Chapter L: W. A.”

FOREIGN POSTAGE.

CHICAGO, Ill.

Please state the rates of postage between this country and Europe
as far back as possible, but particularly the rates in force twenty
years ago.

J. M.

_Answer._—It is not easy to ascertain the rates of postage between the United States and each of the States of Europe for the whole period of our history, nor would the information repay the research. The Whig Almanac for 1849 gives the following rates of foreign postage prevailing at that time: Letters, per half ounce, to Bremen, paid or unpaid, if mailed at New York, 24 cents; within 300 miles of New York, 29 cents; over 300 miles, 34 cents. If to Prussia, 12 cents additional; to Hamburg, 6 cents additional; to Austria, 18 cents; Bavaria, 22 cents; Switzerland, 21 cents; Egypt, 37 cents—each additional, per quarter-ounce letter. To Denmark, 22 cents; Sweden, 39 cents; St. Petersburg, Russia, 24 cents—each additional, per half ounce. To British West India Islands, by British West India mail steamers, 25 cents per half ounce; to Martinique, Havana, Porto Rico, St. Thomas, or other islands not British, 50 cents; to Chagres, Panama, Valparaiso, or any port on the Pacific coast, 75 cents. The same year the postal difficulties with Great Britain and her colonies were adjusted by the adoption of a uniform rate of sea and port postage not to exceed 24 cents, the inland rates (5 cents to 10 cents here and 2 cents to 4 cents in Britain) being added. In 1860 the following foreign postal rates prevailed for one-half ounce; to France and Algeria, by French mails, 30 cents; to the German states, 30 cents; to Great Britain, 24 cents, except from Washington, Oregon, and California, (29 cents); to Bremen, 10 cents; to Hamburg, 10 cents; to Frankfort or Wurtemburg, 22 cents; to Luxemburg, 25 cents; to Holland and the Netherlands, 42 cents; to Austria, 30 cents; to Russia, 29 cents; to Prussia, 30 cents; to the Papal States and Tuscany, 35 cents; to Spain, 42 cents; to Portugal, 42 cents; to Denmark, 35 cents; to Sweden, 42 cents; to Norway, 46 cents; to the West India Islands, (not British) 34 cents for less than 2,500 miles, and 44 cents for more than 2,500 miles: to the British West India Islands, 10 cents for 2,500 miles or less, and 20 cents for any greater distance; to the two Sicilies, 30 cents; to Parma and Modena, 33 cents; to Lombardy, 33 cents; to the Sardinian States, 38 cents. In 1865 the postage was about the same; but after the formation of the postal union, in 1874, an uniform postage was adopted of 5 cents on prepaid, and 10 cents on unpaid letters, weighing not more than one-half ounce, between all members of the union; newspapers not exceeding 4 ounces, 2 cents; books and all other printed matter and patterns of merchandise, not exceeding 8¾ ounces, at the rate of 2 cents per 2 ounces; postal cards, 2 cents.

HIGH TARIFF AND CHEAP GOODS.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa.

In a recent political dispute the free-trader declared that the
consumer pays all the tariff. How can the protectionist answer this?

INQUIRER.

_Answer._—This question has been answered, substantially, several times before, but the following extract from the speech made before the Fair Trade Congress, Leamington, by Robert P. Porter, formerly editor of Our Curiosity Shop, author of “The West in 1880,” and member of the late United States Tariff Commission, is so much in point that it is given here:

“In the cotton industry need I say that we have practically robbed England of 50,000,000 of customers, increased the number employed in our mills to 200,000 persons, and, in the last two decades, doubled the value of the product. Imports of cotton goods have steadily declined from 227,000,000 yards in 1860 to 23,000,000 yards in 1881, while exports reached the same year 150,000,000 yards. Has the consumer been injured? No! With the exception of a few special lines which we do not manufacture, cotton goods are as cheap, and even cheaper, with us than in England. A more remarkable progress has been made in the silk industry, which before the Morrill tariff gave employment to 5,000 persons; in 1880 it employed over 30,000, a six-fold increase. The importation of silk goods has remained stationary since 1860 at about £6,000,000, the production of our own mills increasing from £1,200,000 in 1860 to over £8,000,000 in 1880. Yet the cost of the manufactured goods to the consumer, estimated on a gold basis, has steadily declined at a much greater rate than the cost of the raw material.”

