Part 49

Wm. G. Miller, Arkansas City, Kan.; No method of manufacturing merchantable diamonds has ever been discovered. A French chemist claims to have made very minute crystals of diamond by an extremely expensive process, simply to prove that the thing is possible, but the crystals, whether diamonds or not, were of no value as gems or for any other commercial or mechanical purpose. For anything more on this subject see Our Curiosity Shop for 1882, page 147. Price per mail, 25 cents in paper covers and 50 cents in cloth.

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George H. Gifford, West Point. Neb.—1. The total net ordinary expenditures of the United States Government in 1880 amounted to $171,885,382.67. Figure out for yourself “the cost per minute.” It will be a delightful pastime for idle moments; editors have none.

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Jacob Vanaernam, Mount Morris, Wis.—In Illinois the State is districted for State representatives, so that three representatives are chosen from one district. Every voter may either give each of the three candidates one vote, or one of them all three of his votes, or he may give one and a half votes to each of two of them. This explains why you saw “half votes” in Illinois election returns. This system of voting is designed to place it in the power of a minority party to secure at least one out of three representatives, where by the old method all three representatives might be elected by the majority party.

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A. Tyler, DeWitt, Ill.—The Declaration of Independence was not adopted by Congress until the 4th of July, 1776, about 2 o’clock p. m., as fully explained in Our Curiosity Shop some weeks ago. It was not adopted on July 2. A resolution was adopted on that day asserting that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States,” but the Congress sat the rest of that day, all the next, and a part of the Fourth, discussing the Declaration before It was adopted. Some of the delegates to that Congress never signed it; others not until some time after July 4.

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W. L. Murphy, Tuscola, Ill.—1. The distance from St. Paul to Portland via the Northern Pacific Railroad is 1,911 miles; from Chicago to St. Paul is 409 miles, making the total distance to Portland 2,320 miles.

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M. R. Huntington, Chicago—The five longest rivers in the world are the following, named in the order of length from greater to less: The Missouri, measured from its source to the Gulf of Mexico; the Amazon; the Nile; the Yang-tse-kiang, China, and the Murray, Australia.

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A. C. Hess, Central P. O., Pa.—Ginseng is exported to China in large quantities, where it is in high repute as a medicine. It is used in pharmacy to some degree in this country and Europe. In 1880 our export of ginseng amounted to 391,083 pounds, valued at $533,042.

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C. F. S., Denmark, Iowa—The autographic process of telegraphing, which transmits a facsimile of the original dispatch, was first brought forward in 1848 by F. C. Bakewell, of London, England. It was improved by Abbe Casselli, of Florence; Lenoir and Meyer, of France, and Professor Sawyer, of Washington, D. C. It is not so economical, so expeditions, or so well adapted in some other respects to ordinary telegraphic purposes as the Morse system with modern improvements.

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A. J., Dern, Ind.—1. The eclectic school of medicine lays great stress on the avoidance of depletion, either by blood-letting or severe purging, and the use of agents calculated to build up the system. Vegetable remedies largely predominate in its medical agents.

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M. K. C., Park, Col.—The air-tube of an argand-burner lamp should always be open, as its use is to supply air to the inside of the wick while other air is being furnished upon the outside. If the wick be turned too high the oil will rise in it by the principle of capillary attraction (not siphon) too rapidly to be properly consumed. Some of this oil passes off as unconsumed carbon, and some may drip, in its original form. 2. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere varies with local circumstances, such as population, rainfall, sewerage, etc., from 2 to 10 in 10,000 volumes of air. The oxygen and nitrogen of the atmosphere are invariable in their proportional parts: twenty-three parts (by weight) of oxygen and seventy-seven of nitrogen.

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Lile E. Argile, Kilbourne City, Wis.—The final cause of the war of 1812 was the search of American vessels by the English, and the impressment of United States sailors into the service of Great Britain. All of this trouble, however, probably grew out of the ill-feeling that had existed between the two nations since the Revolutionary war. The cause of the Mexican war was the annexation of Texas to the United States.

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R. L. Stevensun, Quincy, Minn.—Half-morocco binding consists of a fine quality of cloth covers with morocco corners and morocco spring back. Library binding is all leather.

