Francesco, was twice married, Beatrice being his daughter by the first
wife. After his second marriage he treated the children of his first
wife in a revolting manner, and was even accused of hiring bandits
to murder two of his sons on their return from Spain. The beauty of
Beatrice inspired him with the horrible and incestuous desire to
possess her person; with mingled lust and hate, he persecuted her
from day to day, until circumstances enabled him to consummate his
brutality. The unfortunate girl besought the help of her relatives and
of Pope Clement VII., but did not receive it, whereupon, in company
with her step-mother and her brother, Giacomo, she planned and executed
the murder of her unnatural parent. The crime was discovered, and
both she and Giacomo were put to the torture. Giacomo confessed, but
Beatrice persisted in the declaration that she was innocent. All,
however, were condemned, and put to death August, 1599, in spite of
efforts made in their behalf.
41. What was the Diamond Necklace Affair?
This wonderful piece of jewelry, made by Boehmer, the court jeweller of
Paris, was intended for Madame du Barry, the favorite of Louis XV. On
the death of the monarch, however, she was excluded from court, and the
bawble was left on the jeweller’s hands. Its immense value, 1,800,000
livres ($400,000), precluded any one from becoming its purchaser,
but in 1785 Boehmer offered it to Marie Antoinette for $320,000, a
considerable reduction. The queen much desired the necklace, but was
deterred from its purchase by the great expense. Learning this, the
Countess de la Motte forged the queen’s signature, and, by pretending
that her Majesty had an attachment for the Cardinal de Rohan, the
queen’s almoner, persuaded him to conclude a bargain with the jeweller
for $280,000. De la Motte thus obtained possession of the necklace and
made off with it. For this she was tried in 1786 and sentenced to be
branded on both shoulders and imprisoned for life, but she subsequently
escaped and fled to London. The cardinal was tried and acquitted the
same year. The French public at that time believed that the queen was
a party to the fraud, but no conclusive evidence was ever adduced to
support the charge. Talleyrand wrote at the time, “I shall not be
surprised if this miserable affair overturn the throne.” His prediction
was, to a great extent, fulfilled.
42. Who was the “Patriot Preacher of the Revolution”?
The Rev. John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746–1807) has been so termed.
He was educated at Halle, ordained to the ministry in England, and
in 1772 became Lutheran minister of Woodstock, Va. He soon became a
leading spirit among those opposed to British oppression. His last
sermon was upon the duty men owe to their country. In concluding, he
said: “There is a time for all things, a time to preach and (with a
voice that echoed like a trumpet blast through the church) a time to
fight, and now is the time to fight.” Then, laying aside his sacerdotal
gown, he stood before his flock in the full regimental dress of a
Virginia colonel. He ordered the drums to be beaten at the church door
for recruits; and almost his entire male audience, capable of bearing
arms, joined his standard. Nearly three hundred men enlisted under his
banner on that day. The scene has been described in verse by Thomas
Buchanan Read in the “Wagoner of the Alleghanies.” In February, 1777,
Congress promoted Muhlenberg to the rank of brigadier-general; and at
the close of the war he was made a major-general.
43. When does Easter come?
The Council of Nice (325 A. D.) authoritatively declared for the whole
Church, Easter to be always the first Sunday after the full moon which
occurs on or next after March 21; and if the full moon happen on a
Sunday, Easter is to be the Sunday following.
44. Where are the highest tides found?
The high tides that rise in the Bay of Fundy are one of the wonders
of the world. The funnel-shaped and rapidly narrowing entrance to the
bay enables a disproportionally long tidal wave to enter, and as it
becomes narrower and shallower the height necessarily increases. The
tide, which at the entrance is eighteen feet, rushes with great fury
up the bay, and swells to the enormous height of sixty feet, and even
to seventy feet in the highest spring tides. With such velocity does
it rush up the constantly narrowing bay, that hogs and other animals
feeding along the shore are frequently overtaken by it.
