The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-30
GOSSIP OF THE DAY.

cred some Gala lily roots from the bank of the
Nile and brought them to Philadelphia. One Of
the roots was presented to Chester Valley
farmer, whose great granddaughter still pre-
serves the plants from the original roots Of the
Nile. During the winter just closed twenty
perfect white flowers grew on two of the roots.
THE various sects in the village Of North
Creek, Wayne county, apparently live in peace
aud good will toward each other after manner
somewhat remarkable. On the 3lst Of March
the Roman Catholic Methodist and Free VIII
Baptist congregations held union festival TO
raise money 10 hc applied to the building of an
Episcopal church at liaquctte Lake in the
AdiruudacEs.
lHE New York Journal Of Commerce says:
I'VE do not believe there are n hundred dol
lars ", nth Of cancelled stamps annually washed
aud used a second time in this country. IL
man had nothing else 10 do he would not earn
bowl Of soup day in cleaning stamps for
reissue. The talk about ii Is all made by those
who have some patent cancelcr, or patent ink
Tor canccling. which they wish 10 sell to the
government"
CAIIroRNIA's crop of cereals for 1850 prom
Uses Ia he large, not having been injured by the
excessive cold Of the past winter. A. pro-
duccr of harley the Golden state ranks first
among all of the states and territories. and in
spring wheat the fourth. She is beginning 10
export wine Ia Germany, and that industry will
probably increase largely. Altogether the pros
poets Of California are brighter than ever be-
fore from the very fact that the cloud over her
mining interests is having the effect Of turning
Leg attention 10 agriculture.
MAYOR LArRoBE. Of Baltimore, has vetoed
the resolution of the city council there To per-
init the erection of Il Confederate monument in
Eutaw place. He says that the questions ill
NolNcd in the war We're settled by its result, hut
thc sylnlathies Of those who were actors in il
on the opposing sides continue 10 exist, and the
erection Of the proposed monument would
wound the sentiments Of a great number Of
people; also. that the highways and squares are
common property, and the rights Of all classes
Of citizens in them should he respected.
IL case Of Liberal government coming into
power in England, it may he convenient to
point out those members of the last Gladstone
cabinet WHO are not ready 10 rcappear On the
scene. Lord Aberdarc was virtually shelyed
when he was made president Of the council, and
II may be- fairly supposed his official career is
closed. He Was not very successful minister
when lac had seat in the commons though he
stumbled on some very useful lesislat on on the
license laws, the value Of which i more justly
appraised now than il was al the time Of its i'll
ception. A. 4 peer lie has made no position for
himself. He will he joined i'll his retirement by
Lord Halifax, who III his Slst year may he con-
bid rcd 10 have done the state sufficient service.
PRof. Henry VI. PARKHURsT, of Brooklyn,
says that the expected Gould's comet did not
visit the northern hemisphere. II came So near
the sun, within less than il own diameter Of il,
that IL orbit carried II back Immediately south
ward, and il i now below our horizon and be-
yond the reach of ordinary telescopes. Con-
corning the comet discovered at Ann Arbor,
Michigan, Mr.. Pariihurst says that from COM
putatoa ne has been able 10 make he judges
that II will be too faint 10 be seen without the
AID of Telescope lcfore the lst Of June. II
visible 10 the naked eye al ali il will he most
brilliant about the middle Of July. He recalls
the fact that DJnatiS comet was exceedingly
faint Wien first discovered in June. and il was
not until October that it Developed it, greatest
hIilliancy. and that during the first two months
of it, observation there Was some doubt wheth-
ar disposition would not be such as to prevent
our seeing il when bri Shtcst.
The studied hardness and cruelty of the
Chinese penal code j. proycrbial, and if the fol-
lowing extract Is authentic il is not surprising
that the Iaaltrcatcd Chinese immigrant makes
no effort Ia obtain the rights of American cti-
zcllshp: IAN persons renouncing their couII-
Try aud allegiance or deyisns the means there
of shall hc beheadel, and in the punishment Of
this Offence no distinction shall be made be-
tween principals and accessories. The property
of all such criminals shall be coniiscated, and
their wives and children distributed a. slaves TO
the great officers of state. The parcnts, grand
parents, brothers and grandchildren of such
criminals, whether Labtually living with them
under the same roof or not, shall he rerpetually
Lanlshcd 10 the distance Of 1000 leagues. All
those who purposely conceal on cOnnive At this
crime shall liz strangled. Those who inform
against criminals Of this class shall lie rewarded
with the whole Of their property. II the crime
is cnntrivod but not executed, the principals are
10 lie stranglei, and the accessories punished
with blows and banishment.' Thus, while he
j. SOiOurning in other lands his relatives are
held a, Il stages for his continuing loyal TO the
Iatcruai government.
The japanese have now a completely organ
=
surveyors, under All American chief. Mr. b. $.
Lyman. The first report Of progress of this
survey for 1873 ., has just been published, and
contain some accurate and valuable information
un the mineral wealth of the country. Sir.
Lyman rcckuns that tie coal fields of Western
Japan contain about GO, 900 tons, and if
one-third be deducted for the working. there
Will remain 400, 900 900 tons, representing a
"A e N dol
Iarz. Imconsidcrablc as this is III comparison
with the large and rich coal fields Of other
lands il il quite equal in value TO all the metal
product together, except iron. The copper Of
all the workable mines scarcely reaches the
value OF $3.50, OU0, 900; the eight or ten gold and
silver mines, which were formerly worked and
may b. 30 again, may, including the lead, anti
monv and tin mines, the variability of which il
doubtful. be valued al not more tlan S250, 900,
900. On the other hand, the value Of the iron
amount TO At least 5250, 0O0, 100000. The rela
tive Importance Of tic mineral products may BIZ
represented by the following numbers: Iron
1000; coal, 4; copper, 3; all other metal'
(clIichy gold and silver, /.
Ir j. a remarkable circumstance that til,
Scotch should have 80 quiclly accepted legiS
latiyc union with England. and never hav,
agitatcd fOrthe repeal Of that measure, and thu
more 80 when regard is had to the excessiyel!
Unaffected disposition prevalent on the part o
many north Of Tweed toward the south, iron
the accession Of the House Of Hanover, fourteen
yearo later, aud the very slight intercommunica
ton existing between the two countries even NJ
to the close Of the last century. Edinburgl
really lost quite as much ~ Dublin, when re
gardcd a. q metropolis. II had palace, too
and royal regalia 10 suggest the recollection Of
court. Moreover. the bulk Of the people wcr
decidedly OPP oscd III their religious views to tn
English. and were without sympathy for them i
other matters. Al the time Of the union, yer
earnest and able protest aganst the measur
was offered in course Of debate by sundr
Scotch peers but that was about all. III
course was probably taken at peculiarly pre-
pitiOus time, and during the popular and i
many respects glorious reign Of Queen Ami
which succeeded, the Scotch came 10 regard III
union Us an inevitable arrangement. Had
been deferred twenty years later, it would prof.
ably have met with furious opposition, ana Ill
Scotch, once aroused, are not easy to deal with
The official returns OF British shipping ar,
Just published. They convey lesson and
warning 10 the United States in that they ex
hibit a relative falling of i'll the number
sailing ships and more than proportionate il
crease in steamers. The statistics cover
period of twenty years. Thus, the number