FACTS, FIGURES, AND FANCIES.

Golden Bay Argus, Volume VII, Issue 66, 5 September 1901, Page 3

FACTS, FIGURES, AND FANCIES.

The population of Delagoa Bay, which was 300 in 1890, is 6,000 to-day. In England 600,0001 b. of tea are consumed daily. The velocity of a bullet from the LeeMetford is very nearly half a mile in a second. i —.... Baccarat has been prohibited in Russia, even in private houses, by a ukase of the Czar. The donkey is the longest lived of domestic animals. In New York there are 6,919 acres of public parks. The German Army has the healthiest troops in the world. The Austrian Army, active and reserve, includes over 2,000 Jews. There are 635 professional guides in the Tyrolese mountains. In some Swiss villages eggs are in circulation in lieu of money. The Malay language is spoken by more than 40,000,000 persons. A man is generally at his heaviest in his fortieth year. Many people mean to be honest, but they live beyond their means. It is estimated'that about 2,000,000,000 bicycles have been made in Europe and America. More fortunes have been made in South Africa of late years than in any other corner of the world. Projectiles for modern big and rapid-fire guns require about half their weight in powder to fire them. Imitation may be the sincerest flattery; but a girl does not think so when she is presented with a paste diamond. The United States Government pensionroll contains the astounding number of 991,519 names. The doll is probably the most antique of toys. It has been found inside the graves of children of ancient Rome. A married man can live on half the income of a bachelor—but it is generally because he has to. Fireworks are sent off before the services at the Bahia Cathedral (in Brazil) in order to attract the attention of the people. ■ The Royal crown of Persia takes the form of a flower-pot. surmounted by a large uncut ruby. According to some men’s notions the law that needs repealing worst is the mother-in law. The Arctic whale never emigrates south. It could not live in warm waters of the southern seas. The Orange River, which forms the northern boundary of Cape Colony, is 1,200 miles long. If you have a horseshoe above the door and it doesn’t fall on your head, you are lucky. Peru possesses such a diversity of elevations and climatic peculiarities as to be able to produce almost any product known to man. Tin is one of the oldest known metals. The Chinese have used it in the fabi-ication of their brasses and bronzes from time immemorial. The smallest regiment in the British Army is the Royal Alderney Militia, which has only as officers a lieutenant-colonel commandant, a captain, and two lieutenants. It is interesting to note that one man makes all the burglars’ “jemmies” in London. The police know the man well, and are fully aware of his peculiar trade; but there is no law by which he can be arrested or stopped.