BREVITIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 321, 21 January 1908, Page 4

BREVITIES.

Willi a population of 4l,'.joo,tßH>, only 411 JapancM have fortunes of or over. Hie average life of an American-built *hip is only eignuen years. while that «»f iiriiish ship* is itrenty-six year?. ihe Emjtfror Of China and the Viceroy oi India, between them. govern wore than hall the population ot the world. Over SOjUW liorses are annually slaughtered in Paris /or food. The carrare ot an average horse yields about 3ti'Jlb. of meat. ll is estimated that the Kaffir* in th«i diamond minei uf Kiruberley, South Africa. steal JC*JjU 3 WW worth of diamonds in a year. -Mr. -lames It. Keenr, the American racehorse owner, has won 1'80,038 on the turf since April 15th last, ihus mlablishing a world's record. General Booth's latest project is to establish a fleet of Salvation Army steamera to t-arrv the aruiy'b emigrants across .he Atlantic. in the town oi Klugenberg, Germany, law- are unkuown, and this year SiU wa» paid to every citizen from the pro-tit-3 of the municipal brickworks. A light breeze moves about live miles an hour; a gale hurries on at the rate of thirty or forty mil««; a true etorrn dt fifty; and a fiuriicaue at eighty to u Hundred. Although the sea covers three-fourths oi the earth's s&rface, it does not provide the same proportion lor man& wants. Only about 3 per cent, of the people iu lite world gain their living directly lroiu the t*a. A church of solid coral is a curiosity of the 14e of Malie. The island, rising to iJ.WOft., ia the highest of the Seychelles group ill the Indian Uceau; He buildiug- are all oi square blocks hewn ir<>ni ma-ive coral and £li-ten like white marble. Pan- i- noted lor the number of it& hgkw cripple-, who propel themselves along tin- -trevt iu little box trollies b\ mean- ot their arm-. This fact lias prompted the proprietor of a Trench «port»ng journal to organise an international race lor h-gien cripple? of both The skia of the men ami women of some uatioii" uf other?, particularly in hot countries. The IVutral Atrnan negro has a skin about half a- thick again a* that of a European. That of a m-gro is thickest over the head and bark -evidently to form a protection iroin the -mn. The Korean nevr cuts hi- hair or b-ard. To do f«. i- considered a mark ol di-ii »ri'»ur I" In- parent-, whom he slroiiglv revrp iirr«. Any hairs that may happen to come out. and even the paring? or hi* linger nail-, art* carefully saved aud put into hir. (olliu with him, in order thai he m.it go ba<k to mother ••ariti intatrt.