45. In what country are nearly all of the clergymen blacksmiths?
The clergymen of Iceland are so miserably paid that they are generally
obliged to do the hardest work of day laborers to preserve their
families from starving. Besides making hay and tending cattle, they
are all blacksmiths from necessity, and the best horse-shoers on the
island. The feet of an Iceland horse would be cut to pieces over the
sharp rocks and lava if not well shod. The church is the great resort
of the peasantry; and should any of the numerous horses have lost a
shoe, or be likely to do so, the clergyman dons his apron, lights
his little charcoal fire in his smithy, one of which is attached to
every parsonage, and sets the animal on its legs again. The task of
getting the charcoal is not the least of his labors, for whatever the
distance may be to the nearest thicket of dwarf birch, he must go
thither to burn the wood, and bring it home when charred. His hut is
scarcely better than that of the meanest fisherman; a bed, a rickety
table, a few chairs, and a chest or two are all his furniture. This
is, as long as he lives, the condition of the Icelandic clergyman, and
learning, virtue, and even genius are but too frequently buried under
this squalid poverty. In no Christian country, perhaps with the sole
exception of Lapland, are the clergy so poor as in Iceland, but in none
do they exert a more beneficial influence.
46. What noted poet’s bald head caused his death?
The ancient writers are unanimous in regard to the manner of the death
of Æschylus (525–456 B. C.), the father of the Greek tragic drama. An
eagle, say they, mistaking the poet’s bald head for a stone, let a
tortoise fall upon it to break the shell, and so fulfilled an oracle,
according to which Æschylus was fated to die by a blow from heaven.
47. Who discovered the Northwest Passage?
In 1850 an expedition was sent out from England under the command of
Sir Robert John Le Mesurier McClure, to whom belongs the honor of the
discovery of this long-sought passage. Having passed through Behring’s
Strait in August of this year, McClure’s ship, the _Investigator_,
was ice-bound in the middle of October. A land party from the ship
discovered the Northwest Passage, Oct. 26, from Mount Observation,
latitude 73 degrees 30 minutes 39 seconds north; longitude 114
degrees 39 minutes west. After this discovery the party returned to
the _Investigator_; but that vessel was not destined herself to
sail homeward through the passage discovered by her commander. Three
winters were spent in the ice; but in April, 1853, a relief party on
board of H. M. S. _Resolute_ appeared, having discovered McClure’s
whereabouts by means of a cairn left by him in Winter Harbor. Commander
McClure now resolved to abandon his ship altogether. He reached England
on Sept. 28, 1854. His first reward was to receive his commission of
post-captain, dated back to the day of the discovery of the Northwest
Passage. Shortly afterward he received from her Majesty the honors of
knighthood, and a reward of £5,000 was voted him by Parliament. Both
the English and French geographical societies gave him a gold medal.
A reward of £10,000 was also granted to the officers and crew of the
_Investigator_, as a token of national approbation of the men who
had discovered a Northwest Passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic
Ocean.
48. Who was the first child born of English parents in New England?
Peregrine White, son of William White and of his wife Susanna, the
first child born of English parents in New England, was born on board
the _Mayflower_ in the harbor of Cape Cod, Nov. 20, 1620. He died
at Marshfield in 1704.
49. Who was the “White Lady”?
A being who, according to popular legend, appears in many of the
castles of German princes and nobles, by night as well as by day, when
any important event, whether joyful or sad, but particularly when the
death of any member of the family is imminent. She is regarded as the
ancestress of the race, shows herself always in snow-white garments,
carries a bunch of keys at her side, and sometimes rocks and watches
over the children at night when their nurses sleep. The earliest
appearance of this apparition spoken of was in the sixteenth century,
and was famous under the name of Bertha of Rosenberg (in Bohemia). In
the castle of Berlin she is said to have been seen in 1628, and again
in 1840 and 1850.
50. In what cities are there no elections held?
Washington and Georgetown, D. C. By the law of 1874 these
municipalities were abolished, and the elective franchise suppressed
throughout the District of Columbia. The district is under the control
of Congress, but has no representatives; and its municipal affairs are
regulated by three commissioners appointed by the President and Senate.
51. Which is the “City of the Red Staff”?
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is said that when the place was first
settled, there was growing on the spot a cypress (the bark of which
tree is of a reddish color) of immense size and prodigious height,
entirely free from branches, except at its very top. One of the
settlers playfully remarked that this tree would make a handsome cane;
whence the place has since been called Baton Rouge, that is, “red
staff.”
