miscellaneous.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 697, 13 October 1909, Page 7

miscellaneous.

Japan, with a population of about 27,000,000. employs upwards of 30,600.,000 persons in her fishery, fish-curing, and aquatic industries, including profitable seaweed and sea-salt farms. Great Britain and Ireland, with a population exceeding 45,000,000, do not employ 200,000 persons in these trades.

Unique Wedding in Paris. —The marriage of twin brothers to twin sisters recently took place in Paris, and aroused very great interest. What added to the singularity of this double wedding was the fact that the "best men" were also twin brothers. The eldest twin bridegroom married the youngest twin bride. A large crowd of people gathered in the church to witness the unique spectacle.

An American Giantess.—The largest woman in America is claimed by Lowell, in the State of Massachusetts. Her name is Mrs. Flossie Ouilette. She is forty years old and weighs 4421b. Her arm measures 30m. round, her waist measure is 58m., and her chest measures 7ft. 4in. Her heig-ht is sft. Bin. Unlike many stout people, Mrs- Ouilette is light on her feet, has always done her own housework, and she is a great walker. While her pace is slow er than ordinary, she does not get out of breath. She has weighed 5001b., bwt has been losing in weight of late. Her father, an Irishman named Maloney, weighed 2581b., and her mother, a French-Canadian, weighed 2641b. They had eighteen children, all of enormous size, a sister weighing 3661b. and a brother 3061b., while the smallest of thellott t weighs 2121b. Mrs. Ouilette is a widow, and her husband weighed only 1351b. She has had eleven children,, and only one of them, a daughter, takes after her mother in size.

NEW ANCIENT TREASURES FOUND. Important discoveries have just been made at the Janiculum Hill, Rome, the site of the Temple of Ancient Divinities. Excavations have revealed the foundations of a rectangular temple, containing many interesting rejmains. Most important of these is a triangular brick-built altar, _ facing cast, and with a small well hidden in the centre. When this well, which was covered with tiles, was opened, it was found to contain a bronze statue of the god Kronos. with a serpent wound

round his boclv. The" well also contained eggs, evidently sacrifical offerings. An unknown religious rite of ancient Rome may be brought to light by this discovery. Other finds in the excavation were a fragment of the marble pedestal of a statue of Bacchus, another of an unknown goddess, and several bronze objects.

TAXING BACHELORS. The taxation of bachelors has become a reality in Bulgaria. The newspapers of Sofia declare that the tax has been popularly received, even by those who will have to pay it. They do not consider that to pay Bs. 4d. a year for keeping their liberty is a very great hardship. The bachelors of the ancient Tirnovo, while willing to pay the tax, suggest that a condition should be attached to it. They have petitioned the Finance Minister to suppress the carnival custom of striking bachelors with bladders fixed to sticks. The bachelors are struck with bladders because of the'ir unwillingness to find wives. They came in for rough usage during the recent carnival. OLD ROME'S PALACES: NOT SO SPLENDID AS OUR HOTELS. Guglielmo Ferrero, one of the greatest of living historians, tells us that Rome, even in the times of its greatest splendour, was poor in comparison with, the modern world; even in the second century after Christ, when it stood as metropolis at the head of an immense empire Rome was smaller, less wealthy, less imposing, than a great metropolis of Europe-or of America. Some sumptuous public edifices, beautiful houses —that is all the splendour of the metropolis of the empire. Moreover, the palaces of the ios ruin that stirs the artist and makes the philosopher think; but if one sets himself to measure them, to conjecture from the remains the proportions of the entire edifices, he does not conjure up buildings that rival large modern constructions. OUR MODERN LIFE BLESSINGS. The palace of Tiberius, for example, rose above a street only about seven feet wide —an alley like those where today in Italian cities lives only the most miserable inhabitants. We have pictured to ourselves the imperial banquets of aiioient Rome as functions of unheard of splendour; if Nero or Elagabalus could come to life and see the dining room of a great hotel in Paris or London —resplendent with light, with crystal, with silver —he would admire it as far more beautiful than the halls in which he gave his imperial leasts. Think how poor were the ancients in artificial ight! They had few wines; they knew neither tea nor coffee nor cocoa; neither tobacco, nor the innumerable liqueurs of which we make use; in face of our habits, they were always Spartan, even when they wasted, because they lacked the means to squander.

1125 SHOTS AN HOUR. A new automatic repeating shot gun has been invented by M. Sjogren, of Stockholm. It has received the approval of many leading military experts, and in some quarters it is said that its invention may necessitate the re-armament of all European armies. At present it is made only with a 12gauge barrel, whilst the magazine is fitted to hold but five cartridges, thou'gh the inventor claims that it can be made with a carrying capacity of nine cartridges. The great advantage of the new weapon is that no manipulation is required after the magazine is once filled, until all the shots are exhausted. M. Sjogren's invention consists of the adapting of an inertia breech block covert to a rifle, by means of which immediately after firing, this covert by its own inertia, takes up sufficient of the power of recoil to effect the instantaneous re-cocking of the striker and the ejection of the empty cartridge, together with the simultaneous insertion of a new one.

A striking- demonstration of its qualities was given by Company-Ser-geant-Major Wallingford, of the Hythe School of Musketry who fired a series of shots from a prone position at a miniature target. It was found that of three consecutive clips of/ five cartridges each, the slowest time was 6 seconds per clip, and the fastest 4 seconds for the five shots, while for loading the longest time occupied was 14 seconds and the shortest 12 seconds. Taking the slower figures, this would mean that the user of such a rifle has a capacity of five shots every 20 seconds, equal to 900 per hour; or, at the hig-her speed, five shots in 16 seconds, which is equal to 1125 shots per hour. A prominent member of the National Rifle Association remarked that the. system means that every soldier will carry a miniature Maxim gum.

"How glorious it is to be engaged in a purely intellectual occupation!" murmured a young maiden, gazing rapturously into -the admiring eyes of the editor. "Your own mental faculties for tools, and the whole universe for a workshop. Now tell me," she added, "what do you find the most difficult thing connected with your noble profession?" "Paying the staff," said the editor.

A schoolmaster who happened to have red hair was giving an object lesson to a class on a nut.

In his endeavour to draw a distinction between a ha?el nut and other nuts, he held one up to view; asking:— "What kind of nut is this?" at the same time without a thought putting his pencil to his head while waiting for an answer.

Suddenly a young chap, who was noted for his witty answers, replied:— "A ginger nut, sir."

IMPOSSIBLE! A retired Naval chaplain became rector of an English country parish. On one occasion his parishoners, wishing to give him a surprise, bought a flag for the church tower. When the rector saw it hoisted on the tower he at once ordered it to be taken down. On being asked his reason for doing so, he indignantly answered — "Allow that flag to fly over my church —never: Do you know what that particular flag signifies ? 'ln di^ r ess; want a pilot?'"