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P. S. Williams, Fort Lyon, Mo.—The largest ship in the world is the Great Eastern, described on page 63 of Our Curiosity Shop for 1880. Length, 680 feet; breadth, 118 feet; height to top of bulwarks, 70 feet.

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E. E., Stralm, Iowa.—The first watch was made by Peter Hele, a clockmaker of Nuremberg, Germany, in the year 1477.

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George Searle, Langworthy, Iowa.—After the war Horace Greeley advocated a general amnesty and a policy of conciliation. As a step in this direction he advised the release of Jefferson Davis on bail, and when this course was determined upon he became one of the bondsmen.

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E. H. T., Greensburg, Pa.—1. The Dead Sea is 1,312 feet below the Mediterranean, and the Caspian Sea is 84 feet below the Black Sea. 2. The two rivers which unite to form the Upper Amazon are the Marancon (or Tunguraguas, as it is called by some writers) and the Ucayale (or Apurimac).

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M. B. J., Union Hill, Ill.—1. The direct cable from Ireland to Rye Beach, N. H., is 3,060 miles in length. 2. The length of the Union and Central Pacific Railroad, extending from Omaha to San Francisco, is 1,916 miles.

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R. Hancock, Columbus, Wis.—Andrew Johnson was impeached, but not convicted. See definition of impeach in Webster’s unabridged dictionary.

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Samuel Adams, Chicago—Francis Hanford was killed by Alexander Sullivan in this city, Aug. 7, 1876, about 7 o’clock in the evening.

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U. W. G., Union, Iowa—At the Battle of Cold Harbor, General Meade ordered some of the troops to advance; but they by common consent refused to obey.

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S. B., Oconee, Ill.—Illinois has had three State constitutions, including the one now in force. The first went into force in 1818: the second in 1848, and the third in 1870.

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W. H., Brockport, N. Y.—A painting may be copyrighted by sending to the Librarian of Congress a full description of the work, together with $1, the price of recording the application and issuing the certificate.

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Subscriber, Verdon, Neb.—By a Joint resolution of Congress, adopted Dec. 29, 1845, Texas was declared to be admitted to the Union.

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Edith Allen, Milwaukee, Wis.—The highest mountain in the Philippine Islands is 4,531 feet higher than Mount Washington, N. H. It is a volcano, named Alpi, and has been ascended recently and found to be 10,824 feet high.

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S. N. W.. Deep River, Iowa—Read verse 49 of the thirty-first chapter of Genesis and the marginal note, and you and she will understand the beautiful appropriateness of Mizpah on an engagement ring.

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Lizzie J. Clark, Lawrenceburg, Tenn.—The nightingale proper is a migratory bird, common to Northern Africa, Western Asia, and the greater part of Europe. The European nightingale spends the winter in Northern Africa. It may be said to be a native of all the regions above named, although its hatching places are in Europe. Your other question will be answered elsewhere.

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George E. White, Englewood—There is more silver in a trade dollar than in the standard United States silver dollar, but it is at a discount in business dealings because it is not a legal tender for debt. Congress has the constitutional authority to declare what coins are a legal tender and what are not. In this case it has outlawed the trade dollar; whether wisely and justly or not is a matter in dispute.

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Lillie G. Hendee, Sandwich, Ill.—1. There is a snake with a straight horn on the end of its tail, which, when in rapid motion, looks like a revolving hoop. It is found in Southern Illinois and Missouri, and the country east and south of the same. It is popularly known as the hoop snake. 2. Naturalists are generally agreed that the worms seen after showers do not fall from the clouds; they are not fully agreed as to the proper explanation of their sudden appearance at such times. For further particulars address Professor Forbes, curator of the Laboratory of Natural History, Normal, Ill.

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M. S. H., Chicago.—Pierre, the present Western terminus of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad is the railway station nearest to Deadwood, from which it is about 190 miles distant. The Northwestern Express Stage and Transportation Company runs a line of Concord stages between these points.

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C. H. F., Weldon, Ill.—The term creole as used in our Gulf States applies to descendants of French and Spanish settlers, in distinction from French and Spanish immigrants, and mulattoes or half-breeds: also to natives of the West Indies of European descent. But in the West Indies the word is applied to natives, whether of white, black, or mixed races.