52. How many languages are there?
The various languages, dialects, etc., ancient and modern, are
estimated to be 3,064. They are distributed as follows: Asiatic, 937;
European, 587; African, 276; American, 1,264.
53. What noted physiologist estimated one hundred years as man’s normal
term of life?
Marie Jean Pierre Flourens (1794–1867), the celebrated French
physiologist, asserts, in one of his numerous publications, that
the normal period of man’s life is one century. It is, he argues, a
fact in natural history, that the length of each animal’s life is in
exact proportion to the period the animal takes in growing. Monsieur
Flourens has ascertained this period, and based upon it the theory that
it depends on “the union of the bones to their epiphyses. As long,”
he observes, “as the bones are not united to their epiphyses, the
animal grows; as soon as the bones are united to their epiphyses, the
animal ceases to grow.” Now, in man, according to this philosopher,
the union of the bones and the epiphyses takes place at the age
of twenty, and that, as among all animals, life is or should be
prolonged to five times the period they take in attaining their full
growth, the normal duration of the life of man is consequently one
century. Applied to domestic animals, this theory appears to be fully
verified. In the camel, the union of the bones with the epiphyses
takes place at eight years of age, and the animal lives to be forty,
in the horse, at five years, and he lives to be twenty-five; in the
ox, at four years, and he lives to be twenty; in the dog, at two
years, and he lives to be ten or twelve years. In view of these
conclusions, Flourens modifies considerably the different stages of
man’s existence. “I prolong the duration of infancy,” he says, “up to
ten years, because it is from nine to ten that the second dentition is
terminated. I prolong adolescence up to twenty years, because it is at
that age that the development of the bones ceases, and consequently
the increase of the body in length. I prolong youth up to the age of
forty, because it is only at that age that the increase of the body
in bulk terminates. After forty, the body does not grow, properly
speaking, the augmentation of its volume which then takes place is
not a veritable organic development, but a simple accumulation of
fat. After the growth, or, more properly speaking, the development in
length and bulk has terminated, man enters into what I call the period
of invigoration, that is, when all our parts become more complete and
firm, our functions more assured, and the whole organism more perfect.
This period lasts to sixty-five or seventy years, and then begins old
age, which lasts for thirty years.” When it was asked of Flourens why
so few attained to the age of a century, he replied, “Man does not die!
With our manners, our passions, our torments, he kills himself!”
54. Who was the “American Pope of Rome”?
Among the earliest settlers of the District of Columbia was an
Englishman named Pope, who bought land and named the stream flowing
through it the Tiber. To the eminence on which the Capitol now stands
he gave the name of Capitoline Hill. He called his whole plantation
Rome, and signed himself “Pope of Rome.”
55. Which was the most deadly epidemic ever known?
The Black Death, which in the fourteenth century desolated the world.
It took this name from the black spots, symptomatic of a putrid
decomposition which at one of its stages appeared upon the skin. Among
the symptoms may be noticed great imposthumes on the thighs and arms,
and smaller boils on the arms and face; in many cases black spots all
over the body; and in some, affections of the head, stupor, and palsy
of the tongue, which became black as if suffused with blood; burning
and unshakable thirst; putrid inflammation of the lungs, attended by
acute pains in the chest, the expectoration of blood, and a fetid,
pestiferous breath. On the first appearance of the plague in Europe,
fever, the evacuation of blood, and carbuncular affection of the lungs
brought death before the other symptoms could be developed; afterwards,
boils and buboes characterized its fatal course in Europe, as in
the East. In almost all cases its victims perished in two or three
days after being attacked. Its spots and tumors were the seals of a
doom which medicine had no power to avert, and which in despair many
anticipated by self-slaughter. The precise date of the appearance of
the plague in China is unknown, but from 1333 till 1348 that great
country suffered a terrible mortality from droughts, famines, floods,
earthquakes which swallowed mountains, and swarms of innumerable
locusts; and in the last few years of that period from the plague.
