Although the city of Washington, the great American capital, had been laid out on a magnificent scale, in 1791, and George Washington, with masonic ceremonies, laid the corner-stone of the capitol building in 1793, the seat of government was not removed there until the year 1800.  The site for the city was a dreary one.  At the time when the seat of government was first moved there, only a path, leading through an alder swamp on the line of the present Pennsylvania Avenue, was the way of communication between the president’s house and the capitol.  For a while, the executive and legislative officers of the government were compelled to suffer many privations.  In the fall of 1800, Oliver Wolcott wrote: 

“There is one good tavern about forty rods from the capitol, and several houses are built or erecting; but I don’t see how the members of congress can possibly secure lodgings, unless they will consent to live like scholars in a college or monks in a monastery, crowded ten or twenty in one house.  The only resource for such as wish to live comfortably will be found in Georgetown, three miles distant, over as bad a road in winter as the clay grounds near Hartford.

“...  There are, in fact, but few houses in any one place, and most of them are small, miserable huts, which present an awful contrast to the public buildings.  The people are poor and, as far as I can judge, live like fishes by eating each other. ...  You may look in any direction over an extent of ground nearly as large as the city of New York, without seeing a fence or any object except brick kilns and temporary huts for laborers. ...  There is no industry, society or business.”

On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated and commenced his first term under favorable auspices.  He was then fifty-eight years of age—­a tall, bony man, with grizzled sandy hair and rather slovenly dress—­a man who practised his Democratic simplicity in all things, and sometimes carried it to extremes.  A senator, writing of him in 1802, said: 

“The next day after my arrival I visited the president, accompanied by some democratic members.  In a few moments after our arrival a tall, high-boned man came into the room.  He was dressed, or rather undressed, in an old brown coat, red waistcoat, old corduroy smallclothes, much soiled, woollen hose, and slippers without heels.  I thought him a servant, when General Varnum surprised me by announcing it was the president.”

In brief, Mr. Jefferson outlined his policy as follows, in a letter to Nathaniel Macon: 

“1.  Levees are done made away with. 2.  The first communication to the next congress will be, like all subsequent ones, by message to which no answer will be expected. 3.  The diplomatic establishment in Europe will be reduced to three ministers. 4.  The compensation of collectors depends on you (Congress) and not on me. 5.  The army is undergoing a chaste reformation. 6.  The navy will be reduced to the legal establishment by the last of the month (May, 1801). 7.  Agencies in every department will be revised. 8.  We shall push you to the uttermost in economizing. 9.  A very early recommendation has been given to the postmaster-general to employ no printer, foreigner or Revolutionary Tory in any of his offices.”