The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-19

questions that nrc OF general interest. =.
main object Is to supply out -of- they way lact
and curious Information. Questions OF per
: sonal interest only will not be answered. ~
busi ness or personal addresses Will be given
All correspondence should be addressed to IN
Letter Box. care Houston Post Owing to tn
large number OF questions received, answer
can not always be given promptly.
uow did the Red Cross society originator
F.v.F.
Nearly forty years ago NJ. Henri Dunant
native OF the republic OF Switzerland. wit
messed the battle Of 5olferino and was hor
rlDed observer OF the unnecessary suffering o
the wounded from lack OF care. Being great,
impressed by the sight, he published litt''
book called Souvenir dc Solferlno. ant
roinied out the urgent necessity OF forming o
corps OF surgeons and nurses who could work
in the cause OF humanity, regardless of ma
tiouality. and who might be protected by q
flag OF neutrality and be permitted to serve on
the field OF battle and all the wounded. This
little volume appealed to all who read IT, and
the outcome was a convention held at Geneva.
Switzerland, In August. 1864. by representa-
tivos from sixteen of the great nations of the
world, who then signed n compact OF strict
neutrality that assured. under certain speei-
| fed regulations, a complete protection to the
members OF the association wher caring for
| the wounded on n field OF battle, The nag Of
| Switzerland is heraldcally described as ION
q field gulcs, a cross argent" AMI the society
| adopted It out OF compliment to IFS birthplace,
only reversing the colors. To-day the insignia
OF the international committee sthe red cross
| on white field and is the only military hos
ptal flag In the civilized WORT which pro-
| tccts all persons from molestatbn who work
urder it or rghtfully wear the Emblem when
| performing their services
| while the changes are being mig on Hon
| sons choice, referring to Admial SIMPSONS
| accc1trnce Of Lieutenant Hobsos exploit at
| Santiago as a relief from an obSous dilemma
can'' you toll me the origin Of he phrase?
| have heard it all my life, but an not recall
| from what it started. C.C.W.
! We are told by the veraclous spectator that
Toias Hobson was the first mn in England
to let out hackney horses and hat he had
greet stable full of them. withabundant OPP
portunity for discrimination antcholce Each
| customer was allowed to viw the entire
| stable and make his selection but when i,
| came tc delivery he was competd to take the
ANIMAL nearest the door. Hence he proverbial
"Hobson's choice" which SOC became ap-
| plcable to all spheres of life here seems to
| be difference of opinion as TO neither or not /
Admiral Sampson could have fcnd an equally
| satisfactory plug for the neck the bottle at
Santiago but he took Hobson shoce Just tn.
same.
VIII you Kindly explain u Venezuelan
question: | have seen It rerred to edl-
| torially in The Post several tins recently
MOB.
Fer some years past Great Htan has been
a At
over the boundary line in tn orinoco river
! region The discovery of rlctgold mines in
tho Yuruary valley brought m,ers to a head
| In 1895 the United States end,vored to have
both countries submit the qstion to arbi-
| traitors. Great Britain refuse to do SO for
several reasons. On Decembei7, 1886 Presi-
dent Cleveland asked authort,from congress
| to appoint a commission toietermine the
merits OF the dispute. The auttrity was given
and the commission appoint. which both
Great Britain and Venezuela lave officially
rect gnized The question at ise has not yet
been settled.
| What Is the name of the largt battleship.
| its displacement and the ownT,f 1t? Also |
! the largest gun used ON warslip
J.D.N.
The italian battleship Lepanto, but in 1888, |
| Is tho largest In the world. The lpanto ia |
l590O tons displacement; has an extrte arm
| oslne OF nineteen inches; indicated horse |
power, 1885; nominal speed, 1874 knot She |
| is equipped with four torpedo tubes an her !
armament is the heaviest Of any battlehip
alont She has four 17-ineh, eight 6-inea
| -four t,7-inch guns. These guns are now being
REPLACED by lighter and more modern guns
| These colossal guns on the Lepanto, the
largest on any warshp, have much less power
than the 10-inch guns on the American mont
tors or the 11-inch Hontarias guns on Spanish
vessels OF the Vizcaya type.
| have never understood the true sense of
| the expression mares nest" 1t is applied,
| as ION know, to ones making what is sup
| posed t. be great discovery, but which turns
| ont to be all moOnshIne Why this nnnIlc,
| ton? Cow
An old-tme writer gives this explanation of
| its origin What we call u nightmare was
by our forefathers supposed to be the Saxon
| demon MARI, or Mare. kind of vampire. sit
ting on the sleepers chest These VAMPIRES
| were said to be the guardians Of his treasures
over which they brooded as hens over their
| eggs, and the place where they sat was term
ed their nest When any one supposes he has
made great discovery we ask II he has dis.
covered a mares nest, or the place where the
vampire keeps guard over hypothetical treas
ures
VIII you please tell me in Sundays edition
OF your paper the number OF inhabitants the
United States. Canada, Cuba. the Philippines
taS a whole, SPAIN France Russia and Eng
land have AT the present day. also the amn,s,
Of land each country claims.
Area,
Population. So miles
lhften states .........,.. "a ,S000 900 8 COO 90n
SCanneda ''''..'.'...,..,,. 5,le5G96 3,456 asa
Suno ..".......,........, l,6Sl6sS 4ls5s
thiippines .............. 100000 ll4356
SnH'n ..,.,.......,......,. 2s,922609 6n3 0eT
france ................... 60, l66p67 2357 al.
,Sussia ........,,.......,.l2 9, llS S644 Ion
etnlsh ."t.,.,..,........SSl.0 37,s74 1895, 500
LUIS lnciuues area and population In MI
countries given here OF claimed possessions A''
Please say whether at any time tho Ir,,,os
states owned more tonnage than England.
VIVA
'ui merchant marine was larger in lsGl than
IN ahy year before or since 1t amounted tben
TO T. total OF S52q SIS tons Tho 800, ah,.,