The hatchet. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1883-19??, 1900-04-29
HISTORY.

uN hpBlltdulOu VI Vllb NblN tplbh
ial' to pre- Revolutionary architec-
tlre and decoration has created q
vague impression that there existed
at that time an American architec-
tural style. AS q matter of fact,
Colonial architecture is simply a
modest copy of Georgian models;
and Colonial" mante pieces were
either imported from England 10y
those who could afford it, or were re-
produced i'm wood from current Eng
lish designs. Wooden mantels were,
indeed, not unknown in England,
where the use of wooden architrave
led to the practice of facing the fire.
place with Dutch ties; but wood was
used, both in England and America,
only from motives of cheapness, and
the architrave was set hack from the
opening only because it was unsafe
to put an inhammable material so
near the fire.
The earliest poem Of high value
which we meet with in modern Eng
fish literature is the thrilling and
mysterious "Vision of Piers Plow.
man" This poem has been handed
down to posterity in not fewer than
forty-fye manuscript copies. 1t is
almost certain that Langland wrote
the first draft of his poem in 1862,
rewrote it in 1877 and revised it
again, With large additions, some
where between 1892 and 1898.
The island of Porto Rico is indebt.
ed to Spain for its discovery and
conquest. 1t was discovered on Nov.
&c, 1893, by Columbus, who took
possession three days later. The
conquest of the island from the abor
igines was made in 1908, by Ponce
de Leon, who founded in the year
1909 the first village, near the pres
ent capital, which he named Caparra.
In 1890 Porto Rico was made a prov
ince of Spain instead of a colony,
thereby acquiring the same rights and
government as existed in the mother
country, with representations in the
Cortes by universal suifagc.
The guillotine was first established
in Paris in 1854 by DR.. Guillotine.
For over 100 years the Office of heads
man was kept in me family, Sam
son by name, who transferred the
bloody heritage from father to son.
They were designated as kings, by
number, thus: Samson l., samson
H., etc.
The first practical friction matches
were "Congreves," made in England
in 1857. They were thin strips of
wood or cardboard coated with sui
phur and tipped with a mixture Of
mucilaGe, chlorate Of potash and sui
phide of anthony. Eighty-fOur Of
them were sold in box for 20 cents,
with a piece of glass paper through
which the match could be drawn.
In olden times the pots ard ket-
ties stood on on legs, and all skittles
and frying pans were raised in this
manner so that they could be placed
with their contents over the bed Of
Goals. OF later date was the toast
rack, standing on its little spindle
legs. A domestic luxury was the
tin kitchen, which was set near the
blaze, and used for bread or roast
1t may be noticed in nearly all in.
ventories that brass warming pan
was part of the kitchen furniture. 1t
was a shallow pan of metal, usually
brass or iron, about foot in diam
eter, with a pierced cover When
used it was filed with Goals and
thrust between the icy sheets of the
bed.
At Holyrood Castle on Twelfth
Day, 1868, Mary, Queen of Scots,
celebrated the feast, and to her at
tendant, Mary Fleming, did the
lot fall to be queen, whereupon the
real queen arrayed her fayorite in her
own royal robes that she might sus-
tain with fitting dignity the part for
which she was chosen. One who wa
present fell into an ecstecy of delight
in describing the scene. "Happy
was it," says he, "that this realm en-
dured her reign no longer. Two such
sights in one state in so good accord
] believe was never seer, as to be-
hold two worthy queens possess,
without envy, one kingdom, both
upon a day" lie proceeds to de-
scribe the dress of the queen of the
feast, the queen Of the bean. She
was "that day in gown of cloth of
silver; her head, her neck, her Shout
ders, the rest of her whole body so
beset with stones that more in our
whole jewel house were not to be
found"
PROPOSALS will be received at the Bureau