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George Fair, Fairmont, Neb.—1. The velocity of light, as determined by the latest experiments, is 186,300 miles per second. 2. The velocity of electricity traveling on metal wires was calculated by Wheatstone at 194,000 miles per second. But It travels at different rates on different wires, and as a consequence the reports of different observers do not agree. 3. We can only furnish the Curiosity Shop volumes of 1880, 1881, and 1882.

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J. M. Simpson, Cherokee City, Ark.—The present form of government in France is republican. The constitution bears date Feb. 25, 1875. It vests the legislative power in an assembly of two houses, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and the executive power in a President, who is elected by a majority of votes of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies united in National Assembly. The President at this time is Francois J. P. Jules Grevy.

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S. A. Maxwell, Morrison, Ill.—The term “O grab me act” was applied to the embargo act of Dec. 27, 1807. This embargo, laid by our government on all its own ports and vessels in retaliation for certain decrees of France and England sorely restricting the rights of neutral vessels, bore particularly hard on New England, which had been increasing its shipping very rapidly. Inverting the word “embargo,” the malcontents called it the “O grab me act,” referring to the fact that it operated to the advantage of one part of the country at the expense of the shipping interest in another. These murmurings grew until the act was repealed in February, 1809. When Congressmen voted themselves an increase of back salary a few years ago there was an attempt to transfer the name of O grab me act to this law.

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.

_The Executive._

Chester A. Arthur, of New York, President of the United States; salary, $50,000.

G.F. Edmunds, of Vermont, President pro tem. of Senate, and Acting Vice President: salary, $8,000.

_The Cabinet._

Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State; salary, $8,000.

Charles J. Folger. Secretary of the Treasury; salary, $8,000.

Robert T. Lincoln, Secretary of War; salary, $8,000.

William E. Chandler, Secretary of the Navy; salary, $8,000.

Henry M. Teller, Secretary of the Interior; salary, $8,000.

Walter Q. Gresham, Postmaster General; salary, $8,000.

Benjamin Harris Brewster, Attorney General; salary, $8,000.

FORTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS.

_March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1885._

THE SENATE.

Republicans (in Roman), 38; Democrats (in _italics_), 36; Readjuster (in SMALL CAPS), 2. Total, 76.

Term ex. Home Postoffice.

Alabama— 1889 _John T. Morgan_ Selma. 1885 _James L. Pugh_ Eufaula.

Arkansas— 1889 _Augustus H. Garland_ Little Rock. 1885 _James D. Walker_ Fayetteville.

California— 1885 _James T. Farley_ Jackson. 1887 John F. Miller San Francisco.

Colorado— 1889 Thomas M. Bowen Rio Grande. 1885 Nathaniel P. Hill Denver.

Connecticut— 1885 Orville H. Platt Meriden. 1887 Joseph R. Hawley Hartford.

Delaware— 1889 _Eli Saulsbury_ Dover. 1887 _Thomas Francis Bayard_ Wilmington.

Florida— 1885 _Wilkinson Call_ Jacksonville. 1887 _Charles W. Jones_ Pensacola.

Georgia— 1889 _A. H. Colquitt_ Atlanta. 1885 _Joseph E. Brown_ Atlanta.

Illinois— 1889 Shelby M. Cullom Springfield. 1885 John A. Logan Chicago.

Indiana— 1885 _Daniel W. Voorhees_ Terre Haute. 1887 Benjamin Harrison Indianapolis.

Iowa— 1889 J. F. Wilson Fairfield. 1885 William B. Allison Dubuque.

Kansas— 1889 Preston B. Plumb Emporia. 1885 John J. Ingalls Atchison.

Kentucky— 1889 _James B. Beck_ Lexington. 1885 _John S. Williams_ Mt. Sterling.

Louisiana— 1889 _Randall L. Gibson_ New Orleans. 1885 _Benjamin F. Jonas_ New Orleans.

Maine— 1889 William P. Frye Lewiston. 1887 Eugene Hale Ellsworth.

