The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-28
THE CALLS
QUERY COLUMN.
Distinctions Between GeOgraph.
ical and Federal Townships.
In the Diplomatic service-Camels in the
Of the Revolution-The Word Sierra"

THE CALLS Query Column is conducted with
view to aid all seekers after knowledge Of gen
eral interest.
Catch questions win not receive any attention.
No opinion win be given IN thus column regard
Ing the reliability or character Of any person or
FIRMS in this city or elsewhere
Questions, answers 10 which are Id the nature
OF an advertisement. VIII not De answered.
Every inquiry must have the true and full
name OF the sender as well as the correct resi-
cence. Any inqairv that has not The cor
rect name and add ress of the sender will
be treated as II IL was not signed, ana the
writer need not expect an answer.
~ AUTOMATIC SERvICE-J. B. F., San
E5S Luis Obispo, Cal. q and p The Q.
GS c. does not know of an instance in
American political history that the United
States has had to send or accredit an alien
resident to represent it abroad as Minister
Plenipotentiary, even though the statutes
NAV not declare in direct words that he
must be a citizen. As a matter of fact its
consular agents need no. be American citi-
zens and while the regulations of the State
Department, which has charge OF the diplo-
matte service, undoubtedly require that
minister shall be an American citizen, what
an impolitic and illogical act would it be to
send foreigner who cannot have taken the
oath TO support the Constitution
AID have him represent the United
States with the plenary powers that
are vested in a Minister Plenipotentiary.
As matter of fact, it is the law of nations
that while State is bound to give audience
to an ambassador, and, except under ex-
traordinary circumstances, to receive him
for that purpose into its territory and at its
court, yet 1t may make conditions as to the
nationality of the minister. refusing. for
example, to recsive one OF its own subjects.
g and a Patrick Egan, when appointed
Minister to Chile by President Harrison,
was naturaliZed citizen. BE established
himself in business in Lincoln. Nebr., In
1889 or 1888, and before his appointment
his residence must have been continuous
for at least five years or else he could not
have been naturaliZed. His appointment
was made early in 1889.
TowNsHIPs-J. B. F.. San Luis: Obispo,
Cal. u The Congressional township syS-
TEN is the reputed invention of Thomas
Jefferson and is acknowledged to be the
best known. The geographical township is
described by the United States Land Office
10 be SIX miles square, divided into thirty
six sections, each mile square and contain
Ing Go acres, the sections numbered as a
tuIt lIUlll OEc W llll -SlA1 dI LIE
northeast corner of the township and run
ming back and forth, though in few States
tis methnd of numbering is departed from.
That these townships do not always contain
thirty-sX square miles and are irregular in
shape is owing to the variation of the
needles in making the surveys. The in
struction given by the Government to
its surveyors was to divide the land
up into districts six miles square. as nearly
as possible. This has not been always pos
sible, owing to typographical and other
natural causes, but the almost ever-present
iIregularity in the shape of townships has
been, rs stated, traceable to the variation of
the magnetic needle. Often in CLOSING"
with old surveys an irregularly shaped
township Will result, owing to the same
cause or to other errors, but in such cases
the monuments and corners established in
tue older survey will prevail, and no at
tempt at correction dare be made. 1t is
always in closing on the west and on the
north in regularly surveyed townships that
the errors through variation of the needle
are shown. % The federal township or dis
trict lies within the jurisdiction of the
cornty Boards IT Supervisors, who, accord
ing TO Section 4046 of the Political Code of
California, are authorized Ito divide the
counties int townships, school, road and
other districts required by law, change the
same and create others as convenience re-
quires." The geographical township is a
fxtd district, which may be of irregular
shape, bnt meant TO be six miles square. A
federal" township is regular or irregular
shaped subdivision Of county (and there
are fOrty-eght classes of counties under the
State Government AcO, established alone
by aud according TO the judgment OF the
Board of Supervisors.
CAMELs IN THE ARMY-A. B., City. Late
IN the fifties the camel was introduced into
the southern parts of the United States as
Government experiment for its mpoy-
nient in srrategcal purposes and for the con-
veyance II supplies, munitions of war,
provisions and stores to the isolated garr-
sons beyond that then dreary tract known
as the great salt desert and the other barren
plains, which produced no forage but
stunted artemisias and other arid and Bit
ter lbs, On which horses and oxen could
not be supported, and less than spariugly
supplied with water. They were acclima-
tiz, IN Texas, where they were subjected
to the most severe tests by long marches,
heavily lOaded aid depending on the scanty
forage aad water found by the way during
the surveys in progress III that arid region,
and tie result was reported as satisfactory
even beyond expectation. For this expert.
ment seventy camels were brought into the
country IN TWO importationS and, as was
written OF them at the time in allusion to
the fact that they are lat least as impatient
Of extreme neat as of intense cold, still it is
the riGors of the overland California pass
ege and the inclemency of the mountains !;
and 1t Is more probable that their utility will
be restricted to the southern routes to the
Pacific" which was the fact.
"SIERRAs"-A. R.. City, "Sierra" is
Spanish word originally signifyng saw"
and applied TO mountain ridge, which,
from its n0tched appearance when viewed
from distance, not unfreQuently bears a
striking resemblance to the teeth of a saw.
There is as much license to term the Sierra
Nevada Mountains 'the Sierras" as there is
20 cali the Rocky Mountains the Rockies;
and nasmlch as there are ranges Of noun
talns called Sierra Acaraiin South America,
Sierra Blanca in the Rocky Range, Sierra
C,nocon in British Guiana, Sierra de Ca
bailo in New Mexico, Sierra de Gala in
Sp III and Portugal, Sierra de Gavilan in
Cuba, Sierra de Gradas, de Guadalupe, de
Sierra de la Platte In Utah, Sierra de la
Viuda In the Andes Range, Sierra Madre in
Mexico and Colorado, Sierra Nevada in
Spain and in California, besides other
sie1ras, you can employ at your own sweet
will the term "Sierras." if you think it
sufficiently describes the Sierra Nevada
Iange OF mountains.
CHINESE AS CITIzENs-F. H., City. %
While in 1884 it was held by the United
Otates circuit court IN this city that Chi
nese born In the United States is citizen
under. the Fourteenth Amendment to the
Constitution, Section IA, Chapter 126, laws
OF 1882 approved May 9TH, also declares:
That hereafter no State court or court of
the United States shall admit Chinese 10
citizenship and all laws in conflict with this
act are hereby repealed" (0 The O. c. de-
ciines to Garry Goals to Newcastle" by an
swering your remarkable query, "for what
reason" this law was passed. Ask your
neighbour.
MINUTE MEN-G. R.. Vallejo, Cal. Con-
gress has not published book or report
upon the organization and service of the
minute men Of the Revolution. The frag-
mentary records Of that service are found
emily scattered through various histories and
historical r0mances. Colonel A. S. Hub
bard, President of the California Society
Sons Of the American Revolution, and also
Secretary of the California Historical So
ciety, has given much attention 10 the gath
ering of records of the Revolution, and a