CORRESPONDENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1247, 6 May 1870, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

(to thb bditob op thb timks.) ■ Sib,—The letter of a " Bivertonian/' which appears in the columns of your contemporary —the 2fews t of the 30th ult. —refers to a scientific enquiry, viz., the discovery of the origin of the aurora,^ which is at present absorbing the attention of many of the most renowned savants of the present day. " Eivertonian,'' with true and sterling modesty (a rare and unknown quality in this part of the world), says that he has? not the slightest pretensions to be considered a scientific man. But, nevertheless, he has shown by his letter that he possesses the qualities and true instincts of a truthful and enquiring scientific mmd —the basis of all scientific and true, progress. His letter is full of errors, and it would take the whole side of a news, paper to explain and point them out. It is to be regretted that there is no rudimentary scientific hand-book, which dealt - exclusively with the particular depart-.. me nt of the physical sciences to which his letter refers, at present published. However, with respect to the aurora, I am happy to be able to inform him thai; the present stage of the enquiry shows that it is produced by the action of the sunts rays upon, or through some : medium above, and exterior to the earth's atmosphere, the nature and elementary - composition of which has not yet been determined. 2nd. That the zodiacal light and the aurora are probably of the same nature; and, 3rd. That it is very satisfactory for us to know that by means of the spectrum analysis we are ~ probably on the eve of the discovery of this very interesting question —a question which, since the days of Newton, has both occupied and puzzled the minds of the world's greatest philosophers. lam,&c., iNTEBCATtftTTJJTB.