Maryland— 1885 _James B. Groome_ Elkton. 1887 _Arthur P. Gorman_ Laurel.

Massachusetts— 1889 George F. Hoar Worcester. 1887 Henry L. Dawes Pittsfield.

Michigan— 1889 T. W. Palmer Detroit. 1887 Omar D. Conger Port Huron.

Minnesota— 1889 D. M. Sabin Stillwater. 1887 Samuel J. R. McMillan St. Paul.

Mississippi— 1885 _Lucius Q. C. Lamar_ Oxford. 1887 _James Z. George_ Jackson.

Missouri— 1885 _George G. Vest_ Kansas City. 1887 _Francis M. Cockrell_ Warrensburg.

Nebraska— 1889 Charles F. Manderson Omaha. 1887 Charles H. Van Wyck Nebraska City.

Nevada— 1885 John P. Jones Gold Hill. 1887 _James G. Fair_ Virginia City.

New Hampshire— 1889 Austin F. Pike Franklin. 1887 Henry W. Blair Plymouth.

New Jersey— 1889 _John R. McPherson_ Jersey City. 1887 William J. Sewell Camden.

New York— 1885 Elbridge G. Lapham Canandaigua. 1887 Warner Miller Herkimer.

North Carolina— 1889 _Matt W. Ransom_ Weldon. 1885 _Zebulon B. Vance_ Charlotte.

Ohio— 1887 John Sherman Mansfield. 1885 _George H. Pendleton_ Cincinnati.

Oregon— 1889 Joseph N. Dolph Portland. 1885 _James H. Slater_ Le Grande.

Pennsylvania— 1885 J. Donald Cameron Harrisburg. 1887 John I. Mitchell Wellsboro.

Rhode Island— 1889 Henry B. Anthony Providence. 1887 Nelson W. Aldrich Providence.

South Carolina— 1889 _Matthew C. Butler_ Edgefield. 1885 _Wade Hampton_ Columbia.

Tennessee— 1889 _Isham G. Harris_ Memphis. 1887 _Howell E. Jackson_ Jackson.

Texas— 1889 _Richard Coke_ Waco. 1887 _Sam Bell Maxey_ Paris.

Vermont— 1885 Justin S. Morrill Strafford. 1887 George F. Edmunds Burlington.

Virginia— 1889 HARRISON H. RIDDLEBERGER Richmond. 1887 WILLIAM MAHONE Petersburg.

West Virginia— 1889 _John E. Kenna_ Kanawha. 1887 _Johnson N. Camden_ Parkersburg.

Wisconsin— 1885 Angus Cameron LaCrosse. 1887 Philetus Sawyer Oshkosh.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Republicans (in Roman), 117; regular Democrats, (in _italics_), 196; Readjusters (in SMALL CAPS), 5; Greenback-labor (in SMALL CAPS), 1; Independent (in SMALL CAPS), 3; vacancies, 3: Total, 325; majority, 163. Representatives in the Forty-seventh Congress marked with a [18]; those in a preceding Congress with a [19].

Alabama—

1 _James T. Jones._[18] 2 _Hilary A. Herbert._[18] 3 _Wm. C. Oates._[18] 4 _Charles M. Shelley._[18] 5 _Thomas Williams._[18] 6 _Goldsmith W. Hewitt._[18] 7 _Wm. H. Forney._[18] 8 _Luke Pryor._[15]

Arkansas—

_1 Poindexter Dunn._[18] _2 James K. Jones._[18] _3 John H. Rogers._ _4 Samuel W. Peel._ _At Large_—_C. R. Breckinridge_.

California—

1 _Wm. S. Rosecrans._[18] 2 _James H. Budd._ 3 _Barclay Henley._ 4 _Patrick B. Tulley._ _At Large_—_Chas. A. Sumner_, _John. R. Glascock_.

Colorado—

James B. Bedford.[18]

Connecticut—

1 _Wm. W. Eaton._[15] 2 _Charles L. Mitchell._ 3 John T. Wait[18] 4 _Edw. W. Seymour._

Delaware—

_Charles B. Lore._

Florida—

1 _Robert H. H. Davidson._[18] 2 Horatio Bisbee, Jr.

