Meteorological Observations for December 1830. 159 



The atmospheric and meteoric phenomena that have come within our 

 observations this month, are one solar and four lunar halos, nine meteors, 

 four rainbows, five aurorae boreales, and ten gales of wind, or days on which 

 they have prevailed, namely, two from the North-east, one from the East, two 

 from the South-east, two from the South, and three from the South-west. 



AURORA BOREALES. In the evening of the llth instant, a bright aurora 

 borealis appeared at half-past eight, between an opening in a black cloud 

 in the northern horizon. By 2 A.M. the cloud had dispersed, when the 

 aurora was again seen with increased brightness, and as a segment cut off 

 by the horizon, occupied a space of seventy degrees, from which emanated 

 several flame-coloured perpendicular columns, some of which were two 

 degrees wide, and thirty degrees in altitude. In half an hour after, they 

 were succeeded by others, which ultimately exhibited red and purple tints, 

 with an inclination to the horizon. Many persons in the country saw the 

 aurora about this time, and described it as having a very awful appearance, 

 from a mixture of the colours. 



12th. An aurora borealis appeared from 6 till 10 P.M. and extended 

 from North-north-east to North-west. The altitude of its arch was about 

 eight degrees, and four meteors appeared over it. 



13th and 14th. Faint aurorae appeared throughout the nights, much the 

 same in height and extent as the one on the 12th. 



25th. An aurora borealis appeared in the moonlight, from seven o'clock 

 till after midnight, whose arch of light in the early part of the night ex- 

 tended from North-north-east to West-north-west, and many coloured 

 columnsVose from it. At half-past eleven, coruscations, just perceptible in 

 the lunar light, emanated from the aurora, and it soon after sunk beneath 

 the horizon. 



REMARKS. 



London. December 1. Hazy. 2. Cloudy and cold. 3, 4. Drizzly. 

 5. Fine. 6, 7. Cloudy. 8. Overcast: rain at night. 9. Heavy rain in the 

 morning, and at night. 10. Cloudy : clear, with frost, at night. 1 1. Fine. 



12. Cold and cloudy; at night clear and frosty. 13, 14. Fine, with frost. 

 15. Foggy, with slight rain. 16. Foggy in the morning: showers: sharp 

 frost at night. 17. Sleet. 18. Cloudy and cold, with some snow. 19. Fine 

 in the morning: rain,with strong wind at night. 20 22.Fine. 23 26. Se- 

 vere frost, with some snow. 27, 28. Overcast. 29. Frosty : fog in the 

 morning : clear at night. 30. Fine. 31. Boisterous in the morning: fine at 

 night. 



Penzance. December 1. Fair. 2. Rain. 3. Fair : misty. 4. Fair: 

 showers. 5. Fair: stormy : rain. 6. Fair : rain. 7. Fair. 8. Fair: rain. 

 9. Rain. 10. Showers, hail, and rain. 1 1. Fair: showers. 12. Showers. 



13, 14. Clear. 15, 16. Fair. 17. Rain : fair. 18,19. Clear. 

 2022. Showers. 23. Showers, hail, and rain. 24, 25. Snow. 

 26. Clear. 27. Showers, hail, and rain. 28, 29. Showers. 30. Rain. 

 31. Clear. 



Boston. December 18. Cloudy. 9, 1O. Cloudy: rain A.M. and P.M. 

 11. Fine. 12. Snow. 13. Fine. 14. Cloudy. 15. Cloudy: rain A.M. 

 and P.M. 16. Fine. 17. Rain. 18. Snow. 19. Fine. 20. Stormy : rain 

 P.M. 21 23. Fine. 24. Cloudy and stormy: snow P.M. 25. Cloudy : 

 snow P.M. 26. Fine. 27, 28. Cloudy. 29. Fine. 30, 31. Cloudy : snow 

 melted. 



Meleoro- 



