NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 25

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Constant Rkader.— Any person making a false declaration under the Marriage Act is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to be punished by fine or imprisonment. Marriage with a woman under 2L years of age is binding notwithstanding the fact that the man made a false statement of the woman's age and the parents or guardian did not consent. If there are no parents or guardians no consent is necessary, but 14 days' notice to the registrar is required, and proof to his satisfaction that there is no parent or guardian In the case of marriage procured by means of false statements between persons, one or both of whom is or are under 21 years of age, unless in the case of a widower or widow, the parent or guardian of the minor can sue for a forfeiture of the minor's property. E. L. B.— Hunting watches with a small crystal centre, showing the figures without opening the case, are obtainable of most watchmakers. Pamphlet Wanted.— " J. F." writes :— About the year 1864 or 1565 Mr Forsyth, of Milton, published, at the request of the Provincial Government, a pamphlet on the cultivation of Russian and Irish flax. If any of your readers would kindly supply a copy, or the original, to "J. F.," care editor Witness, they would greatly oblige. R. B. — Unitarian is the name commonly given to Christians who do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity, or the Deity of Christ. Most of the Unitarian ministers are trained at the Manchester New College, Oxford, but the University Home Missionary College, in Manchester, educates ministry students who cannot go up to the New College. Statist.— The civil list and allowance of the King of Italy is £571,600, of which £36,000 is for the royal family ; the King of Prussia, £770,554, with a vast amount of private property ; the King of Spain, £280,000, besides £120,000 for the royal family. T. M.— His statement was true. Both legs of a large proportion of human beings are not of the same length. Of 70 skeletons measured, only seven, or 10 per cent., had lower limbs of equal length ; 25, or 35 8 per cent., had the right limb longer than the left ; and in 38 cases, or 54 5 per cent., the left limb was the longer. If the limbs are unequal in length, the individual cannot be expected to walk straight unless when guided by the eye, and this fact goes far to explain the reason of persons lost in snow or fog or forest travelling in a circle when endeavouring to find their way. S. P. and H.— (l) House and Roach, Princes street. (2) Came to hand too late to make inquiries in time for this issue ; will reply next week, W. M. — Too late for proper part of paper ; appears elsewhere. Oamaru.— The case has not been reported at all, but we are making inquiries about it. Enquirer.— You will find by referring to the linancial Statement delivered by Mr Ballance in 1878 (Hansard, p 48) that after the close of the preceding ses sion Mr Larnach was appointed one of the loan agents (Sir Julius Vogel, Sir P. Julyan, and Captain Ommaney being the others) to float a loan of £3,500,010. The Bank of England undertook the issue of the loan, the total amount subscribed being about eight millions and thiee-quarters. G. 11. G.— To reach Te Anau you would require to leave Dunedin by the 8.5 a.m. train on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday for Lumsden, thence by coach, which can be aaranged for with the coach proprietor there at any time, but must be ordered, as it only luns when required.