New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-04-26
The Rnt-TaiI Cactus.

The New York Leader, in giving sketch Of the
late Mike Walsh, relates of him, when member
Of Congress, the following story, which. though
old, is well worth repeating, as no one can by any
possibility read it without laughing:
At the foot of the capitol gardens in Pennsylya
mia avenue Con the right hand side as you are front
ing that building) is an inclosed space-nationa
some Conservatives and lighthouses. Here for
some years past and until his death, enjoying Uncle
Sans patronage, sojourned Frenehman, learned
in botany and many other sciences. Some COM
panions, while passing these premises, were yannt
ing his requirement to Mike, who, from spirit of
contradiction, called them in question. He doubted
whether these eminent botanists knew the differ
enee between oats and wheat, and believed he said
that Bowery boy could persuade them that their
corn was clover Finally, Mike undertook, .'b0tani
cally,s' to deceive the Frenchman with whatever
he could pick up where they stood, in the lane
skirting his premises. From wreck of flower
pots and rubbish, he selected one sound pot and a
dead rat lying next the heap. Placing the rat in
the flower.p0t he covered itap with mould, leaving
out the tail, which he fixed perpendienarly by
tying it carefully to a small green stick which hap
pened to be convenient amongst the garden rub
bsh. He next called on the Professor, and told
him that friend, Lieut.. a., (whose ship having
touched OF one OF the islands of the then terra in
cogaa, Japan, had excited some INTEREST," had pre-
sented him with very curious kind of cactus.
This he wished the Professor to examine. No one,
Mike said, had been able to make it out, and he
who would; 80 he hardly felt justified in keeping it
out Of public collection, and yet he did not like
to part with a keepsake from friend
The Professor eagerly repaired to examine the
vegetable curiosity. After close inspection he
determined what it was, or at least christenedt by
a fine Greek name-two words, as Mike said, aver
aging sixteen letters. The Professor exhausted
himself in persuading Mike that the interests of
science required that he should sacrifice to them
the sentiments of friendship, by surrendering this
rare production of the vegetable kingdom to the
keeping of the botanist The reluctant Mike event
ually consented, on the willing and solemn assur
ances of the Professor that it would be tended
with the utmost care; and SO it was. Placed in
hot-house, it was cautiously but carefully be-
sprnkled with water at a temperature of seventy
degrees by the thermometer It was noticed and
described in the National Intelligencer. The no.
tice was copied into other papers. The plant was
exhibited with pride to several eminent individuals
length with the heat and moisture, the tip OF the
tail began to exeorate. The Professor was delight
edit was budding. 1t was examined with great
interest by one Of the chief patrons, the Great
Daniel = to whom the Botanist promised one of the
first slips for Marshfeld. 1T was too good joke
to keep said Mike, especially in hot-honse, SO
before long they smelt o rat The wrath and
shame of the Professor were excessive, and 50 was
the Indignation of the great Daniel not at the au-
thor of the joke, but at the unfortunate botanist,
whom he stigmatized as a id frog eating
Frenchman, through whom he had been taken in,
and who ought to have known BETTER