Ship's Bell Honoured.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8178, 10 August 1906, Page 4

Ship's Bell Honoured.

ship's bell of the famous "Britannic" —■which ship has now been brokcu up—has been given a place of honour in the ottiees of the White SUr Line in Liverpool. It is Artistically mounted under a polished wood canopy, and bears on its surface a white star. During her thirty years' career, the "Britauuio " travelled 2,232,939 miles. Japanese Nurses. Nearly a year ago there were more than 1,500 Japanese nurses already trained, and upwards of 600 still under training, who would be available for service in the event of war. Both in the conflict between Japan and China ten years ago, itnd in the North China troubles of 1900, the nurses of the Japan K"d Cross Society vied with cadi other in reporting themselves ready for work. An Early Manuscript of the Bible. The family of the late Duke of Sussex possessed an extraordinarily line manuscript of the thirteenth century, upon v : S-», in two It is endorsed Sacra llebracia." At the end of the second vihinic there is the following curious inscription "I, M rt ycr, the son of Rabbi Jacob, the scribe, have finished this book for Jl.ibbi Abraham, the SOW year (that is Anno Domini 1-92), and he lias hcqueitihcd it to his children and his children's chililren for ever, Anion, Amen, Aaun. S.dah. Y>.\ and strengthened. Mny the Boo!; not h. damaged neither this day nor for ever, until the as;? ascend* the ladder." After this there is a rude Dgme of an ass climbing a ladder. Chinese Graveyards. It is the essential condition required of al) foreigners who wish to become naturalised citizens of China that they must own n private graveyard somewhere within th limits of the empire. Thf-:e family «:rave yards are in the open fields, while they bury not so much by e.Ncav.Jing and interrin» a* by heaping up afloat mound of earth over the collin. The graves are of all sizes, the size of the mound being iniiirathe of the wealth and imporlancc of him who lie? buried beneath—the larger and higher th< mound the richer and more important t: e deceasul. These mounds are made use of in war time as a means of defence, fur some of the largei ones would furnish cover for a whole company of soldiers, while the trenches all around the mounds serve to keep them from exposure when moving. Czar's Own Railway. While all the world knows about the TransSiberian Bail road, which is open to the general public, comparatively few are aware that the Czar has secretly constructed another railroad, which enables llussian troops to reach Fekin in much shorter time than by using the open road. Five Danish engineers, known to Czar Nicholas, personally, from his visits to his grandfather, King Christian, under the guise of missionaries, reported to the Russian Government on the best alignment, and more than two years ngo the actual construction started, and a Chinese company was incorporated to take nominal charge of the southern end, which runs through Chinese territory. The embankments and cuttings are unimportant, and the rails cross the numerous rivers and mountain streams on wooden trestles. As no foreigner has ever been allowed to enter the country, it is not definitely known how far advanced the construction is; but as it is known that a very forge fores has been continually working on it day and night since the start, it is safe to gay that the road must be nearly completed.