LIUDPRAND, LIUT PRAND, or LIUZO, Italian historian: b. about 922; d. 972. He was of a noble Lom bard lineage. His father, who was King Hugo's Ambassador to Constantinople, dying when the son was not more than five years old, young Liudprand was educated as a page to King Hugo's court in Pavia, and later entered the Church. Hugo's successor, Berengar, made him chancellor, and in 949 sent him on an import ant diplomatic mission to Constantinople. Soon afterward he fell into disgrace with Berengar, oined himself to the Emperor Otho -I, who, in 962, made him bishop of Cremona, and in 968 sent him on an important but unsuccessful mis sion to the court of the Eastern Church, which called forth his bitter but interesting and lively 'De Legatione Constantinoplelitanad His (Antapodosis) covering the period from 886- 950, and 'De Rebus Gestis Ottonis Magni irn peratoris,) from 960 to 964, are important sources of 10th century history. They are all found in the Pertz' (Monumenta Germania: Historia.' (le-oo'ke-oo') or ISLANDS, Japan, a chain of 55 islands, three large and 52 small, with a total area of 808 square miles. They form a integral part of
the empire, and, extending in a southwesterly direction from a series of stepping stones be tween Kiu-shu and Formosa. Oshitna in the northwest, 30 miles long, contains a mountain peak 2,300 feet high, and has a mean annual temperature of Tokuno-shima is in the centre of the group. Okinawa or Greater Loo choo in the southwest is 60 miles long by two to 14 broad. Naha, the capital of the group (pop. 48,000), is a modern Japanese town. The islands constitute the Japanese prefecture of Okniawa and have a population of 502,000. Sugar, wheat, potatoes, bananas and sago are the principal crops. An active trade is main tained with Japan by means of a steamship service. The inhabitants are honest, courteous, industrious and peaceable. Their language differs from the Japanese in being more archaic. Liu-Kiu Islands were originally part of the kingdom of Liu-Kiu," and were conquered for Japan by the Prince of Satsuma in 1609. See