Evening star., 1921-03-27

ty 1t was of nankeen color.
"Nankeen" is one English rendering
and "nanking.' another for Chinese
word meaning southern capital,
city in China once the residence or
the emperor and court. The cotton
cloth called "nankeen' was first man
ufactured there and came by its name
that way. And you know that nan
keen" is yellow. An encyclopedia
says that 1.-The peculiar color OF TINS
fabric is natural to the cotton OIL
which it is made" and that "nankeen
is now initiated in most otner couh. .
tries where cotton goods are woven
When cotton was grown on Analos-
tan Island that island was the prince
Iy home of Gen. John Mason. Turn
ing to an old account, written at least
four years more than century ago.
one finds that Gen. Mason cultivated
for the use of his family a species or
cotton of the color Of nankeen which
is spun and woven with facility and
wears we'll without losing its natural
hue" Great pains were taken ITO
prevent it's intercourse with other
species of cotton, and yet its color is
not uniform, for some pods have
shade of yellow w while Others fram are
those of the natural nankeen color.
That olden chronicler continues that
.if some shades remain it is no dis
advantage, as the color becomes uni
form by the operation of carding.
X x/i;
Gen. Mason, not knowing how he
obtained this species of cotton, con-
iectured that the seeds had been
brought from China or India. little
1JI he
thor, Baillie Warden, clears up the
mystery of the cotton. He says: "On
my voyage to France on board the
frieate Constitution l was one day
perusing small volume entitled An
Epitome of the History of Malta and
Coco by Charles Wilkinson. lent to
me by the purser. Mr.. Garrettson, IN
which it is stated that three kinds of
cotton are there cultivated and that
one imported from the Antilles is of
a cinnamon color. Mr. Morris. first
lieutenant of the frigate. with whom
| happened to converse on this sub
ject, informed me that he had carried
some seeds of this species to Gen.
Mason. from his brother-i n-law. then
al Naples, and. not finding the former
at home when he called to deliver
this present. he left the seed, without
any indication concerning its origin.
the neighboring tracts of land is good
for cotton, but the summer is not long
enough to bring the plant to matur-
ity, and it is liable to be injured by
frost before it is ripe"
Mr. Warden tells also that on Ana
lostan Island Gen. Mason cultivated a
species of maize. the leaves of which.
of a deep purple color. are employed
as dye. For this purpose they are
gathered before the grain ripens.
nfair he fQs
amount of sap. With mordants of
alum and copperas wool is dyed differ
ent shades of purple. II had the
honor" wrote Mr.. Warden. "of pre-
senting some of the seeds to the En-
press Josephine. who sowed them
with her own hands in the gardens
of Malmaison, where they gave lux
uriant produce"
Here is an interesting. even though
slender, connection between Analos-
French, born in the Island of Martl-
niuue in 1863. daughter of Joseph
Tascher de la Pagerie. lieutenant of
artillery. wife of Vicomte Beauhar-
nais, who was victim of the revolu-
ton married in 1895 to Napoleon,
crowned at Notre Dame December /,
1904, divorced by Napoleon for rea-
sons of state" in 1909. and went into
seclusion at La Malmaison. near Paris.
where she died May "a. 1914. Jose
Dhlne enrlCneO the SdfucHS VI 1<d
Malmaison with plants that were
beautiful, with plants that were rare
and with plants that were both beau
tiful and rare. And among those
plants was corn that had grown on
Analostan Island!
Mr. Warden said that the view from
the Mason mansion yas delightful.
"It embraces the picturesque banks
of the Potomac, a portion of the city,
and an expanse Of water of which the
Great bridge over the Potomac termi-
mates the view. Numerous vessels
ply backward and forward to animate
the scene. Directing an eye over
corner of the garden. we perceive the
sails only. as if by enchantment. glid-
ing through the trees. A few feet
below the summer house the rocks
afford seats where those fond of fish
ing may indulge in Tbs amusement.
From the portico on the other side of
the house, Georgetown. kalorama, the
beautiful seat of Joel Barlow. esq.,,
and the adjacent finely wooded hills
appear through a vista. To the left
there is a prospect of the fields and
woods on the opposite banks of the
Potomac. Every part of the island
is romantic. Hawthorn and cedar
indicate taste and agricultural knowl-
edge. BY means of an hydraulic ma
chine water may be easily raised from
the river and conducted by pipes to
every part of the surface.
This island has great variety of
trees and shrubs owing to the seeds