Further on Mr. Potter says: “I have this year made a careful comparison of the average earnings of labor in the important branches of industry in Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, and Holland, with the average earnings of the same class of workers in the United States. In prosecuting this inquiry I have visited the industrial centers of these countries, and am prepared to further substantiate my conclusions with details if necessary. I find that in the United States wages are from 60 to 150 per cent higher in the various industrial pursuits than they are in the mentioned European countries. At the same time the difference between the purchasing power of a dollar in free trade and protection countries is absurdly exaggerated by the Cobden Clubites. In Germany and France (under protective tariffs), especially in the former country, the workmen can live far cheaper than in England. The purchasing power of a dollar, so far as the wants of the working man is concerned, when the cost and quality of food is taken into consideration, is about the same in the United States as in England, though wages are often 100 per cent higher in America.”

HALBIG, THE SCULPTOR.

CHICAGO, Ill.

Please give a sketch of John Halbig, the sculptor.

OTTO F. H. MASCH.

_Answer._—John Halbig was born in Bavaria in 1814, and educated at the Munich Academy, where he is now professor of statuary. Since 1846 he has modeled more than 1,000 works, chiefly busts. The most noted is the lions at the Gate of Victory, Munich. In 1873 the King of Germany ordered him to make a colossal group representing the crucifixion, to be placed on a lofty mountain peak overlooking Oberammergau, the village where the “Passion Play” is so religiously represented.

HELEN AND THE TROJAN WAR.

DANA, Ill.

1. Will Our Curiosity Shop tell me how to pronounce the name of
the President of France, and what his salary is? 2. Who was Helen?
I heard a gentleman say that, when looking at a certain lady, he
could easily believe in Helen’s smile and the siege of Troy. Please
tell me about her.

IGNORAMUS.

_Answer._—1. Gravy. His salary is 600,000 francs ($120,000), and an additional 300,000 francs for household expenses. 2. Helen, according to tradition, was the daughter of Zeus and Leda, the wife of Tyndareus, King of Sparta, and was so extremely beautiful that at the age of 10 she was stolen by two mighty Greeks, from whom her brothers, Castor and Pollux, rescued her. Later Tyndareus bound her suitors to the number of about thirty to save her, in case of another abduction. She became the wife of Menelaus, King of Lacedæmon, but, during his absence from home, Paris, a prince from Troy, in Asia Minor, induced her to elope with him. Thereupon Menelaus called upon the thirty to fulfill their oath, and with a large army they sailed against Troy, laid siege to it, and were victorious after ten years. There are conflicting stories of her fate.

WHEAT IN OHIO AND NEBRASKA.

TRIADELPHIA, Ohio.

Which years, the odd or even, have produced the most wheat in Ohio
for the last ten years? State same for Nebraska.

P. M. P.

_Answer._—The following table, compiled from the reports of the Agricultural Department, Washington, gives the estimated wheat crops of Ohio and Nebraska for the ten years closing with 1882, in bushels. How much support these figures give to the notion that the even years bear better crops than the odd ones, or vice versa, the reader can estimate for himself:

Ohio Av. yield Nebraska Av. yield
Year. wheat crop. per acre. wheat crop. per acre.

1882 45,453,600 14,947,200
1881 38,520,000 13.3 13,840,000 7.1
1880 49,790,475 17.3 12,922,677 8.5
1879 36,591,750 19.3 13,043,590 11.3
1878 33,120,000 18.0 13,872,900 13.1
1877 26,000,000 15.0 5,640,000 15.0
1876 21,750,000 11.8 4,330,000 11.5
1875 17,500,000 9.5 3,400,000 9.8
1874 25,993,000 15.0 3,619,000 11.6
1873 18,567,000 12.0 3,584,000 15.5

Certainly, in the case of Ohio, the aggregate yield of even years surpassed that of the odd years, and the same was true in all but one pair of years for Nebraska. As regards the average yield per acre, the even years were not so uniformly better than the odd ones, and this is the only test measure. But the following table, from the same source, showing the average yield of wheat per acre for the whole United States, for the ten years from 1872 to 1881 inclusive, is calculated to explode the notion that the oddness or evenness of the year makes any difference:

Av. yield
Year. per acre.

