130 MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA BOREALIS. 



the time of their commencement, it only wanted thirty-six hours of new 

 moon, the night was fully as light and clear as if she had been at her 

 full. At all times, and during every variety of configuration, the stars 

 could be distinctly seen shining through them with scarcely any dimi- 

 nution of their brightness* The brightest exhibitions, during the even- 

 ing, were very evidently from the westward, and what struck me as re- 

 markable, the greater part of the southern hemisphere at times was co- 

 vered with them also. The morning of Thursday the 1 9th was clear, 

 with slight frost ; but as the day advanced it became cloudy ; the frost 

 gave way, and rain succeeded in the evening. The rain increased as 

 evening advanced, and continued all night, and all the morning of next 

 day, the 20th. In the forenoon, however, it cleared up, and continued 

 fair, though frequently threatening rain all the rest of the day. 



21^, Clouds continued to cover the sky, and collect in great quanti- 

 ties in the forenoon at 1 p. M. passing into nimbus, which soon extended 

 all over the sky, and descended in continued heavy rain during the 

 whole day. In the evening the wind, which has all along been from the 

 westward, began to rise, and soon increased to a smart gale, with much 

 and heavy rain all night long. The wind fell, and the rain abated in the 

 morning of the 22d, which commenced fine ; but during the forenoon 

 the clouds again collected from the westward. Extensive nimbus again 

 formed, and spread over the whole sky about 1 P. M., and descended in 

 torrents of rain during the rest of the day, and during the whole night. 

 Early in the morning the Tweed was observed, from the previous day 

 and night's rain, to be swollen to top flood, and all the streams were 

 flooded throughout the neighbourhood. As the rain, however, came 

 from the west, it was in the western parts of the country that the great- 

 est damage was done. A reference to the newspapers of the period 

 will shew a constant succession of fatal accidents, where, from the swoll- 

 en state of the streams, considerable loss of life took place, both men 

 and horses being in many cases swept away and overwhelmed by the 

 .torrents. But it was at Greenock that the most fearful devastation 

 took place, and the dreadful event that occurred there during the night 

 and morning of the 21st and 22d, whether considered in the view of the 

 mere damage done to property, or the more frightful loss of human life, 

 will long be remembered in that quarter with feelings of dismay. The 

 Very large reservoir which collects the water destined for the supply of 

 the various mills and public works about Cartsdyke, and which is situ- 

 ated on high ground about a mile above that suburb of Greenock, was 

 so immensely filled by its overflowing feeders, that the embankments, 

 though said to be 150 feet thick, became no longer able to bear the huge 

 pressure of water, and gave way with dreadful fury. The torrent of wa- 

 ter which now escaped, rushed into another dam a little below it, which 

 also gave way, and, increased thus to a frightful extent, bore death and 



