WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 August 1916, Page 8

WAR NOTES.

DVIXSK AND THE DVINA'.' '! The Dvina Rher, which, according to I s a Gorman admission the Russians have \ crossed, enters the sea seven miles northI west of Riga, after a course of 040 miles. | It drains an area of 32,001) square miles, ' and has many small navigable tributaries. Tt is open for navigation at Dvinsl: for 240 days in the yeaV, at Risra for 230, and at Vitebsk for 229 days. In the lower part of its'course the river ati tains an ordinary rfoTith of 30ft, and a breadth of 1400 ft, but durine; the spring ! floods it sometimes rises 14ft above its ; usual level, and its waters spread out to a mile in width. Dvinsk stands ; on the right bank of the Dvina at the intersection of the two railway lines, : Riga-Smolensk and Viha-Petrograd. It is the chief strategic position for the dcI fence of tine Dvina It consists of four portions, the main town or fortress, the ; old suburb, the new suburb and. on the lift bank of the river, the village of (irivn. The town is an inmortant comI mereial centre. It was the scene of many battle durinjr the 10th, 17th and 18th centuries, and was finally incorporated in Russia in 1772 on the first division of Poland,

IMPRESSIVE IXCIDEXT,

'"The Piov. 71. Pontin. vicar of St. Peter's, Portland, preaching at a Lenten service at 'Salisbury Cathedral, mentioned a strikiiit; incident Aviiich occiirred ill tlie 01 rami Fleet at Christmas," says the Salisbury and Winchester Journal. ''The weather was fery rough, a pale was blowing. The captain of one of the battleships was on the bridge, calm but anxious. His place was there, and only there. He knew that there were to be three celebrations on board on Christ's birthday, and lie willed to communicate; for he was. like many other oilicers in the Xavy and Army, a quietly religious man. But he had a duty to the ship, and to the brave men serving undo: 1 iiim. V\ hat should 'he do ? He sent a message asking the parde to bring the Sacrament to him on' the bridge. The seas were breaking ovc-r the vessel, the keen catting wind was likely to tear the chaplain's white surplice to shreds, the noise of the storm was deaftening. And so amid the tumult the solemn 'voids of the Communion were but as whispers. What a picture 'for an artist, said the preacher. What an inspiration and example! The naval chaplain who told li'ni of this incident said that few things had ever impressed the whole ship's company so nuich as that simple act of faith and duty on t'he part of the captaii:."