1872 11.9
1873 12.7
1874 12.3
1875 11.0
1876 10.4
1877 13.9
1878 13.1
1879 13.8
1880 13.1
1881 10.1

One of the most interesting facts to note in the above table is the rapid increase of wheat raising in Ohio, which is due in large degree to the improved methods in farming—deep plowing, use of fertilizers, tile drainage, and so forth. Another matter worthy of special notice is the large increase of the Nebraska wheat crop, owing to the steady extension of the cultivated area of that State. The falling off in the average yield per acre points to the lesson that Nebraska must learn from the example of Ohio—the necessity for improved cultivation as the country grows older.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

HILLSBORO, Iowa.

When was the Democratic party first organized? How long did it ever
hold unbroken control of the government?

W. N. GALES.

_Answer._—The birth of the Democratic party, or “Jacksonian Democracy,” as it used to be called, dates from the disruption of the old Democratic-Republican party, consequent upon the election of John Quincy Adams as President Soon after the Inauguration of Adams in 1825 the Adams and Clay factions of the Democratic-Republican party separated from it. The Jackson and Calhoun factions rallied around these men, and the Presidential election contest of 1828 was fought on almost purely personal issues. Jackson was elected President over Adams by 178 electoral votes to 83, although the popular vote stood 647,231 for Jackson and 509,097 for Adams. At the same time Calhoun was elected Vice President by 171 electoral votes to 83 for Richard Rush, of Pennsylvania. Before the next Presidential canvass Jackson and Calhoun had become inimical to each other; the “Jackson men” carried the day, and, through the _first_ National Democratic Convention—held in Baltimore in May, 1832—nominated Jackson for re-election, and Van Buren in place of Calhoun for Vice President. Dating from Jackson’s first term, the Democrats held unbroken control of the Executive office until the end of Van Buren’s term, in all twelve years, which is the longest period of consecutive Democratic administration of our Federal Government. The next longest was from March 4, 1853, to the bankruptcy of the National Treasury and the civil war, reached before its close, eight years later.

FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN IN CHICAGO.

PEKIN, Ill.

I was born in Chicago, Oct. 1, 1827, and my elder brother tells
me there were but four houses there at that time, and two of them
belonged to Frenchmen. I claim the honor of being the first white
child born at that place. I am the son of Reuben and Hannah Reed.

LEVI REED.

_Answer._—The first white child born in Chicago was a girl, Ellen Marion Kinzie, sister of the late Colonel John H. Kinzie. According to the testimony of Mrs. Whistler, wife of Lieut. William Whistler, this was in December, 1804. Mrs. Whistler was the mother of the first white boy born in Chicago, Merriweather Lewis Whistler. He first saluted the light in old Fort Dearborn in the autumn of 1805. He was drowned at the age of 7, at Newport, Ky. Your brother is certainly mistaken as to the number of houses in Chicago in 1827, for a series of reminiscences dictated by the early pioneer, John H. Fonda, quoted in Hurlburt’s “Chicago Antiquities,” says that when Fonda visited Chicago in 1825, though it was then but an Indian agency and trading post, the place contained “about fourteen houses.”

INSTITUTIONS FOR FEEBLE-MINDED CHILDREN.

EVANSTON, Ill.

What State provisions are there for the benefit of feeble-minded
persons? Give the number of the blind, deaf, and feeble-minded in
this State.

CATHARINE DONNOVAN.

_Answer._—According to the report of the Commissioner of Education, the number of idiots and feeble-minded children in Illinois in 1889 was 4,170; of blind, 2,615; of deaf mutes, 2,202. The United States makes no provision for these classes. That is left to State legislation. State institutions for the feeble-minded are located at Syracuse, N. Y.; Columbus, Ohio; Faribault, Minn.; Glenwood, Iowa; Frankfort, Ky., and Lincoln, Ill. At Columbus, Syracuse, and Faribault children are taught the elementary branches, and have various occupations for physical exercise; at Glenwood much attention is given to kindergarten training; at Frankfort, to physical development. In our State institution the children are divided into ten classes, the three highest being graded, and, in addition to the common branches, they are taught vocal music and calisthenics:[;?] also sewing, gardening, and other occupations.

