THE STOCK YARDS.

GALESBURG, Ill., Jan. 9, 1880. 1. How many artesian wells are in use at the Union Stock Yards in Chicago? 2. What are the depths of each? 3. Diameter of bore? 4. Is it a fact that at the bottom of one well a subterranean current was found, running rapidly in a southerly direction? 5. Were fish of any kind known to be in the wells? 6. Are the yards in any way supplied with water from the lake?

C. G. TAYLOR. Answer.-1. Four. 2. About 1,200 feet. 3. Five-inch bore. 4. At the bottom of one well a subterranean passage was struck, having a strong current flowing from northwest to southeast, and about seven feet in depth. 5. No. 6. Artesian well water is used for the stock, but lake water is used for all other purposes.

LAPLAND.

UTICA, W. T., Feb. 19, 1880. Does Lapland lay in Sweden or Russia? Our Geography places it in Russia, while some books name it in Sweden, To which government does it belong? A CONSTANT READER.

Answer.-Lapland is the name generally given to an extensive territory of Northern Europe, stretching along the Arctie Ocean from the Atlantic to the White Sea. It does not form an independent political unit, but is divided between Russia, Sweden, and Norway, and inhabited, besides the Lapps, by Finns, Norwegians, Swedes, and Russians, and has a population of about 30,000.

CURE FOR PIMPLES.

Will you please tell me how to cure pimples on the face? I. M.

Answer.-In answer to the above, and several others on the same thing, we will say: Pimples are occasioned by the torpid state of the skin, or, in other words, by the inability of the skin to perform its proper functions. The cause of these pimples, therefore, is neither more nor less than an obstruction of the pores of the skin; the perspiration being allowed to accumulate, the mouths of the pores getting clogged, irritation ensues, and a pimple arises. The only way to be rid of them is to allow the skin to do its own work by preserving it in a healthy condition, and by keeping the whole system in order. The following ointment is recommended: Take an qunce of barley meal (the finer the better), one ounce of powdered bitter almonds, and a sufficient quantity of honey to make them into a smooth paste, and apply this frequently. You had better, also, consult a good physician as to medicine to clear the blood. Don't fool with either salts, sulpher, or tincture of iron, or you may have occasion to regret it.

THE SILVER DOLLAR.

GALESBURG, Ind., March 5, 1880. I was looking at a standard silver dollar to-day, and found a very small letter "M" on the neck of the bust. I see it is on all the standard dollars that I have examined. I would like to know what so small a letter is there for. A. G. HOBSON.

Answer. This is a private mark of the man who made the die for the standard silver dollar. His name was Morgan, and his initial letter may be found on all silver standard dollars. It is said that some of the counterfeit pieces also have this letter upon them. He was never authorized

by the government to place the letter there, and evidently did it of his own accord. It is so small that doubtless very few people have ever discovered it.

NITRO-GLYCERINE.

MT. VERNON, Iowa, Feb. 3, 1880. 1. When and where was nitro-glycerine found to contain combustible matter; also, for what is it mostly used now? 2. Have they not tried to manufacture tor pedoes with it? JOTHAM E. CRANE.

Answer.-1. Nitro-glycerine was discovered in 1847 by Ascague Sobrero, but remained unapplied to practical uses until 1864, when Alfred Nobel, a Swedish engineer, developed its industrial value. The liability to spontaneous explosion and dangers attending its careless handling, and its unfitness for being kept long on hand, unless prepared and treated with a degree of care not readily secured in the army, unfits it for military uses. Its economical uses are restricted to blasting in hard rock or under water. 2. Yes, but gun-cotton is generally used. There have been a number of experiments with explosives; and so far nothing has been found to work so well as gun-cotton.

BANK NOTES AND CURRENCY.

RENO, Jan. 31. 1880. 1. What is the amount of national bank notes now in circulation? 2. What is the present volume of the paper currency? 3. When had we the greatest volume of paper money, and what was the amount? 4. Are national bank notes legal? 5. When a national bank surrenders its charter, how are all its circulating notes obtained with which to take up the bonds securing them? JOHN FILLMORE.

