The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 1883.

Kumara Times, Issue 1996, 22 January 1883, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 1883.

After another long period of dry and scorching heat welcome rain came on last Saturday night, but subsided again after 24 hours' showery weather. It is amusing to see how apt scientific men are sometimes to attribute excessive storms or bad weather to astronomical causes. M. Faye, a French astronomer, supplies the public with an ingenious reason for the abnormal quantity of rain that has fallen of late in continental Europe. He say 3 "it is owing to innumerable comets that have traversed our system this year, and, by absorbing the solar rays, have set free an unusual quantity of water." We can inform M. Faye that his theory is altogether wrong. If the comets, and particularly the large one have any influence whatever on the aqueous clouds of this earth, our experience of late has gone in just the opposite direction of his reasoning. Since the arrival of the great comet, we have had a most unusually dry season, and the heat this summer has been greater than it has ever been known in New Zealand, at least in parts of which we can speak confidently. So far from the comets absorbing the solar rays, these rays have been intensified this summer in southern latitudes to most unusunl degrees of dry heat, day after day, and week after week. It cannot either be because the comet has acted with greater effect on areas in the northern than in the southern hemisphere, as the latter have been much more exposed to its direct influence. As we have said we are rather disposed to believe, if it has any influence at all, that; instead of absorbing the sun's rays the comet or comets have intensified these rays by driving the aqueous vapour to a direction of the earth's surface opposite to that of the comet, thus causing heavy rains and floods on the continent, though by just the reverse agency to that which is assigned by the distinguished astronomer named.