Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-11-26

sssis
rived from their sale placed in United
States bonds to support them. He
urges the concentration Of troops in
garrisons near the large cities, as they
can be supplied cheaper, and may be
readily moved BY rail to points where
they are needed.
The hearing Of arguments in the
telephone case, which has been occu-
plying the attention of the Secretary
fthe Interior for some time past, has
at last been closed It will probably
be some time before a decision is
reached. The general impression is
that the Secretary will recommend that
the United States be made a party to
suit to test the validity Of the Bell
patent
Conspicuously displayed in large
case at the National Museum is a col
lection Of curiosities, which was re-
ceiyed on Monday last by the Presi-
dent as a present from HisPolynesian
Majesty, the King Of samona. The
President at once directed that the
present should be transferred to the
Museum. Among the articles may be
mentioned II bowl made eof Samona
chestnut wood, elegantly carved and
highly polished, as well as cups made
from the shells Of cocoanuts, which
latter are SO highly polished as to re-
semble stained glass. The most in
teresting and valuable article in the
collection isa magnificent rug such as
is used in the Royal Palace. Accom-
panying the rug is "a description of
the manner in which rugs Of this kind
are made. From this description it
appears that the fibers used in the
construction are made from the root
Of native plant called the piper me-
t,tsbScitm. The fiber is prepared by
young girls selected by the King for
theetask, the preparation consisting in
chewing pieces of the root until the
fbera are thoroughly separated, after
which the material thus prepared is
exposed to the sunlight until bleached.
The weaving is done entirely by hand.
The juice Of the root which is extracted
the preparation Of the fibers is used in
the preparation Of liquor called the
Kava, which is the favorite drink in
the royal household upon state occa-
sions. The saliva it is said produces
fermentation and the liquor is slightly
Intoxicating 1t is to be regretted
that the piper metusbIcam is not a
plant indigenous to American soil.
What boon it would be to our fash
ionable boarding schools, as the fair
inmates, instead of wasting their valu-
able time in the mastication Of To Lou,
would each beaAle to prepare spffici-
ens-Hssll! III - -
apartment with rugs. The spirit Of
rivalry engendered would be carried
to such an. extent that any we'll regu-
lated American boarding school would
be able to display an array of rugs,
which both in point Of numbers and
elegance Of design would awaken envy
even in the King ofSamona.
The members Of the Commission
which was intrustsd by Congress with
the duty Of selecting the design and
site for the proposed statute to be
erected to Lafayette, have not as yet
decided upon the site, as the appro-
priatness of the site depends upon the
character of the proposed statute,
If a small statute is to be erected
it will be placed in one Of the
parks, while if large and imposing,
It viii probably be placed in a con-
spicuous place near some one Of the
Government buildings. AS yet only
three designs have arrived. These
are by Bartholdi, the French sculptor /;
Daniel O. French, of Massachusetts,,
and Larkin G. Meade, a noted Ameri-
can artist who is at present the pro-
fessor Of sculpture at the Academy Of
Art in Florence. H.
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