Answer-1. $335,134,504. 2. $681,815,520. 3. There is considerable dispute on this question, as many differ as to what constitutes a currency and money. THE INTER OCEAN has ever held that the greatest circulation of paper currency was attained between the years 1865-1868, and that during that time it reached as high as $1,600,000,000. 4. National bank notes are legal, else they would not be in circulation; they ere not, however, legal tender notes. 5. They are forwarded to the United States Treasury or to some place designated by the Treasurer of the United States, where they are redeemed and the notes destroyed. It takes years generally to accomplish this, but it makes little difference, as the bonds draw interest the same whether in the hands of the banker or deposited in the Treasury.

ENGLISH MARKET QUOTATIONS.

POPLAR, Ill., Feb. 25, 1880. Be kind enough to answer the following, as I have not been able to find any one that could tell me: In THE INTER OCEAN of the 22d we see corn quoted in Liverpool: New, 5s 512d, and old, 5s 7d. We understand the price; but what amount is it for-one bushel or 100 pounds? And also the amount of other grain that they buy for the price quoted. H. M. CONOVER.

Answer. The following will cover the above and one or two others bearing on the same subject: The quotations of Mark Lane are per quarter of 480 pounds. Liverpool quotations are per cental of 100 pounds; 11s for wheat would be equal to $1.58 4-10 per bushel of sixty pounds. Farmers, however, should not place too much stress on these figures, as the value of the grain there depends greatly on the freight and other expenses incurred in forwarding. Corn at 5s 6d per 100 pounds is equal to about 7012c per bushel of fifty-six pounds.

FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT. MARIETTA, Ohio, Jan. 26, 1880. Will you please answer this question: Did the people vote upon the fifteenth amendment? How was it made part of the Constitution? J. FRAZIER.

Answer.-Not directly. On Feb. 27, 1869.

joint resolution proposing the fifteenth amendment passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 144 to 44, and on the following day was approved by the Senate by a vote of 39 to 13. This amendment was then voted upon by the Legislatures of all the States; and, being ratified by twenty-nine out of the thirty-seven Legislature, it was declared constitutional March 30, 1870. In many of the States this was made the prominent issue in the election of the State Legislatures.

SOUNDINGS-BAR SILVER.

CHICAGO, Ill., Feb. 25, 1880. 1. Is the old theory true that the plummet will sink only to a certain depth, provided the ocean is deep enough, if so, to what depth will it sink? Please give a few words of explanation on this subject. 2. Why is bar silver quoted 1132 when coin is only par. J. W. EDMONDS. Answer.-1. No difficulty has ever been experienced in the deepest sea-soundings from the lead refusing to sink to the bottom. The deepest soundings that ever have been made were recently taken near Behring's Strait, by an American officer. The lead struck bottom at the depth of about eleven miles, and a sample of the composition of the ocean's bottom was brought up. The theory has never been proved. 2. The silver standard dollar and all silver and gold coins of the United States are composed of about nine parts silver and gold respectively to one part alloy. The alloy is added to make the coin of sufficient hardness to withstand wear. Bar silver being pure, the same weight of it would be worth about one-ninth more than an equal weight in coined silver, or its equivalent in gold.

CANCELING THE PUBLIC DEBT.

MARENGO, Iowa, Feb. 7, 1880. 1. I see by the report of the Secretary of the Treasury that the public debt was reduced during January $11,000,000. Now, will you please tell me just how this was done: by the burning of the greenbacks or the calling in of government bonds? 2. Why does not THE INTER OCEAN take up the cause of the people against the bond-holders, when it is so plain that they have gulled the people out of so much money? 3. How can you reconcile the language of Secretary Sherman in 1868, when he said that any one that would want the 5-20's paid in coin was an extortioner and repudiator, with his present attitude? H. BROOKS.

Answer.-1. Mostly by the payment and cancelation of bonds. 2. Perhaps Mr. Brooks will explain what he means by "gulled them out of so much money.'" They have taken 6 per cent interest when they could get it, and the best money they could obtain in payment. Would Mr. Brooks have taken less had he been in their places? 3. We do not attempt to reconcile it.