Georgia—

1 _John C. Nicholls._[19] 2 _Henry G. Turner._[18] 3 _Charles F. Crisp._ 4 _Hugh Buchanan._[18] 5 _Nathaniel J. Hammond._[18] 6 _James H. Blount._[18] 7 _Judson C. Clements._[18] 8 _Seaborn Reese._[18] 9 _Allen C. Candler._ _At Large_—_Thomas Hardeman._[19]

Illinois—

1 Ransom W. Dunham. 2 JOHN F. FINERTY, Ind. 3 George R. Davis.[18] 4 George E. Adams. 5 Reuben Ellwood. 6 Robert R Hitt.[18] 7 Thomas J. Henderson.[18] 8 William Cullen.[18] 9 Lewis E. Payson.[18] 10 _Nicholas E. Worthington._ 11 _William H. Neece._ 12 _James M. Riggs._ 13 _William M. Springer._[18] 14 Jonathan H. Rowell. 15 Joseph G. Cannon.[18] 16 _Aaron Shaw._ 17 _Samuel W. Moulton._[18] 18 _William R. Morrison._[18] 19 _Richard W. Townshend._[18] 20 John R. Thomas.[18]

Indiana—

1 _John J. Kleiner._ 2 _Thomas R. Cobb._[18] 3 _S. M. Stockslager._[18] 4 _William S. Holman._[18] 5 _Courtland C. Matson._[18] 6 Thomas M. Browne.[18] 7 Stanton J. Peelle.[18] 8 _John E. Lamb._ 9 _Thomas B. Ward._ 10 _Thomas J. Wood._ 11 George W. Steele.[18] 12 _Robert Lowry._ 13 William H. Calkins.[18]

Iowa—

1 Moses A. McCoid.[18] 2 _Jermiah H. Murphy._ 3 David B. Henderson. 4 L. H. WELLER, _Gbk._ 5 James Wilson.[19] 6 John C. Cook.[16] 7 John A. Kasson.[18] 8 William P. Hepburn. 9 _Wm. H. M. Pusey._ 10 Adoniram J. Holmes. 11 Isaac S. Struble.

Kansas—

1 John A. Anderson.[18] 2 Vacancy. 3 Thomas Ryan.[18] _At Large_—Edmund N. Morrill, Lewis Hanback, Samuel R. Peters, Bishop W. Perkins.

Kentucky—

1 _Oscar Turner._[18] 2 _James F. Clay._ 3 _John E. Halsell._ 4 _Thomas A. Robertson._ 5 _Albert S. Willis._[18] 6 _John G. Carlisle._ 7 _Joseph C. S. Blackburn._[18] 8 _Philip B. Thompson, Jr._[18] 9 William W. Culbertson. 10 John D. White.[18] 11 _Frank L. Wolford._

Louisiana—

1 _Carleton Hunt._ 2 _E. John Ellis._[18] 3 William P. Kellogg.[15] 4 _Newton C. Blanchard._[18] 5 _J. Floyd King._[18] 6 _Edward T. Lewis._

Maine—

_At Large_—Thos. B. Reed.[18] Nelson Dingley, Jr.[18] Chas. A. Boutelle. Seth L. Milliken.

Maryland—

1 _George W. Covington._[18] 2 _J. Frederick C. Talbott._[18] 3 _Fetter S. Hoblitzell._[18] 4 _John V. L. Findlay._ 5 Hart B. Holton. 6 Louis E. McComas.

Massachusetts—

1 Robert T. Davis 2 John D. Long. 3 Ambrose A. Ranney.[18] 4 _Patrick A. Collins._ 5 _Leopold Morse._[18] 6 _Henry B. Lovering._[16] 7 Eben F. Stone.[18] 8 William A. Russell. 9 THEODORE LYMAN.[17] 10 William W. Rice.[18] 11 William Whiting. 12 Vacancy.

Michigan—

1 _William C. Maybury._ 2 _Nathan B. Eldredge._ 3 Edward S. Lacey.[18] 4 _George L. Yaple._ 5 _Julius Houseman._ 6 _Edwin B. Winans._ 7 _Ezra C. Carleton._ 8 Roswell G. Horr.[18] 9 Byron M. Cutcheon. 10 Herschel H. Hatch. 11 Edward Breitung.

