166 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ACADEMY. 



the wish expressed at the last meeting of the Academy, that a 

 record of the fact should be preserved, and a description of its 

 appearance recorded, I shall attempt to give such an account 

 as may at least revive the recollection of it in the minds of 

 those who saw it, though it fail, as it must do, to create a per- 

 fect image, which those who did not see it may consider a 

 representation of the reality. Unfortunately, the attention of 

 many ardent observers of natural phenomena was not directed 

 to it, and hence I have had the good fortune to receive the aid 

 of only two of my friends, whose observations have been incor- 

 porated in the description here given. 



It was observed, soon after sunset, that an universal light 

 appeared in the northern and north-western horizon, about 20° 

 in altitude, which continued of an uniform colour and appear- 

 ance, gradually becoming brighter. At eight o'clock it had 

 the appearance of a fire in the northern part of the city ; the 

 colour of the light was precisely that of a fire just breaking 

 out, when the flames are not seen. At ten the appearance of 

 a fire still existed, and although the light earlier in the evening 

 had been attributed to an aurora, yet so nearly did the light 

 now resemble that produced by a fire, that I referred it to the 

 burning of a pottery, the light from which is often observed 

 in the same direction, for by this time it had extended com- 

 pletely round to the eastward. It was soon ascertained that 

 the opinion was erroneous, and the existence of the 'northern 

 lights' satisfactorily established. At nearly eleven o'clock the 

 light rose upwards in large parallel waves or undulations. 

 Yertical streaks darting upwards converged towards the zenith. 

 A broad belt of beautiful rosy, pink light, commencing in the 

 north-west gradually extended itself towards the north-east, at 

 an elevation of about 60° — and remained for some time, visi- 

 ble in a direction from w, n. w. to e. s. e. The colour of 

 this belt was most intense on its upper edge, and it gradually 

 softened down through white into a delicate green. The sky 

 was tinged with delicate prismatic colours, and the frequent 

 vertical corruscations, which continually darted upwards gave 

 animation to the picture. The upper edge above the rosy 

 nebulus, was in a constant undulatory state, resembling the 

 flapping of a flag or sail loosened in a breeze or shaken by the 

 hand. The rolling of flames will perhaps convey a good idea 