GAME LAW OF ILLINOIS. PARKERSBURG, Iowa, Feb. 10, 1880. Will you please publish at your earliest convenience the game law of Illinois, etc,, the penalty, etc. If, like Iowa, the informer gets $5 per bird: if not, how much? W. W.

Answer.-It is not lawful to kill or destroy wild buck, wild turkey, doe or fawn, prairie hen or chickens, partridge or pheasant between Jan. 1 and Aug. 15, or any quail between Jan 1 and Oct. 1; woodcock between Jan. 1 and July 1; wild goose, duck, Wilson snipe, brandt, or other water fowl between April 15 and Aug. 15, in each and every year. Every offender, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $25 and costs of court. All fines so collected go to the School Treasurer of the township in which the act is committed.

THE EARLIEST PIANOS. TIPPECANOETOWN, Ind., Jan. 30, 1880. When and where was the first piano made, and how would it compare with the present? A READER. Answer.-The first piano was made some time

in the twelfth century, and appears to have been only a transition from the dulcimer, and consisted of an oblong box, holding a series of strings in triangular form. struck by a quill attached to the keys. During the next six centuries the clavichord was in use. The change in this to something like its present form took place about 150 years ago. It is hardly clear who invented the piano, but perhaps the best authority claims Christofali, of Padua (1711), as the rightful man. They were very crude and imperfect in comparison with the handsome finished and perfect toned ones of to-day.

THE EARTH'S DENSITY.

OTTUMWA, Kan., Jan. 24, 1880. 1. The salary of the several State officers of Kansas 2. In Webster's Dictionary the "fundamental principles of human knowledge" are spoken of under the word "Transcendentalism." What are those principles? 3. Please give a minute description of the "mitrailleuse" used in the Franco-Prnssian war. In what does it dif fer from the Gatling gun? Which is the superior, and in what particular? 4. State in a clear and simple manner the way the density of the earth is deter mined. A READER.

Answer.-The salaries are as follows: Goveruor, $3.000; Secretary of State, $2,000; Treasurer, $2,000; Adjutant General, $1,200; Superintendent of Public Instruction, $2,000: Attorney General, $1,500; Secretary Board of Agri2. culture. $2,000; State Librarian, $1.500. The fundamental principles of human knowledge as here spoken of, have reference to the instincts, reason, and intelligence which a child possesses at its birth. It is upon these that its subsequent knowledge and wisdom is based. 3. The mitrailleuse gun existed as early as the fourteenth century. It is simply several barrels combined to produce a greater effect by the rapid succession of a number of shots. It has been going out of use, as it became evident that a case shot from a singlebarrelled gun produced the same effect. Recently, however, an American inventor, Mr. R. J. Gatling, has brought the mitrailleuse into use again by making vast improvements upon it. The Gatling gun is on the same principle, except that in this there are ten barrels and much more perfect means of rapidly placing the cartridges into the gun. It is a great improvement on the mitrailleuse. 4. There are several means by which the density of the earth can be ascertained, and this is one of the most interesting and important subjects which men of science have attempted to solve, Newton was the first to show how it might be done by showing that & plummet would be deflected from the vertical by the attraction of a mountain. Bouguer was, however, the first to suggest that this method should be put in practice with direct reference to solving the problem of the earth's mass. The method is applied by means of the instrument called a zenith sector, a telescope with a graduated arc attached to its lower extremity and a plumb line to the upper. This telescope, pointed to the same star successively at two stations separated by a known distance, serves to show how much the center of gravity changes in passing from one to the other; and it is known that for every 100 feet of horizontal distance on a north and south line the change of direction is very nearly one second of angle. But if one of the stations be at the foot of a mountain the same change of directon is not observed, because the attraction of the mountain deflects the plumb

