HERE AND THERE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10781, 1 June 1911, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

A TICKET : TQ TEtE STARS. , y . Sir David Gilf gave the cost of 'a trip.to the .stars in a.lecture on "The Sidereal Universe" before the membeag of the Royal Institution. '-'The nearest fixed" star," he said, "is 270,000 times as far - off as . the sun (which .is 93,000,000 .miles from the earth), and if you wished to travel to it even economically—say a penny a hundred miles—-the ticket : would' cost one and a-half times the National Debt." THE KING'S PIPER. - On recent days, by the King's, command, his Majesty's Scottish piper, an Army veteran named Forsyth, has provided bagpipe music outside the royal -apartments at Buekingham.Palace. The playing has generally taken place during the breakfast hour on/fine mornings, the King's piper marching up and down in front of the King's private rooms, .which are on-the right-hand side of the palace, fronting Constitution Hill. Both the King and Queen are fond of the. :music of the bagpipes, and the King's-piper is permanently attached to the Royal Household staff: He lives outside the palace, but eacli morning appears on-duty, wearing the kilt and ready to play should the. King so desire. ".■'■'"" POPULATION OF AUSTRIA-HUN-GARY. The provincial results of the census taken throughout Austria-Hungary on December 31 last are now published. The total population of the Dual-Mon-archy is well past the 50,000,000 mark,, the provisional numbers > being over 51,300,000, an increase of nearly 5;000,000 during the last 10 years. The population of Austria, estimated at 28,500,000, has increased by 9.2 per cent., and that -of Hungary—nearly 21,000,00Q--by 8.3 per cent. / The population of Bosnia exceeds 1,750,000, an increase of "nearly 21 per cent. The rate of'increase in the previous decade was somewhat, higher, except in the case of Bosnia, and the falling-off in later years-is due to' a lower birth-rate "and. an-.increaseiiof- emigration. X-RAY-PROOF ARMOUR.

4 Garments designed'*o protect doctors and surgeons from the influence of the, X-rays—which cause r cruel/suffering to those whose skin is often'- '•exposed' to them —are described in tlieiPresse Medicale by Dn Paul Anbourg. They, include a rubber mask with spectacles or a lead glaze, ai-long-lead, rubber, • and.bismuth,- and Ithiek gauntlets of the same material. .-The whole of the head is covered by"<shte mask, which, with it's broad nose-piece and- spectacles, gives: the wearer the appearance of an Inquisitor about to operate in a medieval torture-chamber. HOW ENGLAND GROWS.

'■■ The natural increase of the population of England and Wales last year was 413,779, a return issued recently showing that 897,100 births were registered, as against 483,321 deaths. During the same period .267,416 marriages took place. Male births exceeded female .by 17,964, and male deaths were 14,980 more than female: ; Lancashire, which in 1901 was the next county in point of population to London, with about 100,000 less iiow 'exceeds the metropolitan county by over 58,000. Last year Lancashire had 7725 more birtns and 11,402 more deaths-than London. Rutlandshire, with 400 births and 244 deaths during the year, is at the bot-tom''of-the English counties, and Radnorshire, ■- with - 395 births and deaths, at.the bottom of the Welsh. GERMAN STUDENTS: . ; ' .; '

WORLD'S FASTEST SHIP. : The British Navy now possesses the fastest ship in the world. This is the new Dreadnought cruiser Indefatigable, which has' iusf returned to • Plymouth, after carrying out steam and gunnery trials:^.-, The. .new. vessel can travel through the water at the rate ot Id knots (33i miles) per hour. She is, therefore, considerably faster Ijhan the record-holding Atlantic liner Ma lire-, tania, which,has never reached a .speed of '27' knots. It was during her acceptance trial-of-24-hours'duration that "the ■ Indefatigable attained her remarkable ' speed. She did mot reach within two or three knots of it contractors' tests, but has since been fitted with a new main steam pipe, tor which the acceptance trial was'delayed.

EUROPE'S OLDEST .HOUSE. .... ... Count Matusehka-Grieffenklau voked a conference of archaeologists in his house in Wiiikel-on-the-Rhine The conference unanimously expressed the opinion that the count's is the oldest house still occupied in Europe. It wa| formerly the dwelling of the Bishop, ot May ence;'.- R obnus Maunis, who died there in 850. : ';',' ;'."

GIFT OF A BRIDE, ■.< ', ; , ■- At the 5 ' last I moment the marriage which was announced to take place between Enver Bey,' the Turkish military attache at Berlin, -andvthe-.daughter of Prince Suleiman,. apiece ofvthe-present Sultan-.has .been' postponed^rThe.lmperial Princess, was bestowed as a_gttt ftp'on- Enver 'Bey, in recognition of his Services, at /the,time of the.-revolution. It is now stated that. Enver Bey has been ordered; to accompany the War Minister.: to. Macedonia.on a. tour, of inspection. BRITISH GIANTS^: : ; -y.-

- The announcement which was made ihat there would-be a parade of stalwarts : at the--Festival of-Empire at the Crystal Palace; "at which.- prizes would Be given for the best ■"specimens _-has resulted jn the receipt at ±he Festival offices df*a?sheaf.-of letters It should be noted that in addition to, a prize for the tallest man there will be prizes for men with the best allround, physical development and the biggest'chest measurement. Ccimpefttors will have to undergo various tests of physipai.culture.-: <.>y'-,'. ' r '' ; ' '.' ". The tallest man so-far is-an army chaplain, who lives in London. -.'l am 6ft. 9in. without boots," he writes. "I weigh. 165t.,. 81b., and I may say without fear' of contradiction Lam built accordingly." From East Ham comes a competitor who says he is 6ft 7 J iin. in -his boots, and there are, two others who run him rather" closeone from Londonderry," who is 6ft. 6jin. in his socks, and an ex-sergeant of police who is 6ft. -6|-in. without boots. A.-Bristol military giant advances claims of long pedigree as well as long limbs. "I am 6ft. 6in. in stockings, he savs. "and am straight up an" down/ I have served 18 years in tho Rova! Artillery. An . ancestor carried the standard of the invaders at the Battle of Hastings, bejug descended from Rollo, first Duke of Normandy. A Cambridge man writes. "I am only 6ft. 2in., but weighs 10st. 121b., and am 50in. round the chest. T linve a friend who is 7ft." ' 'Devonshire is represented by two pairs of brothers, who are comparatively children, being merelv 6ft. 3in. to 6ft. 4in. in height and 13st. odd in weight. "Arc we any good F" they ask.-;