ARTICHOKES.

JUNIATA, Neb.

Please state the value of artichokes as food for hogs. How should
they be raised?

JOHN COWAN.

_Answer._—At one time artichokes were supposed to be very watery and injurious food for swine, but a careful analysis has proved that they are not less nutritious than potatoes. In the Western States they grow wild in great quantities, and the roots are greedily devoured by the hogs. The Brazil variety should be extensively cultivated in a well-drained soil, as it is hardy and easily raised. The American Encyclopedia of Agriculture gives the following instructions for cultivating them: “Furrow the ground four feet apart and plant the tubers an inch below the surface and about ten inches apart, covering about two inches. Keep free from weeds with the ordinary two-horse corn-cultivator. Dig in the fall and leave the tubers to be rooted out by the hogs in autumn, winter, and spring. They bear great heat and drought, and are excellent food for horses, cows and sheep in winter if used in connection with food and salt.

UNITED STATES MILITIA.

CHICAGO, Ill.

What is the total militia force of the United States, organized and
unorganized?

N. SNYDER.

_Answer._—The organized militia force of the United States, according to the latest returns made to the Adjutant General of the United States army, as given in the report of the Chief of Ordnance to the Secretary of War, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1880, was as follows: Total non-commissioned officers, musicians, and privates, 117,037. Add 145 general officers, 921 general staff officers, 1,605 regimental field and staff officers, 8,869 company officers, and the aggregate is 125,906. Of these, New York had the largest number, 20,280; Arkansas the next largest, 16,377, South Carolina the next, 11,805; Pennsylvania the next, 9,750; Ohio the next, 8,374, and Illinois the next, 7,394. These figures are altered somewhat now, but cannot be given accurately. The number of men subject to military duty, but unorganized, on June 30, 1880, was 6,516,758.

MISSISSIPPI NAVIGATION.

DES MOINES, Iowa.

Give your Iowa readers a few facts as to the navigation of the
Mississippi River. About what proportion of the time is it closed
by ice or on account of low water?

_Answer._—Averaged for the nine years from 1865 to 1873, the depth of water below St. Louis was eight feet or over for about one-half the year, and less than four feet not quite three and one-half days a year. The time that navigation was arrested by ice in the ten seasons from 1870 to 1880 averaged thirty-five days a year; and the time that barges could not be loaded to eight feet draft on account of low water or ice, during the seven years ending with 1880, averaged about one hundred and twenty-six days a year. In the canals around the Mississippi rapids and between the Mississippi and the lakes, navigation is suspended above five months each year. To appreciate the significance of the above figures as to depth of water, it must be borne in mind that, where the depth of water is eight feet and over, grain is transported at less than half what it costs when the depth is four feet. There are years when navigation below St. Louis is not obstructed by ice all winter through; as for example, in the winters of 1868-69, 1873-74, 1875-76, while in the rigorous winter of 1877-78 the river was closed at St. Louis seventy days. Between St. Louis and Quincy navigation is obstructed by ice about four months every year, and by low water about thirty-five days more, while between Quincy and St. Paul navigation is practically closed about half of every year either on account of ice or low water.

MILLAIS’ PICTURE OF THE HUGUENOT.

DENVER, Col.

Kindly inform us through Our Curiosity Shop what is the
significance of the handkerchief in Millais’ picture of “The
Huguenot.” I have gone to the limit of my resources and can find no
allusion whatever to any such badge.

F. G. WOODBRIDGE.

_Answer._—On the eve of the bloody massacre of French Protestants, which commenced in Paris in the dead of night of Aug. 24, 1572, the Duke of Guise, to prevent the assassination by mistake of any of his own party, the Catholics, issued a secret order that every Catholic bind a strip of white linen around his arm, as a badge to be known by. This incident is vividly depicted in Millais’ celebrated painting of “The Huguenot,” where the Catholic maiden, who is aware of this secret order, seeks to save her bold Protestant or “Huguenot” lover by pledging him to wear her handkerchief around his arm until they meet again.

NORTH AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION.

FAIRFIELD, Iowa.

What is the object of the poultry association, formed in Ohio some
time ago? Is it merely for speculative purposes, or has it a public
mission to perform? Who are the officers and who can become members?