line. The effect is even greater if both the outlines lie at the foot of a mountain, one on the northern side and the other on the southern. Thus, let us suppose that the two stations are separated by 4,000 feet; then the difference in the direction of gravity would be about forty seconds if the stations were on a plain: but if a mountain separates them, this difference will be increased, because the position of the lower ends of the plumb line, already tending to convergence in consequence of the fact that the earth's gravity is directed always toward the center of the earth, are brought yet nearer together by the attraction of the mountain. If this difference be carefully determined, and if the geological structure of the mountain is known, as well as its general shape and dimensions, it becomes possible to compare the density of the earth with the known density of the mountain. The first successful experiment was made by Dr. Maskelyne in 1772, who proposed to the Royal Society of England to attempt au experimenf on Mount Schehallien. It was found that at stations separated by 4,364.4 feet the difference in the direction of gravity was 54.6 seconds instead of 42.94 seconds, the difference due to gravity; so that the double attraction exerted by the momentum was found to be 11.6 seconds. By a series of calculations it was computed that the density of the earth was to that of the mountain in the ratio of 17,804 to 9,933, and from this it was inferred that the specific gravity of the earth was between 4.56 and 4.87, that of water being unity. More recent experimenting by this same method makes the earth's density 5.3. There are two other methods of determining the earth's density, but this is probably the most common, and space will not permit us to give them.

THE MONROE DOCTRINE.

CHICAGO, Ill.. Feb, 20, 1880. 1. What is the sum and substance of the Monroe docrine? 2. What is the sum and substance of the Burlingame treaty between the United States and China? 3. For what office, if any, was the name of Lieutenant Governor Shuman, who is now editor of the Journal, suggested by his friends, and which he declines to accept? W.BRANNAN.

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ng consuls at the ports of the United States, and the power of the government to grant or withhold commercial privileges and immunities at its own discretion, subject to any treatyshould be secured to China; that nation undertaking to observe the corresponding obligations` prescribed by international law toward other peoples. Special provisions also stipulated for entire liberty of conscience and worship for Americans in China and Chinese in America; for joint efforts against the coolie trade; for the enjoyment of Americans in China and Chinese in America all rights in respect to travel and residence accorded to citizens of the most favored nations; for similar educational rights in the public institutions of the two countries, and for rights of establishing schools by citizens of either country in the other. The last article disclaims on the part of the United States the right of interference with the domestic administration of China in the matter of railroads, telegraphs, and internal improvements, but agrees that the United States shall furnish assistance in these points on proper conditions, when requested by the Chinese Government. 3. For Governor.

Answer.-1. The Monroe doctrine, as promulgated in his message of Dec. 2, 1823, was that it was the policy of the United States neither to entangle ourselves in the broils of Europe, nor suffer the powers of the old world to interfere the affairs of the new. other words, that Americans should America. On the same occasion he declared that any attempt on the part of European powers to "extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere" would be regarded by the United States as "dangerous to our peace and safety," and would be opposed.

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CONGRESS AND FREIGHTS.

SYLVANIA, Ohio, Jan. 31, 1880. 1. Has Congress power to regulate, by law, freight rates on railroads? 2. Is the average rate of passenger fare. per mile, greater or less in England than in this country? 3. How do the judges of the Supreme Court of Maine stand politically? 4. Does a given section of the trunk of a tree increasc in length after the "heart" wood has commenced to form? 5. If wheat turns to chess, as many people assert, why do leading botanists (see Gray and Wood) class them as plants of different species? INQUISITIVE.

Answer.-1. In some instances it has clearly that right, while in others it is doubtful if such is the case. For example, if the government has given large tracts of land or the people money in the building of any road, it would seem only right the government should have something to say as to what the rates should be; in other cases, where the road received no aid from the government or people, it would appear as private business, and that the government had no right to fix the rates. 2. Less. 3. Four Republicans, two Conservatives, and one Democrat. 4. This is somewhat doubtful, but we think it may be said to grow. 5. Chess is the name of a plant which grows to be two or three feet in length. It grows best in grain fields in this country, especially wheat, from which it is very difficult to separate on account of its being the same size The notion of nearly many farmers, that wheat which has been injured by frost in the autumn, or otherwise arrested in its growth, is liable to turn to chess, and that of others, that the chess grain themselves never grow, are entirely without foundation. Some years ago in this country chess was cultivated as a valuable grass, but the people who were planting and raising it had no idea that it was really worthless. Cattle, however, are very fond of it, and prefer it to anything else. The different views of those who contend that wheat will turn to chess have been giver, in the farm department of THE WEEKLY INTER OCEAN.

