degrees. 4. Dakota stands second with 96,595,840 acres: Montana has 92,016,640; New Mexico, 77,568,640; Arizona, 72,916,304 acres. 5. There is one at Sacramento, Cal.; one at Yankton, D. T.: one at Helena, M. T.; Santa Fe, N. M.; and Prescott, Arizona.

GENERAL ROBERT ANDERSON.

He

SAINT BERNICE, Ind., June 10, 1880. What became of Robert Anderson after the fall of Sumter? READERS. Answer. He was promoted to a Brigadier General in the regular army, and took command of the Kentucky and Cumberland districts. proceeded to Cincinnati and Louisville, but on account of his fast failing health he was only able to remain a few weeks with his command, when he was relieved at his own request. He continued in the army, doing but little service, till Oct. 27, 1863, when he was placed on the retired list. In 1868 he went to Europe, hoping to restore his strength, and died at Nice, France, Oct. 21, 1871.

MOST MEN UNDER ONE GENERAL. HIAWATHA, Kan., June 10, 1880. Under what General was the largest army ever led, and what was its number? A. J. MILLER. Answer.-Under Xerxes, a famous King of Persia, when he marched against Athens. His army was composed of many nations tributary to the Persian Empire, and, according to Herodotus, amounted to 2,317,610 slaves and non-combatants. The number of slaves and other camp followers was equal to that of the soldiers. Xerxes is said to have wept when he reflected that in a century or less, none of these myriods of men would survive.

KING AND EMPEROR.

men, besides

CACTUS, Kas., June 1, 1880. 1. In speaking of Chris as being king and head of His church, I asked my class in the Sunday school, What is the difference between a king and an emperor? One or two of the class said an emperor has more authority than a king. I thought not. Has the Emperor of Germany any more temporal authority now? THOMAS HUMES.

Answer.-1. The title of emperor is more dignified than that of king, and is given to rulers of larger countries usually than that of king. As used in France it carried with it the idea of personal or absolute gouernment. Usually an emperor has more power, though that does not necessarily follow. The Emperor of Germany, who is still King of Prussia, has no more power now over Prussia than before, but as Emperor of Germany he, of course, has greater power. An emperor often govern kings.

GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. GARDEN GROVE. Iowa. Give biographical sketches of the family of General W. H. Harrison for the benefit of Mr. Thomas Lillard, a veteran who served under him in the war of 1812.

M.

Answer-He was the son of Benjamin Harrison, one of the Governors of Virginia, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, also a member of the convention which framed the Constitution of the United States. William Henry entered the army in 1791, and fought with distinction against the Indian tribes in the Northwestern Territory. In 1797 he resigned his commission, and two years later chosen a delegate to Congress for that Territory. From 1801 to 1813 he held the office of Governor of the Territory of Indiana. He was made Major General in the regular army and gained a com

was

plete victory over the English at the battle of the Thames. In 1817 and 1818 he represented Cincinnati in Congress, and in 1824 was elected into the Senate. President Adams sent him, in 1828, as Minister to Columbia, but he was recalled by Jackson in the following year. He passed many subsequent years at his farm at North Bend, on the Ohio River. In 1836 he was the Whig candidate for the Presidency, but he was defeated by Van Buren. He was again nominated in 1840 and elected. This political campaign was remarkable for its immense mass meetings, processions, and novel modes of exciting the people. He entered upon the office March 4, and died April 4, 1841. His death was probably induced by the excitement and work of the campaign. General Ben Harrison, of Indiana, one of the ablest men at the present time in the Republican party, is a grandson of the above.

GOLD IN NORTH CAROLINA. RIVER FALLS, Wis., June 4, 1880. Please inform me where gold is found in North Caro lina; when it was first, and in what quantities, and whether still found in paying quantities. B.

Answer. The richest gold mine known in the United States, before the acquisition of Califor lina, was in Rowin County, North Carolina, which in 1840 yielded $500 to the bushel of earth, or $3,000,000 in all, when the mine became flooded. In 1799 a nugget found in Cabarus County weighed seventy-eight pounds. For years a number of gold veins and placers or gravel deposits were extensively worked over a large territory on both sides of the Blue Ridge. In 1877 North Carolina produced $150,000 of gold.

