Correspondence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 543, 16 January 1858, Page 4

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the Lytttlton Times,

Sib,—ln'the absence of a * Punch' or any comic journal to amuse us, it is satisfactory to think that your last Wednesday's attempt at a burlesque critique on the observances for the laying of the Foundation stone, of the New Government Buildings at Christchurch has been so far successful. As an individual participator in the amusement, permit me to offer my congratulations, and to assure you that the associations arising from 'Programme' and ' inverted order' will furnish jokes fer many a ■day, etftsn/to pervert a dull hour. The rejoinders already made to your original leave but little ground for me to go over; so much, the better. Sed, joc&'awwWpwrtßTwrtwwMw,-— —M.flw»»»»«B-bw-make a remark, the correctness of which you will no doubt admit. The word 'inverted, 1 when coupled with either that of' order' or 'line,' can only betaken in a truly military signification, and the very fact of its being used in the marshalling of a bod}% small or large, would prove it was meant to be nnderstood -in thatlight. In military maneeavres thereis nothing more common fcban'the formation of an inverted line; a reversion of front is likewise common ; but the t^> manoeuvre! are separate and distinct, mear^ for different purposes, and done in a Atfefent way. Need I say that, in forming an * inverted line on the heads of squadrons,' neither horses nor men stand on their beads, or need I add, is it desirable that they should! An attendance at any Field Day would infallibly prove this. The very horses if told so would nay (neigh) at the idea. In a military age like this, where so much has been done, and so much remains to be done, it cannot redound to our credit to affect an ignorance, or show a real one, on an expression ! purely military and inseparable from the ! calling. Yours very truly, "JUS. Jan. 11th, 1858. To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sic, —Will you ventilate the following question. Why should not Lake: Ellesmere be drained by a cutting at Te Tamotu into the mouth of the Rakaia? by which it would discharge its waters in to the sea sufficiently to insure its reclamation, —and afford dry travelling around all its Bhores on the face of the Peninsula ? Your obedient servant, ENQUIRER.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sib,—The ordinance by which the Church Property Trustees are incorporated directs that full and true aecountß of their receipts and expenditure shall be audited at least once every year, aud shall be published as the Trustees shall from-time to time direct in a public newspaper of the settlement/

This Ordinance was passed in March, 1854; the Trustees have, if I am not mistaken, been in,possession s of the Chnrch property for upwards of two years, and yet no accounts of receipts and expenditure have, up to the present 'tithe; been published by them. 1.-trust you will agree with me that the members of the Chnrch are entitled to an explanation of this delay, and also -to the Speedy pujblicattofeof the jlccounfaj."; v \ :-.- i' : * ; JThe;subject to whiehlthey relate is one upon ; whichspuch misunderstanding appears to exist, ,anß ,npon Which 'therefore, the publication* of correct information' would probably * do much .good,;;/ /./. :;"L:; ■'■: , •- ; -.''.-■ ;; -y '■; I ;' r'v '■/;:, ::f !am, sir, P ';;>■' ] ■ '■■- | ■■••'■■' '-'■■, '- ■ ' Year 'servant, ' J '■' : "'■! '*■ ''■■•■■•.'•''■■■.■,■: n -■ JOHN;HALL.-'.

To the Editor of the * Lyttelton Times.' Sib, —In your paper of January 6th there appears an extract from Captain Drury's observations on the Meteorology of the Coast, in which an attempt is made to point out the ori-o-in of our very remarkable North-West hot wind. The attempt is based upon a strange mistake, which it may be worth while to remove. v It is said "the melting surface of the snow covering the heights releases latent heat, causing the atmosphere to-become highly nuified." Now, the fact is, that the melting of the snow absorbs a great amount of heat, and so makes the air and everything else around i€ much colder than before. Any man can p^ove this by a Simple experiment. Let him take a quantity' of snow and mix with it an equal quantity of water at the temperature of 172°, which is pretty warm,—he will find all the snow melted, bat the mixture standing at 32 ° ; so that the snow in becoming water abso7*bs 140° as the latent heat of its liquid form. In the same way the melting of the snow on our Western mountains causes a great reduction of temperature there, and to this we are indebted for the mildness of our North-Westers as compared with those of Australia. The chief objection I have heard to regarding these winds as identical is, that they are known here but not elsewhere in New Zealand. But the force of this seems to be considerably reduced by the marked peculiarity of this province in ,1853, when the rains here were excess si ye while all ,the other provinces had a very dry season. The difference in the fall of rain must have been accompanied by'a difference in the winds.

CORNS/