HOMESTEADS AND TIMBER CLAIMS. WOODHULL, Ill., Jan. 29, 1880. Please answer through your columns what the law requires of the homesteader until he can get his deed from the government. Also in regard to timber claims, when and how far apart the trees must be planted, and, if any, what the standard size must be. L. D. W. Answer. The person wishing to take up a

homestead must either be at the head of a family or have arrived at the age of 21,and must either be a citizen of the United States or have declared his intention to become such, as required by the naturalization laws. Such person is entitled to take up one quarter section, or a less quantity, of unappropriated public lands, upon which such person may have filed a pre-emption claim, or which may at the time the application is made be subject to pre-emption, to be located in a body. At the expiration of five years from the date of such entry or of his prior preemption, or any time within two years thereafter, the person making such entry, or if he be dead, his widow or heirs, must prove by two witnesses that he, she, or they have resided upon or cultivated the same for the term of five years immediately succeeding the time of making affidavit, or within six months thereafter, and testifying to certain other compunctions of the law, he, she, or they shall be entitled to a patent for the land thus pre-empted, or entered as homestead. Any person who plants, protects, and keeps in growing condition, for eight years, ten acres of timber, the trees thereon being not over four feet apart each way when planted, and eight feet apart when proof is made. on any quarter-section of any of the public lands, is entitled to a patent for the whole of that quarter-section at the expiration of eight or within five years thereafter, on making proof of such fact by two witnesses; but only one quarter-section is granted on any section. The party must break five acres the first year, and cultivate and break five more the second; till that, and plant five acres the third, and plant five acres the fourth, and till all the eight years. Must plant 2,700 trees per acre, and prove it at end of the time, 675 trees per acre to be in a thrifty, growing condition.

FOR STAINING WOODS. HASTINGS Mich., Jan. 22, 1880. Please to give recipe for staining boxwood? C. W. DEAN. Answer.-In reply to the above and several other letters on the same subject, we give the following recipe for staining wood dark mahogany, cherry, or rosewood color. something that will not have to be applied hot: 1. Boil 12 tb ogwood in 3 pints of water, and add 12 ounce salt of tartar. 2. Boil 2 tb of madder and 14 tb fustic in 1 gallon of water. 3. Boil 1 tb Brazil wood and 1 ounce of washing soda in 1 gallon of water; apply, and then brush over it before dry a solution of 2 ounces of alum in 1 quart of water. With these, wood, if dry, may be stained in the cold, but the dyeing will be accomplished far more quickly and satisfactorily if the liquids are applied hot.

MUSIC ON BRIDGES.

CLYDE, Kan., Jan. 31, 1880. Is it true that every house, mill, or bridge has a keynote, and that all bands of music are strictly forbidden playing on all the great bridges of the world? Is it true that the key upon which the bridge is tensioned may be struck by a band and begin a series of vibra tions which will endanger the structure if it will not actually throw it down? If such is the truth, please give us reasons for it. HATTIE KUNEY.

Answer.-No. Bands of music are forbidden to play on many of the large bridges. There are, doubtless, two reasons for this. First, the one alluded to above. A constant succession of sound-waves, especially such as come from the playing of a good band, will excite the wires to

vibration. At first the vibrations are very slight but they will increase as the sound-waves continue to come. This, is known in acoustics as sympathetic vibration. To what extent this effects bridges we are unable to say. The principal reason why bands are not allowed to play while crossing certain bridges, the suspension bridge at Niagara, for example, is that if followed by soldiers, or procession of any kind, they will keep step with the music and this regular step of a crowd or company of soldiers would cause the wires to vibrate. At the suspension bridge military companies are not allowed to march across in regular step, but must break ranks. The regular trotting gait of a large dog across a suspension is more dangerous to the bridge than a heavily loaded wagon drawn by a team of horses.