FIRE-ENGINES THROWING WATER. STATE CENTER, Iowa, June 12, 1880. Will you let me know how far water has been thrown by any fire-engine? E. ED FAIRHEAD. Answer.-Mississippi, No. 2, New Orleans, La., June 25, 1876, steam apparatus, threw a solid stream, through 100 feet of hose and 13-16inch nozzle, 322 feet 2 inches. The same machine, on Dec. 27, 1874, threw 321 feet 4 inches, through a 12-inch nozzle.

RAILROADS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. KENNEDY, N. Y., June 12, 1880. How many miles of railroad are there now in the United States west of the Mississippi?

J.C. BATESON. Answer.-In 1867 there were 3,968 miles of railroad and a population of 4.205,000 west of the Mississippi River. Now there are over 18,000 miles of road to supply the wants of 8,000,000 people in this same territory.

LAWS AGAINST SWEARING. THOMSON, Ill., June 14, 1880. Please inform me whether a person is liable to a fine for swearing in this State? L. E. MOYER. Answer.-There is no law in this or any other

State, except Connecticut, that we are aware of, where swearing is ahsolutely forbidden and punishable with a fine, except in certain cases, when violently indulged in, and is then finable as immoral conduct and language. In the Puritanic days of Massachusetts, however, a man could be arrested and fined for uttering a single oath. An attempt was made to pass such a law in Illinois in 1874.

COLORED MEN IN CONGRESS.

BUDA, Ill., June 8, 1880. 1. How many colored Congressmen are there in Congress, and where from? 2. How many mints are there in the United States, and where are they located? 3. Has the United States ministers or consuls in Roumania, Servia, Montenegro, San Merino, or Andora, which, I believe, are independent nations? F. A. BRODE. Answer.-1. There are no colored members in the House now. Senator Bruce is the only colored man in the legislative part of our General Government. 2. There are five; situated respectively at Philadelphia, San Francisco, Carson, Denver, and New Orleans. 3. It has not.

OUR ALPHABET.

RED OAK, Iowa, June 6, 1880.

1. I have been told that a person is obliged to vote the Republican ticket before he may join any Methodist Conference. 2, How long has the present twentysix letters (our alphabet) been in use? 3. How old is Queen Victorla? MRS. J. A. ELWOOD.

Answer.-1. We think not. 2. The symbols of our alphabet are nearly those of Latin. These in their turn were borrowed from the Greek, and theirs probably from the Phoenician. prove to demonstration the origin of our language or alphabet. 3. Sixty-one.

THE LETTER

We cannot

ETTONE, Yowa, June 7, 1880. Please explain why the letter "Q" is always followed by the letter "U," and why do none of the English words end with it, as does French?

MRS. W. A. DOUGLAS. Answer.-It is really a superfluous letter. In English it never ends a word, as it does sometimes in French and some other modern languages. It is always followed by u, the two letters being pronounced like kw, with a few exceptions. No rule except an arbitrary one can be given to explain the above. It probably takes its name from the cue at bottom of letter.

COLORED MEN OF PROMINENCE. SLOAN, Woodbury Co., Iowa, June 7, 1880. 1. What city in the Union had the most ships engaged in the "slave trade" previous to the war? 2. A short sketch of a few of the prominent colored men of the South. 3. Who is Professor Tice?

NOYES P. TRACY. Answer.-1. Mason, of Virginia, declared in Congress many years ago, when it was proposed to entirely prohibit slave importation, that the trade was largely due to the avarice of British merchants, who were also joined by parties from the Eastern States, and debates and votes of members of Congress from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, we blush to say, bear Mr. Mason out in this assertion. It was, probably, therefore, some of the New England ports which sent out the greater number of vessels to engage in this nefarious business. was prohibited by the United States after 1808. 2. One of the most illustrious colored persons in this country is Hon. B. K. Bruce, of Mississippi. He was

