There are but few inclosures, even for gardeus,
and those are in bad order. You may look in
almost any direction, over an extent of ground
nearly as large as the city of New York, with-
out seeing a fence or any object except brick
kilns and temporary huts for laborers. * * *
Greenleaf s Point presents the appearance of a
considerable town which had been destroyed by
some unusual calamity. There are [at Green-
leafs Point] fifty or sixty spacious houses,
five or six of which are occupied by negroes
and vagrants, and a few more by decent-look-
ing people; but there are no fences, gardens,
nor the least appearance of business. This place
is about a mile and a half south of the Capitol."

President Adams (the elder) arrived with his



94 HOW THE PLACE LOOKED IN 180a

family in November of the same year. On the
25th of that month Mrs. Adams wrote to her
daughter, Mrs. Smith, as follows:

" I arrived here on Sunday last, and without
meeting with any accident worth noticing, ex-
cept losing ourselves when we left Baltimore, and
going eight or nine miles on the Frederick road,
by which means we were obliged to go the other
eight through the woods, where we wandered
two hours without finding a guide or the path.
