The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-06-23
ORIGIN OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
LOOUSTS.

L ssN>>~-
us, few weeks ago, some questions respect
ing grasshoppers, the plague which has
visited our Western States with widespread
devastation for about four years. He wished
to know their origin and their relations to
the Egyptian, Hindoo, Mongol and Tartar
locusts, of whose depredations ancient MS
tory gives frequent accounts. Not being able
to answer these queries, we carried the note
some days and finally referred it to learned
antiquarian and entomologist, an Arao py
descent, but graduate of Spanish univer-
sity, great traveller and profound observer
of men and of nations.
He furnished US with an extended paper on
the locust, Astounding in quotations from the
literature and history of many countries,
which the limited foreign type in our posses
sion will not permit us to reproduce and
which our readers would scarcely take the
trouble to translate. We therefore give brief
abstract of his elaborate paper:
About eleven hundred years before the
Christian era WI Wang reigned over China,
and was engaged in fierce warfare with the
Tartars and Mongolians. The war lasted
lopg and had many vicissitudes, the COM
batants on both sides Astounding in warriors
and resources, and the causes Of enmity in
creasing from year to year. 1t continued tor
the whole of his reign, and those Of his sue
cessors Chung Wang and 81 Wang, when
there arose very skillful Chinese warrior and
hero, Tsin-chi-hoang-h the first "hoang"
or Emperor of Cathay, Chung-hoa or China,
His army had been defeated in numerous
great battles, and all the country, except
few hundred miles in circuit, with the Yun-
ling glacier as its centre, and comprehending
the ki-lian-shan or central land of flowers,
had been devastated by locusts or grass
hoppers, which swarmed in immense clouds
from the Northwest, devouring every green
thing and covering the Hoang Ho and the
Yang-tse-kiang (son Of the sea- with their
black bodies and polluting all the streams
and lakes from the Himalaya mountains to
| the northern border, and from Persia to the
Pacific. Nothing was spared but the tea
plant, which was thence supposed to be en-
dowed with q sacred character, since no
Even the bamboo of universal growth in all
the regions of Honap, Quang-tung, Tshu-ne
and Chung ku, was devoured or killed.
The great empire grew white with the
bones Of a hundred million Cinnamon.
| There was infinite mourning among all the
Fo.kien-lo-lo or aboriginals. Infinite prayer
with thumps and lashes was addressed to
Josh, their chief deity, but the Shi.tung
returned this as his only answer: "You
have killed my birds and now you may kill
your own grasshoppers!
| But Tsln-chi hoang-t did not despair Of
his country. Having observed that the
locusts were produced each year from the
eggs of their predecessors, he caused many
caskets to be filled with these eggs, paying
for them their weight in diamonds. Some Of
these he sent by faithful and wise emissaries
to the country of the invaders, and being
scattered there, spread desolation over the
country and made it necessary for the Tartars
to give up the war.
Tsin-chi-hoang-ti, with the aid of Ho-ti and
Tchu-y eu-chang, his devoted Ministers,
wrought nobiy to repair the fallen fortunes Of
| the Empire, but he took great care to preserve
| in hundred caskets Of gold and ivory q
large quantity of the eggs of the locusts,
being assured by Ho-Shung, his India priest,
that they would propagate after many centu-
ries.
The caskets were engraved with cabalisdc
figures, whose meaning was confined to the
imperial family, being directions to use the
contents as q weapon of defense or revenge
against any country that China should fear or
hate. No Han-lin of the fourth degree was
ever sent forth by the national Kio-kung or
colleges capable Of interpreting the figures
on the Baskets. Ihey were used one by one,
each sending plague to desolate the land of
an enemy. At last, in the beginning of the
seventy-sixth cycle (about the beginning of
the current century, the imperial secret be-
came known.
When the Emperor of China became aware
Of the barbarous treatment to which his sub
jects were subjected on this continent he
called Council Of State and laid the matter
before his ministers, the ensuing debate and
consultation being long and anxious. 1t was
at last concluded that the barbarians across
the great sea had insulted the Son of the Sun
in the persons of his children and deserved to
be destroyed. The means Of revenge were
sought for, and eight hundred volumes of impe-
rial chronicles were diligently examined for
precedent, when the history of Tsin-chi-
hoang-t recalled the caskets Of locusts' eggs
to the imperial memory. In solemn process
sion, under strong military escort, the EN-
peror proceeded to the Treasure House, where,
| IN its innermost recess he found the caskets,
one Of which he brought away.
The most faithful Of all his subjects was
sought for, who proved to be the brother OF
Chinaman who was killed at Gamblers Run
| in 1866 and to him was entrusted the secret