It

born of slave parents in Virginia, in 1841, and went to Mississippi in his boyhood, subsequently removing to Missouri, but returning in 1869. His education was limited, and while following the occupation of a

planter, he held the position of Sergeant-at-arms of the State Senate for two years, Sheriff and Tax Collector of Bolivar County for four years, a Levee Commissioner for three years, and was elected to the U. S. Senate in 1875. R. B. Elliott, who was born at Boston, and subsequently graduated at Eton Law College, England, held several high positions in South Carolina, including a seat in the Forty-second and Forty-third Congress, from which he resigned. Pinchback, Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, who afterward contested for a seat in the Senate, is another of the leading colored men from the South. Fred Douglass, the present United States Marshal of the District of Columbia, is probably the best known colored man in the country, and one who has shown the greatest strength of character and purpose. 3. Professor Tice lives at St. Louis. He was at one time Superintendent of Schools at Dubuque, Iowa. He is the inventor of several valuable patents. His time is now largely occupied in astronomical works.

STERLING, Kan., June 3, 1880. You speak of Minnesota repudiating a part of her State debt. Did the bonds given to the railroad company not have the condition in them of the finishing the said road to a certain part before the bonds should be due? Were the bonds not due before the people decided not to pay them? If so, why were they not collected of the State? If there were conditions in these bonds, the persons who bought them could not have been innocent purchasers. Please give me a history of these bonds, and the action taken by the State. VERITAS.

Answer.-This State, in 1858, contracted a debt to the amount of $2,275,000, to aid in the construction of railroads. The railroads that were intended to be aided, and which agreed to pay the interest on these bonds, broke down. The State, claiming that its indorsement was a conditional one, intending only to secure to the railroads the proceeds of certain lands, failed to pay the interest on these bonds. By two separate votes of the people, it has virtually repudiated them. The holders of the bonds are mostly innocent people, and hence the loss did not fall on those who swindled the State. There are many who think it should be paid.

THE WAR A FAILURE. MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa, June 12, 1880. 1. Please inform us who introduced the resolution in the Democratic Convention held at Chicago in 1864 declaring the war a failure? 2. Where can a person invest small sums in United States bonds? NICK.

Answer.-The sccond resolution of the platform adopted by the convention declaring "that after four years of failure to restore the Union by the experiment of war" and recommending a cessation of hostilities was written by C. L. Val

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*

landigham, of Ohio Samuel J. Tilden was a member of the same committee. A resolution, offered by Alex. Long, of Ohio, asking for suspension of draft until after the election, was not reported by the committee. Vallandigham's resolution but indicated the spirit of the convention. The Rev. Henry Clay Dean, of Iowa, said: "For over three years Lincoln had been calling for men, and they had been given. But, with all the vast armies placed at his command, he had failed! failed!! FAILED!!! FAILED!!!! Such a failure had never before been known. Such destruction of human life had never been seen since the destruction of Sennacherib by the breath of the Almighty. And still the monster usurper wanted more men for his slaughter p ens Ever since the usurper, traitor, and tyrant, had occupied the Presidential chair, the Republican party had shouted, 'War to the knife, and the knife to the hilt!' Blood had flowed in torrents, and yet the thirst of the old monster was not quenched. His cry was for more blood." Such were the spirit of the harrangues which were poured fourth on every hana, throughout the sittings of the convention, and none can say how many of the vast gathering who yelled assent to such utterances knew that they were surrounded and mixed up with rebel officers fresh from Canada, who had been sent here expressly to co-operate with certain domestic traitors, high in office in the secret orgauization aforesaid, in the sudden muster of a force, mainly of 'American Knights,' locally known as 'Illini,' which should first liberate the 8,000 rebel captives then held in Camp Douglas, near this city; then rushing, with rapidly augmenting numbers, to the achievement of a similar success at the prison-camp near Indianapolis-thus raising the siege of Richmond and Atlanta by a fire in the rear. Through the extraordinary vigilance of Colonel B. J. Sweet, then in command over Camp Douglas, the traitors were discovered and foiled in their attempt to inaugurate civil war in the North. 2. United States bonds can usually be bought at or through any bank.

SUICIDE.

