Chapter C: Snyder

_Answer._—This noted humorist was an officer in the regular army. His real name was George Henry Derby. He was born in Massachusetts; was appointed to the military academy from that State, and graduated a second lieutenant of ordnance in 1846; same year was transferred to the Topographical Engineer Corps, a branch of the army since abolished. Lieutenant Derby was brevetted for gallantry at Cerro Gordo, Mexico, being wounded in the action. He was the author, over the nom de plume of John Phœnix, of “Phœnixiana” (’56), and the “Squibob Papers.” Many of his most popular productions were written while he was on the staff of the commanding general of the Military Department of the Pacific, engaged on the improvement of the harbor of San Diego, Cal., which accounts for his being referred to as a Californian writer. Captain Derby died May 15, 1861, in New York City, aged only 38.

ORIGIN OF THE WHIG PARTY.

DURAND, Ill.

Why is J. Quincy Adams classed with the Whig Presidents when the
Whig party was not organized until 1836.

E. S. CAPRON.

_Answer._—The National Republicans, to whom J. Quincy Adams belonged, dropped that name and took the name of Whigs in 1832. Adams, who was one of the Whig leaders from the first, is usually classed as the first of the Whig Presidents, because the National policy he represented and maintained when President was substantially the policy advocated by the Whigs of 1832. In 1834 there was a State convention held in New York City, which gave organized form to the Whig party in that State, and this organization became National in 1836, when Wm. H. Harrison was first nominated by the Whigs for the Presidency. A still higher degree of organization was effected at the first delegate National convention of the Whig party, held in Harrisburg, Pa., Dec. 4, 1839, when Harrison was nominated for the great campaign of 1840, in which he was elected.

EARLY AMERICAN COINAGE.

DES MOINES, Iowa.

Name the earliest American coins.

E. WILSON.

_Answer._—The earliest coinage that can be called American, in the sense of Anglo-American, was ordered by the original Virginia Company, only five years after the founding of Jamestown. The coin were minted at Somers Islands, now known as the Bermudas. For a long while the standard currency of Virginia was tobacco, as in many of the early settlements of the Northwest it was beaver skins, and other pelts reckoned as worth such a fraction of a beaver skin or so many beaver skins. The accounts of the fur traders and pioneers in their dealings with the Indians were kept in beaver skins instead of coin until some years after the opening of this century, and in some parts of the Dominion of Canada they are still kept so. In 1645 the Assembly of the Virginia Colony, after a preamble reciting that, “It had maturely weighed and considered how advantageous a quoine would be to this colony, and the great wants and miseries which do daily happen unto it by the sole dependency upon tobacco,” provided for the issue of copper coins of the denominations of twopence, threepence, sixpence, and ninepence; but this law was never carried into effect, so the first colonial coinage of this country was that struck off by Massachusetts under the order of the General Court of that colony, passed May 27, 1652, creating a “mint howse” at Boston, and providing for the mintage of “12 pence, 6 pence, and 3 pence pieces, which shall be for forme flatt, and stamped on the one side with N. E., and on the other side with XIId., VId., and IIId., according to the value of each peece.” In 1662, from this same mint appeared the famous “pine tree shillings,” which were two-penny pieces. This mint was maintained for thirty-four years. In the reign of William and Mary copper coins were struck in England for New England and Carolina. Lord Baltimore had silver shillings, sixpences, and fourpences made in England to supply the demands of his province of Maryland. Vermont and Connecticut established mints in 1785 for the issue of copper coin. New Jersey followed a year later. But Congress had the establishment of a mint for the confederated States under advisement, and in this same year agreed upon a plan submitted by Thomas Jefferson, and the act went into operation on a small scale in 1787. After the adoption of the Constitution of the United States in 1789 all the State mints were closed, as the Constitution specifically places the sole power of coining money in the Federal Government.

DIFFERENCE OF TIME.

CHICAGO, Ill.