POULTRY RAISER.

_Answer._—Probably the organization referred to in the above question is what calls itself the North American Poultry Association. Its declared purpose is “to take united action in the extension of the business of producing poultry and eggs for market, and for the mutual protection and advancement of the interests of producers.” This it proposes to do by showing people that “poultry-raising is more profitable than any other branch of stock-raising;” by keeping its members informed as to the best markets for poultry and eggs at different seasons of the year; by uniting to get the lowest shipping rates; by efforts to protect each other from dishonest poultry dealers or commission men; by imparting to one another useful information as to cures for diseases of fowls, and improvements in feeding and taking care of them. Whether some of the principal members are using this organization for selfish purposes to any reprehensible degree, as has been charged by one or more correspondents, we are not prepared to affirm or deny. Some of them are engaged in raising and selling fancy fowls and eggs at high prices, but as that is one of the declared objects of the association, it may only prove that it is fulfilling its mission. Any one in any part of the United States or Canada who wishes to become a member is invited to send $2 to the Treasurer, with a request that his name be presented to the association for admission to membership, the money to be returned in case he is not elected. In the opinion of some correspondents, the reason for demanding this prepayment is very obscure. Hoping to obtain official enlightenment as to the character of this association, THE INTER OCEAN addressed an inquiry to W. L. Chamberlain, Secretary of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture, to which he returned the following reply, which renders us unwilling to publish the names and postoffice address of officers of the so-called association:

“COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov., 1883.—Dear Sir: Yours relative to American Poultry Association, of——, Ohio, to hand. We have no official knowledge of any such association, as no reports from it are made to this department, as there are from all the other various agricultural organizations of the State. Inquiry at the Secretary of State’s office fails to reveal any incorporation of said association. Might also add that we have no personal knowledge of the association in question. Respectfully,

W. I. CHAMBERLAIN,
“Secretary Ohio State Board of Agriculture.”

LAKE TAHOE.

RICHMOND, Ind.

What are the dimensions of Lake Tahoe, why is it so admired, and
how near is it to the Central Pacific Railroad?

TRAVELER.

_Answer._—Lake Tahoe is a lovely sheet of water at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and fourteen miles southward from Truckee, on the Central Pacific Railroad. It is about 6,250 feet above the ocean, and is environed by scenery full of picturesque loveliness. The length, according to the latest authorities, is 35 miles, its width about 15 miles, and its depth 1,500 feet. Its waters are clear as crystal, cold as ice, and full of trout. Pleasure steamers ply on it in summer. Its outlet is the Truckee River. The surrounding scenery, the perfect transparency of its waters, the fishing, and the delicious atmosphere render it a favorite summer resort.

THE NATIONAL CAPITOL.

MONTICELLO, Ind.

When was the Capitol of the United States begun; when finished; and
what was its cost? Give its dimensions.

JAMES COBLE.

_Answer._—The southeast corner-stone of the Capitol was laid Sept. 18, 1793, “by Brother George Washington, assisted by the Worshipful Masters and Free Masons of the surrounding cities, the military, and a large number of people.” The north wing was ready for occupancy in 1800, the south wing in 1808; but both were partially destroyed by the British in 1811. The foundation of the main building was laid in 1818 (March 24), the restoration of the wings having been commenced three years earlier; and the whole was completed in 1827. July 4, 1851, the corner-stone of the south extension was laid by President Fillmore, and this was finished in 1857. The north extension was occupied by the Senate in 1859. The present dome, commenced in 1855, was completed eight years later, and Dec. 12, 1863, the American flag floated from its summit. Thus far the cost of the entire building has been $13,000,000—main building, $3,000,000; dome, $1,000,000; extensions, $8,000,000; miscellaneous items, $1,000,000. The length of the entire building is 751 feet 4 inches; its greatest breadth, 324 feet; and it covers a little over 3½ acres. The distance from the ground to the top of the dome is 307½ feet; the diameter of the dome, 135½ feet.

MONEY AND GOODS BY TELEGRAPH.

SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa.

What is the method of sending money by telegraph; and about what
does it cost? Is it true that telegraph companies will fill orders
for household supplies? If so, explain how it is done, and oblige
several

SUBSCRIBERS.