During the same time Europe manifested sympathy with the changes
which affected the East. The theory is, that this great tellurian
activity, accompanied by the decomposition of vast organic masses,
myriads of bodies of men, brutes, and locusts, produced some change
in the atmosphere unfavorable to life; and some writers, speaking
of the established progress of the plague from east to west, say
that the impure air was actually visible as it approached with its
burden of death. In 1340 the Black Death first appeared in Italy. It
spread throughout Christendom and raged during many years, causing
unprecedented mortality. Thousands perished in Germany. In London alone
two hundred persons were buried daily in the Charter House yard in
1348. The horrors of the time were further heightened by the fearful
persecutions to which the Jews were subjected, from a popular belief
that the pestilence was owing to their poisoning the public wells. The
people rose to exterminate the Hebrew race, of whom, in Mayence alone,
twelve thousand were cruelly murdered. They were killed by fire and by
torture wherever they could be found, and for them to the terrors of
the plague were added those of a populace everywhere infuriated against
them. In some places the Jewish people immolated themselves in masses;
in others, not a soul of them survived the assaults of their enemies.
No adequate notion can be conveyed of these horrors.
56. What noted national hymn was composed (words and music) in a single
night?
The _Marseillaise_, the name by which the grand song of the
first French Revolution is known. The circumstances which led to its
composition are as follows: In the beginning of 1792, when a column
of volunteers was about to leave Strasburg, the mayor of the city, who
gave a banquet on the occasion, asked an officer of artillery, named
Rouget de Lisle, to compose a song in their honor. His request was
complied with, and the result was the _Marseillaise_,--both verse
and music being the work of a single night. De Lisle entitled the piece
_Chant de Guerre de l’Armee du Rhin_. Next day it was sung with
the rapturous enthusiasm that only Frenchmen can exhibit, and instead
of six hundred volunteers, one thousand marched out of Strasburg. Soon
from the whole army of the North resounded the thrilling and fiery
words, “_Aux armes! Aux armes!_” Nevertheless the song was still
unknown at Paris, and was first introduced there by Barbaroux, when he
summoned the youth of Marseilles to the capital in July, 1792. It was
received with transports by the Parisians, who, ignorant of its real
authorship, named it _Hymne des Marseillais_, which name it has
ever since borne.
57. Who was the “Queen of Tears”?
This name was given to Mary of Modena, the second wife of James II., of
England. “Her eyes,” says Noble, “became eternal fountains of sorrow
for that crown her ill policy contributed to lose.”
58. Who was called the “Bravest of the Brave”?
The celebrated Marshal Ney (1769–1815) was so called by the French
troops at Friedland (1807), on account of his fearless bravery. He
was in command of the right wing, which bore the brunt of the battle,
and stormed the town. Napoleon as he watched him passing unterrified
through a storm of balls, exclaimed, “That man is a lion!” and
henceforth the army styled him, “_Les Braves des Braves._”
59. What are the different colors used by different nations for
mourning?
_Black._ The color of mourning in Europe, also in ancient Greece
and Rome.
_Black and White striped._ Expressive of sorrow and hope combined;
worn by the South Sea Islanders.
_Grayish Brown._ The color of the earth; worn in Ethiopia.
_Pale Brown._ The color of withered leaves; worn in Persia.
_Sky-blue._ Expressive of hope for the deceased; worn in Syria,
Cappadocia, and Armenia.
_Deep Blue._ The mourning of Bokhara, in Central Asia; worn also
by the Romans under the Republic.
_Purple and Violet._ Denotes royalty; worn for cardinals and the
kings of France. Violet is the mourning of Turkey.
_White._ Mourning of China. Henry VIII. wore white for Anne
Boleyn; until 1498 it was the mourning of Spain.
_Yellow._ Mourning worn in Egypt and Burmah. Anne Boleyn wore
yellow for Catherine of Aragon. Yellow may be regarded as a token of
exaltation.
60. During which Presidential election did three States not vote? Why?
This has twice occurred within our history.
1. In the first election, Washington’s, 1789, North Carolina, Rhode
Island, and New York did not vote. North Carolina and Rhode Island did
not vote, because they had not then ratified the Constitution; and New
York, because it had failed to make provisions for electors.
2. In the Presidential election of 1868, when Grant was elected for his
first term, Virginia, Mississippi, and Texas did not vote, as they had
not been readmited since the Rebellion.
61. When does a gallon of vinegar weigh more, in summer or in winter?
A gallon of vinegar weighs more in winter than in summer, because the
cold causes the vinegar to contract, so that the measure holds more
than it does in warm weather, when the vinegar is not so dense.
62. When, where, and by whom was the oath of office administered to
Washington as President of the United States?
