NOTES AND QUERRIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1456, 11 October 1879, Page 15

NOTES AND QUERRIES.

Astronomer, Arrow River, writes :— Will you kindty informs me from how many stars^ our earth is visible, supposing they were inhabited, and the inhabitants were provided with the same means of vision as we are, and possessed telescopes like our most powerful ones ? Ans : Mr Beverloy saya : — Our earth could not be seen from any star except the sun. It could bo seen, with difficulty, from the plaueb Nopfcune ; and tho nearest star, Alpha Cenluuri, is 7000 times moro remote than Neptune. It would be visible only from bodies within the boundary of the solar sya-

tern, the known number of which is about 230. Land on Deferred Payments. — In answering a question about the right of selectors of laud on deferred payments to transfer their interest, we omitted to see section 65 of tho Laud Act, 1877, which is aa follows :—": — " If any selector shall desire to assign hio interest in the land, ho may apply to the Board to accopfc, instead of himaelf, some one person. The Chief Commissioner shall, at tho expense of the selector, forthwith give public notice of such proposed transfer of interest by the selector, and no transfer shall be effected until after the expiration of thirty days from the day of the first publication of such notice ; after which time, if the Board shall think fit to accopt tho person proposed as transferee, and such person shall have made the declara tion required by tho sixty soconol ; ection of this Act, and shall not be disqualified to hold

such land to ike extent thereof, the Board shall, on pay vent of a fee of one pound, endorse the transfer on the license upon production of the same ; or if the loss or destruction thereof be proved to its satisfaction, the Board may dispense with the production thereof, and shall issue to the person accepted a new license to hold the land on the Bame terms and from the same date ad tho original license, but with the name of such person sub-

stituted; and thereupon such person shall be deemed to have been from the date of the original license the selector of such land." From the above it will be aeen that selectors can transfer their interest on certain conditions,

D. ML., Ofcaio. — It is impossible for ua to find out the date of the paper with the meagre information you supply. Ia the hope that some of our readers may think of the article in question, we publish your query, and will be glad to receive any replies thereto. The query is : — " Can you inform me in what number of the Witness a humorous article appears, I think as an essay, giving a report of soiree, presided over by Dr , who introduces a new clergyman from Scotland ?" Htdonian. — See answer to land on deferred payments elsewhere. M;D., Miller's Flat, writes :— Can you or any of your readers inform me how to prepare' lime water to be used as a beverage to assimnlate food and favour digestion ? Ans.— Mr Reid, chemist, Princes street, supplies us with the following receipt : — 1" unslacked lime to 1 gall, water, a wine-glassful for a dose. , Childe, Warepa, asks:— Has any one been known to ascend Mount Cook yefc ? If not, is anything offered by Government to the first who does so ? Ans. : Mr Beverley says : The summit of Mount Cook is more than 7000 feet above the permanent snow-line. No one has reaohed in yet, nor i 8 anyone likely to do so, or even mate the attempt, for many years to come. I have never heard of any Government offer to the first who reaches the top of Mount Cook, and oannot see what motive there could be for making suoli aa offer. UpCountet writes :—": — " I leased some ground for a few years, had an agreement drawn out and signed by the person from whom I leased it, also two witnesses. The party now informs me that the agreement drawn out and signed is not legal, aa such was not stamped at the time when such signing took place. He olaima the land ; can he do so ?" Ans.— Tae agreement should have been stamped. The want of a stamp, however, does not render the agreement invalid. You can sue on the agreement, and compel the vendor to give you a title to the land. When using the agreement in the case, you woujd have to pay a penalty of £5 for not stamping the document. This is the only trouble the want of the stamp oauses.