Jochebed his wife; Kehath (Amram's father) called him Abigdor because God repaired the breach of the house of Jacob; Kehath's nurse called him Abi Socho because he was hidden three months in his tabernacle; but all Israel called his name Shemaiah, because "in his days God heard their cries and rescued them from their oppressors." Moses Jekuthiel-Jared-Zanuch-Chabar-Abigdor-Socho-Shemaiah. Solomon's first wife's name was Djarada daughter of King Nubara, but his favorite was Naamah, No. 2, daughter of the king of the Ammonites; he also married Balkis queen of Sheba, and many others.

Many more names could be given, but these will suffice. While all these wives' name mentioned above are not found in the Bible, they are found in the Book of Jasher, the Talmud, and the Apocrypha.

DUODENAL ARITHMETIC. (Vol. VI, p. 263.) Duodenal arithmetic is probably the same as duodenary arithmetic, which is that system in which the local value of the figures increase in a twelve-fold proportion from right to left. MRS. L. T. GEORGE. Duodenal arithmetic has twelve for its base. The names of the character-figures in this system are as follows:

O zero, 1 an, 2 do, 3 tre, 4 tor, 5 pat, 6 sex, 7 ben, 8 ott, 9 nev, dis, 8 elv, 10 ton. Then the system goes on by regular combinations, 11 tonan, 12 tondo, 20 doton, 30 treton, 100 san, 200 dosan, 358 tresan-fortonott, 1000 tos, 1600 tossexan, 10000 dill.

A good elementary treatise of this system is given in "Elements of Mechanics," pp. 313-330, by John W. Nystrom, Philadelphia, 1875.

NAME OF CALIFORNIA. (Vol. VI. p. 236.) California is a name given by Cortes, in the year 1535, to the peninsular now called Lower or Old California, of which he was the discoverer. He probably took it from the old Spanish romance of "Esplandian," by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo, which was first published in 1510. In this work the name is given to an imaginary island," on the right hand of the Indies, very near to the Territorial Paradise," abounding in treasures of gold. The root of the word is perhaps the Spanish califa," caliph, from the Arabic "khalala," to succeed, the caliphs being the acknowledged successors of Mohammed. In some old geographies California is laid down as an island.

MRS. L. T. GEORGE.

66

(Vol. VI, p. 300.)

He de

FIRST NAME OF AMERICA. Does your correspondent mean America after the last discovery? If not, we may give him such names as Atlantis, Fusang, and the like, to choose from. The name by which Columbus knew the region was India, and he was pilato mayar de Indica. Hence Peru and Mexico were long known as the Indies." It may not be amiss, however, to add that the name America is itself American, and not a misnomer from the first name of Alberico Vespuzio. It belonged to a range of mountains in Central America rich in gold, and signifies the most elevated. Naturally America was the first name which a gold-hunter would learn, and would be common in Europe. It first appeared on a map pubished in 1507 by a bookseller at St. Die (Vages), named Waltzemüller, or by affectation of Hellenic fame, Hylacomglas. Probably he adopted it as a man's name. This could be of a person with "Rabb. Talmud ” “ Mochus," and a few other personifications. In fine, the Americ mountains gave the continent its name. A. WILDER. ROBERT B. THOMAS. (Vol. VI, p. 268.) Robert B. Thomas, the almanac-maker, gave the following account of his enterprise. sired to do business on his own account, and after several fruitless endeavors, waited upon Isaiah Thomas, who, he states, was not a relative, asking to take some of his almanacs to sell again. Mr. Thomas replied that he did not let his almanacs go, except to those of the trade. Mr. R. B. Thomas then began the publication of his own series. This was late in the last century, and the almanac is published now. I have read through and through the old almanacs by both Isaiah and Robert. My grandfather, in Barre, Mass., was for many years a subscriber to the Massachusetts Spy. The papers were preserved in the family with scrupulous care till 1834. Reading mat. ter was scarce and costly in those days; and a large family of us made very thorough work of those archaiac journals. My mother told me that Isaiah Thomas borrowed from an uncle a Bible to use in his office, whether as "copy" or to correct "proof" with, she could not tell. Mr. Thomas in 1776 read the Declaration of Independence to an audience in Worcester; and in 1826 read it again the 4th of July. For several years Isaiah Thomas, Junior, published the Spy. My mother and her sister had each an octavo Bible of Mr. Thomas's printing; and their step-mother, a philosophy. In June, 1887, I rode

from Chicago to Jacksonville, Ill., by way of Peoria. Passing rapidly through a town I saw the name of Isaiah Thomas conspicuous on a building to the left. I was curious to know more about it but did not find out the name of the town even.

A. WILDER.

The following are

New England, and
There were many

NEW EEGLAND ALMANACS. (Vol. VI, p. 268.) some of the almanacs that have been published in now continued regularly, except the last named. in the field during the last half of the last century and first half of the present century, and many of them of few years.

Daniel Robinson-Maine Farmers' Almanac, Hallowell, 1819-1883, Augusta, 1884-1889. Nos. 1-71. (Daniel Robinson, born April 8, 1777, died May 18, 1866, aged 89 years.)

Dudley Leavitt - Farmer's Almanack, Exeter, N. H., 1797-1823, Concord, 1824-1889. Nos. 193. (Dudley Leavitt born May 23, 1772, dled Sept. 20, 1851, aged 80 years.)

Robert B[aily] Thomas-Old Farmer's Almanack, Boston, Mass., 1793-1889. Nos. 1-97. Robert B. Thomas died May 19, 1846, age 80. David A. Daboll-New England Almanac and Farmer's Friend, New London, Conn. 1773-1889, Nos. 1-117.

