Correspondence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 516, 14 October 1857, Page 5

Correspondence.

To the Editor of the « Lyttelton Times.'

Sir,—"An Elector" says,before he ventures «to record his vote in my favour as a Member of the Provincial Council, he desires to ■ know whether I intend to proceed to Auckland. My intentions are known to many of the Electors, but as I do not recognize the right of an anonymous writer to question them, you will perhaps permit me to say ti#t I ahaU U happy to answer

" An Elector's" question, if addressed to me in person. I shall be equally pleased to do so, if ne prefers the publicity of your columns, provided he will disclose his name, which I fear has been withheld now for reasons only that are perhaps best known to himself. Honi aoit quimal y pense. I am, sir, Yours very respectfully, J. OLMVIER. [The above letter has only just now, fallen into our hands, having been forwarded^, by some mistake, to Akaroa. This explanation of the delay which has occurred in the publication of a letter written a fortnight ago, is due to Mr. Ollivier.—-Ed. L.T.] To the Editor of fihe Lyttelton Times. Sir,-—I believe your columns are always open to subjects of general information; and.as I think there is a want of knowledge among Ship-owners and Masters as to the capabilities of your port, > I have pleasure in stating that, having just returned from Pigeon Bay, where I went seeking spars (among them a new mainmast) for my vessel, I am agreeably surprised to find that you have close at hand a great abundance of serviceable spars, from 20 to 65 feet lengths; and though, in a case like mine, it is unfortunate to have met with such a serious casualty,.it is more than a slight alleviation to find that fresh spars can be so readily obtained. i Your obedient Servant, BENJAMIN BRUCE, Master of the ship Glentanner. Port Lyttelton, Oct. 9th, 1857.

The Panama Railway :—-The railway across I the Isthmus of Panama, which a year or two since was pronounced impracticable, is already in a state approaching completion. A Swiss engineer who is employed on the line, writes:— " This railway is the most adventurous work ever undertaken. We proceeded with the compass strait from one ocean to the other: swamps like the Pontus were dried up, torrents cut off, rivers passed, mountains traversed—up and down with the undulations of a serpent, but always ahead; until on one fine morning the locomotive was whistling where before but the howling of the jaguar and baboon had been heard. Now, jn a few short hours, a journey is accomplished'which hitherto could only be performed with' much expense and danger. But what a railway ? I wonder how stokers and fire-men can be found to expose their existence to such a constant venture. I feel frightened in contemplating these bridges, spun like cobwebs from one precipice to another, and resting on moving, rickety ground. It is true the trains go very slowly at times, at a rate hardly twelve miles an hour. On the other hand, nothing can surpass the beauty ,of the scenery, which consists of bold volcanic rocks, decked with the most gorgeous and varied vegetation." '• A late communication from China informs,us of an event that must he deeply deplored by every friend of philanthropy, literature, or science. During the recent disturbances at Canton, the officV containing the printing presses, types, and machinery used in printing the Chinese-translation of the' scriptures, Dr. Morrison's celebrated dictionary, and other works in the Chinese character, was broken into, and the whole of the apparatus destroyed.