ALLENVILLE, Mo., June 17, 1880. 1. Are persons that commit suicide rational at the time of committing the act? 2. Were Indians and negroes ever known to commit suicide? M. W. BUCK. Answer.-Formerly it was generally supposed so, but of late years the opinion has grown up among medical men and scientists that suicide is never committed except when the functions of the brain are impaired, and the action of the mind perverted and directed in improper channels. It stands hand to hand with murder, and in many cases the two crimes are committed at the same time. It is often epidemic in character. A remarkable case of this kind prevailed in Versailles in the year 1793, when 1,300 were committed. Instances have been cited where children have followed the example of one of their number and committed suicide. An epidemic of this character took place in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte, and it was only after a strong appeal made by the Emperor to the pride and courage of the men in the ranks that it was stopped. One of these outbreaks followed the suicide of a convict.

who hanged himself to the cross-bar of his cell; in less than two weeks five others hung themselves to that very bar. The newspapers probably have a good deal to do with increasing it. A morbid person who reads the account of such a case will very often have a train of thoughts started that will crop out in the commission of the act. Favorable opportunities for the accomplishment of self-murder will also produce a sudden irresistible impulse. People who have gone up into towers or monuments, or above precipices, have often refrained with difficulty from throwing themselves over. Other persons there are in whom the sight of razors or any sharp instrument produces the desire to cut their own throat. The literature of suicide is extremely interesting. The French, noted for this proclivity, chose the most noted and dramatic methods. In one case a shoemaker named Laval, when suffering from an attack of religious insanity, determined to crucify himself. Procuring a large cross, which he balanced in a large window of his house, facing a public square, he proceeded with the horrible details of his work. He made a large net, which he fastened beneath the cross. Lying at full length he placed a crown of thorns upon his head, and next striking his hand against the flesh, managed to drive a large nail through the hand into the cross. He then placed his feet on the bracket prepared at the foot of the cross. A nail was driven through them with the free hand, and he next cut himself in the side with a knife. He was unable to nail the other hand. Next edging himself to the window he overcame the balance of the cross which slid out of the window, and remained suspended in view of all the street. He was rescued by the people, who saw him, and ultimately recovered. The proportion of suicides in this country is increasing, owing to the cosmopolitan character of our population. The greatest number are committed by the Germans, who, either from lonesomeness and home-sickness or some other cause, find life distasteful. They usually prefer poisoning, and paris green is the favorite with them. The common time of life for this crime is the period between the 20th and 40th years. It is more common in the country than in the city, and in this respect resembles insanity, Abroad the greatest number are committed in the spring, but in this country in the summer months. As causes of suicide, depression, failure, delusion, unrequited love, drunkenness, and disease may be enumerated. The insane necrosis predisposes to it, and prob-, ably there is a nervous history in most of the cases, 2. Yes.

HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE.

MORRIS, Ill. What were the names of the Judges that tried Charles I? Did they die a natural death? How many In came to America, and what were their names? short, give a brief history of them.

FRANK R. HUNT. Answer-On Jan. 1, 1649, though the House of Peers adjourned, refusing to consider the question, the House of Commons voted the ap""to pointment of a High Joint of Justice, the end that no chief officer or magistrate might presume for the future to contrive the enslaving and destruction of the nation with impunity." One hundred and thirty-three com

servants to serve them without a fair compensation for their services. Twenty-five thousand dollars does not defray the expenses of the Executive for one year, or has not in my experience. It is not now one-fifth in value of what it was at the time of the adoption of the constitution in supplying demands and wants." No vote was ever reached on the President's veto.

THE "DARK HORSE.'

"

GARNETT, Kan., May 25, 1880. 1. Will you tell me who administers the oath of office to the President of the United States? 2. Do all the children in the family of a man who lost his life in the Union army draw a pension till they are 16, or is it given to the oldest till he is 16, then to the others successively? 3. How did the term "dark horse," as used in politics, originate? EVA E. HOBART.

