NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8031, 8 June 1904, Page 3

NOTES.

-.Experiments have recently been made in St Petersburg with a new breastplate which is impenetrabla to revolver bullets, and iregists steel. The breastplate, which is the invention of an Itrflian subject named Giorgiamo, is made of a soft elastic material, is about a centimetre (.0393in) thick, weighing 41b. Bullets fired at the "breastplate remained in it, and were flattened without penetrating or denting the inner surface, even explosive bullets not damaging it. An American war correspondent arrived afe Victoria (B.O.) from Yokohama by the steamer; Victoria early in April (says a Reuter message). He had returned from the theatre of war in disgust. He stated that absolutely no newe was to be obtained, and that the correspondents spent their time in playing billiards! The "Pekin and Tientsin Times" contains the following proclamation, issued' by Yuan-Shi-Kai, the powerful Viceroy of Pe-ohi-li: — (1) Anyone creating wild rumours calculated to alarm or produce doubt in the people's mind will bs beheaded. (2) Anyone teaching or learning mystic practices like BoxeT measures and red-lantern doctrines wiH.be beheaded. (3) All persons gathering together for purposes of plunder or forcible disorder will be beheaded. (4) Anyone in the Government service, militai*y or civil, found connecting himself in. any way with people spreading strange doctrines, or connected with disorder will be beheaded. (5) For the harbouring of thoee who spread wild doctrines and mischievous beliefs, tfoe head of the family will be imprisoned for five years, and all his property confiscated; The import trade for Japan for. March, 1904, was £9,621,000, "being an increase of £999,000 on the corresponding period for last year, while the export trade (for the same month, was £7,173.000, being an increase of £1,012,000 for March, 1903. The total trade' far Japan in March amounted tib £16,794,000, which was an increase of £1,011,000 on that of March last year. In Admiral Makarofi's house at Cronstadt there- hung over the mantelpiece a portrait of his grandfather. Captain Basil Makaroff, who commanded a famous Russian line of battleship, the Viestnik, in the eighteenth century. This Basil Makaioff had three brothers, all of whom were drowned ; so the fate of the late commander of the Pacific squadron was not unique in the family. The " Morning Post's " correspondent, Mr J. Gordon Smith, has been to a play at Tokio, founded on inpidents, or supposed incidents, of the war with Russia, The audience was very enthusiastic, and the shouts of "Banzai " were deafening when the two or three soldiers of Japan were seen rushing about 1 the stage driving fifty Biaseiflns ■ox more "before them. T|e a>l#y was entailed "Our Great Victory: The Defeat of the Russians by our Forces." T3ie programme contained, among other illustrations, one of a group of Russians watching a ballet-dancer whilst their, warships are sinking. This is a picture widely ■circulated at present in Jagftn. In tihs course of the play a soldier remarks: "I ih^re divorced my wife, for I have decided to doe oa the battlefield," and the anddejice applauded loudly. . -.]'.'.■ Japan's National Debt amounts to £1 6s pet head of population, as compared with Rußßia?S £5, Great Britain'f £18, and! Australia's £61. Japan's first war loan was raised 1 at home. ' Russia owes iher ally France, £440,000,000 in. one : 4 osw ai\di Another. ■• . '.' ' j ; ■'■■■'■ ' ■■",■'.' V.,- -- .•■'."'■'•'■ ■ The Japanese paper "Nippon " points out that the . Japan-Rusaia. negotiations and war have- had strange dealings -wish « . ■ •

the figure seven, sufficiently strange to make 'the superstitious talk. ' In the first place the current' year is the thirty-seventh year of Meiji ; sie-ven profe-sso-rs presented a mem&yial advocating war ; on* February 7 it- became known that diplomatic relaiions were broken off ; in the firpt attack on Port Arthur seven Russian warships were d-im-&ge>6; seventy-s&ven men went en c famous blocking expedition ; the encounter on land took place outside the " Seven. Star Gate "at Pingyang ; and finally the mimbei" of warships which attacked Vladivostock was Eev«n. ' This will go to increase the faith of t-hoso who believe that the Japanese are descendants of t-he lost tribes of Israel, for the number seven was sacred among the Hebrews.