P. CALAND.

OTTAWA, Minn., Feb. 7, 1880. 1. Is there a famous Dutch engineer named Caland? 2. Is there a bird in Australia called baritah? What other name has it? 3. Is the bulb or tubez of the dahlia used for food in Mexico? C. C. O.

Answer.-1. Yes. Pieter Caland is now the inspector of the "Waterstaal," the highest engineering place in Holland. He has done invaluable service to his country in the improvement of her water communications, and especially that of the great seaport of Rotterdam, upon which his highest claim rests. Through his efforts, an easy and direct water communication between that city and the sea have been established in the place of the tedious and circuitous ones which they formerly had. It was on this important work that M. Caland received from the Vienna Exposition the first prize-a certificate of honor. 2. Yes. It is sometimes known as the piping crow. 3. Yes.

WHO ARE FREEHOLDERS?

CABLE, Ill., Jan. 25, 1880. There has been some dispute as to what constituted a freeholder, and I refer the question to you for a complete answer. Some say that a man owning a building and not a foot of land is a freeholder. The dispute started by reference as to who was a legal signer to a road petition. F. D.SISSON.

Answer.-A freeholder is the owner of a freehold estate. A freehold estate is an estate in fee simple, or for life. A man holding a lease for life. of land, is considered a freeholder; but owning a building alone. or a building and a lease for years of the land upon which it stood, would not constitute him such. Any interest less than a lease for life would not constitute him a lega petitioner under the statute.

LARD AND TALLOW.

WILMINGTON, Ill., Feb. 1, 1880. Please tell me through your "Curiosity Shop" why melted tallow in cooling becomes level and smooth, and lard in cooling becomes rough and irregular. What causes the difference? M. R. G.

Answer.-The uneven surface of lard is owing to the large amount of water which it contains. By moderate heat it is driven out in the form of bubbles, and the cooling of the cakes before it is entirely set gives lard its uneven surface. The proportion of water in tallow is much smaller.

to number between 80,000 and 90,000 in the Territory of Utah alone, but this is not correct. It is probable that there are not to exceed 55,000 Mormons in Utah, and 45,000 Gentiles.

COLONEL WM, A. WASHINGTON.

ELLISON, Ill., Feb. 5, 1880.

1. Who was Colonel William A. Washington? Give a brief biographical sketch of him. Was he a relative of the President? 2. How large is the French army? CLARENCE. was an

Answer.-William A. Washington American officer of the revolution, and was born in Virginia in 1752. He was present at the battles of Trenton and Princeton, and commanded the cavalry at Cowpens, and was made a brigadier general to act in 1810. He was a relative of General Washington. 2. The effective force under the reorganization ordered by the Republic is 430,703.

CONVENTIONS OF 1876.

PERRY, Iowa, Jan. 20, 1880. 1. Give the vote of the Cincinnati convention in June, 1876, as received by each respective candidate for President. 2. St. Louis convention the same. 3. When did Senator Blaine first take his seat in the United States Senate? C. A. SECKLET.

Answer.-1. The seventh ballot on which Mr. Hayes was nominated stood: Hayes, 384 votes; Blaine, 351, and Bristow, 21. 2. The second ballot on which Mr. Tilden was nominated stood: Tilden, 535; against 85 for Hendricks, 54 for William Allen, 58 for W. S. Hancock, and 6 scattering. 3. He was first elected to the United States Senate July 10, 1876, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Lot M. Morrill.

VOTES AT THE NATIONAL CONVENTION. PATON, Iowa, Feb. 6, 1880. How is the ratio of representation to the National Convention regulated? J. R. COWGILL.

Answer.-Each State will have in the National Republican Convention at Chicago twice as many votes as it has electoral votes: each Territory will have one delegate, and the District of Columbia two. Indian Territory is not represented. The number of delegates in the convention will be 746.

WILLS IN ILLINOIS.

NORMAL, Ill., Feb. 26, 1880. Is it necessary in Illinois to have a will acknowledged before a justice of the peace, or notary public, in order to make it legal? Does a will need more than two witnesses? If one or both witnesses die before the maker of the will, does it injure or destroy its validity? and should more witnesses be added? A SUBSCRIBER.

