MULTUM IN PARVO.

Otago Witness, Issue 3197, 23 June 1915, Page 64

MULTUM IN PARVO.

«•» “ Jingo,” in the Basque language, means God. Motor cars fitted -with X-ray apparatus arc used extensively by tlie i’ rcncn Red Cross Society. England, France, and Russia possess about six times as many submarines as Germany. . More than 20,000 priests, including three bishops, are serving as combatants in the French army. . . , "Khaki” is a Hindustani word, derived from the Persian word "Ithak, meaning earth or dust. Good gunners will fire from 25 to 30 rounds a minute from the French- 75 weapon. , , —ln Russia the standard/ as regards height for military service begins at stt for infantry and stt 3m for cavalry. - aeroplane the ritie is aimed not at the machine, but at a point about six lengths ahead of it. lo hit centre of a Zeppelin the rifleman aims at its nose. , , . . ~ —So great is the velocity of electricity that it could travel round the world eight times in a minute. . At the beginning of the nineteenth century more than 200 offences were punishable with death in England. . , Over 5000 Belgian residents m Canada have enlisted as recruits for their country s forces at the front. Tibet is not allowed to sell, lease, or mortgage any Tibetan" territory to any foreign Power without the consent of Great Britain. , . „ The first spadeful of earth in the construction of the Kiel Canal was turned by Kaiser Wilhelm I, grandfather of the pro sent German Emperor. , , Canada built and engined the first steamer that crossed the Atlantic. She w-as the Royal William, and was launched at Cape Cove, Quebec, in 1831. In 1833 she went from Picton, N.S., to Gravesend, taking 25 days to make the passage. Every week brewers and distillers in the United Kingdom use up 73,000 ; Q001b of grain, 5,000,0001 b of rice or maize, and 9,500,0001 bof sugar or sugar equivalents. During the renovation by the Olhce ot Works of the Roman Pharos, near Dover Castle, the removal of some stonework, probably erected during the last two or three centuries, has opened out a Roman sentiybox inside the ancient tower. Half-crowns become illegible, on a si average, after 65 years of use, florins afte* 45 years, shillings after 42 years, sixpences after 28 years, and threepenny pieces after 53 years. , ~ “AT” is the character used at Lloyds to represent the highest class for wooden vessels. The character used to represent the highest class for iron and steel vessels :s “100A1.” „ iIA —Boruch Josseltc, a Jewish woman, HU years of age, who arrived at Warsaw, whither she had fled from the advancing army, had already once before taken refuge in the same city, when in the year 1812 she was a fugitive from the troops of Napoleon. . .. . The Dutch Government is considering the possibility of entrusting the mail service to torpedo boats. Holland has seven first-class torpedo Boats, which can develop a speed of 23 knots an hour. Enough cyanide of potassium to kill 30 persons was found in the possession of Joseph Bernstein, a Russian Polo, who was found dead in his cubicle at Rowton House. Hammersmith road, London. At the inquest the jury returned a verdict ol “ Suicide while of unsound mind.

The Jam Sahib oi Nawanagar, better known as Ranjltsinhji, the cricketer, was about- two miles from Neuve Chapelle during the great battle, and he has been using his experiences there to good effect at recruiting meetings. Many of the troops at the front are deriving, it is stated, much pleasure from mouth organs sent out to thorn by friends. An officer writes: “Our mouth organ band is lovely. I am sending the men into a church service at a home some three miles away this afternoon, and the only music to start the hymns will bo that of the mouth organ.” —lt is stated that the Australian Commonwealth could in itself undertake to furnish all the meat needed for the British armies for the next year or two, and, given fair seasons, soon recover from such a drain upon her live-stock resources. There are at present upwards of 90,000,000 sheep and some 12,000,000 cattle in Australia. _ The German motto, “ God punish England ” can now be obtained all over Germany in the form of a rubber stamp for use on the backs of letters, newspapers, etc. The popular imprecation is also printed on collection boxes, on the walls of cafes, and amid patriotic decorations. British Columbia millmen have been asked to bid on a contract for 500,000. 0C0ft of lumber to be used in constructing 100,000 two-room houses in Franco. The houses are to be built at Government expense for the use of people who have lost their houses and other property in the war. —ln the recent North Sea fight, it, is said, most of the hits were made on the decks of the vessels by dropping shells which had reached a. height of three miles in their curve. Curiously enough, a ship that is fighting end on to her enemy is more likely to be bit than one in the broadside position. The gunner rarely misses h : s direction, so perfect are the modoyn sighting appliances; but the proiectile may fall short dr pass over the target. Therefore an end-on ship furnishes the best mark because it is longer. —lt costs about, £5 6s 8d a year for a Russian peasant and bis family to live. Mr Rot-hay Reynolds, sneaking at the London University, named this figure from personal observation. Taking l a 'household where several relatives lived together, a family of three men. their wives and families, the expense for the whole party for the year, he said, came to about £l6, or £5 6s Sd each man. The women were expected to provide their own clothes, weaving the cloth themselves. There wore also sums for religious services. There was no expenditure for food, as the Russian grew all he required. i;nelud : ng the wheat for the h-ead. ’—The new French 4in gun for attach- on aircraft has proved to ho a very efficient weapon. It fires a projectile we'-gb-mr about 361 b. with a muzzle velocity of 1870 ft per second. The sighting is by means of a panoramic glass, and the gun-pointing is done similar-ly to that of the well-known French 75 gun. The carriage remains fixed, the gun recoiling to a distance of one metre and returm'en- to hatterv hv means of compressed air. The weight of the piece in action with its armoured screen is about two and a-half tons.