Isaiah Thomas

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont Almanack, Worcester, Mass., 1778-1802. (Isaiah Thomas, Junior's), 1804-18-. Isaiah Thomas died April 4, 1881, age

82.

GREATEST COLD ON RECORD. (Vol. VI, p. 252.) The greatest cold on record was at Jakontask, Liberia, January 25, 1829, when the thermometer marked 73° below zero. The extreme summer heat at Bengal and the African desert is 150° Fahrenheit.

MRS. L. T. GEORGE.

Robbing Peter TO PAY PAUL. (Vol. VI, p. 252.) On the 17th of December, 1540, the abbey church of St. Peter at Westminister was advanced to the dignity of a cathedral by letters patent; but ten years later it was joined to the diocese of London again, and many of its estates appropriated to the repairs of St. Paul's cathedral.

Tanquam siguis crucifigeret Paulum ut redimeret Petrum."

"It is not desirable to rob St. Peter's altar in order to build one to

St. Paul."

MRS. L. T. GEORGE.

QUESTIONS.

I. Who is the one referred to in the following, taken from Dr. F. V. Kenealy's work, "The Book of God-The Apocalypse of AdamOannes," p. 18:

"The student who devotes himself to themes of this high nature, will do well to bear in mind the words of one, who was well capable of raising his sublime intellect to the most exalted purposes, but who was so misled by worldy shows that he sacrificed God and Heaven to the merest phantoms, and reaped what all such sowers reap, a life of sorrow, disappointment and disgrace.'

S. D. D.

2. What asterism is meant by Tyshya, in the following quotation : "When the sun and moon and the lunar asterism Tyshyr and the planet Jupiter are ino ne mansion, the Age of Purity shall come." 3. Why are the Roman numerals IIII usually put upon dials for the 4th hour instead of IV? JUNIOR.

4. Can any reader give any information relative to an old poem written on the occasion of one man selling a piece of land to another man and reserving the right "to raise one more crop "; and he sowed acorns to raise a crop of oaks, probably in revenge, or some freak?

R. 5. When did the first emigrant ship leave England for any other country? D. M. DRURY. 6. What country has the greatest variety of coins in circulations? D. M. DRURY.

7. The assertion has very confidently been made by an intelligent gentleman that the well-known expression, "gone over to the majority,” is incorrect, if it means to say that the dead of the earth outnumber the living. Can any reader cipher out an approximation in regard to this question? G. R. A., Albany, N. Y.

8. My name is James Pharaoh Mann. the phoneti spelling, in superscriptions Mann, or James F. Mann?

How should it be put in for instance, James Ph.

J. P. M.

9. What was the name of "The Village Blacksmith," celebrated in song by H. W. Longfellow?

IO.

ORLEANS.

Who is " Parallax," the author of the work entitied "Earth not a Globe," or what is known as Zetetic Astronomy? ORLEANS. II. Where does Carlyle say "The great lesson we all have to learn is obedience," or words to that effect?

A. W.

12. Where can a quite full catalogue of the published writings of Thomas Lake Harris be found? AN ADMIRER.

13.

Who is the person who writes and publishes under the name of Sivartha or Sidartha ? Who is his publisher ?

HIERO.

*

A Remarkable Vision

Showing the sudden and surprising appearance, the celestial mein and heavenly conversation of the departed spirit of MR. YEAMANS, late student at Yale College, to and with MR. H. GOODWIN, his friend and class-mate; tending to astonish, edify and instruct. "God speaketh once, yea twice, * in a vision of the night." (Job xxxiii, 14-15). "I will meet thee at Philippi."-Ghost of Brutus. The second edition carefully revised and corrected by JAMES TREADWAY, who was personally acquainted with MR. YEAMANS, and MR. GOODWIN, and born in the same town with MR. YEAMans.

The two persons mentioned in the following vision, I was acquainted with about three years in Yale College, in New Haven, Connecticut. MR. YEAMANS was born in Colchester, the same town that I was. He was a youth of an unblemished character, and very steady and religious, and his parents were wealthy and respectable. MR. GOODWIN also descended from respectable parents living in the town of Winterbury, in Connecticut, and appered to be a very sober and pious youth, the three years that I was acquainted with him, He acquired a good degree of learning while at college, and by his good conduct merited a good reputation, and the honors of college. He was licensed to preach the gospel by ministers of respectable character of the congregational order; and when he became a preacher, then it appeared more clear than before, that he loved God supremely; and being sensible of the dangerous situation that mankind were in by nature, he seemed to long for their salvation; and if I mistake not he was preaching on probation, when he was the subject of the following vision. I believe it is a fact that MR. GOODWIN was really awake, and his mind in regular order, when he beheld the appearance, and really heard such words proceeding from it; so that it is not a fictitious thing; but what the appearance really was I cannot say. I do not doubt but that it appeared to him, to be an exact representation to him of his class-mate MR. YEAMANS, both in his looks and voice. Let the words of the vision be spoken by whom they will, they are all real and important truths, and ought to be received and embraced as such. Connecticut, April 4, 1795.

· JAMES TREADWAY.

TO THE READER : A short time before his death, MR. GOODWIN wrote the following epitaph for himself:

"How short, how precarious, how uncertain is life! How quick the transition from time to eternity! How soon the thread of life is spun! A breath, a gasp, a groan or two, and we are seen no more! Yet on this brittle thread (alarming thought!) hang a vast eternity!"

Died January, 1767, Æt. 27.