On the 30th of April, 1789, by Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, in
Federal Hall, Wall Street, New York.
63. What city was commonly called the “Mistress of the World”?
Rome; because it was for centuries the grandest, richest, and most
populous of European cities, and was regarded as the capital of a kind
of universal empire.
64. What was the real name of Pocahontas?
Her “real name” was Matoax, or Matoaka, but it was rarely uttered, as
the Indians believed that a knowledge of the real names of persons
gave their enemies power to cast spells upon them. Pocahontas was her
household name, by which she was generally called, though she had still
another name, Amonate.
65. What Indian chief was made an English peer, and with what title?
Manteo, the faithful Indian chief, after receiving Christian baptism,
was, “by the commandment of Sir Walter Raleigh,” invested with the
rank of baron, and the title, Lord of Roanoke. This was on the 13th of
August, 1587. Thus even in the American wilderness the vanities of life
were not forgotten.
66. What are violet stones?
This name is given to certain stones found upon high mountains, as in
Thuringia, upon the Harz Mountains, and the Riesengebirge, which, in
consequence of being covered with what is called _violet moss_,
emit a smell like that of violets. They retain this smell for a long
time, and it is increased by moistening them.
67. What was the origin of the term “Brother Jonathan”?
When George Washington, after being appointed commander of the army
of the Revolutionary War, went to Massachusetts to organize it, and
make preparations for the defence of the country, he found a great
want of ammunition and other means necessary to meet the powerful foe
with whom he had to contend, and great difficulty in obtaining them.
If attacked in such condition, the cause at once might be hopeless. On
one occasion, at that anxious period, a consultation of the officers
and others was had, when it seemed no way could be devised to make
such preparation as was necessary. His Excellency Jonathan Trumbull,
the elder, was then governor of Connecticut, and as Washington placed
the greatest reliance on his judgment and aid, he remarked, “We must
consult Brother Jonathan on the subject.” He did so, and the governor
was successful in supplying many of the wants of the army. When
difficulties afterward arose, and the army was spread over the country,
it became a by-word, “_We must consult Brother Jonathan._” The
origin of the expression being soon lost sight of, the name _Brother
Jonathan_ came to be regarded as the national sobriquet.
68. What is the national beverage of Japan?
This beverage is brewed from rice, and is called _saké_. The color
of the best _saké_ resembles very pale sherry; the taste is rather
acid. None but the very best grain is used in its manufacture, and the
principal breweries are Itami, Nada, and Hiôgo, all in the province of
Setsu.
69. What was the “Kitchen Cabinet”?
This name was given to the Hon. Francis P. Blair and to the Hon. Amos
Kendall, by the opponents of President Jackson’s administration. Blair
was the editor of the _Globe_, the organ of the president, and
Kendall was one of the principal contributors to the paper. As it was
necessary for Jackson to consult frequently with these gentlemen, and
as, to avoid observation, they were accustomed, when they called upon
him, to go in by a back door, the Whig party styled them, in derision,
the _Kitchen Cabinet_, alleging that it was by their advice that
the President removed so many Whigs from office and put Democrats in
their place.
70. When was the first census of the United States taken, and what was
the population?
The first census was taken in 1790, and the returns showed a population
of 3,929,214.
71. What Vice-President was not elected by the people?
Richard Mentor Johnson, of Kentucky, in 1837. No candidate for the
Vice-Presidency received a majority of the electoral votes, and,
according to the terms of the Constitution, the selection fell upon the
Senate, who elected Johnson.
72. What Vice-President did not serve?
William Rufus King, of Alabama, who was elected in 1852. Owing to his
poor health, he went to Cuba to spend the winter of 1852–53. The oath
of office was administered to him there by the American consul, but
he died April 18, 1853, soon after his return from the island to his
plantation at Cahawaha, Ala.
73. When and by whom was the Antarctic Continent discovered?
On Jan. 16, 1840, by the United States Exploring Expedition, under the
command of Lieut. Charles Wilkes (1801–1877). The land was first seen
from the mast-head. This was in latitude 61° 30″ south, and longitude
161° east. Wilkes traced the coast westward to 101° east, but was
prevented from landing by an impassable barrier of ice.
74. What led to the establishment of the “Order of the Garter”?