CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8929, 20 October 1894, Page 10

CORRESPONDENCE.

—«_— _ TO CORRESPONDENTS. Oar correspondents of late have been ignoring our request to keep their letters short during the session. We have, therefore, reluctantly to give notice that unless letters are kept within reasonable limits they will either be curtailed by us or omitted. Wβ cannot undertake Co publish letters copies of which have been sent to any other journal. Correspondents desiring insertion of their communications should therefore send us a statement that they have not been and will not be forwarded to any other paper. OUR CLIftXATE. TO THE EDITOR OF THS PBSSS. Sib, —Many people suppose that the New Zealand seasons are equivalent to the English year reversed, with a trifling allowance for extra warmth all the year round ; and few people have any idea what a great difference there really is between the two climates, or how much it tells in favour of this country. For the purpose of comparison, I have compiled the accompanying tables, obtaining the English figures from " Whitaber's Almanack," and the New Zealand ones from the Annual Reports of our Meteorological Office, kindly supplied to mc by Sir James Hector. The English figures represent the temperature taken at lue Royal Observatory, Greenwich; the New Zealand ones are the average of the colony, unless specified as local. As lam not aware that any similar comparison has ever been made before I venture to send this to you, in the hope that it may interest your readers and their friends at Home, and do something to advertise this fair land of ours. It will be seen from the summary that, as compared with English seasons, New Zealand, taking its average, has no middle, or 2»te, autumn, no winter and no early or middle spring; but three times the length of early autumn and late spring—tha pick of the year—and a longer summer by a month. Notwithstanding this, the extreme of beat, taking the average oC the colony, is slightly less with us, the average daily maximum of the hottest month being one degree higher in England than in New Zealand ; but the mean temperature is equal in the hottest month, and in the coldest month it is lOdfg lower there than here. Comparing the extremes of heat and cold at the hottest and coldest parts of the colony with the same at Greenwich, it is found that in the extreme north of New Zealand, in the fcottest month, the average maximum itexnperature is only 4deg higher than at Greenwich, and in the extreme south of New Zealand, in the coldest month, the average minimum temperature is only 2deg higher than »t Greenwich. That New Zealand is more generally equable will be observed from the net that the difference in mean temperature between the hottest and coldest months ia 25deg in England and 15deg only in the colony. Though New Zealand is over 1000 miles in length, running nearly North and Sonth, there is only lldeg difference in temperature, both as regards maximum and j minimum, between her extreme points. j She average cf the colony lies between Wellington and Christchurch. The ternperaturea given, are all in the shade. When these facts are considered, and it is remembered that our average rainfall is about equal to that of England, that our hours of sunshine are nearly double, and that, if we want to be braced, we have bnt to resort to our mountains of perpetual enow; it will be seen how highly favoured in che matter of climate is this Britain of the South as compared with her northern mother.—Yours, &c, S. S. BIACKBUBNB. Table A. COMPARISON OF HOTTEST AND COLDEST MONTHS.

Table 35. England—Avenge for 50 years of daily mean temperatures :— January 4—15, 36deg. January 16—22, aud December 26 — January 3, 37desr. . January 25—February 4 and December 23—25, 38deg. February 5—24 and December 19 —22 February 25—March 8 and December 12 40deg. March 9—23 and November 25—December 11, 4ideg. ' ' ' March 24—25 aud November 17—24, 42 dest. March 25—28 and November 14—16. 43 March and November 10—13. 44 deg. April I—l 4 and November 6—9, 45deg. April 19—18 and November I—si 46deg. April 19—22 and October 27—31, 47degf April 25—28 and October 24^-26,48deg. April 29 and October 19—23,49deg. April 50—May 1 and October 16—18, 60 May 2—4 and October 11—15, 51deg. May 5—15 and October7—lo, 52dee. . May 16—18 and October 5—6,53dei. j May 19—22 and September 27—-October 4, 54deg. . •• . » May 23—26 and September 22—26, 55deg. May 27—29 and September 19—21,56deg. May 30—June 8 and September 13—18,57 June 9—lo and September 3—12, 58deg. • June 11—19 and August 31—-September ?,59deg. June 20—21 and August 25—30, 60deg. June 22—24 and August 61deg. June 25— J uly IS and July 17—August 15, July 14—16, 63deg. Table C. England—Average monthly and yearly mean temperatures:—January 37deg, February 39deg, March 41deg, April 46deg, May 53deg, June sSdeg, July 62deg, August oldeg, September 57deg, • October SOdeg, November 43deg, December 39deg ; year *9deg. Taelb D. New Zealand average monthly mean temperatures—January 62deg, February 62deg, March 60defc, April 50deg, May 51deg, Jane 48deg, July 47deg, August 47deg, September &ldeg, October 54deg, November 57deg, vecember 61deg. New Zealand average yearly mean temperatures — Mongouui 62deg, Auckland KWeg, Welliugtoo 55deg, Christchurch 63deg, Dunedin 50deg, iSouthland 50deg.—■ Average 55deg. Table E. Summary of Mean Temperatures. England—November, December, January, February. Much and April lst-18th, 37de«•6deg. New Zealand—No corresponding months. England— April 19th-30th, May Jat-22nd «d October 47deg-54deg. New Zealand—May, June, July, August, September and October, 47deg-54deg. England—Mity 23rd-olst, June, July, Anguet and September, 65deg-62deg. New Zealand — November, December, c^ ,1 refaruitf 7. and April,

Average. Hottest Month. i ■ ■ Max. Min. j Mean. England ... New Zealand Extreme N. of N.Z. Extreme & of N.Z. Deg. 72 71 76 68 Deg. 52 53 60 46 Deg. 62 62 68 57 >verag< Coldest Month. Max. Min. Mean. _____ England ... New Zealand Extreme N. of N.Z. Extreme & of N.Z. Deg. 41 54 62 51 Deg. 33 40 46 35 Deg. 37 47 £4 43 i i