THINGS ENGLISH AND OTHERWISE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7904, 6 January 1904, Page 2

THINGS ENGLISH AND OTHERWISE.

RADIUM AND CANCER. Dr Exner, who was commissioned by the Vienna Academy of Science to inquire into the method of curing disease by radium, has submitted his report in respect of the treatment of cancer. According to this report (says the " Chronicle's " correspondent), in nin% cases radium has effected very considerable abatement in the cancerous swelling, and ih two of these cases the swelling has not reappered, although five months have elapsed since the treatment. Ini one case where it was impossible to operate for cancer in the palate, radium had.-effect-ed considerable improvement, the swelling having been reduced to a minimum. Dr Exner concludes that in cases in which an operation is possible this course is preferable, but the radium treatment is advisable in oases where an operation is impossible. A NORTH RAILWAY. The most northerly railway in the worldhas just been opened to public traffic. The object of this new line( which penetrates far within the Arctic Circle, is to connect the existing line from Stockholm to Lulea with the northern part of Naroik, on the Atlantic Ocean, where the Norwegian coast is broken by the irregular inlet of the Ofo--ten Fiord. The terminus of the, new line is considerably north of the 68th parallel of latitude, and the traveller passes over about a thousand miles of country in journeying from Stockholm to this remote harbour. This distance will be covered by the Lapland express in forty-eight hours, but at present the number of trains running from Stockholm to this new centre of industry i_ not large. It is thought .hat the passenger traffic can be accommodated by running one train a week each wa-y. The reason for the construction of the line is the valuable iron ore which lies scattered throughout the region. A TONGUE LOOSENER. Mr H. W. Lucy, writing in the " Sydney Morning Herald," says : " Soipe month*, ago the Japanese Government despatched on a world-wide tour a small company of army officers charged with the mission of seeing What othor nations are doing in the mutter of armaments- and army administration. They are just now in this country, where they have been cordially welcomed by the War Office, and provided with full facilities for making their inquiry. I met them th© other day at the School of Musketry at Hythe, where ■ they were! watching with keen interest tha gun practice that fills up each day. These ►soldiers, engaged in other pursuits, were a little backward in their English. This made' all th- more striking their sudden animation when Russia was . named. In the emotion of the moment their flow of English >grew increasingly turgid. But it was not difficult to gather the purport of their eager speech, which proj claimed the desire nearest their heart that the trend of events might result in war with Russia." THE FARNESE PALACE. -, Tlio prospect of the sale of the Farne-se Palace has caused a flutter of excitement in the world of art, and more than a flutter of excitement in certain French circles, inasmuch as the French Ambassador at Rome has tenanted it since' 1874. Begun in 1530 by Cardinal Farnese, it reckons Michael Angelo among its architects, and is a true specimen of the Italian renaissance' with its four imposing fronts, constructed of material taken from the Coliseum, and pierced with a triple line of windows. Tlirough a porch of red granite pillars, the visitor reaches a square court, surrounded by a portico/ which Tame has declared to be the finest part of the building. Upstairs, on the first floor, is the famousi gallery adorned by the frescoes of Annibale Garacchi, who is said to have died heartbroken on account of the miserable remuneration that he received for nine years' work. Here, nowadays, Mr Barrere holds his receptions. The palace in 1766 became th c property of the Neapolitan Bourbons, who are asking 9,000,000 lire for it. Some have- proposed that the Italian Governnnen. should buy it and turn it into d, museum ; others think that th_ German Emperor would not be sorry to see' the German Embassy, located there. • BULLER APOLOGIA. v The cudgels are taken up for Sir Riedvers Buller (in * -■' Macmillan's Magazine') by his consistent champion, the Hon J. W. Fortesoue. That writer, in reviewing the disclosures of the War -Commission, puts, a new interpretation upon the Ladysmith telegrams, which -deserves atteiition, especially, as General Butter's -^or-ds are. quoted presumably from the official records : -r-« Sir Redvers telegraphed; Home that:,* not being strong enough to relieve Ladysmith, he thought that he had better let it go, and take up positions for the defence: of Natal. He received, as he expected, an answer that the fall of Ladysmith would be considered a national disaster, and that he wus at liberty to use the ttqops then arriving as he though,* best. ' Many thanks, exactly wh-at I wanted, ' replied the general: ' I was in doubt as to weight I should attach to financial considerations at ___p_be_--■ley.' The. Govenm-ent have chara.c_eri_ed this famous telegram as, a 'clumsy threat.' " Incidentally, Mr Fortescue declares that thejate Mx Cecil Rhodes, who controlled the majtxcitj of the defenders of Kimb_rl<_y_.

put pressure on the .Imperial authorities by threats to surrender that town. Hence Buller's message quoted above. Hence, also, another passage in his correspondence, with Lord Milner:— "ln dealing with Kimberley we must put De Beers out •__ th c question. . . .All we have to do is to keep the Union Jack flying over South Africa, and I trust Methuen and Ke-kewich to do that without favour to any particular set of capitalists." A FLORAL CLOCK. "The St Louis Exposition i_ to have a unique floral clock" (says the "Electrical World and Engineer.") "This mammoth clock will be installed on the side of the hill north of tbe Agricultural Building. Th© dial will he a flower-bed 120 ft in diameter. The minute hand will ba 60ft long, and the ring at the end, which will bo fastened to the machinery, will be Bft in diameter, large enough to support twelve men easily. A hundred persons might promenade on this hand without interfering with the movements of the timepiece. The minute hand will move sft every minute. The clock machinery will he in an adjacent building. The floW-r-bed will beamast-eT-pieoe of the florist's art. The entire dial will be a, flowerbed, and the numerals marking, the various hours will be 15ft in length, and mad* of bright-coloured coleus, a foliage plant with bright-coloured leaves that grows dense and may be pruned and kept symmetrical without impairing its growth. In ai broad circle, surrounding the diaL will be twelve flowerbeds, one opposite each other, each 2ft wide and 15ft long. These collections will represent various flowers, but each will bo so selected that the blossom is open at the particular hour it represents and no other. In this way bctih, the hands of the clock and the flowers will tell the ""time of day. At night the whole vast timepiece- will be illuminated with 2000 incandescent lights." ; '. I FIRE PREVENTION. The rapid increase in the number of fatalities from fires in London .has attracted the attention of inventors io the great problem of saving life endangered by fire, and one remarkable result is to be seen at the Earl's Court exhibition of fire appliances. This is a model of a large motor car, which carried a series of platforms with mechanical Tneans for raising them to a great height. In use, the ..machine would be swiftly driven to a burning house and at once extended, so that tho platforms aye on a, level with the upper windows. The occupants whose escape by the staircase has been cut off by tho flames can then step from the windows directly on to these firm, elevated table?, and cant easily descend to the ground by means of the light steel ladders. One of the most novel feature. of the invention is the clever device by which the platforms are extended lengthways to the width of the house on fir*, so that exit is easy from any wiudow. In addition to forming an escape, the engine is provided with- a pumping arrangement, and from the various balconies the firemen -would be able to direct streams of water into the rooms far more effectually than they would from the street level. Prom the high platforms the firemen would, where necessary, be able, with tho greatest •ease, to enter through the windows, dragging the hose after them, thus quickly -reaching the _eal seat of the ihe, and bringing all their resources to bear upon it. Tlie invention has been patented all over the world. The actual size of the (appliance when built will about equal that of an omnibus. -