The herald., 1893-12-24

elder these claims. The tribunal sat
from June 18th to September IA, 1872,
when the final award was announced,
giving to the United States the sum of
SIS 100000 in gold for actual losses
caused by the Alabama, the Florida and
the Shenandoah, the three commerce
destroyers fitted out for the confeder-
ates in British territory. The commits
sion met at Geneva because that was
neutral territory, convenient to the
foreign commissions, as the list OF mem
bers shows; it was an eminently inter
national commission, not American, ex-
cept as to one Of its five members.
xt~
What is meant by the presidential
succession act?" Ia it law OF the
United States? III. j. ID.
The presidential succession act is a
law of the United States, enacted by
the Forty-ninth congress and approved
January 10Th. 1856. BY this act, if the
president and vce-president are inca
pacitated from acting by any cause. the
secretary of state, il he ie constitution
ally eligible, succeeds to the presidency.
If he cannot take the place, the other
members of the cabinet take it in this
order: The secretary of the treasury, the
secretary of war, the attorney-general,
the postmaster general, the secretary OF
the navy, the secretary of the interior.
The head of the agricultural department
was made member of the cabinet in
February, 1889; 80 his position in the
succession was not arranged for until
1892, when he was placed at the foot OF
the list, where his rank as a cabinet Of
ficer really placed him. The question OF
eligibility under the constitution comes
in, because while the president and
vice. president must be native-born citi-
zens, over the age of So, there is no euch
requirement for a cabinet officer as
such: but if he cannot fill the constitu-
tional requirements for president, he
cannot succeed to the presidency, though
his cabinet rank would entitle him to
do go.
Who really was Baron Munchausen
BANNERMAN.
There WAS really Baron Munchau-
sen, Hanoverian nobleman, whose
full name was Hierony mus Karl Freid-
rich Won Munchausen, who lived at
Bodenswerder in Hanover, served in the
Russian army, and died at home in
l797. But the author OF the stories
which have made the name OF Mum
chausen famous was not Hieronymus
Karl; it was Rudolf Erich Raspe. q
clever writer, poet, a professor and
curator OF the museum at Cassel, a thief.
He fled to England to escape arrest for
stealing medals from the museum, and
in 1885, while he was store-keeper to q
pamphlet, Baron Munchaueen's Nara
tive of His Marvellous Travels and Cam
paiens in Russia. Within two yerrs the
hook had passed through five editions.
Raspe died in Ireland in 1894. Baron
Munchausen is thought to have told to
Raspe some of the stories ascribed to
him in the book; but before the Baron's
death he had become uncommunicative,
and would not discuss the subject of the
stories His is the fame of Joe Miller;
Joe was 30 stupid that it was considered
capital joke to ascribe to him joke
book, and to this day he is thought by
the public in general to have been a
witty fellow.
What is meant by the international
railroad? A. d. NJ.
There are so many international or
practically international railroads, that
your question isn't definite. There lie.
however, plan for an internationa al
railroad, that is, one that shall run from
North America into South America and
surveys therefor are now under way. A
general plan for this railroad was
adopted by the international American
conference, which was in session in
Washington at various times from Octo-
ber 2, 1889. 20 April 10, 1890. The gen.
eral route OF the road is down
through Mexico, Central America and
along the passes of the Andes as far
south ns Valparaiso in Chill, making
various connections with existing or
proposed roads. The United States have
had three expeditions surveying routes
in South America, and some OF the
South American states have also moved
in the matter; but We have done the
most of the work as yet. No company
has been formed to manage the line
when built, nor has any amount been
suggested as necessary to carry out
such road. The amount would be
enormous. Fe.
What is meant by saying turning
the thumbs down" in fight. J.F.J.
In the ancient gladiatorial combats
the spectators indicate to the conqueror
whether or not he should kill his van
quished opponent by turning the
thumbs up or down. 1t is generally be-
lieved that turning the thumbs down
meant that the congueror should kill
his foe, and that the thumbs turned up
demanded pity for him. The Romans
followed precisely the opposite rule.
Police presso, the thumbs turned down
on the hand closed, meant that the
victor should spare his opponents lie /;
police verso, the thumbs turned up,
meant that the victor should kill his
foe. 1t is said that Gerome, the French
painter, in his famous picture, Police
Verso, meant that the spectators should
doom the vanquished man to death, and
certainly their faces indicate that inten-
tion, but their thumbs all point do Hn-
ward, as if they desired to spare his
life.
%s*
What do the words "anathema ma
ranathR" mean? S. +. KINGSLEY
St.Paul uaes the words in Corinthians,
xvi. %. 'If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Ma
ranatha." The revised version reads
LET him be anathema. Maranatha. .
Anathema is from the Greek, and has
two meanings; first, something vowed