Scientific Intelligence. — Meteorology. 181 



deviations appear. Those examples of the aurora borealis which 

 are not brilliant, whose glare is difFused, or which do not leave the 

 northern horizon, have, on the contrary, little influence upon the 

 magnetic needle. Finally, there has been no instance during the 

 prevalence of a pure sky, and free from the aurora during the 

 course of the night, which has coincided with a magnetic agitation 

 of any extent, a fact which goes to support the opinion that all the 

 incessant and irregular perturbations of the needle (with the excep- 

 tion of the regular, daily, monthly, and annual variations) are owing 

 to the aurora borealis. 



Major Sabine, in a Report on " Observations made on the Aurora 

 Borealis at Alten, in Finmark, by Mr S. H. Thomas," just laid 

 before the Royal Society, remarks — " On examining Mr Thomas's 

 Register, with a reference to Mr Erman's important remark, that 



* in Siberia two kinds of aurora are distinguished, one having its 

 centre in the west, and the other in the east, the latter being the 

 more brilliant,' I find that twenty-eight nights occur in the course 

 of the two winters, viz. 1837 and 1839, in which the formation of 

 arches of the aurora is noticed, and their direction recorded ; of 

 these ten are to the west, having their centres rather to the south- 

 ward of west, the arches extending from NW. to S.S.E. and SE.; 

 seven are to the east, or more precisely to the southward of east, the 

 arches extending from NE. to SE. and S VT. : of the five others, ^wr 

 are said to be from east to west across the zenith, and cannot, there- 

 fore, be classed with either of the preceding ; and one is noticed 

 generally as being to the north. The facts here recorded appear to 

 afford an evidence of the same nature as those mentioned by Mr 

 Erman, as far as regards there being two centres of the phenomena. 

 In respect to the relative brillian(;y of the eastern and western au- 

 rora, nothing very decided can be inferred from the register. If, 

 as Mr Erman supposes, that they may be referred respectively to 



* les deux foyers magnetiques de I'hemisphere boreal,* it is proper 

 to notice that the position of Alten is nearly midway between these 

 localities. There can be no doubt that the frequent appearance of 

 the aurora, and the peculiarities of the phenomena observed there, 

 render it a most desirable quarter for a magnetical and meteorolo- 

 gical observjCtory." 



3. On Terrestrial Temperature, — Mr Dove lately read to the Ber- 

 lin Royal Academy a memoir upon the changes of form which the 

 isothermal lines undergo during the course of the year, of which we 

 present the following notice : — 



The immense influence which currents of air exercise, and the 

 fall of the temperature of the place which accompanies them, do 



