The San Francisco call., 1898-12-27
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. A DAY IN 1SS-Prudence. Oakdale, Cal.
 The 18th of June, 1884, fell on Thursday.
 WORTH FIVE CENTs-G. H. s., Point Arena, Cal. A 5-cent piece of 1882 is not premium coin.
 HIGHEST MoUNTAIN-P. L. M, South San Francisco, Cal. It is believed that the Deodhunga, one of the Himalayas, Is the highest mountain in the world It's height is given as 29,002 feet.
 OLD COINS-A. S., City. Half-dollars of 1882 and quarters of 1888 are not of the class of coins for which dealers pay pre- miuns The selling price of half-dollars of 1892 with small letters in the legend is 75 cents and those with large letttrs in the legend is from S2 50 to $3 50 Quarters of 1888 sell for 50 cents.
 vOLUNTEERs-N N, City The ques- tion, What are the United States volun- teers allowed by the Government" is rather an indefinite one. If the writer will make himself little more explicit an answer will be given. The volunteers in general way are allowed pay, cloth ing, rations and transportation.
 SOME BACK DATES-C. G. H., Point Arena, Cal The 1st of March, 1880, fell on Monday; July 4, 1884, on Monday; July M, 1883. on Friday, January l. ESo on ThSprsday May May ls 4SSS on satuTday; b, 1892, on Friday; November 26. 1SS3, on Sunday, and October 24, 1895, on Thursday.
 ENLISTMENT-An Anxious Subscrib- CT, City. If man enlisted during the war in battery of the regular army of the United States for a period of three years he will have to serve his full term unless the authorities should so decide that those men who enlisted during the war to fill up the quota of the regiments of regu- lars should be classed as those volunteers who enlisted for specific time or for the war.
 CRIMINAL TRIALS-H B., City. Tn the State of California a person accused of a crime committed within the State must be tried in the county in which the crime was committed; but if 1t should appear upon competent evidence that the accused could not obtain a fair trial, say, for instance, by reason of strong. preju- dice against him. he would be entitled to a change of venue.
 MRS. A. HERRMANN-R-, Oakland, Cal. Mrs. A. Hermann, widow of the well-known magician, was born in Eng land. Her name before marriage was Ad- die Sarcy. She started on her professional career about twenty-five years ago. In the early days of her career she ap- Bicycle Riders She went to Australia and, 1t is said, there met and formed the acquaintance of MT. Hermann
 ADOPTION OF A CHILD-A S., City. If a child Is abandoned on a doorstep the person taking in such child can. by ap- plication to the Superior Court, adopt the same, If upon hearing 1t appears that the party applying Is able to bring up the child. If there is no application for adoption papers the mother of the child could at any time of the childs minority claim 1t, but she would be liable to the party who brought it up in the amount of money expended on the child and req Whether the child would be awarded to the mother under the circumstances is of the case and condition of the mother as to being a proper person to have it's care and custody; If the party who brought up the child had secured adop- ton papers the mother would have no claim on 1t. If the mother was known within a year after deserting the child and could be arrested, she could be pun ished for a miSdemeanor, namely, cruelty.
 CHANGE IN THE CALENDAR-Sub- scriber, City. The Roman calendar was introduced by Romulus, who divided the year into ten months, comprising BOA days, 7SS, B. c. That year was of fifty days less duration than the lunar year and of sixty-one less than the solar year, and its commencement did not correspond with any fixed season. Numa Pompilius, 713 B. C., added two months, and Julius Caesar, 40 B.. C., to make it more correct. fixed the solar year at 365 days and hours, every fourth year being bissextile or leap year. That calendar was defec- tive, the solar year consists Of 365 days 5 hours and 45 minutes, and not 365 days hours. That difference in the sixteenth century amounted to ten entire days, the vernal equinox falling on the 11th instead of the Fist of March. To obviate that error Pope Gregory XIII ordained in 1882 that that year should consist of 356 days onIy October became October 15) and to prevent further irregularity 1t was de- that a year beginning a century should not be besseXtile, with the eXcep- tion of that beginning each fourth cen tury; thus 1700 and 1900 have not been bissextile nor will 1900 be so, but the year 2O00 will be a leap year: In this manner three days, are retrenched in 400 years. because the lapse of eleven minutes makes three days in about that period. Upon the change from old style to new style in 15S2 the last date was Thursday, October 4, and the following day, Friday, was the 18th of October.