What is the difference of time between Chicago and the principal
cities of the world?

E. A. JORDAN.

_Answer._—The difference in time between Chicago and Washington is 42 minutes. Keeping this in mind, the reader can easily determine the difference of time between Chicago and other cities named in the following table, which shows the difference of time between Washington City and some of the chief cities of the globe, as calculated at the United States Naval Observatory, Washington:

_Time Table._

At 12 o’clock noon, Saturday, at Washington it is—

12:12 p. m. Saturday at New York, U. S.
12:24 p. m. Saturday at Boston, U. S.
4:31 p. m. Saturday at Lisbon, Portugal
4:55 p. m. Saturday at Edinburgh, Scotland.
5:07 p. m. Saturday at London, England.
5:17 p. m. Saturday at Paris, France.
5:58 p. m. Saturday at Rome, Italy.
6:02 p. m. Saturday at Berlin, Prussia.
6:14 p. m. Saturday at Vienna, Austria.
6:22 p. m. Saturday at Cape Town, Africa.
7:04 p. m. Saturday at Constantinople.
11:01 p. m. Saturday at Calcutta, India.
12:54 a. m. Sunday at Pekin, China.
2:48 a. m. Sunday at Melbourne, Australia.
4:51 a. m. Sunday at Auckland, New Zealand.
8:58 a. m. Saturday at San Francisco, U. S.
9:40 a. m. Saturday at Salt Lake, U. S.
11:08 a. m. Saturday at New Orleans, U. S.
11:18 a. m. Saturday at Chicago, U. S.
12 noon Saturday at Lima, Peru.

VALUE OF RARE AMERICAN COINS.

DES MOINES, Iowa.

Is it true that coin collectors sometimes pay as high as $12 for a
single American silver dollar? If so, why?

E. WILSON.

_Answer._—It is true that United States silver dollars of certain issues command very high premiums. The silver dollar of 1794, on which the image of Liberty has flowing hair, is quoted at $12.50; the “flying eagle dollars” of 1838 and 1839 are quoted at $15 each; so are the dollars of 1851 and 1852 with “Liberty seated;” so is that of 1858, with the same figure; while the excessively rare silver dollars of 1804 are quoted at $200 each. The half-dollar of 1796, with a filleted head and fifteen stars, commands $15; and that of the next year, with sixteen stars, commands $16. The value depends entirely on the rarity of these coins, since while the dollar of 1804 is quoted at $200, the “spread-eagle dollar” of 1803 is worth but $1.25. The fifteen and sixteen-star dollars belong to the period when it was the law that an additional stripe should be added to the United States flag whenever a new State was admitted. In the mintage they undertook to add a star for each State, but the flag was restored to the established rule of thirteen stripes, and the Goddess of Liberty on the dollars was relieved of the burden of carrying a star for each new State.

THE VISIBLE ZONES OF THE SUN.

BUSHNELL, Ill.

Which zone of the sun is presented to our view, the polar or
equatorial?

G. W. PORTER.

_Answer._—The sun’s equator is almost coincident with the plane of the ecliptic, the inclination being only about seven degrees, in consequence of which the equatorial zone of the sun is continually presented to the view of terrestrial observers, and they may see every part of the sun’s surface in the course of each year.

BUTTERINE.

GIRARD, Ill.

What are the ingredients used in the manufacture of butterine?

A SUBSCRIBER.

_Answer._—This substitute for butter is made from tallow or lard, as the chief component, with cocoanut, olive, and palm oils to give it the necessary flavor and consistency; salt and a little annatto for coloring. If this recipe were always followed and the compound called by its right name it would not be objectionable; but manufacturers do not hesitate to add other ingredients that are unwholesome and injurious, and palm the stuff off for butter.

FINENESS OF UNITED STATES COIN.

MOUNMOUTH, Ill.

What are the proportions of pure metal in the coins of the United
States?

READER.

