The San Francisco call., 1896-11-01
Answers to Correspondents.
HALF OF 1S50-Miss ]. NJ. c.. City. A half
dollar OF 1850 does not command q premium

dollar OF 1850 does not command premium.
PRINCE OF WALEs-J., City. Albert Edward,
Prince OF Wales, heir apparent TO the throne
OF England, was born in Buckingham Palace,
November 8, 1871. is an Englishman. and not
German because his father was one. When
ne became OF age he did not take any steps to
ADOPT citizenship OF Germany.
ELECTIONS OF THE PAsT-T T. NJ, City. Prior
10 the adoption of the present constitution
Supervisors were elected by wards in San
Francisco. That was prior to 1872. Henry
bingham was q candidate for the Office of
supervisor from the Twelfth Ward at the elec-
tlon held In 1892, and he received 2702 votes
antoine Schottier, who was Supervisor from
tne FIRST ward, was not an Italian.
THE GREAT EAsTERN-P. P, Tracy, San Joa-
quin County, Cal. The S Gamer Great Eastern
made a number of trips across the Atlantic
carrying passengers and freight, but the ven-
ture was not success. In December, 1860,
she was used as troopship, and carried about
1000 soldiers from Eag gland 20 Canada with a
degree OF comfort never before experie ced by
that number of human beings on a vessel.
HOMES FOR OLD PEoPLE-F. W. L., Concord,
Contra Cos Ia County, Cal. There is the Old
Peoples Home, at the corner of Pine and
Pierce streets in this City; the Lick Old
Ladies' Home, also in this City on University
street, between fulton and Wayiand, on Uni
yersity Mound tract; the OLD Ladies' Home in
HruiiVale; and the Alter helm German Old
People's Home, also in Fruitvale, Alameda
County.
A TwENTY-DoLLAR PIEcE-Subscriber, City.
What you would receive from the United
States Mint for twenty-dollar piece after you
melted down the same would depend upon its
weight al the time you converted it into bull
I1on- twenty-dollar piece when turned out
at the mint contains 464.4 a grains of pure gold
9OO hne, and 5l.6 grsins OF alloy, making 516
IN all The value OF gold 900 fine is .03S76
per grain. A twenty-doliar piece that has
been in circulation for length of time loses
some OF Its weight by abrasion.
THAT AMENDMENT-L. B. F., City. The pro-
posed amendment to the constitution of Cali
fornia reads: "All elections by the people
shall be by ballot. or by such other method as
may be prescribed by law; provided that Sc
crecy in voting be preserved" The trainers of
tn at amendment had in view the posi- bility at
some time in the future of the Introduction OF
voting machines, and it was for that reason the
words "or by such other method may be
prescribed by law" were inserted. Under the
provisions of that amendment the Australian
system now in vogue might be done away with,
but some other secret method would have to
be provided.
SIGNET RING-E. B. s.. City. signet ring is
seal ring, the seal of which is signet or
private one signet is used instead of sign.
ing the pane or in addition to it for verifica
ton of papers. The signet in Scotland is the
seal by which royal warrants connected with
the administration of justice were formerly
authentica ted. In English administration the
signet is one of the seals tor the authentica-
ton of royal grants which, before the aboli-
tion of the signet Office in 1S48, was there
sfixed TO documents before passing the privy
seal, but is now not required.
Shakespear in Hamlet makes the melancholy
Dane say:
had my fathers met in my purse.