The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-01-22

gundy. The best is resinous substances
prepared for common frankincense and
brought from Hamburg; but by far the
larger quality is a mixture of resin ana
palm oil.
Prussian blue does not come from Prus-
sia, but is the precipitate of the salt OF
protoxide of iron with red prussiate OF
potash.
Salt is no salt at all, and has long been
wholly excluded from the class of bodies
denominated as salts.
Whalebone is no bone at all, nor does
it possess any properties of bone. 1t is a
substance attached to the upper jaw OF the
whale, and serves to strain the water which
the creature takes up in large mouthtuls.
Speaking of whales reminds me OF
sperm oil, which properly means "seed
OIL" Latin spernsa,) from the notion that
it was spermaceti (the spawn or melt OF a
whale.) The spermaceti whale is the one
that gives this "seed OIL which is taken
chiefly, but not wholly, from the head.
Longitude and latitude, the great di-
mension and the little or broad dimension
of the earth. According to the ancient
notion. the world was bounded on the
west by the Atlantic, but extended an in
defioite length eastward. 1t was similarly
terminated on the south by the tropic of
Cancer, whence it extended northward,
but this extent being much less than that
cast and west, was called the breadth or
latitude.
Kensington Palace is not in Kensington
at all, but in the parish of st. Margaret,
Westminster.
Jerusalem artichoke has no connection
with Jerusalem, but with the sunfower,
gorasoie, which it resembles.
ERRORS AS TO PERSONS.
Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liege is
made by Sir Walter Scott in "Quentin
Durwood," an cold man. whereas he
was only eighteen years of age, and
scholar at Louvain. He made his entire
into this see in scarlet jeskin and cap
set jauntily on one side.
Philip VI, of France, was called 1e
Jien fortune, but never was name more
inappropriate. He was defeated at Sluys
and again on the field of Crcsse; he lost
Calais; and a fourth of all his subjects
were carried off by the "black death -
Louis XIV. was styled the Well Be-
loved, which was certainly most siEgu-
lar and inappropriate title for this most
detestable and verify detested of all kings.
Absalom means a "Father's Peace
fatal name for David's rebellious son.
Did you ever think, when reading that
beautiful poem, "On the Shores of Ten
nessee," of the age of Ralph Vervair? ? If
not, just consider the lapse of time between
"when they fought by Marion's side" and
the day "when the flag went up the river"
and you will find it was about time for
him to give Pompey his liberty.
The much discussed question. Who
wrote the Declaration of independence? ?
has been so differently decided, and each
claim so we'll supported, that the author
ship of the grand old document is yet
considered as misnomer by many. Let
us give the honor to the signers and be
content that the deed was done.
Among the many mistakes prevalent
in regard to the habits of animals and in
sects is the notion that ants in general
gather food in harvest for Winters
store. This is quite an error; in the first
place, they do not live on grain, but chiefly
on animal food; and in the next place,
they are torpid in Winter and do not re-
quire food. Col. Sykes, however, says
there is in Poonah, a grain feeding species
which stores up millet seed, but certainly
our ants have no claim to Jane Taylor's
stanZa
Who taught the little ant the way
Its narrow hole to bore,
And labor all the Summer day
To gather Winter store?