The San Francisco call., 1898-08-17
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

VISITING THE MINT-C. B. A.. Oak land, Cal The San Francisco Branch Mint is open to visitors daily during the forenoon.
 A BILLION-K. F., City. An English billion is a million of millions. written in figures as follows: 1000. 900 900 0O0 In Spain billion Is described as million de miliones, which, being translated. Is a million of millions
 TAX RATE-A. N. R.. City. The rate of taxation for the current fiscal year in the city and county of San Francisco is s1. 1854 on each hundred dollar valuation Tn Oakland the tax is SLIP, which includes bond redemption and interest.
 STREET ASSESSMENTS O. S.. City. When street not yet accepted by the city in San Francisco is ordered paved by resolution of the Supervisors the owner of a corner lot is assessed In the middle line of the street for the mum per Of front feet he owns on that street. If culverts, crossings and intersection of streets are included In the work then the owners of the property on both sides of sach sach street running half way down the plock rom corners are assessed to pay for that work.
 THE AMERICAN FIAG-R T Mo and others, City. At the Free Public Library there is a book, the title of which is
 The Flag of the United States and Other Nationalities, Preble {" which gives full history of the American flag as far back as it has been traced. It would be impossible in this department to give even synopsis of that history On the l4th of June, TIT, Congress adopted the blue field with thirteen stars and thirteen stripes alternately red and white, as the standard of the United States That flag was first displayed on an American man 0l.War S,asSai py FauI Jones' and it was on his first saluted by foreign guns He it was also who displayed the flag on the first ship of the line built for the IJnited States. ''eu
 LIGHTHOUSE DIsTRICT-sailor. City. San Francisco is located in the Twe1ftb Lighthouse district. It extends from tbe boundary line between California and Mexico to the boundary line between Cal ifornia and Oregon. a distance of about 500 miles of coast line and entrances to all the aids to navigation on the seacoast bays and navigable rivers of California Commander Frank Courtes. U. & N, is the officer in charge. His official title is Lighthouse Inspector. in charge of the Twelfth Lighthouse district
 The adjacent district is the Thirteenth. It extends from the southern boundary line Of oregon to the boundary line be- tween the United States and British Co umDia Rnn af Hf embraces the coast of Ore the Willamette rivers. Straits of San Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and Alaskan waters.
 DULSE-S. "Rhodymenia palmata or dulse, such as Is used on the Irish and scotch coasts for food" writes Dr. c. L. Anderson of Santa Cruz, an expert on sea growth and sea weeds. in answer to the question about that weed, lis not abun- dant on the California coast. If 1t occurs at all, save in name, the quality is not the same, and other seaweeds are prefer able Sometimes Schizmena Californica a broad. rubber-like frond, abundant everywhere, is called dulse and used in the same manner for food. So also Por- phyra vulgaris 'lavir,' and some of the numerous giartinas, which bleach out beautifully, are gathered for food pur- poses, by the Chinese. and might prove useful to other people,
 | The kind of dulse this correspondent de- sires can be obtained in the pressed and dried form by sending through some i'm porting house to Ireland or Scotland
 A MINORS RIGHT-A. E. L., City If you are native of England are 21 years or age nave been resident of this coun- try fifteen years, having come to this country at the age of 6, and your father nor mother were not naturalized as citi zens or the United States, you could moi vote at the coming election in San Fran CISCO without having obtained naturaliza- ton papers. The law Is that any alien