Correspondence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 541, 9 January 1858, Page 4

Correspondence.

To t\t Editor of the Lyttelto* Tin**. Sib, —-As there are some remarks in your Paper of this day respecting the ceremonies to be observed on the occasion of laving the first atone of the new Government Buildings; and as these remarks, ii unexplained, will tend to convey a very .incorrect idea of the nature and intent of the. proceedings, I trust that in. the exercise of your, usual fairness a small space may be found in your next issue, for the purpose of giving a more correct account of the order of procession. - Taking it for granted that your opening paragraph' describing the arrangements as of "gorgeous .formality" with "dim, bewildering mystery; 1 is in perfect good taste when taken in connexion with what you yourself call soon after" an important public work;" it is more especially to the after part of y^ur article that your attention should be directed.

It can be safely averred that it never was the object of the framers of the order of procession to construct a large assemblage outof a small number of people, or in the remotest degree to set the General Government at defiance. The building is for a purety provincial purpose, and id to be paid for solely oat of provincial funds; it was ot coarse desirable that the .provincial authorities should take a prominent part in the ceremony, and yet that the General Government f-hauld. not. go . unrepresented. A programme ■svas originally drawn out, giving due prominence and position to the gentlemen holding office under the General Government, and for all the fnembers of the same in the colony.; w'ben this cam* to be revised it was found that them was a chance of fair ling the into danger you deplore, that of making a small number of people seem a large assemblage-; for with one or two exceptions *nere was no gentleman in any way connected with the general government who.did not also hold office or form part of the; Provincial Go--7 eminent. The very example you cite, that of the Kesuleut Magistrate, who also holds and 511s many other -offices, explains the matter; iie selected hig mofet honourable position in the orier of procession, viz. i that of a representstive of the people; and it caa be shown that thore was no gentleman connected with the General Government who could not, had he chosen, have been assigned to his appropriate place in the procession of to-day. As to your play on the word "invert," it is difficult to-imagine into what dim mysterious Bodleian you hav.e .plunged. Unfortunately we have here only a small Johnson; and the imperial dictionary; the latter a-tolerably careful and copious compilation. Johnson says it is true that " invert" means to turn upside-down; "but ha also say* that it means to place the last ■fir-t. The imperial gives the definition as follows: ~ ;..,.. „ -,; „ '■, r :..

Invert: to turn in & contrary direction; to t;irn:upside-do*ra; to place in a contrary:order orinethod. ..,

By. this it would appear that you are in the position of,a-witness who tells the truth, but not tha whole truth-. -As to your proposal that "reverse" is the better word, Johnson defines .it '' to subvert," and " subvert," to overthrow ; 'while the imperial-dictionary of Ogleyie defines " reverse" as to turn upside-down; or t© overturn ; to subvert. '■"■ ■

So much for the assertion thai ''in inverted or-ier, means nothing else than to turn upsidedown or .topsy-turvy, according to the dictionaries." ' . . • -„.; ..

Tp regard to the pluralist being divided, the joke was fair and passable to a certain extent, but becomes feeble by beingr carried out too far; -nd a-, to being able to follow the " mysterious j-uvUdernient" of vulgar fractions and the Arac an nisrhts, with which your paragraph closes, 1 must fhirly give up and pronoance myself as i.ot " recondite' to venture. Your'u, Mr. Editor, Chn^tcluxrch, Jan. 6. PROGRAMME.

[vfc liave no hesitation in stating for the jat!«faetion of our correspondent that we have - v-ori serion^y to believe that the order of prowa*'ia'otint«nd^d as a physical force de- ■ Sr.cri to' the (Jenera! Government, —that n*o one a'figured in-the procession was inconveronced by inversion or division, —and that onr > icttona.) Cnlcalation' would- "not perhaps stand \e test of'strict'matließCUifiicat v criticiinn.~Edi' '■'V:: - •V, ■ ' ■:',... , fyiie Editor ffffo ZyttkltwjFimes *"'; Sfkj'p-I don't s«e the /^tinioalt"wyj';yoa J'djd on " r^'jusstlay t 'last \o prevent a 1 single ; ' otficial 'IVTi'^ two and •two.^r <n» his head. Toar, ffjnr."! very^good no doabtV i- **noy w"1!, not'stan3 up »gai«Bt stricter Nl ¥ .«'n^ f'fjl proof. >, , FhcH>?c»< .-. It 'is 'required \o> prd^e that the

Iteaident Magistrate, not being a body corporate, may by law walk two and two. A Resident Magistrate has the powers of two Justices. , Two Justices can walk two and two. Therefore-: The Resident Magistrate can walk two and-two. Corollary? Therefore, a Resident Magistrate can open out right and left." Q. TS. D". From my own experience, however, I can testify that I have known more than one"Residenfc Magistrate open out —and very wonderfiillytoo! . .

Theorem: It is required to prove that a Resident Magistrate or Justice of the Peace can easily walk inverted.

A public functionary who walks inverted commits himself. Any Justice of the Peace may commit'himself. Therefore,'any Justice can walk inverted. Q. E. D. - Corollary:. A Resident Magistrate can walk on two inverted heads, 'See Theor. I. Yours, affectionately,," PHILO EUCLID.

LIST OT UNCLA Adams, Joseph Attwobd, Mr. Barrett, Robert Butler, Heury (2) Brown, Charles 1 Brown, Thos. Henry. Catneron.Mrs. Mary A. Carver, Mrs. " Chalmers, Peter Clarke, Adam Ciark, William Conner, Charles Cook, James " Daniel Webster" Cork, Captain Cuddon, Mr. Cumbre, John Collins. EL Cook, Mrs. at Mr. Jones' Day, Robert De Leeraan, Mrs. Jan (2) Dunn, Thomas '. ' Eagle, Henry , ; East, Mrs. Sarah Egmont, Miss Elmers, Martha Ellerem, Samuel Edwards,-Thomas Fitton, .Charles ■ Freeman, Geo. Gilbreth, Mr. Godfrey, B. (3) Griffith, Wm. Waldron Grube, Mr. (painter) Hamblet, Peter, . Hammond, William Handcock, Samuel Handcrek, Anthony Hatchard, Edward Henderson, James A. Hilt,'Geo. Hills, Thomas Holman. Henry Hughes, William (3) Hunter, Mr. (shoe-*

maker) Hun-ell. J. James, Henry Jones, Chas.,.(}ew£Uer)

Post-office, Lyttelton, Js

IMED LETTER& . [ Kaur, John f Kessen, M. 1 Kissell, Mr. ! Kirby, Mrs. Sarah Kitson, Walter Laing, William (2) Lane, John White Lew, Isaac Long, W. H. Luney, Patrick Me Avoy, Peter Me Evoy, Jos. Me Carthy, Mr. Me Farlane, John Mallock, G. A. Matthews, Dr. Arthur March, John

Milverton, Wm. James Moore, Dr. Thos. R. Norman, John Ovendon, F. E. Perdy, Charles Philpot, Daniel Pollen, James (2) Rice, Henry Ripingale, Charles Boach, Rev. J. Robertson, Mr. (3) Ross, John "■ SaddJer, John Simpson, G. B. (4) Smith, S. "Q. Samuel, Mr. Scoles, Joseph : Smith, Thomas Storer, John Thomson, Mrs. P. H. Thompson, John Wood, James—Atnuri "Watson, Joseph .Wheeler, GeorgeWhitecar, Robert Williamson, W. C. (S) Wilson, John W. Woodford, Edward (2) Wortley, E. Wright, F. Vincent Wright, Geo. Young, Henry

W. L. HOWARD,

Postmaster.

Ist, 1858.