through which the Tiber wound its way. The romantic beauty of this little stream was not then deformed by wharves or other works of art. Its banks were shaded with tall and umbrageous forest trees of every variety, among which the superb Tulep-Poplar rose conspicuous; the magnolia, the azalia, the hawthorn, the wild-rose and many other indigenous shrubs grew beneath their shade, while violets, anemonies and a thousand other sweet wood-flowers found shelter among their roots, from the winter's frost and greeted with the earliest bloom the return of spring. The wild grape-vine climbing from tree to tree hung in unpruned luxuriance among the branches of the trees and formed a fragrant and verdant canopy over the greensward, impervious to the noon day-sun. Beautiful banks of Tiber! delightful rambles! happy hours! How like a dream do ye now appear. Those trees, those shrubs, those flowers are gone. Man and his works have displaced the charms of nature. The poet, the botanist, the sportsman and the lover who once haunted those paths must seek far hence the shades in which they delight. Not only the banks of the Tiber, but those of the Potomack and Anacosta, were at this period adorned with native trees and shrubs and were distinguished by as romantic scenery as any rivers in our country. Indeed the whole plain was diversified with groves and clumps of forest trees which gave it the appearance of fine park. Such as grew on the public grounds ought to have been preserved, but in a government such as ours, where the people are sovereign, this could not be done. The people, the poorer inhabitants cut down these noble and beautiful trees for fuel. In one single night seventy tulip-Poplars were girdled, by which process life is destroyed and afterwards cut up at their leisure by the people. Nothing afflicted Mr. Jefferson like this wanton destruction of the fine trees scattered over the city-grounds.