e, and of the happy days he had
passed here with that brother in the days of boyhood: but it was a
delightful place in itself, and well calculated to inspire the rural
feeling. The mansion was beautifully situated on a swelling height,
crowned with wood, and commanding a magnificent view up and down the
Potomac. The grounds immediately about it were laid out somewhat in
the English taste. The estate was apportioned into separate farms,
devoted to different kinds of culture, each having its allotted
laborers. Much, however, was still covered with wild woods, seamed
with deep dells and runs of water, and indented with inlets; haunts of
deer, and lurking-places of foxes.

These were, as yet, the aristocratical days of Virginia. The estates
were large, and continued in the same families by entails. Many of the
wealthy planters were connected with old families in England. The
young men, especially the elder sons, were often sent to finish their
education there, and on their return brought out the tastes and habits
of the mother country. The governors of Virginia were from the higher
ranks of society, and maintained a corresponding state. A style of
living prevailed that has long since faded away. The houses were
spacious, commodious, liberal in all their appointments, and fitted to
cope with the free-handed, open hearted hospitality of the owners.
Nothing was more common than to see handsome services of plate,
elegant equipages, and superb carriage-horses--all imported from
England.

Washington, by his marriage, had added above one hundred thousand
dollars to his already considerable fortune, and was enabled to live
in ample and dignified style. His intimacy with the Fairfaxes, and his
intercourse with British officers of rank, had perhaps had their
influence on his mode of living. He had his chariot and four, with
black postilions in livery, for the use of Mrs. Washington and her
lady visitors. As for himself, he always appeared on horseback. His
stable was well filled and admirably regulated. His stud was
thoroughbred and in excellent order.

A large Virginia estate, in those days, was a little empire. The
mansion-house was the seat of government, with its numerous
dependencies, such as kitchens, smoke-house, workshops and stables. In
this mansion the planter ruled supreme; his steward or overseer was
his prime minister and executive officer; he had his legion of house
negroes for domestic service, and his host of fiel