_Answer._—The gold coins are nine-tenths fine; the silver coins, nine-tenths fine; the copper-nickel coins, such as the 5-cent piece and 3-cent piece, are one-fourth nickel and three-fourths copper; the bronze coins are 95 per cent copper and 5 per cent tin and zinc. The alloy in the gold coins is silver and copper; in the silver coins, copper.

NATIONAL DESCENT OF THE PRESIDENTS.

HARTLEY, Iowa.

Please give the parentage of each of the Presidents of the United
States.

W. WILLIAMS.

_Answer._—The parents of Washington and Adams were of English origin; those of Jefferson, Welsh; those of Madison, Monroe, and J. Q. Adams, English; those of Jackson, Scotch-Irish; of Van Buren, Dutch; of Harrison and Tyler, English; of Polk, Scotch-Irish; of Taylor, Fillmore, and Pierce, English; of Buchanan, Irish; of Lincoln, English; of Johnson, probably English; of Grant, English; of Hayes, Scotch; of Garfield, English, though his mother was of Huguenot descent; of Arthur, Irish. It seems hardly worth while to give the names of parents on both sides, as few of our readers care particularly for the names of grandfathers and grandmothers of great men unless such ancestors were something more than ordinary.

THE ORDER OF DUMAS’ WORKS.

CHICAGO, Ill.

It is said that the novels written by Alexander Dumas should be
read in a particular order, each one being a continuation, as it
were, or in some respects a sequel, to those preceding it. Is this
so, and if so, in what order should they be read?

INQUIRER.

_Answer._—Each of the following works is in one sense complete in itself, yet they also constitute several series, so related that the reader better take them up in the following order: The “Three Guardsmen” series—“The Three Guardsmen,” “Twenty Years After,” “Bragelone,” “The Iron Mask,” “Louise Lavaliere;” the “Memoirs of a Physician” series—“The Memoirs of a Physician,” “The Queen’s Necklace,” “Six Years Later, or The Taking of the Bastile,” “The Countess De Charnay,” “Andre de Travernay,” “The Chevalier.”

BUCHANAN’S CABINET.

CHEROKEE, Kan.

Who were Buchanan’s Cabinet officers?

WILLIS SWANK.

_Answer._—The Secretaries of State during the administration of James Buchanan were Lewis Cass and Jeremiah S. Black; Secretaries of the Treasury, Howell Cobb, Philip F. Thomas, and John A. Dix; Secretaries of War, John B. Floyd and Joseph Holt; Secretary of the Navy, Isaac Toucey; Secretary of the Interior, Jacob Thompson: Postmasters General, Aaron V. Brown, Joseph Holt, and Horatio King; Attorneys General, Jeremiah S. Black and Edwin M. Stanton.

GOVERNOR COLES, OF ILLINOIS.

ASKFORT, N. Y.

Please give a brief sketch of Colonel Coles.

MYRON HURLBUT.

_Answer._—Edward Coles, an early Governor of Illinois, was born in Albemarle County, Va., the home of Jefferson, in December, 1786. He in his youth became prominent in our country’s politics, and in 1810 was appointed private secretary of President Madison. He served as Minister to Russia in 1817, and, returning the following year, liberated his slaves. From 1823 to 1826 he was Governor of Illinois, which position he filled with considerable executive ability. His death occurred in Philadelphia, July 7, 1868.

WHY WATER FREEZES SOFT.

SHANK, D. T.

What is the reason hard water becomes soft by freezing?

MARTIN SHANK.

_Answer._—By freezing the mineral substances are precipitated and the water becomes soft, in the same manner as by boiling. For like reason filthy water will produce comparatively clear ice.

HIGHEST RANK IN U. S. ARMY.

PLATTVILLE, Ill.

What is the order of rank of generals in the United States Army?
What changes have been made in the rank of the highest army
officers since the war of the Revolution?

A SUBSCRIBER.

