The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-23 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—With reference to Mr. Hawksley's letter in
your impression of this day, in which he deduces
five material points from our report to the Chief
Commissioner of Works, &c., of the 10th inst.,
there is (if we except the important omission in
No. 3 of the additional saving of the amount now
paid to th 3 Chelsea Water Company) but one point
which calls for any remark from us.
Of the point we allude to, No. 4, the first portion,
" that the annuli cost (L 700) is the total cost for
supplying the whole of the lakes," is quite incorrect,
and it is a pity that Mr. Hawksley should have
spoilt all by adding the next few words, " with this
distinctly stated quantity of water (857,143 gallons
per day)."
In our report in question it will be observed that
we state that 1,000,000 gallons of fresh water per
day will be a sufficient supply for the Serpentine,
and add that we are willing to undertake to obtain
this quantity for a given sum. Now, aS the neces-
sary supply for St. James's-park is already ob-
tained, and the works paid for, we cannot be sup-
posed to intend to ask the Government to pay twice
for the same works.

We mean exactly what we say, viz., that we are
willing to undertake to obtain 1,000,000 gallons of
water per day for the Serpentine, in addition to the
quantity already pumped, and, therefore, already
obtained, for the sum stated—£ll,soo—which sum
includes the necessary apparatus for giving this
supply to the Serpentine simultaneously with con-
tinuing the present supply to the lakes in Bucking-
ham Palace Gardens and St. James's Park.
As to the reduction of our proposed supply of
1,000,000 gallons per day, for six days per week, to
857,143 gallons by dividing the quantity over seven
days, we need hardly say that our engine is as easily
worked on Sundays, if deemed necessary, as Mr.
Hawksley's would be.
We may and do differ greatly from Mr. Hawks-
Icy in the deductions to be made from the above
statements, but, although tempted to reply, we
cannot forget the Komise we made in our last let-
ter, that, so long as he confined himself to truth in
his premises, we would not interfere with his
opinions.
One word more. If this discussion should hap-
pen to have attracted the notice of the Chief Com-
missioner we cannot but think it must have been
the means of affording him much information on
this subject, which, i.i the midst of his numerous
duties and the short tune he has been in office, it
would be almost impossible he could have acquired
in any other way.—We are, Sir, your obedient ser-
vants, EASTON, Amos, AND SONS.
Grove, Southwark, Aug. h.

THE LUBB.ER'S HOLE IN d THUNDER

STORAL

The boy who accompanied me (he is an admiral
now, and one of the most distinguished officers in
the royal navy) was, thank Heaven, as much terrified
as myself. I say " thank Heaven," for it was the
witnessing of his fear that inspired me to take the
courage which I knew he would emulate. " Come
along ! ' I said to him, " come along !" He responded
and we literally raced for the lubber's hole, through
which we crept, and then stood in the top to survey
the scene. And such a scene ! There were no
flashes of lightning and no peals of thunder. There
was one continuous blaze of lurid glare, and there
was roar, and roar, and roar, without any intermis-
sion. It was all lightning, lightning, lightning,
thunder, thunder, thunder, " nothing but thunder"
and lightning. If every piece of ordnance that man
ever invented and brought into the field of battle
had been simultaneously discharged that night, the
combined sound would have been as a whisper
compared to the roar of heaven's artillery that thun-
dered in the skies. We once in a harbour fired a
starboard broadside to burst the gall and bring up
to the surface of the water the dead body of an
officer who was unhappily drowned in coming off
to the ship. It shook to their very foundation the
walls of a fortress, and broke the windows of every
house within a quarter of a, mile from us, not ex-
cepting thoSe of the Government House; but I am
quite sure that if every cannon on board had been
fired that night, we in the top would have been
ignorant thereof, except from the shaking of the
vessel, so awfully loud was the thunder. We had
lightning-conductors of course, and on the decks
were various metallic substances which attract, or
are supposed to attract, lightning; but neither the
ship, nor any one on board of her, was injured,
albeit we frequently saw the forked fluid descend
into the waves at no great distance from us. I could
not help looking at the faces of the men, as they lay
along the yard, tying the reef knots. Not one of them
exhibited any fear or anything approaching bravado,
There was no talking aloft, but after we returned
to the deck I took an opportunity of asking a man
who was a great favourite of mine, what he felt on
the occasion? " Well, sir," he replied, i 0 to tell
you the truth, I should not liked to have been
op there all alone, but where there's so many on a
yard it makes all the difference ; the;chances are, if
the yard is struck, you may not be the man who
is killed." And this appeared to be the general
feeling of the men. In proportion to the number of
sharers in the danger individual fears diminish.—
Dickens's " All the Year Round."

THE ATILTTARY MOUSTACHE.—An order has been
roade at Parkhurst Barracks, Isle of Wight, to the effc):t
that Private John Selzman, having shaved his upper lip,
contrary to orders, shall be confined to barracks until' his
moustache grows again.—Hampshire dfclvirtiser.