A Subscriber.
Answer.—To clean and polish silver, silver-plate, and alloys, the following method is often employed: To 1 quart of water is added 1 ounce of carbonate of potash and ¼ pound of whiting. This is heated, and the silver immersed. When the liquid has boiled for twenty minutes it is removed from the fire and permitted to cool. Each piece is then taken out and polished with soft leather.
THE FAMOUS BURLEIGH.
Colfax, Ind.
Give me a short history of Lord Burleigh.
Samuel Smith.
Answer.—William Cecil Burleigh, who, Hume declares, was the “most vigilant, active and prudent Minister ever known in England,” was born in Lincolnshire in 1520. He studied law and graduated at Cambridge. When only 28 years old, he became Secretary of State, but at the accession of the Catholic Queen Mary he resigned. Although he was a stanch supporter of the Protestant cause, he was one of the few who was not persecuted. When Queen Elizabeth in 1558 succeeded her sister, Burleigh again assumed control of the state and became virtually the Prime Minister. For forty years he retained this office, until his death. To his ability much of the credit of Elizabeth’s wise and prosperous reign is due. He was a man in whom “the Virgin Queen” could place entire confidence. He was rewarded in 1571 with a barony and in the following year was made Lord Treasurer. His rule has been severely criticised in some particulars, and especially as regards his treatment of Mary, Queen of Scots; but his integrity and statesmanship have never been called in question by well-informed, impartial historians.
STATISTICS OF RELIGIOUS SECTS.