CORRESPONDENCE.

Colonist, Volume VII, Issue 660, 23 February 1864, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE CULVERT AND ITS USES. To the Editor of The Colonist. Sir—By your paper of to-day I was struck with a remark -which you make relative to the Trafalgar street culvert. You say, "There is the Trafalgar street culvert, which at a great expense was constructed, we are told, so that water could be dammed at certain points." Now, sir, lam glad you call the attention of the Board of Worts to the propriety of making the culvert answer this beneficial purpose, for which its peculiar construction for forming dams was first intended, namely, that of renderiner the water available in case of fire, "by the insertion o*f cast iron doors, &c, moveable like ordinary sluices. Setting aside the burden of taxation, let us name the uses this culvert is to the inhabitants of Trafalgar street. First, then, it drains three or four publican's cellars, and a few of the houses have drains into it. lhcsc are two of its available and proper uses, and we will say all those who live along the lino of the culvert could put down drains into it if they chose, but I remember so well that " Eire, Fire, Fire," was the cry urged by those who advocated the filling up of the open ditch. Well, the ditch was filled up, and the culvert put down, but as regards n water supply in case of fire, the open ditch was of the most use, because its -water was always at hand, and in some measure applicable, while not a bucket of water 13 now obtainable from this expensive culvert in its present condition. Indeed the drain which ought to carry the water into it, and which runs along°Nile-street-west appears to be partially choked up, so that the culvert is of little use, except for the purpose of carrying off the sewerage from waterclosets. While. I write this I pee some attempt, is bein<* made to secure the water in the culvert in case of fire, but it appears of a temporary character. I presume the Board has met with some engineering difficulty ; therefore I recommend that they apply to the Provincial Engineer to design a stop-gate, to dam the water, for of a certainty the small quantity now running through would be of no service to feed a fire-engine. Your obedient servant, MONITOR. Nelson, February 19, 1864.

A Shipment of the Remains of Dead Chinese. It may not be uninteresting (says tho Sydney Herald) to notice a touching exemplification of the affection cherished by the Chinese for their native land which is now afforded through the removal by the Chinese of the remains of their deceased countrymen to Sydney, prior to shipment to Hongkong. The practice of exhuming the bodies of dead Mongolians, and of their exportation to China, has been carried on to a considerable extent in California, and it is not altogether unknown in tho neighboring colony of Victoria, though it is one which the colonists of New South Wale 3 have not as yet become familiarised with. It seems that for some time past resurrectionists—if such they may be called—have been busily employed in digging up the remains of their departed relatives and friends who had been interred near the different gold-fields, and that they are now collecting them m Sydney prior to shipment. Some of the principal Chinese merchants have engaged a store on Campbell's Wharf, where upwards of one hundred coffins or boxes have already been placed. Eleven cases containing what once were corpses airived last night by the Ulalong steamer, from Morpeth, and it is expected that the total number of these shells will reach about two hundred and fifty. When the coffins arrive at the place appointed for their reception, some curious religious ceremonies are gone through • these rites—which consist in the extinguishing of lighted tapers, and tho diffusion of colors—appear moro picturesque than intelligible to Europeans, and their mgnifieancy it is therefore not pretended to divine. Each box is marked with Chinese characters, indicating, as it is supposed, the name of the deceased. No doubt these relics, which have been gathered together from all parts of tho colony with sucU pious devotion, will bo esteemed especially precious by their kinsfolk in China, to whom, it is believed they are about to be consigned for sepulture, while their countrymen in this colony now experience the mournful satisfaction of discharging what they evidently regard to bo a sacred duty. But few " aliens" will be disposed to withhold from the " Celestials" the privilege of removing and re-burying their dead, though many may bo disposed to applaud the patriotic feeling which induces :ind gratifies the wish for burial in the sepulchro of their fathers. As soon as the full complement of this peculiar cargo of mortality shall arrive in Syduey, it will be freighted in the first ship sailing for