MULTUM IN PARVO.

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 64

MULTUM IN PARVO.

British Islands.

ihe population of the British Empire exceeds one-quarter of the population oi tne world. Allah, the name of the Mohammedan dioty, means ‘‘the one worthy to be adored.” ... , , , Newfoundland, Britain s oldest oversea domain, was acquired in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. . . Last year’s birth-rate in England and Wales was the lowest on r.cord. would burn out in less than 5000 years. Out of ovary 70 people in England and Wales, one dies every year. The five highest in the world are all to be found in the Himalayas. —ln spite of the length of the g.ratfe s neck, tinre are only seven joints in it, as in that of a man. Sovereigns which have been in use for more than 15 years are generally below the standard weight required by lavv.—Of the D0G,000,000 people speaking tne principal European languages, English cla ms •.60,000,000 and German 130,000,000. With the exception of New Zealand, the King’s Own Regiment has seen service in every part of the British Empire. Since their discovery, in 18/0, the diamond mines at Kimbeney have yielded an average return worth over £4,000,000 per annum. Quite recently a vessel in the China Seas was blown up by striking a mine which had boon laid in the Russo-Japanese war 10 years ago. Snow whicn appears to be red —owing to the presence of minute vegetable aigte ,s found in the Antarct.c. 'ihe waltz is a national German dance, and was introduced into England by a German baron ICO years ago. When a chdd dies in Greenland tno natives bury a living dog with it, the idea being that the dog'should be used by tin' child as a guide to the other world. —ln the Japanese navy the mossing allowance is the same for all ranks. A vice-adm.ral and an ordinary seaman get alike the modest sum of 5s a week. The shamrock was adopted as the. national emblem of Ireland because St. Patrick selected it in order to explain to the Irish the doctrine of the Trinity. —ln the Russian army, a ‘‘chief singer.” who receives extra pay, marches in front of each company of soldiers, and gives the opening lines of the verses. —lt has been estimated that the earth can maintain a population of 6,000,000,0C0 — a total which will be reached about a.d. 2100, at the present rate of increase. _ The largest boll in the world is the “Czar Kolokol”—the Great Bell of Moscow. It weighs nearly £OO tons —about 20 times as much as Big Ben. .Fish that live at depths of over 2000 fathoms below the surface of the sea possess elastic throats and stomachs, which enable them to swallow other fish larger than themselves. Eight of the counties of England contain more than 1,000,000 acres of land each: Yorkshire, Somerset, Devonshire, Hampshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire,' Norfolk, and Northumberland. Fighting-fish are reared in Siam as a means of amusement. These are small fresh-water fish, and so pugnacious that, when two of them arc placed near each other, they at once begin to fight. When the fish is quiet irs colours are dull, but when excited it is of a metallic brilliance. —-Berlin newspapers announce that 150 swans which ornamented the rivers and lakes around Potsdam have been killed, as the authorities did not feel justified in squandering food on them at this time. The demands of the home camps and of the soldiers’ wives are mainly responsible for sn increase of 6,000,0001 b of tea consumed during the first seven months, of this year. The German Government has, owing to the great demand for small coins in the occupied districts and the scarcity of copper and nickel, decided to use iron for the coinage of five pfennig pieces. A calculating philatelist declares that no fewer than 326 distinct varieties of new stamps have been issued during the past year, as the direct or indirect result of the war. The Allies are responsible for 206, Aubtro-Gcrmany and Turkey for 95, and neutrals for 25. A curious discovery was made at North wich (England) in a field near Crowe railway. Three boys found a noouliar tin canister which,, on being touched, practically crumbled into dust. Instead of a bomb, which the youngsters half expected, the canister contained 38 sovereigns of Queen Victoria’s reign, the most modern being dated 1883. They were handed over to tne police, who believe they must have been hidden at least a quarter of a century. One theory is that they were stolen by someone who dcoamped, and either died or never found an opportunity of returning for the treasure. The coins are splendidly preserved.