_Answer._—It is not telegraph companies, but express companies that do such business. One of the leading express companies will send money from any one of its important city or village agencies to another at the following rates, in addition to the cost of telegraph service: For sums of $100 or less, 1 per cent; for sums between $100 and $200, $1.25; between $200 and $300, $1.50; between $300 and $400, $1.75; between $400 and $500, $2; for larger sums special rates, to be learned only of agents. The same company will purchase goods for family consumption, without extra charges; and will advance the money for orders not exceeding $5 each, provided deposit is made with the agent at the office from which order is sent. Similar accommodation is provided for by other express companies.

ALCOHOL IN A BUSHEL OF GRAIN.

LAFAYETTE, Ill.

How much pure liquor can be made from a bushel of corn, rye, wheat,
or barley, as a general rule?

CHARLES OSENBAUGH.

_Answer._—Corn affords 40 pounds of spirits of the specific gravity of 0.9427, containing 45 per cent of absolute alcohol for each 100 pounds of grain; wheat, 40 to 45 pounds of spirits; barley, 40; oats, 36; rye, 36 to 42; buckwheat, 40. Now, 40 pounds of such spirits equal 3½ (3.5) gallons of government-proof spirits. Taking corn at 56 pounds per bushel, rye at 56 pounds, wheat at 60, barley at 48, oats at 32, and buckwheat at 52, these grains should afford the following quantities of proof spirits per bushel: Corn and rye, each, 1.96 gallons, or almost 2 gallons; wheat, 2.1 gallons; barley, 1.68 gallons; oats, 1.12 gallons, and buckwheat, 1.82 gallons.

U. S. LOANS IN 1860.

MINONK, Ill.

Did this government borrow money during James Buchanan’s
administration? If so, at what interest? What interest did the
government pay for money borrowed to carry on the Mexican war?

_Answer._—In June, 1860, Congress authorized the loan of $20,000,000, and in October, $1,000,000, at 5 per cent, was put upon the market; but, owing to the Presidential election of that year and the consequent change in the aspect of politics, the final amount issued was but $7,022,000. On Dec. 17 a law was passed permitting the issue of $10,000,000; $5,000,000 was offered, and but $500,000 was bid, at 12 per cent. Other offers at 24 to 36 per cent were rejected. By the 31st of December most of the remainder had been taken by banks and bankers upon certain conditions securing the interest. In January, 1861, the remaining $5,000,000, under the act of December, was awarded as follows: $10,000 at 8¾ per cent, $30,000 at 9 per cent, $10,000 at 9¼ per cent, $140,000 at 9½ per cent, $67,000 at 9¾ per cent, $721,000 at 10 per cent, $265,000 at 10¼ per cent, $543,000 at 10½ per cent, $1,267,000 at 10¾ per cent, and $1,947,000 at 11 per cent. Feb. 8 Congress passed another bill, authorizing a loan of $25,000,000, at 6 per cent interest, to run not less than ten nor more than twenty years, the stock to be sold to the highest bidder. The amount offered was $14,355,000, of which all below 90 per cent were rejected, and the stock as awarded ranged from 90½ to 96 per cent. The tariff bill, which was passed March 2, authorized a loan of $10,000,000, and restored the highest protective character to the tariff. During the Mexican war, in 1847, the government made loans to the amount of $9,415,250 at 6 per cent interest.

VAUXHALL GARDENS.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa.

I remember reading, when a boy, in a Baltimore paper, an account
of the destruction by fire of the art gallery of Vauxhall Garden,
London, and I think it stated also “with a loss of all the valuable
paintings.” Please state in what year that conflagration occurred,
Any information regarding this garden would be of interest to many,
I am sure.

JOSEPH ROGERS.

_Answer._—Vauxhall Garden, named from its site in “La Salle Faukes,” was first opened to the public in 1660, and was for nearly two centuries the favorite resort for a large class of London pleasure-seekers. It was laid out with beautiful walks, fountains, booths, and buildings, and was nightly thronged by a gay and brilliant company, eating and drinking, while they gossiped or made love to the sound of constant music. But toward the latter part of the eighteenth century the garden fell into disrepute, through the increasing laxity of many of its patrons, and on July 25, 1859, the garden was forever closed, its site being soon covered with streets and buildings. We cannot find the date of the fire you mention. It is consoling, however, to know that few, if any, of the paintings had great merit. A vivid description of Vauxhall is given in Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair.”

