prevalent Disorders^ ^c, wil/i Volcanic Emanations, 295 



versing the sky to the magnetic norths as large as the moon ; 

 though, in the horizon, it was no bigger than a thread. 



On July 21. 1833, also, while an aurora illuminated the 

 north, I saw a brilliant meteor travelling from east to west, as 

 the moon was setting. Clouds were seen in the south ; whence, 

 next day, came wind and rain. 



On Feb. 20. 1834, occurred a fourth shock of earthquake 

 at Chichester, at a quarter before 2 a.m., attended by a 

 rumbling noise ending in slight explosion ; and, at one hour 

 after noon of the same day, the aurora borealis was seen at 

 Kendal in Westmoreland. It was described, in the journal 

 whence I extracted the observation, as consisting of three pale 

 stripes of light, which rose from a cluster of fleecy clouds a 

 few degrees above the horizon, one point east of north, shoot- 

 ing to the zenith, still in contact with the clouds ; one cloud in 

 mid-heaven, the rest to the eastward. At IJp.m., a beautiful 

 stream of pale light was seen, extending in width as it shot 

 upwards, like a plume of feathers : its progress to the zenith 

 was rapid; but, as it passed this point, it melted in ether. 

 (Westmoreland Gazette.) On Aug. 18. 1783, a great meteor 

 passed all over England {Phil. Tr. abd. vol. xv.) ; and, on the 

 same night, Vesuvius was in eruption, as well as a volcano 

 in Greenland. Another meteor appeared on Oct. 4., at 

 S A. M. ; and, again, a third on the same day, at 6J p. m. 

 [P. T. 1784.) On March 21. and 26., and April 12. and 

 26., there were also great displays of the aurora borealis. 

 (P. T. abd. 1790.) Now, from March 20. to 26., there were 

 earthquakes at Zante, Cephalonia, and Santa Maura [probably 

 including the sea]. (Lyell, i. 414.) 



It is also well known, that there were earthquakes all over 

 the globe in 1783; and, from Feb. 5. to the end of 1786, 

 Calabria was shaken. The volcanoes of Iceland were also in 

 action at the period of some of these meteors. Thunder 

 storms were also frequent, and hurricanes. On March 17.j 

 a thunder storm destroyed the castle of Montaignac, in 

 France ; on April 1 1., there was a hurricane at Venice ; and, 

 on May 13., the city of Kremnitz in Hungary was destroyed 

 by lightning : and, on July 2., a dreadful thunder storm visited 

 the whole of England; while, on Aug. 3., a similar storm 

 destroyed twenty parishes in Orleans, France. 



The meteor of Aug. 18. 1783 was observed to come from 

 the north ; and was actually seen by different observers, 

 between the Orkney Islands and Rome, throughout its course. 

 It might be debated, whether or not this meteor was gene- 

 rated by electrical forces, traversing a certain line, connecting 

 Vesuvius, then in action, with other volcanic agents at the 



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