Borealis above the Sin face of the Earth. 4-23 



they appeared there, and might have been adopted with very 

 little error, it should seem, for that at Edinburgh or any one 

 of the intervening places, except as to the altitude of the sum- 

 mit of the arch. " A most magnificent meteor was observed 

 here between 8 and 9 o'clock. The appearance was that of 

 a luminous arch, stretching quite across the heavens. Its di- 

 rection was that of the magnetic east and west, intersecting 

 the magnetic meridian at right angles. At the same time a 

 splendid light was observable in the northern horizon. This 

 meteor was similar in some particulars to one which appeared 

 a few years ago." [Query in 1819 ?] " The arch itself ap- 

 peared like two frustums of cones, with the less extremity in 

 the horizon, and their bases meeting in the zenith. The 

 densest parts of the bow were those near the horizon, and the 

 west end the denser of the two." 



The phenomenon was seen at Lancaster, twenty miles S. 

 of Kendal, and 1 30 miles S. of Edinburgh ; it was described 

 in the next Lancaster Gazette, but without being specific as 

 to the altitude of the centre of the arch. Inquiry having been 

 made of an intelligent medical gentleman who had seen it, he 

 described the luminous arch as extending from east to west 

 across the zenith, the light increasing in intensity from the 

 arch of the zenith to the line of the horizon ; there were those 

 faint corruscations which usually attend an aurora borealis. 

 This was about 8 o'clock: at 10 h 30 ra P.M. there was a lu- 

 minous appearance along the northern horizon. 



The aurora was seen at Preston, twenty miles S. of Lan- 

 caster ; but I have not been able to learn the particular ap- 

 pearances at that place. It was also seen at Doncaster in 

 Yorkshire, but I have not noticed any description of its ap- 

 pearance at that place. 



At Warrington the luminous arch was seen by a friend of 

 mine, Mr. Joseph Crosfield, who was so obliging as to give 

 me interesting information on the subject, both verbally and 

 by writing. He saw the arch about 9 o'clock, or between that 

 and 10, in company with two other persons, to whom he pointed 

 it out at the time. At the first glance he took it for the milky 

 way, but soon discovered his mistake. The direction of the 

 arch was from W.S. W. to E.N.E. passing to the north of the 

 zenith. The western branch was longer and more brilliant. 

 He saw no northern lights at the time, neither did he appre- 

 hend the phenomenon was connected with them. On eleva- 

 ting the pole of a celestial globe till the axis passed through a 

 series of angles with the horizon, I desired him to fix upon an 

 elevation which he judged most nearly to coincide with the 

 elevation of the centre of the luminous arch. On examination, 



the 



