March 11, 1860. from Washington: "Last Tuesday being the Presidents reception night?I called up at the White house, shook hands with 'James the Usurper,' circulated through the gaudy apartments and throng until the crowd became too dense to be pleasant when I returned to the hotel." Description of Washington conditions and political scene. Topics: telegraph business correspondence; coal oil business; Forest Park farm; Ithaca town elections. Personal names: Pew, W.P.; Curtiss, George; Wood, Phebe; Wood, M.B.; Chester, E.W.; Smith, F.O.J.; Buchanan, James. Geography: Washington, D.C.