From a Knight in Japan.
In answer to your request, I will try to give you a few ideas about Japan. Japan 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 constitution, in 1889. The Emperor is assisted 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 Japanese 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 Japan, while there are grapes and figs in plenty, plums, strawberries in season, a few apples, and tasteless pears. Yokohama is the principal 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 Japan are macadamized and beautifully clean. Yokohama contains 5000 foreigners, 200 only of which are Americans. The people of Japan 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 Japan has been victorious, as I think that Americans take the side of the Japanese. I have lived here six years, but was born in San Francisco and lived there seven years.
Charles H. Thorn, R.T.K.
Tokyo, Japan.
Query for the Natural History Society.
Does any botanical member know the modern classification (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 mass 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.