396 Description of ihe' Aurora Bofealis 



only at intervals ; and, between four and five o'clock in the 

 evening, a small but steady rain commenced, and continued, or 

 rather increased in heaviness, till after midnight. Between 

 eleven and twelve, while it still rained, the writer, on looking 

 at the sky, which was covered with a uniform mass of clouds, 

 the writer observed, from point to point, over the northern and 

 southern hemispheres, a glow of ruddy light, which he sus- 

 pected, and still suspects, to have been produced by the light 

 of the continued Aurora, reflected by the vapour. He took the 

 opinion of a fellow-traveller, which coincided with his own ; 

 but it has not come to his knowledge that any individual, him- 

 self and his companion excepted, has formed a similar conjec- 

 ture — nor, indeed, is it impossible that it was no more than the 

 light of the hidden moon. The night of the 27th was star- 

 light, though with fog near the surface ; and there was then no 

 appearance of an Aurora. The night of the 28th was remark- 

 ably clear, and there was still no return of the Aurora. The 

 morning of the 29th was warm, with continued and heavy 

 rain; but, after this, there succeeded a week or more of 

 clear and dry weather; and these united particulars close 

 the history of the phenomenon, as far as belong to the per- 

 sonal observation of the writer. The direction of the winds, 

 and the state of the barometer and thermometer, were of 

 the same general description, during many days subsequent 

 to the appearance of the Aurora on the 25th, as that which 

 had belonged to them from the 20th, and almost for many 

 days before, and of which the particulars have been stated 

 above ; and these remarks may merit record, as connected 

 with the question of the ordinary duration of the Aurora, 

 and of the weather by which it may be thought produced, 

 or which it may be thought to bring. In many instances, 

 it has been observed, even in its splendour, and even in 

 southern latitudes, for several nights in succession ; and an in- 

 fluence upon the weather has likewise been expected from its 

 appearance. Upon this occasion, there was no remarkable 

 change in the latter till the night of the fourteentli day after 

 the Aurora (October lOth), when there occurred a violent gale 

 of wind from the south-west, accompanied with loud thunder, 

 and the most vivid lightning ; subsequently to which, as usual, 



