Intelligence -and Miscellaneous Articles. 393 



and were soon followed by others considerably wider from every 

 part of the segment. About forty of these columns appeared in the 

 course of 40 minutes, some of which reached to an altitude of 

 35 degrees, were from one to two and a half degrees wide, and 

 varied in colour from light yellow to light red. At a quarter past 

 eight a great deal of light emanated from the edge of this segment 

 in the form of a broad band, and in five minutes afterward a per- 

 fect arch of flame- coloured light three degrees broad was formed 

 by it : the arch gradually increased in altitude, was evidently thick- 

 ened by a constant stream proceeding upwards from its western 

 limb, and at first passed through the Northern Crown, a few degrees 

 under Polaris, and between Capella and Algol : it continued to 

 rise and increase in breadth till it was nearly 20 degrees above 

 Polaris, when it had an altitude at its vertex of 70 degrees, was 

 nearly parallel with the Milky Way, and extended through the 

 northern hemisphere from W. by S. to E.N.E. Jts breadth at this 

 time, a quarter before nine, was about 4J degrees, and was mea- 

 sured by means of the two stars fi and y in the head of the Dra- 

 gon, as it exactly filled the space between them. 



At ten minutes to nine part of the luminous arch to the eastward 

 disappeared, but was again made perfect by vivid streams of light 

 from its western limb, which was the most dense and brightest part 

 of the arch. It again disappeared at its eastern side, gradually 

 wore away, and at five minutes past nine, when some black clouds 

 passed over, it could not be traced, except in the western horizon ; 

 yet the aurora, or segment of light from which it rose, was not en- 

 tirely effaced till ten o'clock. This was the most beautiful luminous 

 arch from the aurora we ever observed in this latitude, and stars 

 of the first and second magnitude were seen through : it was more 

 uniform in breadth, and its light more permanent than the one we 

 observed here in the night of September 25th, 1827 ; as that arch 

 was only made perfect at intervals by the meeting of coruscations 

 in the zenith from its extremities. 



Several long-trained meteors appeared during the aurora; and 

 a hard gale blew from the S.W., which seemed to bend that part of 

 the arch near the western horizon considerably out of its regular 

 curve. The gale continued two days afterwards; and there was a 

 faint appearance of the aurora on the two following evenings. 



AURORA BOREALIS? 



We extract the following particulars of the meteor visible on the 

 29th of September, of which several other notices will be found in our 

 present Number, (at pp. 337, 389, and 392,) from a note addressed 

 to the Editor of the Norwich Mercury, by Mr. J. Utting, dated 

 Lynn Regis, October 1, 1828. 



" I send you an account of a luminous appearance in the heavens, 

 which took place on Monday last, about eight o'clock in the even- 

 ing, as seen in this town. 



" It rose North-east by East, passing over the Pleiades, and thence 

 over the right shoulder of Andromeda, leaving the star Beta, or 



New Series. Vol. 4. No. 23. Nov. 1828. 3 E Scheat, 



