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Show m WIS FH of era scon Noted, Titled Writer Jrossesses Late Letter of Famed Antarctic Hero. CONTENTSARE SECRET Document Will Probably Go to British Museum After Author's Death. By PHILLIP EVERETT. Special Cable to the Tribune. LONDON, Aug. 2. It is not gen-erall' gen-erall' known that Sir James Barrie, whose thousands of admirers havo not .yet become accustomed to his now title, was one of tho closest friends of the late aud gallant Captain Scott of the Antarctic expedition. Sir James Bar rie roceived a letter from Captain Scott written after tho explorer's companion had perished in the tent, and the document doc-ument was so terrible in its tragedy that Barrie has refused even to hint at its contents to his most intimate friends. He has, however, preserved tho letter, and it i8 now understood that he will leave it in his will to tho British museum. Birth Rate Falling. I wonder if our intimacy with France has affected us and caused us to imitate our allies, for ever since we entered tho ontente cordiale our birth rate has been going down and official statistics recently published show that in 1912 it waB the lowest evor recorded, falling below last year's record by 0.6 per 1000 and being 3.0 per 1000 Wow the average for the preceding ten years. The death rato was also the lowest ever recorded, and bo was the mortality of infants. The infantile death rate was 95 por 1000 births, or 85 per 1000 less than the rate in 1911 and 30 por 1000 below the previous ten years' average. In London thoro wore 42,227 marriages mar-riages or 18.G per 1000 of tho population. popula-tion. This rate is the highest since 1S99. The birth, rate again fell and was only 24.5 per 1000. tho lowest since registration was established. New Naval Maneuvers. An interesting feature of the present great naval maneuvers will bo an attempt at-tempt on the part of "Vice Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, commanding the "Blue" of the enemy's fleet, to land raiding forces on the east coast in face of a strong fioet-in-being. The war office is not only co-operating in tho scheme to the extent of leading lead-ing a considerable body of troops, who will be embarked in transports, but it is taking measures in the threatened area to test tho arrangements for the concentration of troops in order to resist re-sist the raiders wherever they may land. At likely pointB on the portion of the east coast which is threatened, groups of Bcouts. with motorcycles, will do on duty, charged to keep a lookout. look-out. These groups of scouts will be kept in constant communication with each othor. At convenient points bodies bod-ies of troopB both mounted and afoot will be held in readiness to resist the enemy, and they will be provided with light guns. These scouts and small bodies of soldiers will serve as the front of the defense scheme, while behind be-hind them, at suitable centers, larger bodies will bo held in readiness to cooperate co-operate at any point of special peril. |