Correspondence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 10, 3 February 1869, Page 3

Correspondence.

WEATHER AT PAKAWAU, GOLDEN BAY. To the Editor of the 'Nelson Examinee.' Sir— l beg to hand you for publication a statement of the fine and wet days for the past half year. You will see it has not so many wet days as the corresponding half of 1867, yet it has been very much above the average. I also send you a statement of the rainfall during the latter five months of the year. I have also compared it with the fall in Nelson, and from it you will observe that we have not only had more rain bub more wet days. This is accounted for by the close proximity of the West Coast to this place. The prevailing wind here being from the S.W., as on the other coast of the island. On the loth October ther was the highest flood in the Aorere Valley that has been known since the district has been settled, arising not so much from the heavy rain, I fancy, as from the melting of a largo amount of snow which had been falling on the ranges some days previous. I am sorry to say that the loss in cattle, &c, to some of the settlers was very serious, one losing eighteen head, another nine, and many more nearly as many. This district has been particularly affected by the earthquake in October, very few days since then have passed without there being some shocks felt. The only place that I have observed of a report being made in the papers of a tidal wave on that occasion was at Auckland. Yet upon the sandspit there appears to have been one of at least seven or eight feet. The masts of the Juno, which was wrecked there some two years ago, being at highwater mark on the 18th, but when seen again in about ten days, some of them were lying on the side of some of the low sand hills, and others away inside the spit, where no tide has been now for a number of years. An old canoe, which has lain for years near the same place, is now further in and fully ten feet higher than where it previously lay. Table Showing- the Number of Fine and "Wet ' Dat 3 during the Half-year Ending- December 31, 1868.

Fine and slight showers as above, 92 ; corresponding half of 1867, 86 ; average of do. for eight preceding years, 119 : showery, wet, and very wet days last six months of year, 92 ; corresponding half of 1867, 98 ; average of do. of eight preceding years, 63 ; for the whole of the year 1868, there was an average of 192 days ; for eight previous years, 252 ; for the year 1868, there was an average of 174 showery and wet days ; for eight previous years, 113. During the latter five months of this period I have taken the fall of rain night and morning, and have compared it with the daily fall in Nelson during the same months, also showing the number of wet days at each place. Amount op Rain in Inches and Number of Days on which it Falls at

So that in Nelson it appears there was rather more than half as many wet days, with much less than half the rain fall that there was at Pakawau. The greatest fall of rain du-ing any one day at Nelson appears to be IBs inches on the 28th September, whilst at Pakawau on the same day it was *55 ; at the latter place, on the 14th November, the fall was^s-49 inches, and at Nelson on the Bame day, only '15 of an inch. I am, &c, J. E. Fletcher. Pakawan, January 13, 1869. Note.— Tho "slight showers" are on days on which rain fell but very slightly, and only for a few moments ; " showery," not » continuous ruin, and so as men can work; " wet," rains heavy for most part of the day. "Very wet," are those on which tho mm comes down continuously, in f.jct " soakers."

Something like a Hall.— The Some Neioa says ;— On the morning of October 26, the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of a new Townhall at Manchester attracted an immense assemblage of people. The new hall is erecting on a plot of ground comprising 8,000 square yards, and is bounded on three sides by three of the leading thoroughfares of the city— Albert-square, Princessstreet and Cooper-street. It will be a magnificent structure with principal facades (having a tower in the centre of each) to the three thoroughfares namedw I The principal and most ornamental fac,ade will b©> i that to Albert-square, which will have a frontag* off 310 feet long, and a clock tower 260 ft. high.. Thehall will contain about 250 rooms, and is estimated; to cost (including purchases of ground an.4 propertyfor the site) upwards of a half a mUUpfl.of ! inoney.! >>

uly . Lugust ieptember . )ctober November . )ecernber . Tine. 11 20 16 11 15 14 ShSSL Showery. ™■* 4 12 4 0 9 2 1 13 1 0 15 5 0 13 2 0 14 3 Total . 87 5 75 17

JNELSO Days. Lugusfc 7 leptember 4 )ctober 11 November 5 )eceinber 12 ON. Jtaxawau. Inches. Days. 5-05 August 11 435 September 13 . 5-78 October 20 1-47 November 15 . 540 December 17 . Inches, 686 638 14-86 11-44 1093 22-05 50-47