- A wonderful collection of historical relics was left by a Suffolk gentleman who died recently. Among the most interesting are three lockets containing hair of the first D-uke of Wellington; a lock of hair from the heads of Isaac Newton and the Emperor Napoleon (together with a knife used by the latter), and Thomas Beaufort. Duke of Exeter. The collection included an autograph of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, numerous swords and daggers, the tartan of Prince Charles Stewart, and a green silk handkerchief that once belonged to Daniel O’.Connell. The National Portrait Gallery will be the richer by several famous pictures bequeathed by this great- collector. Probably the oldest living thing in the world, older than the cedars of 1 Lebanon, or any of the giant sequoia of California, is a cypress tree recently discovered and measured by a naturalist 111 the churchyard of a small town in Alexieo (relates Everyday .Science). The diameter of its trunk is s Oft, 14ft more than that of the largest known sequoia. Judging from a similar cypress, which was found when cut down to have 200 year rings for every foot of growth, the big cypress must be 5000 years old. It is still flourishing, although it was a well-grown tree when the Pyramids were being built A resident of Levin was making his wav in the back country on the slopes of the Tararuas, when he came across a human skeleton on the second ridge of the range. It was at first thought that the remains had been there for a verv considerable period, at least 20 years. Closer inspection brought to light a mystery that promises somewhat remarkable features. Coins were found near the skeleton dating as late as 1916, which shows that the man must have wandered during the war period, and died of exhaustion or starvation. At 4 o’clock on the morning of the 14th a severe earthquake was felt at Westport.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 3571, 22 August 1922, Page 27
Word Count
324Untitled Otago Witness, Issue 3571, 22 August 1922, Page 27
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