Answer.-1. The Chief Justice of the United States. 2. Th‹pension laws on this subject are as follows: The widow of a private, who is entitled to a pension, receives for herself $8 per month and $2 additional for each child under 16 years of age. As soon as any child arrives at the age of 16 his or her pension of $2 is stopped. If the children have no mother drawing a pension, then they receive the $8, in addition to the $2 per month each, which is divided pro rata between them. For example, if there were three children under 16, each would receive its $2 and one-third of the $8. When the oldest arrived at the age of 16 he would drop out and the two would each then receive their $2 and onehalf of the $8, and so on till the last will finally receive $10 per month. 3. It undoubtedly originated from the practice of certain horsejockeys who not infrequently, by coloring or painting some celebrated horse, were thus enabled to bring him into a race under another name, bet large sums of money upon him, and win the race. They were generally colored dark, and thus the term probably originated. The "dark horse" in politics is applied to the successful nominee of a party, who is little known thought of as the nominee. President Hayes was a "dark horse."

or

INFIDELITY IN FRANCE. PALERMO, Ill., June 5, 1880. Please give a history of infidelity in France, and the results produced by it. J. H.

Answer.-To Voltaire, the great infidel, more than any other, the revolution of France was due. The government was largely in the hands of the Catholic Church, and was one of misery and oppression to the working classes of France. With matchless eloquence and irresistible wit such writers as Voltaire, Rousseau, D'Alembert, Montesquieu, Diderot, and many others, showed that faults and demoralization in church and state on the one hand were the true causes of the misery and degredation on the other. They taught men not to take the world as it was, but to try to make it what it ought to be. This was the situation to which the absolute monarchy in France came; a corrupt government, falling short of means by which to gratify its vicious appetites, a hard toiling people, pinched by hunger and almost driven to despair; and between them a literature which told the starving men who it was that stole his food. The result could be nothing else than the revolution. The state was on the verge of bankruptcy, through the extravagance of the king.

The church, which owned over one-sixth of the entire soil of France. refused to be taxed.

as did also the nobles. The attempt was therefore to impose enormous taxes upon the already over-taxed and wretched people. This was resented with telling effects by the infidelic writings against church and state. GENERAL GARFIELD AND THE "SALARY GRAB." MAHOMET, Ill., June 18, 1880. Will you oblige some of your readers by answering the following question as regards "Garfield and the sal ary grab:" A. bets that Garfield voted twenty-three times against the bill and afterward_voted for it, but refunded the money. B. bets not. J. H. GARDNER.

Answer.-The facts, briefly stated, are these, and they can be easily verified by any one who wishes to take the trouble to examine for himself: The salary grab was put on to the legislative appropriation bill as an amendment by General Butler, seven days before the adjournment of Congress, in the spring of 1873. As Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Garfield was in charge of the bill. He opposed Butler's amendment earnestly, and voted against it at every stage. Mr. Garfield nor any other member certainly did not vote twenty-three times directly on the amendment. Only two or three votes were thus taken, though there were a number of votes taken in the House on adjournments, appeals, and other motions which indirectly bore upon the amendment in question, but we are unable to decide exactly how many were thus taken. One thing is certain-there was a bitter contest, which ended the day before adjournment in the reference of the bill to a conference committee, of which Garfield was a member. He made the report of that committee a few hours before adjournment, and, in doing so, said: "I was opposed to the increase in conference as I have been opposed to it in the discussions and in my votes here; but my assistant conferees were in favor of the amendment and I was compelled to choose between signing the report and running the risk of bringing on an extra session of Congress." He was the only member of the conference committee of six who opposed the grab, and he subsequently voted for the bill with the obnoxious amendment solely to save the country the expense of an extra session. His share of the swindle he returned to the Treasury, but said nothing about having done so till the charge was made in the following campaign that he had pocketed it. He then published a letter, going over his whole attitude in reference to the bill, and announcing that his share of its profits had been left in the Treasury under such orders as left it beyond the reach of himself or his heirs. That statement buried the slander until the present time.

On the 28th of February General Garfield voted against the bill in various forms five times. In the list of Representatives who redeposited their back pay, or, "covered it into the Treasury," according to the technical description of the process, Garfield's name stands fourth, opposite the date April 2, 1873. Garfield also voted for the bill to repeal the salary act. (See McPherson's Hand-book of Politics for 1874, pp. 2023.)

GENERAL PHILIP KEARNEY. KIRKWOOD. Ill., May 25, 1880, 1.Give a short sketch of General Philip Kearney 2. What was the whole amount of salary that Gran received during his two Presidential terms? T. D. Answer.-1. He was an able American General born in New York in 1815. In 1838 he was sen