Harper's Round Table, October 8, 1895 Part 13

Postage Stamps, &c.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

100 all dif. Venezuela, Bolivia, etc., only 10c.; 200 all dif. Hayti, Hawaii, etc., only 50c. Ag'ts w't'd at 50 per ct. com. List FREE! =C. A.

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=B. & O.= Telegraph Stamps (Forbes & Co.), full set, used, 60c.; they catalogue at $9.00. Full set Hoen & Co., 5c.; catalogued at 15c. =E. T.

PARKER=, Bethlehem, Pa.

[Ill.u.s.tration: If afflicted with SORE EYES USE Dr. ISAAC THOMPSON'S EYE WATER]

The Eight Numbers of the Franklin Square Song Collection contain

1600

of the Choicest Old and New Songs and Hymns in the Wide World.

Fifty Cents per Number in paper; Sixty Cents in substantial Board binding; One Dollar in Cloth. The Eight Numbers also bound in two volumes at $3.00 each. Address Harper & Brothers, New York.

A Jamaica Sky Meeting.

I shall try and tell you about a Jamaica sky meeting, given by the Garrison Gymkhana Club, I went to about a week ago. The drive down there is eight miles, and is very pretty. The hard white road winds along, some of the way, beside a deep, lovely, tropical valley with a narrow musical little river leaping and tumbling among big gray rocks, half the time hidden by the dense green foliage, and then springing out in a silver waterfall. On the other side of the road the tall brown mountains rise up almost straight, with jagged rocks sticking out of them. A little beyond this are broad fields, some planted in sugar-cane, and of a brilliant green, others with tall golden-brown gra.s.s sweeping to the foot of the mountains.

As we swing around corners we come upon occasional squads of negro women peasants with the customary baskets of miscellaneous products, fruit and vegetable, on their heads, and some driving donkeys similarly loaded in panniers. They scatter in all directions as our coachman cracks his whip without deigning to slow up. At last we reached our destination and took our places on the grand stand. In front of us was a big square plain. To the left, Long Mountain, while to the right lay the Caribbean, its sh.o.r.es fringed with cocoanut-palms. The centre of the field contained the refreshment tent.

The grand stand now began to fill up, and soon the first race was called. While they were preparing for this we saw about a score of musicians in zouave uniform marching up from the barracks. These const.i.tuted the West India band. They were all negroes, and some had brilliant-colored turbans on, and some little caps with ta.s.sels. Lots of the Newcastle soldiers were there, and their scarlet coats and white helmets made a vivid bit of color.

Officers on horseback galloped about with white and red flags shouting out directions. The zouaves were now in position, and the band-master, who was white, with a uniform to match, and a huge mustache, soon started the music. We watched him with delight as he kept time with his wand, making the delicious gestures that only a band-master can make.

The racers were mostly polo ponies, mostly of thirteen hands. I won two of the races; one on a little gray, and the other on a slender black with a graceful head. We left after the sixth race, while the band played with as much vim as if for the first--"G.o.d save the Queen!"

BEATRIE HAWTHORNE.

GORDON TOWN, JAMAICA.

From a Knight in j.a.pan.

In answer to your request, I will try to give you a few ideas about j.a.pan. j.a.pan is an ancient island empire; but after the restoration the empire was entirely governed by the Emperor Mustu-Hito, until he gave to the people a const.i.tution, in 1889.

The Emperor is a.s.sisted in the government by a Prime Minister, a cabinet, and two houses of Parliament. Tokyo, the capital, is a very beautiful city, one reason being its numerous moats, walls, and stone embankments, on which grow the odd-shaped j.a.panese pines.

The parks are beautiful and very large, and have many grand old trees hundreds of years old. The population of Tokyo is nearly a million and a half, and it contains a hundred square miles. It is very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Our rainy season is in summer, while our dry season is in winter. We rarely have more than two or three light snow-storms a winter.

The persimmon and orange are natives of j.a.pan, while there are grapes and figs in plenty, plums, strawberries in season, a few apples, and tasteless pears. Yokohama is the princ.i.p.al seaport, and has 100,000 inhabitants. It looks very much like a foreign city except for the tile roofs. The streets of all the cities of j.a.pan are macadamized and beautifully clean. Yokohama contains 5000 foreigners, 200 only of which are Americans. The people of j.a.pan are so exceedingly polite and courteous that they rival the French in that respect, they are very industrious, and, as the late war has proved, are patriotic and brave. I suppose you are all as glad as I am that j.a.pan has been victorious, as I think that Americans take the side of the j.a.panese. I have lived here six years, but was born in San Francisco and lived there seven years.

CHARLES H. THORN, R.T.K.

TOKYO, j.a.pAN.

Query for the Natural History Society.

Does any botanical member know the modern cla.s.sification (whether as animal or vegetable) of the Tremella (_Conferva gelatinosa_), a green water-plant? It forms in stagnant pools, and consists of a number of filaments interwoven through each other. According to the description, if one of these is moistened and placed under a microscope, the extremities rise and fall alternately, and move to the right or to the left, twisting in various directions.

Sometimes it forms itself into an oval or irregular curve. If two are placed side by side, they become twisted together by a peculiar motion. If we are to believe the author, the plant has the nine lives of a cat, for if a filament or ma.s.s of tremella is dried and laid away for several months it will, on being moistened, revive and multiply as before.

The plant was also known under the names of _Omnium tenerrima et minima_ and _Aquarium limo innascens_. Can any member give me further information on this subject?

VINCENT V. M. BEEDE, R.T.F.

HACKETTSTOWN, N. J.

Prizes for Entertainment Programmes.

Two prizes of $10 each will be given by HARPER'S ROUND TABLE for the best programme for evening entertainments. Of course the programmes must be new. The performance should consume at least one hour, and be open to both s.e.xes, any age, and from four to an unlimited number of people. Use your ingenuity, and devise something funny and interesting. Write the particulars of it in full, and mail them to HARPER'S ROUND TABLE, New York, not later than December 15, 1895. Compet.i.tion is open to everybody.

A full list of all prizes will be sent to all who ask for it.

Prizes for Music Compositions.

Four prizes are offered by HARPER'S ROUND TABLE for music compositions, compet.i.tion open to everybody. The two first prizes are $5 each, in money; the two second, fifty engraved visiting-cards, winners' names, with copper plate for future use. Compositions must be plainly written on music paper, and forwarded not later than December 15, 1895.