Themes quotes
That Indian swamp in the wilderness. on Washington, D.C., attributed, 1789
An editorial interpretation.
The description calls a place an Indian swamp in the wilderness, followed by a note attributing it to a remark about Washington. That note remains an archive claim; the hostile description and attribution are not authenticated here.
Context reviewed
I...found the capital still under the empire of King Mud...Were I to say that it was intended to be typical of the condition of the government, I might be considered cynical. on Washinton, D.C., 1862
An editorial interpretation.
Muddy streets are humorously described as an empire, before a supposed reluctance to criticise government lets the criticism through. The sentence turns a physical condition into a political metaphor. Its final line is the retained place and date note; the record supplies no named speaker, and this reading adds none.
Context reviewed