160 Natural History in the English Cmmties. 



clopcedias of Gardening and Agriculture; with the present Volume we com- 

 mence an alphabetical arrangement, thinking it will admit of more con- 

 venient reference, during the publication of the successive Numbers which 

 form the Volume. When the Volume is completed, the counties can be 

 easily referred to from the General Index. 



Bedford. 



A General Library and Museum for the County of Bedford are establishing 

 here; and though the museum is yet in its infancy, it contains several 

 hundred specimens of fossils, shells, birds, insects, and vegetables. Our 

 curator, T. M. Nash, Esq., may probably very shortly furnish you \^ith an 

 account of some of the most rare local productions. — W. H. W. Bedford, 

 Jan. 12. 1831. 



Meteor. — On Friday, the 10th instant, at 8 p. m., a most beautiful 

 meteor appeared just below Benetnasch, in Ursa Major, and took a westerly 

 direction, the wind blowing strong from the west. It appeared about 4 in. 

 in diameter, and was of a very brilliant blue, which gradually faded into a 

 yellowish green as it descended : it disappeared about 10° above the hori- 

 zon. Its train was about 6" in length, and appeared to be composed of 

 distinct sparks of white light. It continued upwards of three seconds. — 

 W. H. White. Bedford, Dec. 14. 1830. 



Aurora Borealis, seen four successive nights at Bedford, lat. 52° 8' 48'' 

 N. long. 2' 49" E. — On Saturday, the 1 1th inst., about 6 p.m., a very bright 

 aurora appeared, which extended from N.W. to N. by E., and had greatly 

 the appearance of strong twilight. The arc increased towards the east till 

 about 1 1 o'clock, emitting at intervals some very thin columns, or rather 

 flashes, of white light ; wind N.W. ; freezing hard. Soon after 1 1 o'clock 

 there arose several wide columns of red light, extending from the magnetic 

 north almost to the east. These were followed, at short intervals, by 

 others ; and so varied were they, both as to their magnitude and situation, 

 that the whole of the northern parts of the globe seemed like one dreadful 

 conflagration. Some of the columns reached the pole star, and appeared 

 as if tipped with black smoke. Such, in fact, was their appearance, that 

 several persons felt assured that the incendiaries had been exercising their 

 midnight deeds in several places at the same time. During the most mag- 

 nificent appearance, a in Lyra appeared near the horizon, calmly twinkling 

 in a clear twilight, while all the stars above were enveloped in red flames. 

 Just before the red flames emanated, a meteor fell perpendicularly towards 

 the earth, just below /3 in Ursa Major : its train was very short, and it 

 did not continue more than two seconds. Several other small meteors fell 

 during the evening near the Twins, and one in the west. On Sunday, the 

 wind blew a strong gale from the N.W. and was piercingly cold. , The 

 evening closed in with an aurora which aflbrded a powerful light, with very 

 slight coruscations, till half-past 10 o'clock, when an appearance altogether 

 different from that of the preceding evening, but not less beautiful, presented 

 itself. Wind blowing gently from the west. In the N.W. rose huge masses 

 (if I may so term them) of clear white light, which sailed majestically 

 along the horizon to the N., and some of them to N.N.E., where they 

 burst forth into thick white columns of various breadths, which reached 

 above Ursa Major. These masses followed each other at short intervals, 

 and continued for about an hour and a half, when the aurora gradually 

 assumed its calm twilight appearance, and as gradually vanished. On the 

 two following evenings the aurora presented the appearance of the early 

 dawn of a summer's morning. — W, H. White. Bedford, January 16. 

 1831, . 



