dit.
Two wings are now being added to the original building, and are nearly
completed; and a new and higher dome than the original one is being
built over the centre. The wings are destined to be occupied, one by the
Senate, and the other by the House of Representatives: in fact, the
House of Representatives already make use of their wing; but the Senate
will still hold another session in the old Senate House, as the Senators
have not yet quite decided upon their "fixings." The new chamber is,
however, sufficiently advanced to enable us to form a judgment of what
it will be; and although, perhaps, inferior in beauty to that of the
House of Representatives, it is in very good taste: but the room where
the Representatives meet is really most beautiful. The seats are ranged
in semi-circles, with desks before each, in much the same manner as in
Paris; which gives a more dignified appearance than the arrangement of
the seats in our House of Commons. The floors throughout a great part of
the building are in very good tesselated work, made by Minton, in
England; as the tiles made in this country do not preserve their colour
like the English ones. The ceilings of some of the passages are
beautifully decorated; and one of the committee rooms, appropriated to
agricultural matters, is remarkably well painted in fresco; all the
subjects have allusion to agricultural pursuits. In the centre of the
building, round the circular part, under the dome, are some very
indifferent pictures, representing subjects connected with the history
of America, beginning with the landing of Columbus. Two out of the eight
represented incidents in the war of independence; one being the
surrender of Lord Cornwallis, who seemed very sorry for himself. The
view from the Capitol is fine; the gardens round it are kept in good
order, and there being a great deal of maple in the woods, the redness
of the leaf gave a brilliant effect to the scene.

From the Capitol we went to the Patent Office, in which are contained an
endless variety of models. It is immediately opposite the Post Office,
and both are splendid buildings of white marble. The Post Office is
still unfinished, but it will be of great size. The Patent-Office is an
enormous square building. The four sides, which are uniform, have large
flights of stairs on the outside, leading to porticos of Corinthian
pillars. We entered the building, and went into a large apartment, where
we were lost in contempla