ARMY—RIVERS, AND HARBORS.

CHICAGO, Ill.

A friend asserts that the cost of the United States army is nearly
fifty million dollars a year? I say it is not much more than half
that amount. What does Our Curiosity Shop say?

JOHN ALLEN.

_Answer._—It says that you are nearer right than your friend. It is likely that he gets his notion from noting the total expenditures for the “military establishment” as given in Secretary Folger’s report a few days ago, amounting to $48,911,382.93. Let him look at the items and he will see such ones as this, “Improving rivers and harbors,” $13,639,381.27 included under the above head. Owing to the important bearing of the transportation question and the condition of our harbors upon the subject of National defense; in deference to the State rights advocates of early times; and also because of the prevailing confidence in the ability of the engineer corps of the United States army, the appropriations made by Congress for the improvement of the National water-ways have, as a rule, been expended under the direction of army engineers. Below are given all the items that enter into the grand total of nearly fifty millions which your friend erroneously charges up as the annual cost of the United States army. This is a statement for the fiscal year closing June 30, 1883:

Pay Department $12,659,814.60
Commissary Department 2,062,922.17
Quartermaster’s Department 13,179,792.45
Medical Department 377,647.82
Ordnance Department 1,861,826.37
Military Academy 144,332.46
Improving rivers and harbors 13,639,381.27
Contingencies 26,676.19
Expenses of recruiting 100,646.45
Signal Service 294,466.54
Expenses of military convicts 93,085.37
Publishing official records of the rebellion 33,486.68
Support of National Home for Disabled Volunteers 1,122,088.03
Support of Soldiers’ Home 162,928.48
Construction of military posts, roads, etc. 268,707.69
Fortifications 174,312.72
National cemeteries 211,156.55
Fifty per cent arrears of army transportation 296,379.38
Construction of military telegraphs 48,989.00
Bounty to soldiers, act of July 28, 1866 75,214.30
Expenses of arctic exploring expedition 53,000.00
Bounty to volunteers 244,550.91
Mississippi River Commission 165,000.00
Reimbursing the State of Missouri 234,580.10
Reimbursing the State of Oregon. 70,268.08
Claims for quartermasters’ and commissary supplies 311,062.75
Refunding to States expenses in raising volunteers 454,163.07
Operating and care of canals 199,200.00
Horses and other property lost in the service 105,061.60
Purchase of the Arlington estate 125,000.00
Miscellaneous 115,641.90
——————————————
Total military establishment $48,911,382.93

The first five of the above items, aggregating a little over thirty million dollars, constitute almost the entire expenditure on account of the existing army and its operations during the year named.

ESTIMATING WEIGHT OF CATTLE.

HASTINGS, Neb.

Give us a rule, if there is any, for calculating the weight of
cattle by measuring them.

A. C.

_Answer._—No rule will lead to anything more than an approximation to the actual weight. Every stock-raiser should have his own scales. The following is as good a rule as any for estimating the weight of animals by measure: Multiply the girth in inches, taken immediately behind the shoulder blade, by the length in inches from the square of the buttock to the point of the shoulder blade, and divide the product by 144, which gives the number of superficial feet. If the animal has a girth of 3 to 5 feet, multiply the number of superficial feet by 16, and you will have its approximate weight. If the girth is 5 to 7 feet multiply by 23, and if 7 to 9 feet multiply by 31. If less than 3 feet girth, as in the cases of small calves, hogs, sheep, etc., multiply by 11. Allowance must be made for the build of the animal, conditions of fattening, etc. The above rule is for grass-fed cattle; it being estimated that in the cases of grass-fatted sheep, calves, and kine, or steers, each superficial foot, when the girth is 3 feet or under, represents a weight of 11 pounds; when 3 to 5 feet, 16 pounds; when 5 to 7 feet, 23 pounds, and when 7 to 9 feet, 31 pounds. Thus an ox measuring eight feet girth and seven and a half feet in length should weigh about 8x7½x31 pounds, or, say 1,860 pounds. Under this rule it is customary to deduct one-twentieth of the whole for half-fatted cattle; from 15 to 20 pounds on a cow having had calves, and if not fat an equal amount.