Minnesota—

1 Milo White. 2 James B. Wakefield. 3 Horace B. Strait.[18] 4 William D. Washburn.[18] 5 Knute Nelson.

Mississippi—

1 _Henry L. Muldrow._[18] 2 J. R. CHALMERS,[18] _Ind._ 3 E. S. Jeffords. 4 _Hernando D. Money._[18] 5 _Otho R. Singleton._[18] 6 _Henry S. Van Eaton._ 7 _Ethelbert Barksdale._

Missouri—

1 _William H. Hatch._[18] 2 _A. M. Alexander._ 3 _Alexander M. Dockery._ 4 _James N. Burnes._ 5 _Alexander Graves._ 6 _John Cosgrove._ 7 _Aylett H. Buckner._[18] 8 _John J. O’Neill._ 9 _James O. Broadhead._ 10 _Martin L. Clardy._[18] 11 _Richard P. Bland._[18] 12 _Charles H. Morgan._[19] 13 _Robert W. Ryan._ 14 _Lowndes H. Davis._[18]

Nebraska—

1 Archibald J. Weaver. 2 James Laird. 3 Edward K. Valentine.[18]

Nevada—

_George W. Cassidy._[18]

New Hampshire—

1 Martin A. Haynes. 2 Ossian Ray.[18]

New Jersey—

1 _Thomas W. Ferrell._ 2 J. Hart Brewer.[18] 3 John Kean. Jr. 4 Benjamin F. Howey. 5 William Walter Phelps.[19] 6 _William H. F. Fiedler._ 7 _William McAdoo._

New York—

1 _Perry Belmont._[18] 2 _William E. Robinson._[18] 3 Darwin R. James. 4 _Felix Campbell._ 5 _Nicholas Muller._[19] 6 _Samuel S. Cox._ 7 _William Dorsheimer._ 8 _John J. Adams._ 9 _John Hardy._[18] 10 _Abram S. Hewitt._[18] 11 _Orlando B. Potter._ 12 _Waldo Hutchins._[18] 13 John H. Ketcham.[18] 14 _Lewis Beach._[18] 15 _John J. Bagley, Jr._[19] 16 _Thomas J. Van Alstyne._ 17 Henry G. Burleigh. 18 Frederick A. Johnson. 19 Abraham X. Parker.[18] 20 _Edward Wemple._ 21 George W. Ray. 22 Charles R. Skinner.[18] 23 _J. Thomas Spriggs._ 24 Newton W. Nutting. 25 Frank Hiscock.[18] 26 Sereno E. Payne. 27 James W. Wadsworth.[18] 28 Stephen C. Millard. 29 _John Arnot._ 30 _Halbert S. Greenleaf._ 31 _Robert S. Stevens._ 32 _William F. Rogers._ 33 Francis B. Brewer. _At Large_—_Henry W. Slocum._[19]

North Carolina—

1 _Thomas G. Skinner._ 2 James E. O’Hara. 3 _Wharton J. Green._ 4 _William R. Cox._[18] 5 _Alfred M. Scales._[18] 6 _Clement Dowd._[18] 7 TYRE YORK, _Ind._ 8 _Robert B. Vance._[18] _At Large_—_R. I. Bennett._

Ohio—

1 _John F. Follett._ 2 _Isaac M. Jordan._ 3 _Robert M. Murray._ 4 _Benjamin Le Fevre._[18] 5 _George E. Seney._ 6 _William D. Hill._[19] 7 Henry L. Morey.[18] 8 J. Warren Keifer.[18] 9 James S. Robinson.[18] 10 _Frank H. Hurd._[19] 11 John W. McCormick. 12 Alphonso Hart. 13 _George L. Converse._[18] 14 _George W. Geddes._[18] 15 _Adoniram J. Warner._[19] 16 _Beriah Wilkins._ 17 Joseph D. Taylor. 18 William McKinley, Jr.[18] 19 Ezra B. Taylor.[18] 20 _David R. Paige._ 21 _Martin A. Foran._

Oregon—

Melvin C. George.[18]

Pennsylvania—