Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1860-05-11
Mike Walsh and the Botanist,


TThe New YORK Leader is publishing
anecdotes Of Mike Walsh, one of the best
of which is the following:]
At the foot Of the Capitol Gardens, in
Pennsylvania Avenue, (on the right hand
side. when you are fronting that building)
is an iucloscd space-natioual property
containing one or more tenements, and
some Conservatives and hot, houses. Here,
for many years, and until his death, en-.
joying Uncle Sans patronage, sojourned
Frenchman, learned in botany and ma
ny other sciences. Some companions,
while passing these premises, were vaunt-
ing his requirements to Mike, who, from
q spirit of contradiction, called them in
question. He doubted whether these EN-
inent botanists knew the difference between
oats and wheat, and believed, he said,
that BOwery boy could persuade them
that cora was clover. Finally, Mike un-
dertook, "botanically," to deceive the
Frenchman with whatever be could pick
up where they stood, in the lane skrting
his premises. From q wreck of flower
pots and rubbish, be selected one sound
pot, and a dead rat lying next the heap.
Placing the rat in the flower pot, he COW
cred it up with mould, leaving out the
tail, which be fixed perpeudicularly by tying
it carefully to a small green stick which
happened to be convenient amongst the
garden rubbish. He next called on the
Professor, and told him that q friend,
Lieut.. -, (Sho, having touched at one
of the islands of the then terra incognita,
Japan, had excited some INTEREST," had
presented him with a very curious kind Of
cactus. This he wished the Professor to
examine. No one, Mike said, had been
able to make it out, and be might have it
for ten years and not find five people who
would, SO he hardly felt justified in keep.
ing it out Of public collection, and yet
be did not like to part with q keepsake
from friend. The Professor eagerly re-
paired'to examine the vegetable curiosity
After close inspection, be determined
what it was, or at least chriStened it by
fine Greek name-two words, as Mike
said, averaging sixteen letters! The Pro-
fessor exhausted himself 10 persuading
Mike that the interests Of science required |
that lie should sacrifice to them the senti.
ments Of friendship, by surrendering this
rare production of the vegetable kingdom
to the keeping Of the botauist The re-
luctant Mike eventually consented, Oh
the willing and solemn assurances of the
Professor that it would be tended with the
utmost care. And so it was. Placed in
hot-house, it was cautiously but careful
ly besprinkled with water, at a tempera-
ture of seventy degrees BY the ther:nome-
ter. 1t was noticed and described in the
National InteHiysncer. The notice was
copied into the papers. The plant was
exhibited with pride to several eminent
individuals. At length, with the heat aud
moisture, the tip of the tail began to e1-
coriate. The Professor was delighted-it
was budding. 1t was examined with great
interest by one Of its chief patrons, "the
great Daniel" to whom the botanist prom
ised one of the FIRST slips for Marsbfeld.
SIT was too good O joke to keep" said
Mike, "especially in hO'-hOusc-so,
before long, they smell rat" The wrath
and shame of the Professor were exces-
sive, and SO was the indignation of the
great Daniel-not at the author of the
joke, but at the unfortunate botauist,
whom be stiematized as "frOg eating
Frenchman, through whom be had been
taken 10, and who ought to have known
better"
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A pARTINGTnN |