SMUT IN WHEAT.

ILIA, N. Y.

What is the cause of smut in wheat, and what is a sure preventive?

G. F.

_Answer._—Smut is a fungus with very minute spores, that feeds upon the grain, replacing or destroying the organs upon which it feeds. The best preventive used is a pound of blue vitriol in two gallons of water. But it is not enough to sprinkle this over the wheat. Put the grain into enough of the solution to cover it, and stir slowly to allow the light material to rise. Skim, and at the end of an hour spread the wheat on a dry floor, and sprinkle it with quick-lime, previously so slacked with chamber lye as to leave the lime in powder. So continue until you have all the wheat treated. In this state it may be heaped, and remain several days before sowing, if the heap be occasionally turned. If the wheat remains damp, it must be still further dried, so it will pass easily from the drill, if it is to be drilled. The above plan is recommended by the “American Encyclopedia of Agriculture” as the only certain preventive. Yet even this may fail sometimes.

FIRST REVOLVING TURRET.

LACON, Ill.—Reading an article in Our Curiosity Shop some time ago set me to thinking of some papers of my former husband, H. G. Hamlin, showing that in 1842 he and a Mr. Nathan I. Styles assisted Mr. Theodore L. Timby, who afterward secured the first patent for a turret-ship, to build a model. After much consulting and experimenting, in 1843 they changed their plan and built a working model called a “revolving battery for offensive and defensive warfare on land and sea,” expense not to exceed $1,800. It was finished in June, 1843. The said model consisted of a circular icon tower, about five feet high and eight feet in diameter, with three decks, and pierced on each deck for thirty-five guns, with two perfect engines worked by steam to cause the said tower to revolve. The cost when finished was $2,230. Said model was built in Syracuse, N. Y., and I saw it on exhibition. I will here copy a letter from F. E. Spinner (I cannot copy his signature):

“It is found on inquiry at the Navy Department that the government pays no one for the use of the patent for the revolving turret. It seems that the company with which Mr. Ericsson is connected has paid a Mr. Timby $100,000 for the use of the patent, and Mr. Hamlin and Styles never received $1.”

After knowing this, Mr. Hamlin applied to Timby for his share; he denied that Mr. H. ever had any interest in it. This was in 1863. He had the papers all made out for his claim, but was taken with congestion of the lungs, and died in a few days.

I heard Mr. Timby say that he conceived the idea when he was only 18 years of age. I don’t like the way he treated his partners, but I like to give credit where credit is due. Mr. Ericsson deserves much of his country for his energy and perseverance in making the application when he did.

Please excuse all blunders, as I am an old woman, almost 74 years of age, and this is the first time I ever wrote to an editor. My present husband is nearly 81. We intend to read THE INTER OCEAN as long as our sight will permit.

MRS. WM. MAXWELL.

CLIFF DWELLINGS IN SONORA.

WHITEWATER, Wis.

Is it so that there has been a recent discovery of ancient
dwellings in Sonora cut in the sides of the mountains, in solid
rock? If so, is it known who made them?

ABORIGINE.

_Answer._—There are some remarkable ruins about four miles southeast of Magdalena, Mexico, in the State of Sonora, which have of late attracted a good deal of notice. There is among these one pyramid, with a base of 4,320 feet square and an elevation of 750 feet. It has a winding roadway, leading by an easy grade from bottom to top, wide enough for carriages. This is several miles long. In the sides of this mountain, as one ascends, he passes hundreds of chambers cut in the solid rock, with walls, floor, and ceiling hewn to an even precision truly remarkable. These chambers vary in size from five to ten, sixteen, and even eighteen feet square. There are no windows and but one entrance, which is always from the top. The height of the ceiling, usually, is eight feet. The walls are covered in places with hieroglyphics and figures of men and animals. In some places feet and hands of human beings are found cut in the rock. Who constructed these dwellings is not now certainly known. Some claim that they were the ancestors of the ancient Aztecs or Toltecs. It is not improbable that they are the remains of ancient Zuni tribes.

GOVERNORS OF INDIANA.

GREENCASTLE, Ind.

Will the Curiosity Shop give me the names of the Governors of
Indiana from 1800 to the present time and the time when each was in
office.