US millionaire who learned the value of punctuation the hard way | Brief letters
Punctuation is indeed important (Letters, 17 July). The story goes that an American millionaire's wife, travelling through Europe, came across a beautiful diamond ring for sale for $1,000. She sent a telegram: "Can I buy?" "No price too high" came the reply. So she purchased the ring and her husband was furious. He had meant "No; price too high" - and it is said that after that incident the telegram companies introduced the convention of inserting the word "stop" at the necessary places.
Fr Alec Mitchell
Denton, Greater Manchester
" Almost everyone in the world already owns a solar-powered vehicle (Letters, 15 July). Our legs run (or walk) on the products of photosynthesis at a rate of one small banana, or the calorie equivalent in other foods, per mile. To double this fuel economy, attach a bicycle.
Jo Gibson
Liverpool