Answer.-We referred the above to Mr. Charles Weston, an attorney of this city, who says: A will need not be acknowledged before a justice of the peace, or a notary public; but must be signed by "two or more credible witnesses." In the case of the death of any or all of the witnesses to a will, so that their testimony cannot be procured, it is lawful for the court having jurisdiction of the subject matter to admit proof of the handwriting of any such deceased or absent witness. EARLY BOOK-MAKING.

MADISON, Wis., Feb. 10, 1880. When was the first book published in America? W. Answer.-The first book published in the North American colonies was, it is supposed. "An Almanac Caleulated for New England, by Mr. William Pierce, Mariner," and appeared at Cambridge in 1639. It was printed by Stephen Daye, but no copy of it is now in existence.

WILLS.

GIBSON CITY, Jan. 31, 1880. 1. Please tell me if a will holds good without being recorded. 2. How many witnesses are required? and if recorded, must it be done in the county you live? M. L. SMITH. Answer.-1. A will is not recorded before pro

bate. After probate it is recorded, in a book kept for that purpose, by the clerk of the court, when it is proven. 2. Two or more credible witnesses.

ARTIFICIAL STONE.

SAC CITY, Iowa, Feb. 5, 1880. I have heard of brick being made of sand and other material, and I have a large quantity of sand on my ground. Can you tell me how they are made? They are not burnt, and what is used? S. WOOD.

Answer.-It is made by mixing sand and ement together, and allowing to dry. Take, 5 parts sand, 1 part quick lime, and from 14 to 1 part of hydraulic or Portland cement, and a firstclass artificial brick or stone can be made.

WAS LINCOLN A FREE MASON? SUE CITY, Mo., Feb. 20, 1880. Will you please inform me whether or not Abraham Lincoln was a Free Mason? H. H. F. Answer-We have never heard that Abraham Lincoln was a Free Mason; nor do any of his family know that he was in any way connected with that fraternity. Shortly after his death they received a very large number of resolutions from Masonic bodies, principally from France. Considerable inquiry was made at the time to ascertain if Mr. Lincoln really was a Mason or not but it could never be ascertained that he was. It is supposed that he was not, but that the resolutions were sent in consequence of some newspaper publications stating that he was a Free Ma

son.

CHURCH NEWS.

CLINTON, Iowa, Feb. 10, 1880. 1. From what does the Centenary Church of Chicago derive its name? 2. The Jewish authorities speak of the baptism of Jesus Christ; what does that mean? 3. What are the rules for ringing church bells? W.

Answer-1. The Centenary Church takes its name from the centennial of American Methodism, 1866, the year in which it was built. 2. We suppose the baptism of Jesus was His formal induction into the office of the priesthood. 3. Church bells usually ring half an hour before service, and then again five or ten minutes before the time of commencing. It is customary for bells to toll for funerals as the procession nears the church, and again when it leaves.

DEEDS OF TRUST AND MORTGAGE.

JACKSBORO, Texas, Jan. 15, 1880. 1. What is there, if any, difference between a deed of trust and mortgage? 2. What form of mortgage do they have on lands in Iowa? CHARLES M. MARTIN.

Answer.-1. If A loans money to B, and takes a mortgage on certain premises to secure the repayment of the same, and B makes default and the premises are soid under the mortgage, in pursuance of a power of sale therein contained, A cannot bid in the premises at the sale; but if B makes a deed of trust to a third party and the premises are sold under the same, A is entitled or at liberty to buy the same if he chooses. 2. No particular form is indispensable, but all mortgages must be foreclosed by proceedings in court, whether they contain a power of sale or not.

WHITE ROPE.

CRAIG, Mo., Jan. 21, 1880. 1. From what State is Senator Bayard? 2. Give the material from which common white rope is made, and where obtained? 3. Where can I obtain the "Arabian Nights," and probable cost? M. W. DRURY.

Answer.-1. Delaware. 2. It is made from hemp. The best hemp for rope making comes from Russia. The reason assigned for its superiority is that it is there water rotted, while American hemp is dew rotted. We also get the manilla hemp, which is chiefly grown on the