_Answer._—The highest army officer in the active service of the United States is General; the next inferior, Lieutenant General; then Major General, and finally Brigadier General. Until George Washington was made Lieutenant General, in July, 1798, the highest office was Major General. After his death, in 1797, the title of the chief army officer continued to be Major General until 1864, when Grant was appointed Lieutenant General. In July, 1866, the office of General was created.

THE FATAL HOMERIAN RIDDLE.

OAKLAND, Cal.

What was the answer Homer gave to the fisherman who gave him a
riddle to solve?

JENNIE SMEDLEY.

_Answer._—The story is that one day Homer, meeting a number of fishermen, asked them: “Fishermen, sprung of Arcadia, have we aught?” And they answered: “What we caught we left behind. What we caught not we bear with us.” Homer could not explain it. He then remembered that the oracle had said “beware of riddles.” In despair he wrote his own epitaph and died within three days. This story comes from a lost work of Aristotle, so it is said, but it is decidedly fishy, and is classed with the numerous other fictions regarding the blind poet.

TABLE FOR MEASURING AN ACRE.

WILTON, Iowa.

Please give an easy rule for measuring an acre when the length of
one side is known.

A SUBSCRIBER.

_Answer._—To measure an acre in rectangular form is a simple question in arithmetic. One has only to divide the total number of square yards in an acre, 4,840, by the number of yards in the known side or breadth to find the unknown side in yards. By this process it appears that a rectangular strip of ground—

5 yards wide by 968 yards long is 1 acre.
10 yards wide by 484 yards long is 1 acre.
20 yards wide by 242 yards long is 1 acre.
40 yards wide by 121 yards long is 1 acre.
80 yards wide by 60½ yards long is 1 acre.
70 yards wide by 69½ yards long is 1 acre.
60 yards wide by 80⅜ yards long is 1 acre.

NUMBER OF EURO-AMERICAN CABLES.

FAIRMOUNT, Ind.

How many submarine cables connect Europe with America?

MILTON C. COX.

_Answer._—There are three Anglo-American cables, with an aggregate length of 6,450 miles; also, the old French cable, which is 3,329 miles long; the direct United States cable from Ireland, 2,360 miles; the new French cables, 3,461 miles, and the Brazilian cable, extending from Portugal to Brazil.

DISCOVERY OF ELECTRIC LIGHT.

STEWARTSVILLE, Mo.

Who first produced electric light?

J. C. ADAMS.

_Answer._—It is uncertain when electric light was first produced by artificial agencies. The first successful display occurred in 1810, when Sir Humphrey Davy with a battery of 2,000 elements entertained the Royal Institution by producing an electric light with an arc three inches long between carbon points.

ALTITUDES OF WESTERN CITIES.

EVERGREEN, Neb.

What are the altitudes of Buffalo, Chicago, Des Moines, St. Paul,
Yankton, Omaha, and Fort Kearney?

MANY WESTERN READERS.

_Answer._—The city of Buffalo, N. Y., is elevated above the sea level about 580 feet; Chicago about 690 feet. The average altitude of the State of Iowa is about 1,000 feet, varying from 445 feet at the mouth of the Des Moines River to 1,650 feet at Spirit Lake. The average elevation of Minnesota is about 1,000 feet. The eastern part of Dakota is 1,000 feet above the sea level, the central and northern parts are about 2,500 feet, while in the Black Hills the mountains reach the height of 7,000 feet. Omaha is 1,046 feet above the sea level, and Fort Kearney 1,247 feet.

DESCENDANTS OF POCAHONTAS.

SILOAM, Ark.

Name some of the descendants of Pocahontas.

A READER.

_Answer._—Among them are the Randolphs and Bollands, of Virginia; John Randolph, of Roanoke, the associate of Thomas Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Adams, and other fathers of the Republic was the most distinguished of these.

366 REVOLUTIONS IN A YEAR.

LAKEVILLE, Ind.

How many rotations does the earth make in a year?